He hoped parliament would approve the real estate regulator and land acquisition bills in its monsoon session
Important pieces of legislation held up because of opposition by the Trinamool Congress could be cleared in two months, top government managers told Business Standard.
Mass agitations are not particularly uncommon in India. But a mass agitation led by an environment-related issue that has gone out of hand is not something that can be easily recalled.
The economy is growing at 7.5-8 per cent, the finance minister said.
Ratcheting up pressure on farmers' issues, Rahul Gandhi's next stop will be Vidarbha in Maharashtra where he will hold a 15-km 'kisan padyatra' (footmarch) on Thursday as he criss-crosses the country to reach out to the farmers in distress in various states.
Chidambaram's remarks come amid clear indications from the party that it was keen that the proposed laws on food security and land acquisition are passed in this session.
The Mayawati government on Thursday ordered a Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department inquiry into Bhatta Parsaul incidents including of firing and rape during the farmers's agitation on land acquisition issue in Greater Noida.
In conversation with Shubhashish and Arijit Barman, Rakesh Arora, managing director and head of research, Macquarie Capital Securities (India) Pvt Ltd and among the most authoritative metal analysts in India, says companies should start taking environmental laws more seriously.
Though the Bharatiya Janata Party is not overly worried about getting the amended land acquisition bill through in the Upper House, it has nevertheless decided to have a three-day gap between the dates of the sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha for the Budget session.
The Indian industry on Wednesday offered to play the peacemaker in the land row in West Bengal, parts of which have been witnessing violent protests by farmers against acquisition of land for industrial purposes.
Ahead of the Monsoon session, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mawayati on Thursday directed her party members of Parliament and legislative assembly to do their "full homework" on issues of land acquisition, corruption and price rise which are expected to dominate Parliament and assembly proceedings.
Issue came up for discussions between President Lee Myung-bak and visiting Indian President Pratibha Patil.
Villagers have stepped up protests at the Posco steel project site in Orissa's Jagatsinghpur district.
In the present framework, he said the ministry will talk to states to expedite the process of granting iron ore leases to ArcelorMittal and South Korean steel giant Posco.
The process of acquiring land for Mumbai's second international airport, to be build in Navi Mumbai, has kickstarted. The phase wise development plan too has been rolled out.
The Bharatiya Janta Party o Saturday said Rahul Gandhi's padyatra in Uttar Pradesh would be treated merely as a "political tour" unless the Congress governments increase land acquisition compensations to farmers in states like Maharashtra and explain why farmer suicides were taking place.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is not amused with what's going on in her state. The chief minister trained guns on Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi who undertook a four-day long padyatra that culminated into a much hyped kisan mahapanchayat at Aligarh on Saturday.
There is discontent among senior Congress leaders of the Uttar Pradesh over local leaders being kept away from Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's ambitious padytra that started from Bhatta village on Tuesday.
Delay in implementation of 224 central sector infrastructure projects resulted in cost overruns to the tune of Rs 2.11 lakh crore, government said.
She said the Centre was contemplating framing a new land policy after her movement in Singur.
