Three proposals to ease SEZ controversies

Bhubaneswar,Jun 20 (UNI) Union Minister of state for Commerce Jairam Ramesh today said three proposals to be tabled in the monsoon session of Parliament will substantially address the controversies over SEZ across the country.

Mr Ramesh told newsmen here that the three draft proposals such as Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Law and Land acquisition Amendment Bill were under active consideration of the Rural Development Ministry.

The Land acquisition Amendment Bill was aimed at comprehensive amendment to 1894 Land Acquisition Act which was being looked into by a group of Ministers.

The Ministry of Rural Development, he said, has already apprised the Prime Minister of the matter and presented a detailed account on these proposals to be introduced in the Monsoon session of Parliament.

He said the salient features of these proposals had already been deliberated by a group of Ministers and hoped that once these Bills were tabled and accepted in Parliament, several issues regarding the SEZ and problems faced in Nandigram, Singur in West Bengal and Kalinga Nagar in Orissa would be addressed.

The Union Minister, however, favoured for a maximum 20 SEZs in the country stating that having 300 SEZs were nothing but a mockery of the concept.

He also cautioned that the SEZ was bound to encourage regional disparity in the country.

UNI