Government fights to regain momentum with land reform
The Congress party-led coalition on Sunday promised to push a key land reform bill in the July session of parliament, trying to regain the initiative after months of corruption scandals and protests over prices.
The Congress party-led coalition on Sunday promised to push a key land reform bill in the July session of parliament, trying to regain the initiative after months of corruption scandals and protests over prices.
The government proposes to make it easier to acquire land to set up factories, mines, roads and power plants, resolving one of the biggest barriers for sustained double-digit growth while striving to give poor, rural land owners a better deal.The coalition met on Sunday to release a self-appraisal document of its past year in office, trumpeting its record on economic growth and social welfare schemes while reiterating a promise of tougher measures to clamp down on corruption.Seven years after coming to power, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has had to fight off perceptions of running a "lame duck" government. A slew of graft scandals have put the brakes on economic reforms, paralysed parliament and hurt investment in one of the world's fastest growing economies.Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi said in a televised speech that her government would push a bill on land acquisition reform, as well as a graft bill giving powers to an ombudsman to prosecute ministers and bureaucrats."We are determined to introduce and pass these bills in the monsoon session," she said, referring to the July sitting.Sonia Gandhi's son Rahul, who is seen as a prime minister-in-waiting, joined a high-profile farmers' protest in May against land being taken over for a $2 billion highway, trying to bolster the Congress party's pro-poor credentials.Promise to tackle graftIn a separate address, Manmohan Singh said India's immediate priority was how to maintain the growth momentum of Asia's third-largest economy while trying to tame soaring prices and reducing the fiscal deficit.A former minister in Singh's government, as well as the daughter of a key government ally and several business executives are facing trial on charges of manipulating the sale of telecoms licences worth billions of dollars.The former chief organiser of the Commonwealth Games, who is also a lawmaker who was suspended from the Congress party in April, has separately been charged with cheating in tenders for timing equipment worth millions of dollars. All of the accused have denied wrongdoing."The developments have caused many concerned citizens to worry about the state of governance and the pervasiveness of corruption," said Singh, referring to the graft scandals that have plagued his second term in office."These are legitimate concerns and the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government is determined to take corrective action," he added.The government "requires an image transplant", Vinod Sharma, political editor of the Hindustan Times told the CNN-IBN news channel. "That image transplant will come only when it comes across as fighting corruption sincerely and honestly." Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
