Food, Land Bills on Lok Sabha agenda tomorrow

New Delhi: Despite BJP escalating confrontation in Parliament, government has listed two key bills, including the ambitious National Food Security Bill, for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill piloted by Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh is also on the legislative agenda of the Lok Sabha tomorrow. Congress has often dubbed the Food Bill and the Land Bill as "game-changers" as these could help the party electorally. Amid talk that the Budget Session could be cut short in view of the stalling tactics of the Opposition, government has given clear signals that it wanted to go ahead with these ambitious measures. While the Food Security Bill seeks to ensure access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people, the other Bill has provisions for a humane, transparent process to acquire land for industrialisation, infrastructure development and urbanisation. The Lok Sabha passed the Finance Bill yesterday without discussion and amid a walkout by the Opposition. Finance Minister P Chidambaram had said it was incorrect to say the government`s concerns were over with the passage of the Finance Bill. "All other bills in my view are equally important and I think an effort must be made to pass them," he had said. The session is scheduled to end on May 10, but in view of continuous stalling of Parliament by Opposition, a section in the Congress was of the view that it should be cut short. The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (Amendment) Bill and Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill are other items of the legislative agenda of the Lok Sabha for tomorrow. PTI