“In the last six years, the union government has waived corporate income tax worth Rs 3,74,937 crore, over double the 2G spectrum scam”
Social activist Medha Patkar on Saturday said that the definition of corruption should be given broader view. According to her, it ought to include not just embezzlement of money, but also corporate corruption and snatching away farmers’ land for industries. Participating in a programme organized by the National Alliance of People’s Movements, Karnataka chapter, a day after visiting Halligudi in Gadag where farmers are agitating against acquisition of land for POSCO, she stressed the need for repealing the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. She said the Act should be replaced by Development Planning Act, with a community-led development module. Successive land acquisition laws had acquired fertile agricultural lands for corporate purposes in the name of public benefit. Supporting the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare, said that any people’s movement must address the fraud perpetrated upon people and their livelihoods by legitimately handing over resources to big business interests. Any anti-corruption law should also address manipulation of laws by the corporate, builder, politician and bureaucrat nexus, she said. Taking a reference from the Economic Survey of India, Ms Patkar said between 1990 and 2005 about 60 lakh hectares of agricultural land had been diverted for non-agricultural purposes, even as huge tracts of land acquired were lying unused, she added.
The battle between communities and corporates was on everywhere, she added. She said that there was a need to obey the voice of the people if democracy had to survive.
Source: Deccan Chronicle.
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The companies involved need to get used to the concept of paying market prices when they buy land from farmers. Nobody is really against industries and highways as long as the Indian businessmen understand the concept of market rates for land.
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