‘Not acquiring land forcibly', says Mann on Punjab govt's land pooling policy
Mann's reaction comes amid attack from opposition parties who claimed that the AAP government has proposed to acquire 24,311 acres of land in Ludhiana to develop new urban estates.
Chandigarh, May 28 (PTI) Seeking to address concerns regarding Punjab's land pooling policy, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday asserted that the government is not acquiring land forcibly but is instead seeking the consent and input of farmers and land owners for sustainable urban development projects.
Mann, during his 'AAP Sarkar, Aapke Dwar' programme in Patiala, said the government is not acquiring land forcibly but is instead seeking the consent of farmers and landowners.
Refuting 'rumours' spread by opposition parties, Mann said, 'Some are creating baseless panic that the government plans to forcibly acquire your land. I am here today to clarify that we are not taking away anyone's land without their agreement. We are here to seek your advice, ensure your participation, and bring development to your doorstep.' Highlighting previous practices under past governments, he exposed the manner in which land acquisitions were conducted, 'Earlier, leaders like Sukhbir Badal approved plans, then shared them with their favourite few, the result was massive profiteering by a few, while farmers and common people were left to suffer. Those days are gone now. We are committed to transparency and fairness.' Explaining about the state's land pooling policy and its benefits to land owners, Mann said it is voluntary and land owners can choose whether or not to participate.
'Those who do not wish to give their land can continue using it for farming or other purposes,' he said.
On the policy's benefits, he said for every acre contributed, land owners receive a residential plot of 1,000 square yards in developed urban areas and a commercial space of 200 square yards for shops or showrooms.
These plots and spaces, once developed, will have significantly higher market value, he said.
All development costs, including roads, drainage, electricity and water supply infrastructure, will be borne by the government, said Mann.
'For instance, if your land is worth Rs 1 crore per acre today, the developed property you receive in return will be worth Rs 3-4 crore. You can keep the property, rent it for consistent income, or sell it at your discretion,' he explained.
The chief minister also addressed the rampant issue of unapproved colonies in Punjab, a legacy of poor planning and corruption under previous administrations.
'Illegal colonies mushroomed across Punjab, leaving residents without basic amenities like sewage, electricity or potable water. Builders and developers made profits and abandoned people. Our government is determined to regulate and redevelop these colonies, ensuring every resident gets access to modern facilities,' he said.
Mann stressed the importance of bringing modern urban planning to rural Punjab.
'Our villages deserve the same quality of life as cities. Planned development will ensure proper sewage, parks, electricity, and clean water. This is not just about infrastructure; it's about giving our rural population the dignity they deserve,' he said.
The chief minister strongly criticised opposition parties for spreading fear and misinformation.
'Half of these leaders, who now claim to stand with the people, are builders themselves. They are friends with the land mafia and were responsible for selling off Punjab's lands to their associates at throwaway prices. They fear our policies because they bring accountability and remove corruption from the system,' he said.
The chief minister also cited an example of Akali leader Manpreet Ayali, highlighting his personal stake in opposing the land pooling policy.
'Ayali fears this policy because it brings transparency and accountability, which would end his deals in real estate. Such people are spreading baseless rumours to protect their own businesses, not the interests of the farmers. They thrive on chaos and corruption, but their days of exploiting Punjab's resources are over,' Mann said.
He assured that all agreements under the land pooling policy would be made directly between the government and the landowners, ensuring legal protections and eliminating any chance of exploitation. PTI CHS RUK RUK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- Indian Express
GST restructure plan: In new regime, online gaming likely to be placed in top bracket
With the Government proposing to overhaul the GST regime with a special rate of 40 per cent on 'sin and demerit goods', the top slab is likely to see the inclusion of pan masala, tobacco, cigarettes, luxury cars, SUVs — and online gaming. According to sources, the Department of Revenue has kept in mind the country's 'social ethos' while tagging goods and services in the 'sin and demerit' category, and online gaming is seen to be fitting that definition. If this move is finalised, it is likely to cause an upheaval among online gaming companies, ranging from fantasy sports and real gaming platforms, which have previously complained of the 28 per cent GST levied on them. The latest consideration also comes amid growing concerns within the Central and state governments over the amount of money being spent on these platforms, and the ease with which these companies enable automatic deductions for payments, sometimes without consent, during consecutive rounds of a game. The 40 per cent rate, which is likely to be recommended by the GST Council, could also benefit the Central and state governments fiscally, with substantial revenue gains expected. The sector has shown fairly inelastic demand previously, when the GST rate was set at 28 per cent from October 1, 2023. Prior to that, many online gaming companies were not paying 28 per cent saying there were differential tax rates for games of skill and games of chance. Official data shows GST revenues jumped sharply after the Council's decision in July 2023 to impose a uniform 28 per cent levy on online gaming, horse racing and casinos with effect from October 1, 2023. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said last September that revenue from online gaming 'increased by 412 per cent and reached Rs 6,909 crore in just six months… from Rs 1,349 crore before the notification issued on online gaming'. For casinos, she had said the revenue increased by 30 per cent, from Rs 164.6 crore in the six months prior to the decision to Rs 214 crore in the same period after the move. The need for a higher GST rate for online gaming may also find support among policymakers as they have been raising concerns over the amount of time being spent by users on these platforms that is resulting in them spending increasingly high amounts of money on such activities. A key consideration behind the move is concerns among policymakers over the time and increasingly higher amounts of money being spent by domestic users on online gaming platforms. The domestic spend on online games is not 'particularly small', Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran had said on August 14, days after the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) for the first time released monthly data breaking up payments made to various categories of merchants via the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). As per the data, UPI payments on digital games averaged more than Rs 10,000 crore in the first four months of 2025-26. '…take a look at how much Indians are spending on online gaming every month. And the number isn't particularly small — it is Rs 10,000 crore per month. That's Rs 1.2 trillion (in a year),' Nageswaran said at a meeting with statistical advisers in various ministries and departments, organised by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The Indian Express had earlier reported that the Centre is also finalising a move that could bring online real-money gaming companies under the ambit of anti-money laundering laws and subject them to stricter obligations, such as know-your-customer (KYC) requirements, and tracking and reporting suspicious transactions. According to a report by FICCI and EY from March 2025, online gaming companies in India collectively earned a revenue of close to $2.7 billion in 2024. These companies typically make money by taking a cut from a user's winnings. As per the report, more than 155 million Indians engaged with real money gaming sub-segments such as fantasy sports, rummy, poker and other transaction-based games in 2024, marking a 10 per cent increase over 2023. On an average, around 110 million people played these games daily.
Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- Indian Express
In industrial belt near Delhi, Trump's tariffs cloud outlook for export of engineering goods
In one of the many cavernous sheds dotting Ghaziabad, the industrial suburb on the outskirts of the Capital, a giant stands silent. The massive metal forging machine, hauled from China only months ago at a cost of Rs 20 crore, glints under the dim factory lights, its steel body collecting a fine coat of dust. It was meant to be the future: sleek, electric-powered, capable of shaping metal with precision and scale. Yet, in its shadow, the old ritual continues. A knot of workers, sleeves rolled, faces flushed with heat, gather around a much smaller press, striking molten metal with steady, rhythmic blows. The clangs echo through the workshop like the heartbeat of an older era. For Ghaziabad-based CD Industries, a manufacturer of metal flanges feeding oil and gas exploration rigs across the US, the dormant machinery was supposed to answer the shifting demands of its overseas clients. Instead, it waits, inert. 'Baal mundwaate hi ole padne lage (It started raining hail stones as soon as one got his hair shaved),' Pankaj Agarwal, Director, CD Industries, told The Indian Express at his manufacturing plant in one of Ghaziabad's biggest industrial belts on the Bulandshahr Road. Agarwal had purchased the electric metal forge to exclusively service client requests from the US, who had asked him to make flanges of up to 16 inches, as opposed to his current capacity of eight-inch flanges. But, with US President Donald Trump's decision to raise tariffs on several Indian goods – to 25 per cent, with a further 25 per cent increase threatened by August 27 – new orders have dried up for Agarwal, and many engineering goods exporters like him. Increasingly, several US-based vendors are even cancelling earlier orders, resulting in significant financial losses for several Indian medium and small enterprises. Engineering is the largest industrial sector in India and accounts for 3.53 per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The engineering goods export of India had a share of 25.22 per cent out of the total exports during the financial year FY24, as they jumped to $109.22 billion as compared to $106.93 billion during FY23. In FY25 (April to December), India's top five export destinations in the sector were the US (15.82%), the UAE (7.36%), Saudi Arabia (5.24%), Singapore (4.46%) and Germany (3.52%). Industries like auto components and metal works are particularly at a disadvantage. For CD Industries, the US is its exclusive export market, accounting for 50 per cent of the company's turnover. 'While we are continuing to deliver the previously placed orders, new enquiries have stopped coming in. For some companies, their previous orders have been cancelled, as importers are seeking a discount, which many manufacturers are not in a position to accept,' Agarwal said. His products are supplied across the length and breadth of the US, from the West Coast to the East Coast, and Texas to New York. 'The tariff situation is bothering us, haunting us, and we are really, really worried,' he said. His plant in Ghaziabad employs 225 people, including floor workers, project managers and quality control managers. For now, he says the older orders not getting cancelled – a fact he attributes to his long-standing relationship with his vendors, dating back 20 to 30 years – has allowed him to not trim the workforce. But if the situation continues for a longer time, he may have to let go of some workers, Agarwal said. Sanjeev Sachdev, general secretary of the Industrial Area Manufacturers' Association in Ghaziabad, said there are more than 400 manufacturing plants in the belt, which employ over 75,000 people. 'If the tariff situation is not resolved, and the government does not alternatively help the industry financially in the meantime, easily 5,000-7,000 people will lose their jobs. Many companies, who have purchased raw material and made finished goods, are staring at generations getting into debt,' Sachdev said. Pankaj Chadha, chairman of the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of India, said about $5 billion worth of engineering goods exports are at risk due to US tariffs. 'Unlike other sectors, for us the pain started early on when the US announced 50 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium. At this tariff rate, we cannot be competitive and we are not in a position to retain our market share in the US,' he said. Sachdev speaks with the quiet fatalism of someone who is anticipating to see too many balance sheets bleed red. Between raw metal and a gleaming finished part lies a steep markup – not just in price, but in labour, skill, and the hours of heat and noise that shape it. Yet that value can vanish in an instant. If an overseas buyer pulls the plug, the goods, tailored to a single client's specifications, are suddenly orphaned, with no other market to call home. In that moment, there are only two doors left open: swallow the buyer's demand for a deep discount, or consign the work to the scrap heap, where months of craft and capital dissolve into a fraction of their worth. For some manufacturers, it is not just a bad deal – it is the slow tightening of a noose. One too many of such blows, and the factory floor falls silent. Many in the industry, who spoke on condition of anonymity, warned that the real weight of the new tariffs will fall not on the industry's giants, but on the small and medium enterprises. The big players can simply pivot, scouting for new markets, absorbing the shock with the comfort of deep reserves. For the smaller firms, there is no such cushion, no easy escape route. The blow, when it lands, goes straight to the bone. Agarwal, Chadha and Sachdev, all said that the government's help to support companies in distress is the need of the hour. 'We expect the government to extend Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) to the steel sector and restart the interest subvention scheme to ease the pain,' Chadha said. Vinod Kumar, president of the India SME Forum, said that export-focused countries like China have heavily invested in promoting their products globally. 'India has not done that over the years. This is a systemic problem. The nature of trade has changed over the years. Only production is not going to solve your problem, we have to market them effectively,' he said.
Hindustan Times
42 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Previous govts repeatedly deceived Delhi: CM Rekha Gupta
Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday slammed the 'previous' Delhi government for obstructing the city's development by preventing central government benefits from reaching people. Gupta was speaking at a public gathering after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Delhi sections of Dwarka Expressway and Urban Extension Road-II on Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi being felicitated by Delhi CM Rekha Gupta during the inauguration of the Delhi section of the Dwarka Expressway and the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II), in New Delhi on Sunday. 'The previous governments repeatedly deceived Delhi, and due to petty politics, prevented the benefits of central government schemes and support from reaching people. Schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Swachh Bharat Mission never reached the citizens of Delhi. Previous governments, driven by narrow self-interest, turned their back on the people and deliberately stalled development. However, PM Shri Modi Ji never turned his back on Delhi, never discriminated, nor bowed to pressure,' CM Gupta said. In response, the AAP leaders have accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of misusing government machinery by forcing sanitation workers and teachers to attend PM Modi's rally under the pretext of official duty. 'On Sunday morning, our poor Dalit sanitation workers in Delhi were called in the name of duty. Now they are being packed into buses and taken to PM Modi's rally. This is the real face of the BJP,' former Delhi chief minister and AAP leader Atishi said in a post on X. The CM said that under the leadership of PM Modi, Delhi has received support in the form of various schemes over the last decade. 'These schemes and this assistance were never fully implemented by the previous government, but even so, the Centre's contribution continues to play a historic role in strengthening Delhi's infrastructure,' she said. 'The inauguration of the Dwarka Expressway and UER-II will give new wings to Delhi's speed. Who would have thought that the journey from Singhu Border to the airport could be completed in just 40 minutes? Who would have imagined that the dreaded traffic jams of Mukarba Chowk, Dhaula Kuan and NH-8 could be overcome so smoothly?,' she added. Slamming the BJP for 'cheap politics', Atishi said, 'BJP is openly insulting Dalit sanitation workers. Forcing them under the guise of work and sending them to rallies is illegal and inhuman. MCD commissioner Ashwini Kumar should also face action. BJP has deceived the people of Delhi as well.'
