Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Thursday favoured a compensation policy that ensures adequate return to farmers for giving up land holding rights in favour of any upcoming special economic zone project.
"Farmers should get a proper price for parting with their land holding rights," Pawar told reporters. Process of land acquisition should not hamper interest of the farmers, he added.
"We have clarified our ministry's stand to the commerce ministry on the issue of acquiring agricultural land for the purpose of setting up SEZs," he said.
The minister, however, said the whole process of getting land for SEZ should be carried forward once a farmer willingly accepts the terms and conditions, and not otherwise. Pawar also recalled his experience in acquiring land for a commercial project in New Bombay where the state government had even monetarily compensated land title holders.
Besides, the land holders were given 12.5 per cent of developed land as part of the compensation, he said.
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