Land Acquisition Act – Key amendments passed by Lok Sabha

On 10 March 2015, Lok Sabha adopted nine amendments moved by the government to the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015.

Following are some of the key amendments:

• Social infrastructure removed as an exempted category.
• Land can be acquired up to 1 km on both sides of the designated railway line or road of the industrial corridor.
• Before issuing notification, the government should ensure that land acquired is bare minimum required for the project.
• The appropriate government must conduct survey of its wasteland including arid land and maintain a record.
• Acquisition of land for private hospitals, educational institutions no longer counted as public purpose.
• Compulsory employment to at least one member of affected family of a farm labourer.
• Land acquisition, rehabilitation authority should hold hearings in district where acquisition takes place.
• Court shall take cognizance of offence provided in the procedure laid down in section 197 of Code of Criminal Procedure.

Essay – Corporate Social Responsibility

The evolution of the concept and definition of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has an impressive history associated with it. During the 1960s and 1970s, meaning of CSR was further expanded and. In the 1980s, more empirical research and alternative themes began to mature. These alternative themes included corporate social performance (CSP), stakeholder theory, and business ethics theory.

One of the most frequently asked questions is: what is the meaning of “Corporate Social Responsibility” ? There are various definitions provided by various organisations. The most appropriate and common definition is: Corporate Social Responsibility is that exercise which helps the companies to have a positive impact on the society in the process of managing their business.

According to the book “Making Good Business Sense” by Lord Holme and Richard Watts, “Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large”.

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India amongst top suicide nations: WHO

According to a new database released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the relatively prosperous and developed States in India have seen the highest number of suicide cases and the poorer States have registered the lowest number of suicide cases.

According to WHO report, India is ahead of USA when it comes to suicides. In India, suicide rate is 20.9 for one lakh population; in the USA it is 13.7 for one lakh population. In United Kingdom, it is 6.9 for one lakh population.

However, India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) puts the average national suicide rate at 10.7 per one lakh population.