Parliament watch: Delay in land acquisition, capping apprentices and more

Delay in land acquisition
Road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari told Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that 163 road projects-about 28% of the total-are delayed due to land acquisition hurdles. Over the past two years, acquisitions have taken one to three years to complete, he said, citing disputes over alignment, land type and ownership, compensation, unrevised circle rates, assessment of structures, project length, land quantum, and geographical location.

MPLADS: Govt Flags Delays, Low Utilisation
The statistics ministry holds quarterly and monthly meetings with states, Union Territories, and districts to review implementation of the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation Rao Inderjit Singh told Lok Sabha on Wednesday. For objective monitoring, regular pendency reports are shared with states and Union Territories, flagging works left unsanctioned for over 45 days, incomplete beyond one year of sanction, or unpaid for more than three months, he added. Of 538 constituencies across states and UTs, 61.5% had utilised less than 60% of their allocation, according to data shared by the minister. Utilisation largely depends on recommendations made by MPs and is also impacted by the model code of conduct during central, state, UT, and local body elections.

Capping Apprentices
The 38th meeting of the Central Apprenticeship Council (CAC) discussed a proposal to cap apprenticeship engagement at 25% of an establishment’s workforce, minister of state for skill development and entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary told Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. He said the issue needs further deliberation and was not put up for a decision.


PANEL TO REFORM AIIMS
NITI Aayog member VK Paul-led committee has been formed to create a roadmap to transform AIIMS, New Delhi, into a premier institution for medical research and practice, Rao Inderjit Singh, minister of state (independent charge), for ministry of planning, said on Wednesday in response to a question in Lok Sabha. This committee’s mandate involves thoroughly examining the existing systems and processes at AIIMS and proposing significant reforms, he said.