No going back on land bill, open to changes: Thawar Chand Gehlot

PATHANKOT: Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot today ruled out going back on the land bill but said the government was open to incorporating changes in it.

"The government has sent the bill to the joint committee of Parliament which is scheduled to submit its report in the beginning of monsoon session," he said.

"We will not go back on the land bill but are open to incorporating changes in it," he added.

The Union Social Justice Minister said that Narendra Modi-led NDA government's first year in power has reversed economic conditions which were "poor" during previous Congress-led UPA regime.

Modi's vision for the green revolution part two regarding use of technology in farming sector would certainly bring changes for the betterment of the country, he said.

"According to 2011 National Index, literacy rate in the country is 65 per cent, it is much lower among the SC/STs and backwards and that of women among these sections is much less which is a matter of concern," he said.

Stressing on education, he, however, said, "literacy does not merely mean identifying words but also knowing what they exactly mean."

"Most of the developed countries are 100 per cent literate," Gehlot said, adding, there was a need to improve education system in government institutions.