If Anything Found Anti-farmer, I Am Ready to Change Land Bill: PM Modi

Modi seeks opposition support for Land bill, asks them not to make it a prestige issue, says he is ready to give due credit to them.

In this file photo, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (PTI)

NEW DELHI: The Indian government is ready to make changes in an executive decree it had issued to make it easier for businesses to buy farm land for infrastructure and industry, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told lawmakers on Friday.

"We are ready to fix anything (in the decree) that is against farmers," he said.

While the decree is aimed at unlocking hundreds of billions of dollars worth of projects stuck for want of land, opposition parties and rights activists say it discriminates against farmers.

The decree is a temporary order and needs the approval of both houses of parliament to take permanent effect. It will lapse if parliament does not ratify it in this session.

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