Posco rolled out the largest ever compensation package in the country for the displaced and landless farmers.

The Rs400-crore compensation announced by Posco India for Orissa, is expected to benchmark industry relief in the country. The package will benefit over 2000 encroachers and landless labourers at the Posco site. While Rs100-crore will be provided for the acquisition of government and private land, Rs100-crore will be given towards building a rehabilitation colony and Rs200-crore as compensation to encroachers of government land.

While fixing the price of private land at Rs17-lakh per acre, the Rehabilitation and Periphery Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) for the Posco project announced a compensation of Rs11.5-lakh an acre for the loss of betel vines, most of which are on government land. There are about 1,877 betel vines in the site covering 300 acres. Landless labourers working in the betel vines will get 20 per cent of the total compensation for the loss, which is over and above the amount paid to the owners of the areas where betel is grown.

Similarly, RPDAC has prescribed assistance of Rs2-lakh per acre for owners of the prawn gheris — most of which are operating on government land — and Rs 1 lakh an acre for farmers using government land for agriculture.

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