Ranchi, May 4: Deputy chief minister Sudhir Mahto may have promised industry representatives from Switzerland, Germany and France that the state was almost through with its rehabilitation and resettlement policy, but there is many a slip between the lip and the cup when it comes to getting a formal nod.

The aim of the draft policy was to give an impetus to the MoUs signed between the government and steel companies who had proposed to open shops in Jharkhand.

However, Mahto was confused when asked whether it would be the last draft policy for the nod.

“I am not sure whether the draft in the same form would be passed by the cabinet or it would take more time to finalise the things,” said Mahto, who returned from his 10-day foreign tour today.

The Jharkhand Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2008, is third draft policy of the state. Over 80 MoUs were signed in steel and power sectors with most of them (except some small players) hanging in balance in want of a feasible rehab policy.

Industry secretary Kailash Kumar Khandelwal said the policy was worked out by a special cabinet sub-committee on the line of the national rehab policy of 2007. Above and over the national policy, the government proposed many incentives to villagers who would be ready to part with land.

“We have made provision that 1 per cent of the net profit of the company gets distributed among the displaced and their heirs forever. It would mean that a single displaced family would get between Rs 3,000 and Rs 15,000 per month above and over the lucrative one-time compensation package,” said Khandelwal.

But keeping in mind the fact that the Centre of late wants that at least 70 per cent of the land required by a company be purchased directly from the villagers , the things appear murkier.

The government has taken a decision that the revenue department would now acquire land, if any, for industry purpose. Earlier experiment by the industry department that Jharkhand Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation would act as an agency to provide land to the investors remained a non-starter.

The issue led to war of words involving revenue and land reforms minister Dulal Bhuiyan JMM legislator. The party with a rural base also wants to ensure that the tribal vote bank does not witness a further sliding. The ball is now in the court of three JMM leaders — Shibu Soren, Bhuiyan and Mahto — who at any cost would try to cash upon the opportunity to please the vote bankby way of making a pro-tribal rehab policy or through just to linger the matter.