India, July 29 -- The Punjab land pooling scheme, a flagship initiative of the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government that seeks to give "planned urban development" a big push, has so far received a tepid response from farmers.

This comes even as the AAP government has sweetened the deal for farmers by approving an increase in the compensation for farmers whose land is to be acquired.

Apart from backlash from farmer unions, who have dubbed the controversial land pooling policy a "looting scheme to usurp fertile land", the AAP government is also facing flak from Opposition parties - the Congress, Shirmomani Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - that have termed the move "anti-peasantry and impractical" and launched...