Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley vows to push land purchase reform

India will push ahead with reform to a land purchase law blamed by business for slowing industrial projects, even if there is resistance to loosening the rules, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.

Jaitley told a seminar changes to the law were needed to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of building 100 new "smart" cities across India.

"Some changes will be necessary. We will first attempt to reach a consensus; if that's not possible, we will go ahead and take the decision," Jaitley said.

The law was passed last year with support of Modi's then- opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and seeks to set fair compensation for loss of livelihood for farmers who sell their land to industrial or infrastructure projects.

But its complex procedures have made it very hard for large-scale industrial projects to acquire the land they need.

The BJP would need parliamentary approval to change the law, and might struggle in the upper house where it does not have a majority.