Recently, Mr.Narendra Modi, the newly elected Prime Minister of India has visited USA and met the CEO's of business houses and Non-resident Indians.Mr.Modi is now the icon of growth and development.He invited the companies to come to India with huge investment.The major problem in India for business investment is to get land.India still depends on agriculture to a large extent and Mr.Modi in his home also delivered speeches on ensuring food security in India.So acquiring land for business investment in one of the vital issues.The previous UPA government after long delay finally enacted a new land acquisition law which replaced a more than a hundred years of land acquisition law.The new law has provisions for pre-project socioeconomic impact assessment(SIA) survey, a better compensation package and some better rehabilitation measures.But no word was uttered by the Prime Minister as regards the new LA Law.Instead what is learnt from the media is the new BJP government is planning to amend the new law and it will avoid SIA and other pro-farmer provisions of the law.Under such circumstances what role should the resettlement researchers on India should play? Pl. see my recent article in the link.
https://www.academia.edu/9137096/Pitfalls_of_Indian_reform_of_the_colonial_land_acquisition_law
Article Pitfalls of Indian reform of the colonial land acquisition law
Investment and efforts to increase growth of the economy is surely needed. Getting US and other foreign businesses to invest in India is important. But so is implementing the law for land acquisition, that gives confidence that using land for economic development will not deprive food security to feed the large population in India. A politician who keeps his word will be trusted to work hard to keep the delicate balance!
Thanks Miranda for your prompt reply.Yes, the balance between investment and development is really delicate! Several years ago, a World Bank estimate reported that globally annually 10 million people were displaced from their homes and hearth and a miniscule portion of this staggering number of DPs were resettled by the investors and /or respective governments. Investment marched on; the 'balance' was trampled every now and then. In India, the scenario is the government has not yet created any database for the number of DPs. let alone enact a good rehabilitation law.
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