sd03Development and Displacement

Editor: Hari Mohan Mathur

About

Displacement by development projects has emerged as a major issue causing widespread concern and demanding immediate attention. Some 60 million people have been displaced and reduced largely to a state of permanent poverty since Independence.  This situation is unlikely to improve given the pressures of acquiring land for private industry and now the Special Economic Zones (SEZs).  The Social Development Report 2008 focusses on the displacement crisis of Project-affected Persons who are seldom adequately compensated and resettled.  It advocates development that ensures minimum disruption and a share of its benefits to the affected.

With contributions from well-known social scientists, resettlement specialists, development practitioners, and human right activists, this Report:

  • Presents new data on the size and impact of displacement.
  • Advises against indiscriminate opposition to every project.
  • Urges reforming the resettlement policy and the legal system.
  • Makes policy recommendations to improve the lives of affected people.

In addition, it highlights the social impact of the right to information law, the national rural employment guarantee scheme, and the various recent initiatives in education and health.  It also provides an updated Social Development Index.

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Contents

Introduction and Overview by Hari Mohan Mathur

PART I AREAS OF MAJOR CONCERN

  1. Development, Displacement, and Resettlement: A Human Rights Perspective: Upendra Baxi
  2. The Land Acquisition Act 1894: Displacement and State Power: Usha Ramanathan
  3. Towards a Just Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy for India: Shekhar Singh
  4. Reforming Resettlement: Supplementing Compensation with Investments and Benefit Sharing: Michael M. Cernea
  5. Protest against Displacement by Development Projects: The Indian Case: T.K Oommen

PART II DIMENSIONS AND IMPACTS OF DISPLACEMENT

  1. Sixty Years of Development-induced Displacement in India: Scale, Impacts, and the Search for Alternatives: Walter Fernandes
  2. Cultural Genocide: The Real Impact of Development-induced Displacemet: Felix Padel and Samarendra Das
  3. Nutrition and Health Impacts of Involuntary Resettlement: The Tehri Dam Experience: Satish Kedia
  4. Development Projects and Displaced Women: Ritu Dewan

PART III DISPLACEMENT IMPACTS IN DIFFERENT PROJECT TYPES

  1. Urban Development Projects and Displacement of the Poor: Dunu Roy
  2. Displacement and Resettlement Issues in Road Sector Projects: Surinder Aggarwal and Mohammad Zaman
  3. Conservation-induced Displacement in India’s Protected Areas: Mahesh Rangarajan and Ghazala Shahabuddin

PART IV THE WAY FORWARD

  1. Managing the Consequences of Development-induced Displacement: Hari Mohan Mathur
  2. The Right To Information Act 2005: A Social Development Perspective: Aruna Roy. Nikhil Dey, and Suchi Pande
  3. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Ace: Guaranteeing the Right co Livelihood: Ashok K Pankaj

PART V DEVELOPMENTS IN THE EDUCATION AND HEALTH SECTORS

  1. Common School System in Bihar: Norms, Standards, and Financial Implications: The Bihar Common School System Commission
  2. Health Sector: Issues and Challenges: C Sathyamala and J Kurian