National Policy on Resettlement and Rehabilitation

A National Policy on Resettlement and Rehabilitation was notified in 2004. This policy laid down immediate provisions for resettlement and rehabilitation of affected families and the States, public sector undertakings or public bodies were free to offer better packages. The entire issue has subsequently been considered in pursuance of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP), which called for a ‘more effective’ system of resettlement and rehabilitation for tribal and other groups displaced by development projects. A new rehabilitation policy has, therefore, been formulated and notified in 2007. The salient features of the new policy are:

1. Policy covers all cases of involuntary displacement.
2. Social Impact Assessment (SIA) introduced for projects involving displacement of 400/200 or more families in plain/tribal, hilly, Scheduled Areas, etc.
3. Tribal Development Plan in case of displacement of 200 + ST families;
4. Consultations with Gram Sabhas or public hearings made compulsory;
5. Principle of rehabilitation before displacement;
6. If possible, land for land as compensation;
7. Skill development support and preference in project jobs (one person per nuclear family);
8. Rehabilitation Grant in lieu of land/job;
9. Option for shares in companies implementing projects to affected families;
10. Housing benefits to all affected families including the landless;
11. Monthly pension to the vulnerable, such as disabled, destitute, orphans, widows, unmarried girls, etc;
12. Monetary benefits linked to the Consumer Price Index; also to be revised suitably at periodic intervals;
13. Necessary infrastructural facilities and amenities at resettlement areas;
14. Periphery development by project authorities;
15. R&R Committee for each Project, to be headed by administrator for R&R;
16. Ombudsman for grievance redressal; and
17. National Rehabilitation Commission for external oversight.