Development, Displacement and Human Rights: Contemporary Trends in India

India being the fastest developing economy and home to highest population has shown a new degree of development preference. The governance is putting its best foot forward for industrial development, creation of infrastructural facilities’ and thereby inclusion of the marginal to the mainstream society. But behind such admired development achievements lays the grave for the underdevelopment of millions of marginal whose land is utilized for the sake of attaining national goal – creating paradoxical situation of ‘development of under development’ and ‘crisis of success’. By virtue of claim of sustainable and inclusive growth of the marginal farmers, the development endeavours carried out in Independent India caused the problem of involuntary displacement, loss of land and livelihood, unemployment, food insecurity, and human rights violation. The introduction of SEZs in 2005 opened flood gates for MNCs and big industries, further aggravating the problem. However, the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (LAAR Act or, RFCTLARR Act) launched by the NDA government is a welcome step in this direction aiming to make land acquisition process more robust, transparent, open, inclusive and just. In case of land acquisition for development projects, the act made provisions for providing compensation four times the market value in rural areas and twice in urban areas apart from guaranteeing rehabilitation of the affected individuals and families and making them partners in development. In this background, the paper critically examines the predicament of development induced displacement vis-à-vis state of farmers in India especially after the initiation of 2013 LAAR Act by taking instances of Poorvanchal Expressway and Lucknow Metro from the state of Uttar Pradesh India. To draw a comparative picture, it also attempts to juxtapose the pattern of resettlement and rehabilitation practised before the introduction of LARR Act and its aftermath.