Whither national policy on displacement and rehabilitation: A sociological perspective based on a case study from Karnataka

Abstract

A national policy on displacement and rehabilitation, drawing insights from a case study in Karnataka is analysed. Social scientists and concerned activists in countries across the globe have criticized their own governments' development projects for the anti-environmental and anti-human impacts that involuntary resettlement has caused. In India, concerned scholars and activists not only have decried mega development projects for their severe social impacts, but have also articulated their deep discontent with the absence of a strong normative framework for rehabilitation and resettlement at the national level. Using a backdrop of available critical sociological insights on the nature of land acquisition policy and land acquisition practice, the authors seek to analyse whether the Rehabilitation Policy stands up to the expectations of intellectuals and activists. With the help of data from a case study in Karnataka, the authors conduct an examination that looks beyond policy options and concentrates on social, political, and administrative praxis.