The National Policy on

Rehabilitation and Resettlement

(R&R) 2007
Group-5
The aim of the policy
 The new policy's stated aim is to strike "a balance between
the need for land for developmental activities and, at the
same time, protecting the interests of the land owners,
and others…. whose livelihood depends on the land
involved.”
The National Policy on Rehabilitation and
Resettlement (R&R) 2007

 The National Policy on Rehabilitation and Resettlement

(R&R) 2007, to replace the National Policy on
Resettlement and Rehabilitation for Project Affected
Families, 2003.
 The protests against SEZs that provided urgency to the
issue of a new R&R policy.
 The objective of policy is to minimize displacement of
people and to promote non-displacing or least-displacing
alternatives.

Various provisions
 To bring a legislation on the lines of the new policy. Since
there is no law conferring the explicit right to
rehabilitation.
 The projects displacing people above a threshold number
will require a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) that shall
take into account "the impact that the project will have on
public and community properties, assets and
infrastructure".
 The "land acquired for a public purpose cannot be
transferred to any other purpose but a public purpose" .
 If acquired land remains unutilised for more than 5 years, it
shall revert back to the government.
Limitations of the policy
 The objective of minimising displacement of people-should
be considered at concept stage, but no criterion to
ensure it in project.
 Use of clauses like if available, as far as possible, makes it
a very flexible policy. It gives the authority escape route
to avoid any confrontation.
 No addressing of power of incumbent committees to stop
project in case of slippage or failure of resettlement.
These are Project/District R&R Committees, an
Ombudsman, a National Monitoring Committee, a
National Monitoring Cell and a National Rehabilitation
Commission.

Questions to be answered
 an R&R Policy has to be part and parcel of a broader
development policy that is committed to ensuring justice,
equity and sustainability along with economic benefits
qDo the potentially affected people have a meaningful say
in the project decision making process?
qDoes the development planning process attempt to
minimize or avoid displacement?
qIs displacement a factor in the decision making?
qDoes the planning process require the feasibility of
resettlement to be established before giving a go-ahead
to a project?

qDo the development policy and the R&R policy require that
benefits of the project be shared with the affected
people?
qThat indeed, they have the first right on the benefits?
qDoes the R&R policy require that no displacement or
impact can occur without resettlement being achieved
first (for example, in case of a dam, no submergence
without resettlement), and does it require that work be
stopped in case of slippage of R&R?

conclusion
 Many of the important recommendations made by
displaced people and their organisations seem to have
been ignored.
 The policy will again end up paying lip-service to the
affected people with the mistaken hope that this will
pacify the protests against large scale displacement
taking place all over the country.

Thank You