Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy and its Implementation: A Case Study of Indira Sagar Project in Andhra Pradesh, India

After Independence to achieve rapid economic growth India has invested in various development projects to create new infrastructure. This has been made possible through massive acquisition of land for various development projects in the country. Development projects, such as hydropower, irrigation dams or mines, trigger forced population displacement. Number of people who have been displaced due to development projects are between 60-65 million. Of these displaced, over 50% are tribals. The High Level Tribal Committee Report 2014 reveals that tribal people are the worst sufferers by development projects, when compared to others. It is largely this group that is paying for the development of India. A majority of the displaced people have not been properly resettled or given adequate compensation. Improper implementation of rehabilitation and resettlement policy fail to resettle people sustainably and instead cause their impoverishment. With the above backdrop, the present paper discusses the issues related to implementation of rehabilitation and resettlement policy in India and united Andhra Pradesh. The paper also makes an attempt to assess and evaluate the implementation of the rehabilitation and resettlement policy of Indira Sagar project. It is an empirical study of Indira Sagar Project in Andhra Pradesh. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions tools were used to collect data from displaced community and with government officials. Research findings revealed various impacts experienced by households economically and socially.