Resettlement and Rehabilitation: Policy Imprecision in India

Resettlement of the displaced people has become a problem of national concern. Displacement is now viewed as a multidimensional phenomenon, affecting people's lives from every nook and corner. It encompasses not only the economic but also the socio-cultural and psychological spheres, all of which are intermingled. Earlier, displacement was defined very narrowly; i.e., physical transfer of the project affected population. Many other aspects related to displacement were not included in the resettlement and rehabilitation processes. Changes in economic activities, land-use, ownership of assets, accessibility to natural resources and common property resources, loss of livelihood, social disruption and the psychological trauma of the affected persons are the main concerns of human rights and rehabilitation and resettlement policies. Because of the increasing trauma of the displaced people, as is being witnessed in almost all parts of the world, displacement is redefined. Its resettlement and rehabilitation are understood as the humane concerns, and in the context of social justice, guidelines are given for betterment of the displaced persons. The present view necessitates change in norms for compensation, calculating non-monetized items, common property resources and natural resources.