The land question: Political economy of dispossession and rural livelihoods
By: Roy, Animesh
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Material type: 
BookPublisher: Social Change and Development Description: 17(1), Jan, 2020: 1-24.
In:
Social Change and DevelopmentSummary: Land dispossession under the neoliberal capitalist development has become a focal point of debate across the states in India and West Bengal is no exception. Based on primary data collected through three rounds of household-survey in 2009, 2014 and 2016 in Rajarhat, West Bengal, this paper examines the mechanism of land acquisition executed by the former Left Front Government (LFG). It illuminates the impact of large-scale land acquisition for a planned township for Information Technology (IT) parks, business centres and dwelling units. The study shows that the government had substantially diluted several legal provisions laid down in the Land Acquisition Act (LAA) of 1894 and denigrated the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) benefits recommended in the National Policy for Rehabilitation and Resettlement (NRRP). The ensuant transformation in livelihood activities of the dispossessed in the post-acquisition stage came forth with two key characteristics: first, there had been a sudden increase in the share of non-farm workers; and second, a bulk of this increase in non-farm activities comprised both menial and flourishing livelihood activities. The transitional informal employment opportunities in the form of ‘syndicates’ created by the government for the dispossessed households were ‘non-inclusive’, which kept three quarters of dispossessed households outside their circuits. Comparatively well-off households well-linked with the local authority and political leadership had better access in gaining these opportunities. – Reproduced
| Item type | Current location | Call number | Vol info | Status | Date due | Barcode |
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Articles
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Indian Institute of Public Administration | 17(1), Jan, 2020: p.1-24 | Available | AR123700 |
Land dispossession under the neoliberal capitalist development has become a focal point of debate across the states in India and West Bengal is no exception. Based on primary data collected through three rounds of household-survey in 2009, 2014 and 2016 in Rajarhat, West Bengal, this paper examines the mechanism of land acquisition executed by the former Left Front Government (LFG). It illuminates the impact of large-scale land acquisition for a planned township for Information Technology (IT) parks, business centres and dwelling units. The study shows that the government had substantially diluted several legal provisions laid down in the Land Acquisition Act (LAA) of 1894 and denigrated the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) benefits recommended in the National Policy for Rehabilitation and Resettlement (NRRP). The ensuant transformation in livelihood activities of the dispossessed in the post-acquisition stage came forth with two key characteristics: first, there had been a sudden increase in the share of non-farm workers; and second, a bulk of this increase in non-farm activities comprised both menial and flourishing livelihood activities. The transitional informal employment opportunities in the form of ‘syndicates’ created by the government for the dispossessed households were ‘non-inclusive’, which kept three quarters of dispossessed households outside their circuits. Comparatively well-off households well-linked with the local authority and political leadership had better access in gaining these opportunities. – Reproduced
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