Land devoted to non-agricultural use has increased three-fold since Independence. It is set to increase further and faster, according to this article extracted from the latest State of India’s Environment report, published by Down To Earth and Centre for Science and Environment
In 2014, India was expected to bring down widespread land conflicts. This is because the country got a new land acquisition law in November 2013 after more than 100 years that gives communities a say in land acquisition. From rural communities to industries, there was an anticipation of faster and transparent land acquisition, and thus, fewer conflicts. But two developments through 2014 put a big question mark over the political will to implement the new law. First, the rules of the Act have not yet been notified. This makes its implementation impossible. Second, and more importantly, a new government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance, came to power with spectacular success in May 2014. One of its key poll promises was to make the investment procedure simpler and faster to revive economic growth. This include simplifying contentious land acquisition for industries.
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