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THE RIGHT TO FAIR COMPENSATION ANDTRANSPARENCY IN LAND ACQUISITION, REHABILITATION AND RESETTLEMENT ACT, 2013 -------------------------------------------------
THE RIGHT TO FAIR COMPENSATION ANDTRANSPARENCY IN LAND ACQUISITION, REHABILITATION AND RESETTLEMENT ACT, 2013 An Overview
An Overview

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Background

3. Why a new and combined law?

4. Aims and objectives

5. Purpose

6. Salient Features of the New Law
– Scope of the Bill
– Definition of “Public Purpose‟
– Urgency Clause
– Definition of “Affected Family‟
– Safeguarding Food Security
– Minimum Compensation for Land
– Minimum R&R Entitlements
– Special Provisions for SC‟s/ST‟s
– Enhanced Role for Panchayati Raj Insitutitions especially Gram Sabhas
– Special Provisions for Farmers
– Special Benefits for Tenants and Sharecroppers
– Infrastructural Amenities under R&R
– Compliance with Other Laws
– Process Flow
– Institutional Structure
– Safeguards against indiscriminate acquisition
– Timelines

7. Some other Key Features

INTRODUCTION

Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 is a legislation that regulates land acquisition and provides laid down rules for granting compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement to the affected persons in India. The Act has provisions to provide fair compensation to those whose land is taken away, brings transparency to the process of acquisition of land to set up factories or buildings, infrastructural projects and assures rehabilitation of those affected. The Act establishes regulations for land acquisition as a part of India's massive industrialisation drive driven by public-private partnership. The Act will replace the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, a nearly 120-year-old law enacted during British rule.
The bill was introduced in Lok Sabha in India on 7 September 2011. Out of the 235 members who voted on the bill, 216 backed it while 19 voted against it. The Act was passed on 29 August 2013 in the Lok Sabha (lower house of the Indian parliament) and on 4 September 2013 in Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Indian parliament). The bill received the ascent of the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on 27 September 2013. The Act shall come into force from 1 January 2014.

BACKGROUND

The Government of India believed there was a heightened public concern on land acquisition issues in India. Of particular concern was that despite many amendments, over the years, to India's Land Acquisition Act of 1894, there was an absence of a cohesive national law that addressed fair compensation when private land is acquired for public use, and fair rehabilitation of land owners and those directly affected from loss of livelihoods. The Government of India believed that a combined law was necessary, one that legally requires rehabilitation and resettlement necessarily and simultaneously follow government acquisition of land for public purposes.
Forty-Fourth Amendment Act of 1978 omitted Art 19(1) (f) with the net result being:- * The right not to be deprived of one’s property save by authority of law has since been no longer a fundamental right. Thus, if government issues a fiat to take away the property of a person, that person has no right to move the Supreme Court under Art 32. * Moreover, no one can challenge the reasonableness of the restriction imposed by any law the legislature made to deprive the person of his property.
The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011 was introduced in Lok Sabha. Two Bills on similar lines were introduced in Lok Sabha in 2007. These Bills lapsed with the dissolution of the 14th Lok Sabha.
WHY A NEW AND COMBINED LAW?

WHY A NEW LAW?

1. PUBLIC CONCERNS: * Heightened public concern on Land Acquisition issues. * Absence of a national law to provide for the rehabilitation & resettlement and compensation for loss of livelihoods. 2. OUTDATED LAW: * While multiple amendments have been made to the Original Act, the principal law continued to be the same i.e. the British enacted Land Acquisition Act of 1894. 3. NEED FOR BALANCE: * Addressing concerns of farmers and those whose livelihoods are dependent on the land being acquired. * While facilitating land acquisition for industrialization, infrastructure and urbanization.

WHY A COMBINED LAW?

1. Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation & Resettlement need to be seen necessarily as two sides of the same coin. 2. Rehabilitation and Resettlement must necessarily follow after acquisition of land. 3. Not combining the two – R&R and land acquisition – within one law, risks neglect of R&R. This has, indeed, been the experience thus far. 4. This is the first National/ Central Law on the subject of Rehabilitation & Resettlement of families affected and displaced as a result of land acquisition.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aims and objectives of the Act include: * To ensure, in consultation with institutions of local self-government and Gram Sabhas established under the Constitution of India, a humane, participative, informed and transparent process for land acquisition for industrialization, development of essential infrastructural facilities and urbanization with the least disturbance to the owners of the land and other affected families * Provide just and fair compensation to the affected families whose land has been acquired or proposed to be acquired or are affected by such acquisition * Make adequate provisions for such affected persons for their rehabilitation and resettlement * Ensure that the cumulative outcome of compulsory acquisition should be that affected persons become partners in development leading to an improvement in their post-acquisition social and economic status and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

PURPOSE

The Act aims to establish the law on land acquisition, as well as the rehabilitation and resettlement of those directly affected by the land acquisition in India. The scope of the Act includes all land acquisition whether it is done by the Central Government of India, or any State Government of India, except the state of Jammu & Kashmir.
The Act is applicable when: * Government acquires land for its own use, hold and control, including land for Public sector undertakings. * Government acquires land with the ultimate purpose to transfer it for the use of private companies for stated public purpose. The purpose of LARR 2011 includes public-private-partnership projects, but excludes land acquired for state or national highway projects. * Government acquires land for immediate and declared use by private companies for public purpose.
The provisions of the Act does not apply to acquisitions under 16 existing legislations including the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, the Railways Act, 1989, etc.

SALIENT FEATURES OF THE NEW LAW

SCOPE OF THE NEW LAW:
Both LA and R&R Provisions will apply when:
1. Government acquires land for its own use, hold and control.
2. Government acquires land with the ultimate purpose to transfer. it for the use of private companies for stated public purpose
3. Government acquires land for Public Private Partnership
Projects.

Only R&R provisions will apply when:
• Private companies purchase land for a project, and the same exceeds the area thresholds set by the State Governments for such purchase.

DEFINITION OF PUBLIC PURPOSE:
1. Land for strategic purposes relating to armed forces, national security or defence, police, safety of the people;
2. Land for infrastructure:
(i) items listed in circular of Government of India, Department of Economic Affairs (Infrastructure Section) number 13/6/2009-INF dated the 27th March, 2012 excluding private hospitals, private educational institutions and private hotels
(ii) projects involving agro-processing, supply of inputs to agriculture, warehousing, cold storage facilities, marketing infrastructure for agriculture and allied activities such dairy, fisheries, and meat processing as set up or owned by the appropriate.
(iii) project for industrial corridors or mining activities, national investment and manufacturing zones as designated in the national manufacturing Policy;
(iv) project for water harvesting and water conservation structures, sanitation;
(v) project for Government administered and government aided educational and research schemes or institutions;
(vi) project for sports, health care, tourism, transportation, space programme,
(vii) any infrastructure facility as may be notified in this regard by the Central Government and after tabling of such notification in Parliament;
3. Land for the project affected people
4. Land for planned development or improvement of village or urban sites or for residential purpose to weaker sections;
5. Land for persons residing in areas affected by natural calamities or displaced.

URGENCY CLAUSE:
The Urgency Clause can only be invoked in the following cases:
1. National defense and security purposes
2. Resettlement & Rehabilitation needs in the event of natural calamities such as floods or earthquakes.
In case there is double displacement of any individual they will receive an additional compensation of up to 75% of the compensation already provided for under the new law.
DEFINITION OF ‘AFFECTED FAMILIES’:
• Land Owners:
1. Family or company whose land/other immovable properties have been acquired;
2. Those who are assigned land by the Governments under various schemes;
3. Right holders under the Forest Rights Act, 2006
• Livelihood Losers:
1. Over the last three years, a family whose livelihood is primarily dependent on the land being acquired, including agriculture labourers, tenants or sharecroppers.
2. Over the last three years, families which are dependent on forests or waterbodies for their livelihoods when these are acquired; including forest gatherers, hunters, fisher folk and boatmen.
3. Over the last three years, any family whose livelihood is dependent primarily on the land being acquired in the urban areas or any family who is residing on the land being acquired in the urban areas.

SAFEGUARDING FOOD SECURITY:
1. Multi-crop irrigated land will not be acquired except as a demonstrably last resort measure, which in no case should lead to acquisition of more than such limits as have been set by the State Government under this law.
2. Wherever multi-crop irrigated land is acquired an equivalent area of culturable wasteland shall be developed for agricultural purposes (or an amount equivalent to the value of the land acquired shall be deposited with the appropriate Government for investment in agriculture for enhancing food-security).
3. States are also required to set a limit on the area of agricultural land that can be acquired in any given district.
1. and 2. above shall not apply in the case of linear projects (such as railways, highways, major district roads, power lines, and irrigation canals)

MINIMUM COMPENSATION FOR LAND ACQUISITION:
1. Market value of the land:
a) the minimum land value, if any, specified in the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 for the registration of sale deeds in the area, where the land is situated; or
b) the average of the sale price for similar type of land situated in the immediate areas adjoining the land being acquired, ascertained from fifty per cent of the sale deeds registered during the preceding three years, where higher price has been paid; or whichever is higher:
PROVIDED THAT THE MARKET VALUE SO CALCULATED FOR RURAL AREAS SHALL BE MULTIPLIED BY A MULTIPLIER FACTOR OF UP TO ‘TWO’.
2. Value of the assets attached to land: Building/Trees/Wells/Crop etc as valued by relevant govt. authority;
Total compensation = 1+2
3. Solatium: 100% of total compensation
4. Where land is acquired for urbanisation, 20% of the developed land will be reserved and offered to land owning project affected families, in proportion to their land acquired and at a price equal to cost of acquisition and the cost of development. In case the project affected family wishes to avail of this offer, an equivalent amount will be deducted from the land acquisition compensation package payable to it.
5. The Company for whom land is being acquired may offer shares limited to 25% of the Compensation amount . In case the project affected family wishes to avail of this offer, an equivalent amount will be deducted from the land acquisition compensation package payable to it.

MINIMUM R&R ENTITLEMENTS:
1.Subsistence allowance at Rs. 3000 per month per family for 12 months;
2.The affected families shall be entitled to:
(a) Where jobs are created through the project, mandatory employment for one member per affected family or
(b) Rupees 5 lakhs per family; or
(c)Rupees 2000 per month per family as annuity for 20 years, with appropriate index for inflation;
The option of availing (a) or (b) or (c) shall be that of the affected family.
3. If a house is lost in rural areas, a constructed house shall be provided as per the Indira Awas Yojana specifications. If a house is lost in urban areas, a constructed house shall be provided, which will be not less than 50 sq mts in plinth area.
In either case the equivalent cost of the house may also be provided in lieu of the house as per the preference of the project affected family;
4. One acre of land to each family in the command area, if land is acquired for an irrigation project if possible BUT the same shall be in lieu of Compensation;
5. Rs 50,000 for transportation;
6. A one-time “Resettlement Allowance‟ of Rs 50,000;

SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR SCs/STs:
In addition to the R&R package, SC/ST families will be entitled to the following additional benefits:
1.Land to be given to each family in every project even in the case of irrigation projects;
2.One time financial assistance of Rs. 50,000 per family;
3.Families settled outside the district shall be entitled to an additional 25% R&R benefits;
4.Payment of one third of the compensation amount at very outset;
5.Preference in relocation and resettlement in area in same compact block;
6.Free land for community and social gatherings;
7.In case of displacement, a Development Plan is to be prepared.
8. Continuation of reservation and other Schedule V and Schedule VI area benefits from displaced area to resettlement area.

ENHANCED ROLE FOR PANCHAYATI RAJ INSITUTIONS ESP. GRAM SABHAS:
SIA in consultation with PRIs: The Social Impact Assessment has to be carried out in consultation with the representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institutions.
SIA Reports To Be Shared: Reports prepared under the Social Impact Assessment are to be shared with these individuals in their local language along with a summary.
Representation in Expert Group: The Expert Group has to have two members belonging to the Panchayati Raj Institutions. This is a powerful body that has the power to reject a project.
Hearings in All Gram Sabhas: In case where an affected area involves more than one Gram Panchayat or Municipality, public hearings shall be conducted in every Gram Sabha where more than twenty five per cent of land belonging to that Gram Sabha is being acquired.
Consent of Gram Sabha : The Consent of Gram Sabha is mandatory for acquisitions in Scheduled Areas under the Fifth Schedule referred to in the Constitution.
Representation of Panchayat Chairpersons on R&R Committee at Project Level: The Rehabilitation and Resettlement Committee at Project Level has to have the Chairpersons of the Panchayats located in the affected area or their nominees as representatives.
Panchayat Ghars have to be provided as per the list of Infrastructural amenities given in the Third Schedule.

SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR FARMERS:
Acquisition only if necessary: The Collector has to make sure that no other unutilised lands are available before he moves to acquire farm land.
Enhanced Compensation: All farmers in rural areas will get up to 4 times the highest sales prices in a given area.
Strict Restrictions on Multi-Crop Acquisition: The acquisition of agricultural land and multi-crop land has to be carried out as a last resort.
Consent: shall be prior-consent required from 70 per cent of land losers and those working on government assigned lands only in the case of Public-Private Partnership projects and 80 per cent in the case of private companies. This consent also includes consent to the amount of compensation that shall be paid.
Return of Unutilised land: Land not used can now be returned to the original owners if the State so decides.
Share in Sale of Acquired Land Increased: The share that has to be distributed amongst farmers in the increased land value (when the acquired land is sold off to another party) has been set at 40%.
Income Tax Exemption: All amounts accruing under this act have been exempted from Income tax and from Stamp duty.

BENEFITS FOR TENANTS AND SHARECROPPERS:
The Law also covers all Tenants who may not own any land but are engaged in any form of tenancy or holding a usufructury right and;
Share-croppers Artisans who have been working in the affected area for three years prior to the acquisition and whose primary source of livelihood stands affected by the acquisition of land shall .
They will receive not just the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Benefits but also a share in the compensation to be provided.

INFRASTRUCTURAL AMENITIES UNDER R&R:
25 infrastructural amenities to be provided in the Resettlement area, including:
• Schools and playgrounds;
• Health Centres;
• Roads and electric connections;
• Assured sources of safe drinking water for each family as per Govt. norms;
• Panchayat Ghars as approrpriate;
• Anganwadi’s providing child and mother supplemental nutritional services as per Govt norms;
• Places of worship and burial and/or cremation ground depending on the caste-communities at the site and their practices;
• Village level Post Offices, as appropriate, with facilities for opening saving accounts;
• Fair price shops and seed-cum-fertilizer storage facilities if needed.

COMPLIANCE WITH OTHER LAWS:
The Provisions of the New Law shall be fully compliant with other laws such as:
• The Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996;
• The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006;
• Land Transfer Regulations in Schedule V Areas.
In fact, while the above legislations provide for ‘consultation’ with Gram Sabhas, the new law goes one step ahead and provides for ‘consent’.

PROCESS FLOW:

INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE:

SAFEGUARDS AGAINST INDISCRIMINATE ACQUISITION:
• Social Impact Assessment made mandatory except for Irrigation Projects. To be concluded in 6 months;
• Draft Notification to include:
– Summary of SIA
– Particulars of Administrator for R&R who prepares R&R scheme
• Draft Declaration to include:
– Summary of R&R package
• No Change of Purpose: No change from the purposes specified in the Land Use Plan submitted at the time of land acquisition will be allowed.
• Change of Ownership: No change of ownership without specific permission of Appropriate Government is allowed;
• Land not Used: Land that is not used within 5 years in accordance with the purposes for which it was acquired at the time of acquisition, shall be transferred to the State Government‟s Land Bank OR to the original land owner.
• Sharing appreciated value: Upon every transfer of land without development, 40% of the appreciated land value shall be mandatorily shared with the original owner whose land has been acquired.

TIMELINES:
1. Compensation will be given within a period of three months from the date of the award;
2. Monetary R&R entitlements will be provided within a period of six months from the date of the award;
3. Infrastructure R&R entitlements will be provided within a period of eighteen months from the date of the award;
4. No involuntary displacement will take place without completion of R&R;
5. In irrigation or hydel projects, R&R shall be completed six months prior to submergence.

SOME OTHER KEY FEATURES OF THE BILL:

Quick project implementation necessary as unutilized land may be returned
Apart from government‟s limited involvement in acquisition and required consent of affected families, the Bill also talks about the return of acquired land if unutilized after a period of five years. However, it does not elaborate on the mechanism of such return. The same has to be prescribed by the appropriate government.
As highlighted by the Standing Committee on Rural Development in regard to this clause, clarity is required on issues like value to be paid to the original landowner in case of return, validity of change land use and cases where only part of the land has been utilized. In light of the possibility that land may have to be returned, the project owner is obligated make fast decisions and implement the envisaged project on the acquired land. Further, the possibility of unutilized land being transferred to the state government also exists. This gives state governments the opportunity to replenish their land banks and reconsider it for alternative development purposes.
The Bill will apply retrospectively for cases where no award has been made as per earlier law or where majority of the affected persons have not received compensation or affected persons have not received compensation/not given up possession and the land acquisition proceedings have been pending for five years or more.

Restrictions on acquisition of irrigated multi-cropped land:
In order to safeguard food security, the Bill restricts and acquisition of irrigated multi-cropped land but for exceptional circumstances. An equivalent area of culturable wasteland or land value has to be deposited with government in the case of such an acquisition. As the land profile of each state differs, state wise distinctions have to be specified with regard to the net sown area for the acquisition of agricultural land. Restrictions on acquisition of multi-cropped irrigated land will lead to significant reduction in the available land pool. Annexure 3 presents a state wise land profile. States like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal had more than 35% of their land falling under net irrigated area as per the statistics published for 2009-10 by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics under the Ministry of Agriculture. Such states may set a lower threshold to allow acquisition of irrigated land.

Implementation of Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) a challenge:
Traditionally R&R has been in the form of a one-time compensation, which was decided using the last registered sale or a similar sale in the vicinity of the land as a base. After the proposed project is set up, the land prices rise owing to the benefits of the development. This creates considerable dissatisfaction amongst the displaced people. To prevent such issues, the entire R&R package stipulates the provision of employment by the project owner in cases where jobs are generated by the project and basic infrastructure including drinking water, individual electric connections, health centre etc for the resettled. Over and above this, delivery of the compensation and the R&R are proposed to be preconditions to the transfer of the land title. The ability of the implementing authorities to deliver these benefits which involve components as outlined above, in a time bound manner, will be a significant challenge.
The Bill stipulates that R&R will apply for any acquisition of land area as specified by the State government (an R&R committee will be appointed to review R&R progress in case land acquired is 100 acres or more for public purpose) irrespective of the purpose. This is expected to reduce asymmetries in compensation when companies acquire parcels of land for a large project over a period of time leading to inconsistent compensation. The applicability of such rigorous R&R as stipulated is thus bound to increase the input costs for project owners and hence the project.

CONCLUSION

The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill lays down the much needed policy framework which will act as a facilitator between the land owner and the acquirer. The Bill empowers the government to some extent for defined purposes in order to support infrastructure development and industrialization. Further, even in case of private projects where a large quantum of land is acquired, the Bill safeguards the interests of the affected families by making an elaborate R&R applicable. However in doing so, it also increases the overall cost and time required for land acquisition, thereby compelling project owners towards more efficient utilization of land.
The implementation of the proposed institutional structure and mechanism for acquisition and R&R will be a key in creating a transparent and swift land acquisition process. Only then will the higher cost borne by developers be compensated by faster project implementation and reduction in disruptions due to protests10 and litigations, etc. Large investment plans and projects have been stalled due to land acquisition issues or are moving slow in anticipation of clarity on land acquisition policy. The enactment of the law is expected to expedite investment decisions and aid economic growth. Ultimately the states‟ approach towards adopting and implementing the new policy will be critical in determining its effectiveness in the long term.

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