Question : REHABILITATION OF DISPLACED PERSONS

(a) whether the Government has undertaken an assessment of the number of people displaced by large and medium dams across the country, in the past five years;

(b) if so, the State-wise details thereof including the Renuka dam in Himachal Pradesh;

(c) the steps taken by the Government to rehabilitate such people including compensation provided;

(d) whether there is any proposal to suggest that the people displaced by large water projects should be made partners in progress and given a share in the benefits comparable to the project-benefit families; and

(e) if so, the details thereof and the views and suggestions received from each State in this regard and action taken so far?

MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES & MINORITY AFFAIRS ( SHRI VINCENT H. PALA)

(a) & (b) Irrigation being a State subject, the planning, execution, operation and maintenance of irrigation projects are carried out by State Governments from their own resources as per their own priorities. The State Governments are generally formulating their own R&R plans or adopting National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy 2007 (NRRP2007) for implementation of R&R action plan in the Water Resources Projects. The state wise abstract regarding implementation of R&R action plan of 385 Major and Medium Water Resources projects is given at Annexure-I. As per the information regarding Renuka Dam Project in Himachal Pradesh, 1142 families & 5314 persons are affected by this project.

(c) to (e) Irrigation being a State subject, the planning, execution, operation and maintenance of irrigation projects are carried out by State Governments from their own resources as per their own priorities. Recently “Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill 2011” has been prepared by Ministry Of Rural Development was introduced in the Parliament. The bill has provision of compensation of Land to be acquired as well as Rehabilitation and Resettlement of Project affected people.