Managing projects that involve resettlement : case studies form Rajasthan, India

In Rajasthan, a state in northwest India with an area of 3,42,239 square kilometers and a population of 44,00,5990 in 1991, the years since the start of the first Five Year Plan in 1952 have witnessed tremendous development activity. With the construction of irrigation dams, agricultural production has gone up substantially. The irrigated area, for example, increased from 1.70 million hectares in 1951-52 to 4.34 million hectares in 1991-92, and the food grains production grew from 3.38 million hectares in 1951-52 to 11.48 million hectares in 1992-93. By generating more energy than previously, the hydroelectric and atomic power projects have accelerated the pace of industrialization. The installed power capacity, which was 13.00 megawatts in 1950-51, rose to 3004.41 megawatts by 1993-94, and although the number of villages with electricity in 1950-51 was only 42, it exceeded 30,000 by 1993-94. The urban centers have grown larger and larger. And so on.

However, this development has not occurred without hurting people. The fact is that thousands of people were evicted from their homes and villages when development projects were undertaken, particularly the larger projects, such as the dams on the Chambal and Mahi and other rivers; the protected areas for conservation of wildlife at Ranthambore and Sariska; the mines in the southern Rajasthan districts; and others elsewhere.