{"id":63355,"date":"2026-01-03T19:03:31","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T13:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=63355"},"modified":"2026-01-05T12:56:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T07:26:31","slug":"land-acquisition-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/03-01-2026\/land-acquisition-india","title":{"rendered":"Land Acquisition Policy of India\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Governance; GS3\/Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan said that Land acquisition continues to be a major obstacle to infrastructure development in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Historical Background&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The British standardised land revenue collection by introducing different settlement systems to strengthen their control in India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The three main land tenure systems were in place:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Zamindari System<\/strong>: Under it, land was owned by landlords (zamindars) who paid land revenue to the state, while cultivation was done by tenants under their control.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There were two forms of this system:<strong> the permanent settlement<\/strong>, where land revenue was fixed permanently and practiced in regions like Bengal, Orissa, Banaras, and parts of Madras; and a <strong>revised settlement system<\/strong>, where revenue was periodically reassessed, prevalent in areas such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and the Central Provinces.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ryotwari system<\/strong>: Under it , cultivators (ryots) owned and tilled their land and paid land revenue directly to the state.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Revenue was assessed individually for each holding and settlements were temporary.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was Introduced in 1792 by Captain Read and Thomas Munro in Bara Mahal and was later extended to regions such as Bombay, Assam, and Bihar.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In the mahalwari system<\/strong>, land was collectively owned by the village community but individually cultivated.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The community was responsible for collecting and paying land revenue to the state. This system, based on divisions called mahals, was mainly practiced in Punjab, Agra, and Awadh.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Current status of Land acquisition policy of India&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement Act, 2013 replaced the colonial-era Land Acquisition Act of 1894 to provide a more transparent and humane framework for land acquisition.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is effective from January 1, 2014, and amended in 2015.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It establishes a modern framework for land acquisition, guaranteeing fair compensation and rehabilitation for families affected by such acquisitions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Features&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It focuses on fair compensation, consent, and transparency in land acquisition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It ensures Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&amp;R), including housing, livelihood support, employment or annuity, and infrastructure in resettlement areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Landowners receive compensation of <strong>twice the market value<\/strong> in urban areas and <strong>four times in rural areas<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Consent is mandatory\u201470% for PPP projects<\/strong> and <strong>80% for private projects.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Acquisition of irrigated multi-cropped land is restricted, and if acquired, equivalent wasteland must be developed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <strong>Social Impact Assessment (SIA)<\/strong> is compulsory to assess social, economic, and environmental impacts.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>\u201cPublic purpose\u201d<\/strong> is clearly defined to prevent misuse, and unused land must be returned or put in a land bank within five years.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>While defence, railways, and atomic energy projects are exempt from certain procedures, compensation and R&amp;R still apply.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Act emphasizes transparency, public hearings, and provides additional safeguards for SCs and STs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Disputes can be taken to the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement (LARR) Authority.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges and Concerns&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Act faces several challenges in its implementation that make full implementation of the Act difficult.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some of the challenges are:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Procedural requirements often delay land acquisition for development projects\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Multiple clearances (forest, wildlife, environment) add to delays.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Around 35% of infrastructure project issues stem from land acquisition hurdles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Compensation costs can put a strain on both public and private project budgets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Balancing development needs with social justice remains a contentious issue\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There are concerns over displacement, inadequate rehabilitation, and loss of livelihood.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Delays increase project costs, affecting national infrastructure targets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion and Way Forward&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s 2013 Land Acquisition Act promotes fairness and transparency, but implementation delays and disputes hinder infrastructure development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Therefore Improving digital land records, speeding up clearances, and ensuring proper rehabilitation are essential.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While the government does not plan to change the law, more efficient execution is urgently needed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source :<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/land-acquisition-a-major-issue-in-infrastructure-development-cabinet-secretary\/article70465008.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>In News<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan said that Land acquisition continues to be a major obstacle to infrastructure development in India.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Historical Background\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The British standardised land revenue collection by introducing different settlement systems to strengthen their control in India. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The three main land tenure systems were in place: <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Zamindari System: Under it, land was owned by landlords (zamindars) who paid land revenue to the state, while cultivation was done by tenants under their control. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/03-01-2026\/land-acquisition-india\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63355"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63385,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63355\/revisions\/63385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}