Modi Govt Plans Recasting Land-Use Policy by Developing Wasteland

The Modi government is planning to recast the land-use policy in the country for making it more scientific by developing wasteland. This is very much in line with the much-touted Gujarat model, where land displacement has been minimised and made more scientific and has enabled rapid industrialisation.

Recasting land-use policy

The country’s land-use policy came into existence since the day of independence to primarily create a framework pertaining to agrarian land. The land-use policies in India have continuously witnessed issues for decades and every government has tried to address these issues in its own way. Some of the major factors considered in the land-use policy include ownership of cultivated land, tenancy contracts, land reforms and land acquisition.

There were four major phases the land policy went through. The present phase deals with land legislation and efforts for improving land revenue administration as well as land records. The Planning Commission of India came up with a series of five year plans. The latest five year plan has provided a thrust on bringing underutilised land for cultivation and managing wastelands. The Modi government is planning to relook this existing land-use policy and make it more scientific by better utilising wasteland.

Benefits of utilising wasteland

According to the department of land resources, which is under the ministry of rural development, the Gujarat model of land-use for industrialisation will be considered for reinforcement throughout the country. The department has said that the model will help minimise land displacement while it will also help in minimising land acquisition for development. This will also creatively integrate the state-level plans as well as the national perspective of land development plan.

The Land Acquisition Act of 2013 came under criticism as it made land acquisition for development highly expensive, due to the mandate of high compensation as well as resettlement of affected families. With the scientific utilisation of wasteland for development, industrialists will be able to buy plots in a short time at lower price, without having the obligation of rehabilitating affected families.

According to the latest wasteland data in 2011, of the total national land area of about 3,160 lakh hectares, about 15 per cent is wasteland including uncultivable land.

Example of wasteland utilisation

The recasting of land-use policy is inspired by the Gujarat model, where the Rann of Kutch was industrially developed. The Rann of Kutch is a seasonally salt marshy area and a wasteland that cannot be cultivated. It is located in the Thar desert biogeographic area. The area has now come on the world tourism map due to its annual festival and development. The region now has electricity, street lights, solar-powered and biometric ATMs, telephone exchange, schools and milk-cooperatives.