Land Rights Victory for Marchers

Earlier this month, tens of thousands of people in India were marching for land rights. The marchers wanted the government to assure them that they will be given secure rights to agricultural land, homestead rights for landless people, tribunals to resolve land-related cases, and that the National Land Reforms Policy would be presented for public debate within six months. The government agreed to these and other provisions, including implementing the Forest Rights Act and setting up a Task Force on Land Reform – this brought the march to a halt. Here is the agreement. This powerful example of peaceful social change was the culmination of a four-year long effort by Ekta Parishad, a non-violence social movement in India.