An immense country in population and land size, land governance in India was significantly affected by the transition from a socialist to a market economy since the 1980s. There is complexity both due to the high number of laws relating to land, harking from colonial times to the present, and the sharing of responsibilities between several departments at national and sub-national tiers of government, thereby creating overlapping jurisdictions. Despite legal evolution through The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, enacted in 2013, land disputes continue to clog up Indian courts at all levels, in particular concerning compensation levels.
Mr.Pranab RanjanChoudhury
Land as a discipline in academics and in policy and development discourses, has remained comparatively under-developed. Land administration continues to be isolated and sectorally divided, over-bureaucratized and often-politicized. Contrary to the need, land governance portrays legal complexity and institutional inadequacy and exclusiveness. Contested landscapes of land governance in India calls for partnerships and innovations to make development more inclusive and prosperity shared. Participation of land-actors and users, especially communities, civil society and private sector are critical, to make land governance equitable and sustainable. Centre for Land Governance attempts to bridge information gaps, create evidence and build platforms for connection and conversations among land-stakeholders, through knowledge engagements around action and policy research, evidence-based advocacy, communication and capacity building