Statement by India in the Agenda Item 3 Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context (SR’s report on resettlement after evictions and displacement: addressing a human rights crisis) during the 55th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council (26 Feb – 5 Apr 2024), delivered by Jagpreet Kaur, Under Secretary, MEA New Delhi
Geneva, 5 March 2024
Mr. President,
We take note of the Special Rapporteur’s thematic report and its recommendations.
India is implementing various policy measures to ensure inclusive access to adequate housing, such as the Prime Minister’s Housing Scheme, under which several million homes are being provided to the urban and rural poor.
India has several Constitutional and legal provisions to safeguard the right of ownership, collective or individual, of members of tribal communities over lands traditionally occupied by them. The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution also safeguards against displacement of tribal populations due to land acquisitions. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Recognition of Forest Rights Act of 2006 prohibits evictions from forest land till completion of recognition and verification procedures.
The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act of 2013 provides safeguards to right holders under the Forest Rights Act against their displacement, providing for the requirement of consultation for land acquisition and for adequate compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement.
Therefore, in the context of the SR’s present report, we agree that it is imperative to have a fair, transparent and consultative approach to acquisition of land and rehabilitation of the displaced, something that we ensure in India, and remain fully committed to.
I thank you.
