With resentment growing among those displaced due to industrialisation, companies are sugarcoating their efforts by making the affected people stakeholders in projects.
Being a stakeholder, of course, means different things to different companies, but large users of land are increasingly feeling the need to step in on behalf of the displaced, rather than leaving matters to the government.
Tata Steel has set up a "Tata Steel Pariwar," under which every displaced family becomes a part of the "Pariwar."
The model has been implemented in Orissa, where the company is setting up a six million tonne steel plant at the Kalinganagar Industrial Estate, which has had its share of problems.
A Tata Steel spokesperson said the model envisaged employing those with requisite qualifications and training others.
"Some will get help to gain self-employment. We will monitor every family's income at regular intervals and ensure that the income level goes up after displacement from original land/home. The Tata Pariwar scheme is an extension of what we have been always doing, with more focus on each family," he said.
Tata Steel is not alone in its efforts. Videocon, which plans to set up nine special economic zones (SEZs) spread over 12,000 acres across Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat and Karnataka is weaving its own model. Venugopal Dhoot, chairman, Videocon Industries, said, "Those displaced by my project will be given assured jobs."
According to Reliance Industries, the government should build a corpus to which all companies with projects lined up would contribute.
The corpus could be used to fund technical training programmes and other initiatives aimed at making people employable, said a Reliance official.
Nasscom, as a premier trade body, is discussing an inclusive model for land development with the Centre. It was specially keen on the model since it was pursuing knowledge townships on the lines of the townships planned for the manufacturing sector in the 1950s.
However, industry analysts pointed out that the government would have to take the lead in any model for securing the future of common people.
West Bengal, facing controversy over land acquisition in Singur for a Tata Motors project, too is for an inclusive approach. Sabysachi Sen, state commerce and industry secretary, said the government would mull a different approach for its future projects.
"The rehabilitation package may differ from one case to another, but we are working on a lot of things," he added.
