Guest Column: Way forward after U-turn on land-pooling policy
The challenges included lack of consultation with stakeholders, specifically farmers; no provision for alternative sources of livelihood to displaced farmers, landless workers and artisans; apprehension among farmers and opposition parties that the policy had been adopted at the behest of corporate realtors; protests by farmers; bypassing of major clauses of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, including a social impact assessment as observed by the Punjab and Haryana high court while passing the interim stay order on its execution for four weeks.
The government should take this withdrawal as an opportunity to learn lessons for making future policies in such a manner that the need for a U-turn does not arise.
Involve stakeholders at outset
The first lesson is that policy-making has gone beyond the in-house exercise of the government. This is an age when the process is evidence-based and requires open consultation with stakeholders. If sufficient research-based evidence is unavailable, the government should commission research in the chosen area. Punjab has a reservoir of research inputs by universities and think tanks. The government should involve experts and representatives of stakeholders in the policy-making committee from the beginning. Senior officers and experts in consultation with stakeholders should prepare the first draft policy. In the present case, the stakeholders are farmers, landless workers, artisans and village-based shopkeepers.
The government should place the draft policy before the public and stakeholders for wider consultation. Print, electronic and social media can be used to reach out to the public. The government should also invite public inputs through its website. By incorporating inputs received, the committee should prepare the second draft for the consideration and approval of the council of ministers. If the policy decision approved by the cabinet requires a new law or amendment or repeal, it is placed before the assembly for discussion.
Develop non-farm sectors
Second, agriculture is the backbone of the rural economy in Punjab. Land productivity of two major crops, wheat (4,216kg per hectare) and paddy (4,340kg per hectare), are the highest in the country. Before announcing a land-pooling policy on a large scale, it is essential for the state government to prepare a fertile ground for the smooth implementation of the policy. This preparation requires the development of non-agricultural sectors for absorbing surplus workforce like farmers and agricultural labour. Once this is achieved, the land acquisition for non-agricultural purposes will be smooth. So long as the agriculture sector is overpopulated and population engaged in agriculture does not find decent jobs and remunerative avenues in non-agriculture sectors, no such policy can be implemented in Punjab.
Rural industrialisation
Third, instead of promoting non-agricultural activities in the urban areas, the government should promote these activities in the villages in the form of rural industries and repair services related to agricultural implements and electronics, including cell phones. These activities can absorb surplus workforce from agriculture and would reduce pressure on urbanisation.
Here the Punjab government can follow the Chinese model of rural industrialisation. China set up township and village enterprises (TVEs) in the 1980s for the industrialisation of rural areas. Studies suggest that these TVEs proved important vehicles for gainfully absorbing the surplus labour from agriculture.
Like China, Punjab should promote rural industrialisation through its organisations, such as the Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation, Agro-industry Corporation, Small Scale Industrial and Export Corporation, Markfed, Milkfed, Sugarfed, etc.
People in non-agricultural sectors like commission agents, rice mills, warehouses, petrol pumps, transport and real estate should be encouraged to set up rural industries. The state government should use start-ups as vehicles for rural industrialisation. Unfortunately, rural startups have not come up in a big way in Punjab, in spite of the state being at the forefront in agriculture.
In Punjab, only 52 agricultural startups got financial and technical support under the Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development Programme of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana between 2019-20 and 2023-24. In other states, the number of agricultural startups that got such support is much higher. For instance, Maharashtra has 226 such startups, Karnataka 211, Tamil Nadu 137, Kerala 97, Uttar Pradesh 86, Haryana 84, Chhattisgarh 79, Madhya Pradesh 68 and Andhra Pradesh 61.
In a nutshell, the Punjab government should take the policy-making process beyond official proceedings. It should be evidence-based from the beginning, while experts and stakeholders should be an integral part of the process. Preparing a congenial environment is necessary for framing a successful public policy.
The writer, a former vice-chancellor of Punjabi University, Patiala, is chairman, Centre for Regional Development Studies at the Institute of Development and Communication, Chandigarh, and can be reached at ghumanbs54@gmail.com. Views expressed are personal.
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Hindustan Times
14 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Guest Column: Way forward after U-turn on land-pooling policy
The Punjab government took a quick and rational decision by withdrawing the land-pooling policy amid challenges since its announcement on May 14, 2025. The Punjab government took a quick and rational decision by withdrawing the land-pooling policy amid challenges since its announcement on May 14, 2025. The challenges included lack of consultation with stakeholders, specifically farmers; protests by farmers; bypassing of major clauses of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. (HT File) The challenges included lack of consultation with stakeholders, specifically farmers; no provision for alternative sources of livelihood to displaced farmers, landless workers and artisans; apprehension among farmers and opposition parties that the policy had been adopted at the behest of corporate realtors; protests by farmers; bypassing of major clauses of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, including a social impact assessment as observed by the Punjab and Haryana high court while passing the interim stay order on its execution for four weeks. The government should take this withdrawal as an opportunity to learn lessons for making future policies in such a manner that the need for a U-turn does not arise. Involve stakeholders at outset The first lesson is that policy-making has gone beyond the in-house exercise of the government. This is an age when the process is evidence-based and requires open consultation with stakeholders. If sufficient research-based evidence is unavailable, the government should commission research in the chosen area. Punjab has a reservoir of research inputs by universities and think tanks. The government should involve experts and representatives of stakeholders in the policy-making committee from the beginning. Senior officers and experts in consultation with stakeholders should prepare the first draft policy. In the present case, the stakeholders are farmers, landless workers, artisans and village-based shopkeepers. The government should place the draft policy before the public and stakeholders for wider consultation. Print, electronic and social media can be used to reach out to the public. The government should also invite public inputs through its website. By incorporating inputs received, the committee should prepare the second draft for the consideration and approval of the council of ministers. If the policy decision approved by the cabinet requires a new law or amendment or repeal, it is placed before the assembly for discussion. Develop non-farm sectors Second, agriculture is the backbone of the rural economy in Punjab. Land productivity of two major crops, wheat (4,216kg per hectare) and paddy (4,340kg per hectare), are the highest in the country. Before announcing a land-pooling policy on a large scale, it is essential for the state government to prepare a fertile ground for the smooth implementation of the policy. This preparation requires the development of non-agricultural sectors for absorbing surplus workforce like farmers and agricultural labour. Once this is achieved, the land acquisition for non-agricultural purposes will be smooth. So long as the agriculture sector is overpopulated and population engaged in agriculture does not find decent jobs and remunerative avenues in non-agriculture sectors, no such policy can be implemented in Punjab. Rural industrialisation Third, instead of promoting non-agricultural activities in the urban areas, the government should promote these activities in the villages in the form of rural industries and repair services related to agricultural implements and electronics, including cell phones. These activities can absorb surplus workforce from agriculture and would reduce pressure on urbanisation. Here the Punjab government can follow the Chinese model of rural industrialisation. China set up township and village enterprises (TVEs) in the 1980s for the industrialisation of rural areas. Studies suggest that these TVEs proved important vehicles for gainfully absorbing the surplus labour from agriculture. Like China, Punjab should promote rural industrialisation through its organisations, such as the Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation, Agro-industry Corporation, Small Scale Industrial and Export Corporation, Markfed, Milkfed, Sugarfed, etc. People in non-agricultural sectors like commission agents, rice mills, warehouses, petrol pumps, transport and real estate should be encouraged to set up rural industries. The state government should use start-ups as vehicles for rural industrialisation. Unfortunately, rural startups have not come up in a big way in Punjab, in spite of the state being at the forefront in agriculture. In Punjab, only 52 agricultural startups got financial and technical support under the Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development Programme of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana between 2019-20 and 2023-24. In other states, the number of agricultural startups that got such support is much higher. For instance, Maharashtra has 226 such startups, Karnataka 211, Tamil Nadu 137, Kerala 97, Uttar Pradesh 86, Haryana 84, Chhattisgarh 79, Madhya Pradesh 68 and Andhra Pradesh 61. In a nutshell, the Punjab government should take the policy-making process beyond official proceedings. It should be evidence-based from the beginning, while experts and stakeholders should be an integral part of the process. Preparing a congenial environment is necessary for framing a successful public policy. The writer, a former vice-chancellor of Punjabi University, Patiala, is chairman, Centre for Regional Development Studies at the Institute of Development and Communication, Chandigarh, and can be reached at ghumanbs54@ Views expressed are personal.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Warring vows pro-farmer land law if Congress voted to power in 2027
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Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Policy withdrawn, Bajwa seeks apology from CM, Kejriwal
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