Why the Centre is passing on issues raised by Ken-Betwa protesters to State governments | Explained
Protests continued in Bundelkhand (Chhatarpur and Panna districts, Madhya Pradesh) over displacement caused by the Ken-Betwa Link Project, which involves constructing the Daudhan dam on the Ken river and a canal transferring water into the Betwa basin
Official estimates put over 7,000 families across roughly 22 villages as affected, with about 10 villages facing complete submergence; most affected families belong to Gond and Kol tribal communities
On the question of unresolved forest rights claims raised by protesters, the responsibility for implementing the Forest Rights Act was clarified as resting with the concerned State government, since recognition and vesting of forest rights is carried out through State-constituted committees
The State government increased rehabilitation assistance from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 12.5 lakh per affected family, with over Rs 700 crore disbursed so far under the applicable land acquisition and rehabilitation law
A demolition exercise near the dam site led to confrontation between displaced families and the district administration
Forest Rights Act, 2006 (Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act)
The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 recognises the rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) who have occupied forest land before December 13, 2005. It grants both individual forest rights (self-cultivation and habitation) and community rights (grazing, fishing, minor forest produce, habitat rights for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, and the right to protect and manage community forest resources).
Key Details
- Enacted 2006; administered centrally by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, which Section 11 of the Act designates as the nodal agency
- Section 6 lays down the recognition process: the Gram Sabha initiates the process and passes a resolution, which is examined by a Sub-Divisional Level Committee (SDLC) and finally approved by a District Level Committee (DLC), both constituted by the State government
- Community Forest Resource (CFR) rights allow gram sabhas to protect, regenerate, and manage forest resources they have traditionally conserved
- Rights recognition and settlement of claims is an exclusively State-government-administered process, even though the Act is a Central law
Because FRA claim recognition operates through State-appointed committees (SDLC/DLC) and gram sabhas, unresolved individual and community forest rights claims of Ken-Betwa-affected villages fall under the administrative responsibility of the Madhya Pradesh government, not the Union government — which is the basis of the Centre's position in this dispute.
Interlinking of Rivers — National Perspective Plan (1980) and the Ken-Betwa Link Project
The National Perspective Plan (NPP), formulated in 1980 by the then Ministry of Irrigation (now Ministry of Jal Shakti), envisages inter-basin transfer of water through 30 identified links — 16 under the Peninsular component and 14 under the Himalayan component. The National Water Development Agency (NWDA), set up in 1982, conducts feasibility studies for these links. The Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is the first river-interlinking project under the NPP to reach the implementation stage.
Key Details
- KBLP transfers surplus water from the Ken river (Madhya Pradesh) to the Betwa river (Uttar Pradesh), both tributaries of the Yamuna
- Union Cabinet approved the project in December 2021; foundation stone laid December 2024
- Estimated cost exceeds Rs 44,000 crore; envisaged to irrigate over 10 lakh hectares and provide drinking water to about 62 lakh people in the drought-prone Bundelkhand region
- Implementation is a joint Centre-State exercise under a tripartite MoU, but land acquisition, rehabilitation, and forest clearance execution remain with the State governments (Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh)
The interlinking project itself is Centrally approved and funded, but on-ground execution — including land acquisition, resettlement, and forest rights settlement — is carried out by State machinery, which is central to why the Centre attributes protester grievances to the State government's implementation record.
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013
The LARR Act, 2013 replaced the colonial-era Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and introduced mandatory Social Impact Assessment, higher compensation multiples, and rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) entitlements for project-affected families, including those displaced by irrigation and infrastructure projects.
Key Details
- Compensation is calculated using a multiplier of the market value — up to two times in urban areas and up to four times in rural areas
- R&R provisions include land-for-land where possible, housing, and a rehabilitation grant for displaced families
- The Act mandates prior consent of affected gram sabhas for acquisition in Scheduled Areas (Fifth Schedule) for certain project categories
- The rehabilitation package for Ken-Betwa-affected families (raised to Rs 12.5 lakh per family) has been administered under this Act's framework
Compensation and resettlement disputes at the Ken-Betwa project site are governed by LARR Act provisions, distinct from forest rights claims under the FRA — the two statutes address different heads of entitlement (land/livelihood compensation vs. forest occupancy rights) and are frequently conflated by affected communities and in public discourse.
- Families affected by KBLP: over 7,000 across approximately 22 villages; about 10 villages fully submerged
- Affected districts: Chhatarpur and Panna (Madhya Pradesh), part of the Bundelkhand region
- Project cost: over Rs 44,000 crore; Cabinet approval December 2021
- Irrigation potential: over 10 lakh hectares; drinking water for about 62 lakh people
- Rehabilitation assistance raised from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 12.5 lakh per affected family; over Rs 700 crore disbursed
- FRA cut-off date for eligible occupation: before December 13, 2005
- Nodal ministry for FRA: Ministry of Tribal Affairs (Section 11 of the Act)
- NPP (1980): 30 river links identified — 16 Peninsular, 14 Himalayan; NWDA established 1982