How could a group as respectable as Tata get it so wrong with human rights and community engagement in Kalinga Nagar and Singur? What lessons has it learnt? Why did Vedanta Resources Plc insist on mining in the Niyamgiri Hills in the face of opposition from the tribal inhabitants of the region who fear desecration of their god and losing their land and home? How valid are the safety concerns of the residents of Kudankulam protesting against a nuclear power plant? What gives a global giant like Posco the ability to ride over local sentiments in acquiring land for their mammoth steel plant in Odisha?
There is growing discontent over the manner in which governments and businesses in India treat communities and stakeholders. Presumption, arrogance, suspicion and deceit often hold sway over community engagement and holistic human resource development. Disaffection of project-affected communities over issues of land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation has emerged as a major threat to economic growth in India, besides adding to the cost of businesses on account of lost opportunities, delays and liability. Driven to the wall, the world of business is finally waking up to the idea of human rights, of true corporate social responsibility.
This book offers a must-do checklist for human rights, and for responsible business planning and policy-making. Sudeep Chakravarti speaks to senior executives, policymakers, activists, lawyers and local communities across such conflict zones in India to present a ringside view of the present and future of business and human rights. He breathes fresh understanding into some of the biggest human rights flashpoints in recent years - Vedanta, Tata Steel, Posco, Kudankulam - as well as less visible ones, and numerous forgotten projects, places and people that continue to haunt the development story of twenty-first century India.