Agenda ILDC 2024

Engaging youth in land-related matters in India is essential due to the country’s significant young population, which comprises about 29% of its total demographic, and the pressing challenges of resource sustainability. Youth are crucial for driving innovation in land management, agriculture, and climate resilience, promoting rural entrepreneurship, enhancing food security, and fostering stewards of natural resources for future generations (FAO, 2020). Despite the critical role of land governance in rural and urban contexts, which affects food security, environmental sustainability, and economic development, youth involvement in this area is often overlooked.

The session aims to tackle youth indifference toward land and land laws by exploring the reasons behind their apathy and bridging knowledge gaps. It will highlight the importance of land issues for a sustainable future and emphasize the value of intergenerational knowledge transfer, especially in indigenous and rural communities, where traditional practices are key. Through activities promoting mentorship, socio-cultural preservation, and collaborative learning, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the ecological, cultural, and social significance of land, encouraging them to see it as a finite and valuable resource beyond its economic worth

The session will address the integration of land-related topics into educational curricula and community outreach to engage youth in land tenure, access rights, and sustainable management. It will showcase successful youth-led initiatives that demonstrate the positive impact of young people in conservation, policy advocacy, and community projects, providing replicable models. Additionally, the session will explore strategies for empowering youth through leadership, mentorship, and capacity building, while highlighting the importance of platforms that amplify youth voices in land and resource management policy-making.

Speakers presentation
Speakers presentation
Video of session
Speakers presentation
Land is an important asset for sustainable development, economic growth, and social equity. Effective land governance is integral to achieving these goals, as it facilitates fair land allocation, tenure security, and economic opportunities, while also supporting climate resilience. With climate change posing one of the greatest risks to rural livelihoods, land management that incorporates sustainable and climate-smart practices can greatly improve resilience for local communities.
The experiences of Ethiopia and Bhutan provide valuable models for effective land governance. Both countries have implemented innovative land reforms that promote sustainability, economic empowerment, and gender inclusivity. Ethiopia’s large-scale rural land titling program and the creation of the National Rural Land Administration Information System (NRLAIS) offer practical insights into building transparent, accessible, and community-driven land administration systems. Similarly, Bhutan has taken a several innovative approaches in the land administration and land use planning, integrating climate resilience and sustainable practices into its land governance framework.
This session aims to share Ethiopia’s and Bhutan’s experiences in land governance, focusing on digital innovations, participatory methods, and climate-smart practices. It also seeks to foster knowledge exchange and regional collaboration on land governance, sustainability, and climate adaptation.
Overview:

In the face of escalating climate change, rural communities, particularly in India, are grappling with environmental degradation, food insecurity, and resource scarcity. Women, especially those without secure land ownership or access, bear a disproportionate share of these burdens. This session will explore how the lack of land rights exacerbates women’s vulnerability to climate change and how securing these rights can enhance resilience and empowerment.

Context in India:

India is highly vulnerable to climate change, with increasing droughts, floods, and changing weather patterns disproportionately affecting rural livelihoods. In rural India, women are typically responsible for food production, water collection, and managing household resources. However, only around 13% of women own land in their name, despite making up nearly 75% of the rural labour force involved in agriculture. This gender disparity in land ownership has serious implications for women’s ability to adapt to climate impacts and lead climate-resilient efforts.

Key Challenges:

Gender Disparity in Land Ownership: In India, women own only around 13% of agricultural land, despite making up a significant portion of the agricultural labor force. This disparity leaves women with little control over land-use decisions, limiting their ability to respond to climate challenges like droughts or floods. Without ownership, women lack the authority to implement climate-resilient farming practices, such as crop diversification or water conservation.

Increased Vulnerability to Climate-Induced Displacement: Women, particularly those from rural and marginalized communities, are more susceptible to displacement due to climate change. Without formal land rights, women are often excluded from compensation and rehabilitation efforts following disasters. This exacerbates their vulnerability, making it harder for them to recover or rebuild livelihoods after floods, cyclones, or other climate events.

Limited Access to Climate Resources and Schemes: Many government climate adaptation schemes, subsidies, or financial assistance programs require proof of land ownership. Women without formal land titles are often unable to access these critical resources. As a result, they are excluded from tools, seeds, and technologies that could improve resilience to climate change, placing them at a disadvantage compared to male counterparts.

Social Barriers to Land Ownership and Decision-Making: In many parts of India, deeply ingrained social norms discourage women from inheriting or purchasing land. These cultural barriers prevent women from acquiring land, leaving them dependent on male relatives for land-related decisions. This dependency not only limits their economic security but also restricts their participation in climate adaptation measures, such as adopting sustainable agricultural practices or reforestation projects.

Time Poverty Due to Climate Impacts: Climate change exacerbates the burdens that women already face, particularly in rural areas. When land is degraded or water resources are depleted, women must spend more time fetching water, fuel, and food, reducing the time available for productive activities like farming or participating in climate resilience programs. This “time poverty” prevents women from adapting to changing environmental conditions and engaging in land management practices that could mitigate climate risks.

Intersectionality of Marginalization: Women from marginalized groups—such as Dalits, tribals, or widows—face compounded disadvantages. They are often excluded from land inheritance and ownership due to both their gender and their social status, making them highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. For example, tribal women who rely on forest resources for livelihood may face displacement or resource scarcity due to deforestation or climate-induced forest degradation, without the legal land tenure to protect their rights.

Why Land Rights Matter for Women’s Climate Resilience:

Empowering Women as Climate Leaders: Women are often the primary managers of household resources such as water, fuel, and food. When they have secure land rights, women are empowered to adopt sustainable agricultural practices, diversify crops, and contribute to conservation efforts that increase community resilience to climate change.

Improved Access to Climate Adaptation Resources: Women with land ownership are better positioned to access climate-related resources such as government aid, technology, and microcredit, which can help them adapt to shifting climate conditions. This not only strengthens their economic position but also enhances community resilience by encouraging sustainable farming practices, reforestation, and water conservation.

Building Food Security: With secure land tenure, women can make decisions on food production that respond to local climate conditions. They are more likely to plant climate-resilient crops and practice agroforestry, which promotes biodiversity and reduces vulnerability to climate impacts like droughts and floods. This ultimately contributes to long-term food security for households and communities.

Strengthening Community and Ecosystem Resilience: When women have a stake in land ownership, they play a crucial role in the protection and restoration of ecosystems. Women’s engagement in sustainable land management contributes to building resilient landscapes that can withstand the impacts of climate change, benefiting both their communities and the environment

Conclusion:

Land ownership is a critical foundation for women’s climate resilience. Without secure access to land, women are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. By prioritising women’s land rights, we not only empower them but also strengthen the overall resilience of communities facing climate threats. The discussion will explore pathways to secure these rights and the critical role women can play in building climate-resilient futures.
Speakers presentation
The session, “Bridging Identities: Women and Land in a Diverse Landscape,” will feature a moderated discussion on the complex realities women face in securing land rights across different identities. Factors like state laws, religious practices, caste, and marital status shape how women experience land ownership, creating unique challenges that vary widely from one context to another.

In this session, practitioners and researchers will share insights from their field experiences, discussing both the obstacles and solutions they have encountered. Their reflections will highlight ways to overcome these identity-based disparities, suggesting approaches that can help create a fairer landscape for women’s land rights across diverse social and legal environments.
Video of session
Introduction to set the context of the session. The moderator or session chair set the context, emphasising the policy and institutional changes in the post-FRA 2006. The introduction will highlight key enabling and conflicting policy and institutional changes over the last 18 years, and propose a set of policy and legal questions to the panel members.

What gaps and existing challenges do they find?

Institutional challenges in CFR (Community Forest Rights) Governance, especially post-CFR convergence. Lack of clarity in guidelines for forest resource use, conservation and compensation mechanisms, Inadequate involvement of marginalized groups, especially women and PVTGs, in decision-making processes. The disconnect between FRA provisions and emerging environmental frameworks like the valuation of ecosystem services.

What sessions aim to address specific questions

How CFR management systems can respond to emerging climate change mitigation efforts while exploring their viability and mechanisms like carbon credits to benefit forest communities?

How to envision a policy and institutional framework for CFR management planning to make it more robust, transparent, inclusive and aligned with forest conservation and community stewardship goals?

What should be the methodology for CFR compensation in forest diversion cases which is inclusive, participative and doesn’t undermine the rights and livelihoods of the forest-dependent communities?

Way forward and potential collaboration

The session will conclude by outlining actionable steps and furthering collaboration between communities, government bodies, NGOs, and academic institutions to enable just CFR Governance
The history of land rights in India suggests that human flourishing is contingent on legislation that prudently balances customary rights with the fundamental individual desire for self-betterment. During British rule, the imposition of laws aimed at overturning customary land rights led to the creation of competing land claims by state-supported entities. This disruption resulted in decreased farm productivity, population decline, and inequitable and uncertain land access (Dutt 1904). Post-independence, land reform has been a central issue with early reforms focused on addressing historical injustices and promoting equitable distribution of land. These reforms, including land redistribution and tenancy regulations, aimed primarily at agricultural land, remain in place today across Indian states. Almost all of these laws remain effective today in every Indian state, and continue to potentially impact access, use, ownership rights, homestead and productivity of rural and urban land. Is there a need to consider new frontiers of land reform in India that go further (or away) from those introduced post-independence? If so, what should these be?’ A distinctive feature of land laws in India is the substantial variation in their specifics across different states, despite a broadly similar structural framework. This results in a complex landscape of multiple laws and institutions that regulate land rights, land use, and land transfers. Additionally, the diversity of geographical features and demographic contexts across states—such as the presence of indigenous or tribal communities, varying levels of land availability, and degrees of landlessness—further complicates the situation. This inherent complexity suggests that any new land reform initiatives may need to be tailored to fit the unique conditions of each state or even individual regions within a state. India’s experience is not unique; similar challenges are faced by other developing countries as well. This complexity of laws has potentially given rise to disputes in this field. The path forward is potentially a detailed re-visiting of land laws, viewed through a socio-economic lens, to provide a robust foundation for new frontiers in land reform in India. This approach should balance the interests of the state, private individuals, and communities, fostering an environment where all can achieve their potential and contribute to national development. Session objectives:

Disputes arising out of legal complexity or improperly reasoned land laws

Effects of land laws on farmers, women and scheduled caste and tribe communities

Challenges posed for land governance and administration capacity

Speakers presentation
Covering women's land rights in the media must aim to decolonize narratives based on asking critical questions like, "Whose gaze is it anyway?" when we craft stories around women's land rights. Whose gaze are these stories catering to and whose gaze is informing them? Traditional media often reflects dominant, colonial perspectives reinforced by ongoing & intersecting systems of oppression such as Brahmanical patriarchy, caste and division of labour that marginalise women's voices and lived experiences. By examining whose gaze these stories cater to, we can identify biases that shape how women's rights are perceived and represented; whether that is through challenging dominant narratives that strategically ignore or undermine women's contributions to land stewardship or in centering the breadth of women's perspectives.

We can challenge the status quo set by legacy media by highlighting the role of women as key rightsholders whose exemplary community leadership must be celebrated through the visibility that media coverage assures. This representation can also inspire action and solidarity among communities particularly between allies in the media and members of civil society & among urban and rural audiences.

Ultimately, decolonizing narratives involves acknowledging and respecting local & Indigenous customs, knowledge systems, and the historical context of land rights. This helps to convey a more nuanced understanding of the issues at stake by centering the voices of those most affected.

Aim of the session: Foster a working relationship with members of civil society (including NLC members) media experts and journalists to mainstream WLR through human interest stories featuring women & intersections of land rights identified in the session via FGDs
Speakers presentation
Land for women has been a challenging issue both for the government as well as civil society organisations. While the government has enacted many laws and rules to facilitate it and NGOs continue to work towards it, implementation remains a challenge. In this sessions we understand a bit more on how to decode lands laws for women in Rajasthan and the implication of reduced costs for women in land related transactions. We also understand from a couple of NGOs in Gujarat on how land had been instrumental in equipping women to be more self-reliant and what has worked for them.
Video of session
Climate Mitigation, adaptation and offset strategies have an interface with land tenure systems. One particular way this interaction can take place is through the question of land repurposing when transitioning away from fossil fuels. Tenure transitions refer to the changes in land ownership, usage rights, and governance structures that occur when land is repurposed from one use to another. In the context of a just transition, this often involves shifting land from mineral extraction and related activities to renewable energy projects, agriculture, conservation, or other alternative uses.

As per a 2024 report, “At the Crossroads: Marginalised Communities and the Just Transition Dilemma”, marginalised communities, including Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) are likely to confront significant challenges during energy transitions. This session proposes to build on the findings of the study to understand the linkages between tenure transitions and energy transitions. How are different actors engaged in making energy transitions a just, fair, and equitable reflection on this question? What kinds of interrelations are required to strengthen the interconnections between the two overlapping transitions? This includes historical injustices and socio-economic vulnerabilities.

The session will bring together speakers from geographies undergoing energy transitions and facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue between government representatives, labour unions, energy policy and legal researchers, and social justice practitioners to reflect on the state of play between tenure and energy transitions and how the vulnerabilities of marginalised communities can be addressed. It will also try to address cross-sectoral questions of gender, equity, and accountability.
Serene Ho's talk

Jacinta Kerketta's talk

Alok Nagar's talk
Establishing accurate and up-to-date land records is a critical challenge for urban areas. Unlike rural areas, where land records are primarily maintained by the revenue department, urban land records are fragmented across multiple agencies and often outdated. This poses significant challenges for urban planning, land management, and service delivery. To address this issue, the Government of India is exploring innovative technological solutions to streamline and modernize urban land record systems. The use of geospatial technologies, such as satellite imagery and drone surveys, can enable the creation of comprehensive and spatially enabled land ownership records. Additionally, the integration of land records with geographic information systems (GIS) and property registration databases can enhance transparency and efficiency in land transactions.

While the use of technology has significant potential for improving urban land records, several challenges need to be addressed, such as:

• Lack of standardization and interoperability across different land record systems

• Resistance to change and capacity building requirements for stakeholders

• Data security and privacy concerns related to digitized land records

• Ensuring the accuracy and reliability of data collected through remote sensing

Techniques, However, the opportunities presented by technological innovations in urban land record

The establishment are substantial. Accurate and spatially enabled land records can support sustainable urban development, facilitate efficient service delivery, and reduce land-related disputes. By bringing together experts from various fields, this session aims to explore the most promising technology options and best practices for establishing robust urban land record systems also to discuss the evolving business models around data generated in this process.

Points to discuss:

• Use of satellite imagery, aerial photography, and drone surveys in capturing high-

resolution data for mapping urban land parcels and properties.

• Integration of spatial data with ground-based surveys and existing land records

• Data integration, spatial analysis techniques and the use of machine learning for

automated feature extraction.

• Role of public-private partnerships

• Evolving business models around data generated in urban land records.

• Enhance the usability of generated data for various stakeholders
Introduction

India's commons, including community forests, water bodies, and grazing lands, are crucial for the livelihoods of millions of people and for the region’s ecological balance. Traditionally, these commons have been managed through customary rights, local governance structures, and informal systems of stewardship. Over the past decade, India's legal landscape governing these shared resources has undergone significant shifts influenced by judicial interventions, legal and policy reforms, and community-led governance initiatives. As the country grapples with developmental pressures, climate change, and socio-economic inequalities, the protection and management of commons has become a pivotal issue, requiring a more nuanced and adaptive legal framework.

Strengthening Community Rights through Legal Mechanisms: The past decade has seen an increasing recognition of the role of communities in managing commons. Laws such as the Forest Rights Act (2006), which continues to evolve through amendments and case law, have empowered forest-dwelling communities by formally recognizing their rights over forest resources. Similarly, states like Rajasthan and Karnataka have introduced frameworks that empower local governance bodies, such as Grama Parisara Nirvahana Abhivruddhi Samitis, to manage and protect commons. These frameworks reflect a shift towards participatory governance, but they are often hampered by bureaucratic hurdles and conflicts with higher-level development priorities.

Judicial Interventions: Judicial interventions have significantly shaped the protection of India’s commons in recent years. Key rulings, like the NGT’s directive for People’s Biodiversity Registers, emphasise community participation in conserving biodiversity. The Supreme Court’s recognition of the right to protection from climate change under Article 21 highlights the judiciary’s growing focus on environmental protection. While these rulings set important legal precedents, their implementation remains a challenge, particularly for marginalized communities dependent on commons. These judicial actions continue to push for stronger governance and enforcement of rights over commons, ensuring they remain protected amidst growing pressures.

Response to Encroachments: The 2011 Jagpal Singh vs. State of Punjab judgement marked a significant moment in commons jurisprudence by directing state governments to safeguard village commons from encroachments and privatisation. Since then, courts have intermittently stepped in to clarify the legal status of commons, often responding to community petitions and public interest litigations. The formation of Public Land Protection Cells in three Indian states reflect this growing recognition. However, the implementation of these rulings has varied across states, underscoring the need for consistent enforcement mechanisms. Yet, Panchayats are increasingly using legal tools to evict encroachers and implement regulations that safeguard grazing lands, water bodies, and forests.

Evolving Regulatory Frameworks for Water Commons: The legal governance of water commons, including surface water and groundwater, has also undergone significant changes. Initiatives such as the Jal Shakti Abhiyan and the legal recognition of rivers as living entities (such as the Uttarakhand High Court’s ruling on the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in 2017, which was later stayed by the Supreme Court) reflect the evolving understanding of water commons as ecological entities that require protection beyond the traditional human-centric frameworks. However, the regulatory frameworks governing water commons remain fragmented, with overlapping jurisdictions and unclear mandates between central and state authorities.

2. Panel Discussion

The shifts in the legal and regulatory frameworks signal both opportunities and challenges for commons governance in India. As development pressures intensify and climate change continues to disrupt traditional ecosystems, it is critical to examine the legal tools at our disposal and chart a way forward that balances competing demands. The session will focus on the following key questions:

How can India’s fragmented legal frameworks governing commons be harmonised to provide cohesive protection for these resources?

What steps can be taken to ensure that national and state laws, which often work at cross-purposes, align to support community rights and sustainable management of commons?

In what ways has the 2011 Jagpal Singh judgement influenced the protection of village commons across states? Are there legal or administrative bottlenecks in implementing these rulings uniformly?

How can the legal framework be structured to ensure that Panchayats are empowered to manage commons sustainably, particularly in the face of growing development pressures?

How can the legal landscape evolve in the coming years to incorporate emerging global legal trends, such as the rights of ecosystems and ecological restoration mandates, into India’s commons governance framework?
Session Introduction: India has announced ambitious targets at the domestic as well as international level to combat climate change. By the end of this decade, it plans to increase its renewable energy capacity by more than 3 times and create an additional carbon sink of 3.0 billion tonnes by increasing forest cover by 2030. All this requires vast tracts of land. The excessive push towards climate mitigation investments, without considering ecological and social impact of such projects, is causing immense stress on land and is increasing conflicts with communities. What should be the way forward to address these conflicts and facilitate responsible and just climate actions?

Video of session
This session will delve into the art of telling impactful, character-driven stories with a purpose beyond entertainment. We will explore the basics of how authentic narratives, anchored in real experiences, have the power to create lasting impressions and drive meaningful connections. The presentation will also cover how various storytelling platforms—such as podcasts, feature films, scripted series, documentary films, books, and graphic novels—can be effectively leveraged to elevate issues on social themes including land, and can reach a diverse audience. To close the session, a brief interactive segment will invite participants to engage in short character-building exercise and share their narratives, followed by discussion.

Session flow

4:30 - 4:40 - Short Audio-Visual on Storytelling + Introduction

4:40 - 5:10 - Basics on Impactful Storytelling

5:10 - 5:45 - Interactive Session & Conclusion

5:45 - 6:40 - Leopard’s Tribe Short Doc Screening + Discussion (In VKS003)

(Produced by Confluence Media and Directed by Miriam Chandy Menacherry, Leopard’s Tribe has won 13 awards in India and abroad. Among them is the prestigious One World Media Award for the Best Short Documentary for 2023. A brief discussion will follow the screening on how embracing newer storytelling forms is essential for advocacy on land and other issues, and how this shift can help make complex topics like land more relatable and accessible.)

Speakers presentation
Life and livelihood of Indian rural communities is directly dependent upon land. Economic, social and cultural identities of farmers and village communities is determined by the land. Often individuals and communities have conflicted interest over land, especially over commons. Government policies and actions also greatly influence dynamics of the land. However, commons are also rallying points for communities to thwart external & internal threats. Healthy land relations among communities often lead to more harmony and sustainable livelihood.

Across the country community leaders, practitioners and village institutions have worked to alter skewed land relations to work in the favour of deprived communities. It is therefore important to learn from these on ground experiences.

What gaps and existing challenges do they find

How the relationship of people with land especially with commons is changing over the years. What are major drivers of change and its consequences

How , community leaders and institutions are perceiving these changes and positioning themselves to find alternatives.

What sessions aim to address specific questions

How leaders and community institutions are dealing with current land dynamics?

What motivates the leaders in their endeavours. How they are able to sustain it in the adverse environment.

Way forward and potential collaboration

To build solidarity of village leaders and community institutions

To facilitate inter community learning.

India’s vision to achieve net zero by 2070 relies heavily on local governance systems like Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs). These institutions play a crucial role in implementing climate action plans at the grassroots level, ensuring that policies are adapted to local contexts, and that communities are engaged in sustainable practices. By exploring case studies, this session will highlight the challenges, opportunities, and innovative strategies that PRIs can adopt to contribute to India’s climate goals.

Session Details:

Session Title: Empowering Panchayat Raj Institutions for India's Net Zero Vision by 207

Format: Case study presentations followed by a panel discussion

Duration: 75 minutes

Session Design:

Introduction (5 minutes): Overview of PRIs' potential role in achieving net zero by 2070.

Case Study Presentations (20 minutes):

Presentation of three diverse case studies where PRIs have successfully contributed to climate action, focusing on different regions and strategies.

Case Studies to Include:

A PRI-led renewable energy initiative.

Community-driven afforestation and land restoration projects.

Climate-resilient agricultural practices supported by PRIs.

Panel Discussion (40 minutes)

Panelists:

Government Officials: Discussing how policy frameworks can support PRIs in climate action.

Environmental Experts: Sharing insights on scaling successful models.

PRI Representatives: Highlighting local challenges and solutions.

Key Discussion Points

Enhancing capacity building for PRIs

Scaling and replicating successful PRI-led initiatives.

Integrating traditional knowledge with modern climate solutions.

Q&A Session (10 minutes): Audience engagement with the panel.
Concept Note: The commons play a multifaceted role, providing cultural, livelihood, ecological, and spiritual functions while serving as spaces for social cohesion. Unfortunately, the absence of a clear definition and mandate on what constitutes commons has led to a conflation with wastelands. In India, around 17% of the geographical area is classified as wasteland. However, the definitions, categorizations, and estimations of these lands are influenced by various perspectives—from colonial revenue approaches to FAO's agricultural production focus to competitive land use approaches in the neoliberal era. This often overlooks the local community's utilitarian and symbiotic relationship with these lands.

As a result, policies, statistics, and the management of these lands face significant contestations and conflicts. The data on commons and public lands is sporadic and inconsistent across states, with each state treating these lands differently. Public lands, especially in urban areas, often lack detailed records in government databases, making them vulnerable to encroachment and difficult to retrieve. This disorganised approach has led to inefficient usage, allocation, and management of these valuable resources. In rural areas and municipalities since management of public lands is now the responsibility of the elected local bodies the latter have no long-term or short-term policy to manage such lands. Some are often used to mobilise revenue and either sold or put on long lease for such commercial purposes as shopping malls, cinema halls and even hotels when the municipality may lack land for educational and health institutions. In short, there is no rational prioritisation based on need and demand.

The Budget 2024's emphasis on digitization and the implementation of a Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), or Bhu Aadhar, for all land parcels presents a significant opportunity. It is essential to include all public lands, particularly commons, under this initiative. Integrating these categories into ULPIN will create a centralised and digitised inventory of all commons and public lands, allow for more efficient management and protection of these lands, ensure that public lands are not lost to unauthorised encroachments, and promote transparency in land allocation and usage.

The session aims to address several key concerns

Defining commons and public lands in India : typologies and mapping of such lands

Reasons why reclaiming and properly inventorization of commons is crucial for preservation of the cultural, ecological, and spiritual significance of commons

Creating an inventory of land under various categories of public lands.

Methodology to define and record commons and public lands. Possible methods to identify and protect such lands: Inventorisation of all public lands to begin with.

Developing frameworks and guidelines to safeguard all public lands, including commons, community lands under FRA, wastelands, grazing lands, abandoned and escheated lands, etc.

Include water bodies (tanks, ponds, lakes, riverbeds and banks) in our assessment to protect them to prevent urban floods and general floods, prevent creeping water salinity and depletion of groundwater.

List reasons for diversion of commons/ wastelands for other uses and their implications

Existing policies around commons/wasteland conservation and utilisation.
This panel brings together students from FLAME and other institutions who have worked on empirical and analytical research projects on land and its allied aspects in the urban areas. The panel seeks to documents land use transformations in Indian cities and their impact on sustainability as well as social structure. These also have a bearing on the way urban planning is conceived and effected in Indian cities thereby impacting ecology, environment and human relationships. The papers are based on empirical and analytical researches that include various methodologies and theoretical frameworks. These include using GIS to document changes in the vegetation cover in an urban forest in Mumbai; studying a CRZ area and wastewater treatment plant in its surroundings to analyze its implications for sustainable urban planning in Thiruvananthapuram; using GIS and secondary data to understand morphology of informal settlements in Delhi; studying development of Bangalore Suburban Rail system; studying the impact of RWA policies and housing market dynamics on single women and their access to rental housing in Indian cities; and studying suburban housing in the frontier regions of Bengaluru. The intent of the panel is to highlight student researches on pressing issues impacting land and its allied aspects in the urban areas. The idea is to learn something new from the prisms of the young minds.
Video of session
Land continues to be a critical player in defining social relationships and building community’s cultural self. Land has been responsible in infusing communitarian living and holding of property jointly in an undivided Hindu family. In agrarian India, land has driven joint family economics and culture since colonial times. While land as a dominant social narrative was significantly visible in popular culture, especially literature, post-independence cinema piggybacked on literature to capitalise on literature’s respectability to source socially and aesthetically accepted narratives.

In order to further the social justice and nation-building agenda, cinema collaborated with contemporary land discourses to document independent India’s cultural history. If language cinema established India’s regional cultural diversity, Bombay cinema culturally integrated a newly independent plural society consisting of multi-ethnic and linguistic groups. The exploitative narrative of the dispossessed peasantry irrespective of the land tenure system during the colonial times was more or less the same having the potential of greater connectivity with the audience and making land a preferred theme irrespective of the language in which the film was made.

Be it a ‘disempowered’ Zamindar, a dishonest moneylender or a merciless land grabber, colonial India had constructed its own evil who invariably emerged from the agrarian land relations. Cinema in independent India took on to itself the colossal task of collaborating with the avowed social justice agenda by telling the stories of the impoverished peasantry at the hands of such evils. Since land reforms continued as an unfinished agenda several decades into independence, cinematic narratives ensured the continuity of these representative evils in different forms. Cinema’s rendezvous with land and other social issues continued reflecting contemporary issues using a more realistic format whether it was Do Bigha Zamin (1953) or Paan Singh Tomar (2012). While the feudal romantic genre offered easy solutions to land challenges, the more serious genre was cautious in handling the land narratives and keeping it far from the usual formula pattern to successfully tell its story, though the space and narratives keep changing and refining from agrarian power relations to urban land magnates.

ILDC consistent with its objective of promoting land rights in India intends to discuss this process of transition of land reforms and challenges per time and their celluloid reflections in its upcoming meet in November 2024. The broad areas of discussion will be to: a) understand how land as a dominant social narrative has been reflected in the celluloid canvas, b) whether cinema as the primary entertainment medium in India has been effective in pushing the land reforms agenda, c) if cinema primarily operating within middle class conservatism has limited itself only to providing aesthetic resolutions to a fundamental challenge like land, d) does cinema offer any learning discourse around the compatibility of entertainment or make-belief with social reforms, e) ways to sensitise the medium and methods of building a partnership highway between filmmakers and land rights practitioners.

The session will congregate practitioners, film academia and filmmakers to engage in a panel discussion. The steps would include with the moderator introducing the topic and initiating the discussion with specific questions that each of the experts would respond to. The constitution of the panel would consist of at least one filmmaker, land rights practitioner, film academia.
The core of the argument is that there is finite land in cities. The only means of catering to the growing populations is either to demolish and rebuild or extend the boundaries of the city and build in the suburbs and peripheral areas. Most developers used to scout for land in areas that were unknown and therefore cost effective as an input resource. But cities have holding capacities too which city managers have to define. The 1,2,3,4 principle of 1 premium, 2 MIG, 3 LIG and 4 EWS still holds at even locality levels. So city administrations are duty bound to link this principle to sanctions for development. Today the private sector is building way too much for the premium segment (29% for 8 to 10 percent of the population) but merely 19% for affordable housing versus 40% in 2019. Building social housing can't be the mandate of the private sector which is in it for profit. So either the public sector development authorities take that mantle like in the 80s and 90s or taxes and levies should be stripped off from social housing to make it affordable. That will bring a new class of investors into this segment and help bring more equitable distribution of land use.
Concept Note: Land and development issues have played a central role in the work of several Indian artists. Through painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, installation and site-specific projects, artists have constantly endeavoured to engage and essay their concerns about unchecked urbanization, haphazard growth, shrinking of interpersonal space, and creation of borders amongst many other issues. Shilpa Gupta has examined manmade borders and the role of memory through her installations. Sameer Kulavoor’s drawings and animation help to unpack why and how cities look and work the way they do. Teja Gavankar subverts mundane spaces through her sculptural installations which then provoke thoughts on spatial subjectivity. The artists mentioned here have held many exhibitions in the country and abroad. Their work has received critical attention from art academia as well as museums and curators. The panel will feature short presentations by each artist about their work focusing on issues pertinent to the conference followed by a conversation with the moderator and conclude with a dialogue with the audience. The panel hopes to bring forward new ways of looking and thinking about land and development related issues in India through the paradigm of contemporary art practices.
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges humanity faces, affecting nearly every aspect of life, especially in developing countries. In India, much of the population relies on land-based livelihoods through agriculture or forest-related activities, despite the land-people relations are complex, informal and unequal. The effects of climate change have been particularly severe for communities, having insecure land tenure. Rapid economic growth, climate change and rising population have escalated demands, putting immense pressure on land resources. Neither the land reforms introduced post-independence with aim of social justice, nor the land record reform that pushed digitisation during the liberalisation era; have worked effectively for the poor and marginalised, particularly in rural parts of India. The impacts go beyond environmental concerns, influencing land use pattern, tenure systems, livelihoods, triggering out-migration from rural areas to urban centres.

Although migrants form an indispensable part of urban India, they are perceived as a ‘nuisance’ by receiving societies, even triggering xenophobic reactions. Besides, given the inequity in access to land, the urban areas, already dealing with limited carrying capacities, are further stressed by migration. Many of these migrants end up in informal settlements with insecure tenure, lacking basic amenities like sanitation. Often, they take up almost all informal economic activities lacking formal tenure, adding to uncertainties and vulnerabilities to eviction. Low-lying areas in cities are particularly vulnerable to climate risks such as flooding, which exacerbates public health crises, especially in poor and migrant communities. At the same time, the unchecked expansion of urban areas leads to issues like flooding and urban heat islands, which disproportionately affect the urban poor, especially the migrants.

While such climate augmented migration and the remittances have immensely contributed in improving the adaptation and resilience of rural economies in India, it comes at the cost of health and dignity of a migrant. Land use changes account for roughly 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and weak or insecure land tenure systems often exacerbate these changes. When people lack secure land ownership, they are less likely to invest in sustainable land management practices, such as soil conservation, irrigation, organic farming, agroforestry or reforestation, due to the fear of displacement as well as their limited competitive ability to access related entitlements or bring in desired investments. This situation is further compounded by climate impacts resulting in land degradation and displacement of individuals with weak tenure rights, such as tenants, small farmers, and marginal farmers.

This concept note outlines deliberations for two interconnected sessions aimed at exploring the complex relationships between land use, land tenure, climate change, and human migration at (source) rural and (destination) urban contexts. The sessions will analyse the driving forces behind migration, the impact of land tenure and degradation on livelihoods, and the challenges faced in destination areas, where resources are already strained. By examining the issues present in the landscape spanning rural-urban continuum with regards to changing land-people relations and migration, these sessions aim to provide a nuanced understanding of how market and climate change affect the origins and destinations of migrants, and how related land use and tenure shifts impact migrants, both socially and economically.
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Cities in the Global South are increasingly contested spaces, especially as rising inequalities and concerns about sustainable futures become more pressing. Urban institutions at various levels are responding to these challenges, but the complexity of urban political economies, governance structures, and implementation models is becoming more apparent. Simultaneously, issues concerning the urban poor, marginalized, and dispossessed remain central to these debates. This panel seeks to refocus the following research questions to enhance scholarly practice: How does the longstanding issue of urban land fit within contemporary ideals of urban transformation and governance? In what ways do state power, political and market actors, and even non-governmental organizations and communities influence the production of urban land and reshape governance? What role do state actions—whether technocratic, bureaucratic, or everyday, in/formal—play in interfacing with the daily realities of Indian cities, and how do they create varied experiences of urban and social change? Finally, how do these systemic and macro perspectives on urban transformation relate to the evolving forms of marginalization in contemporary cities? The panel features scholars with deep, long-term research interests in India's cities, from economically complex cities like Mumbai to emerging cities like Patna. It emphasizes fieldwork-based, empirical, and non-traditional approaches to understanding the city. These cities are not connected by mere academic interest, but through shared geographies of urban transformation, land politics, and emerging governance issues. The panel critically examines the politics and policies of cities, triangulating themes, empirical exploration, and emerging scholarly trends to reflect on the changing nature of our cities.

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Concept Note: The international recognition of the Right to Land as a fundamental human right is gaining momentum, complemented by ongoing discussions about its formalization in rural contexts. The UN General Comment No. 26 (2022) emphasizes that "secure and equitable access to, use of and control over land for individuals and communities can be essential to eradicate hunger and poverty and to guarantee the right to an adequate standard of living." However, a critical gap exists in understanding how this right specifically pertains to the poor, including those living in informal settlements, resettlement sites, or experiencing homelessness, especially in urban areas where land is a highly contested, scarce, and commodified resource.

The absence of tenure security and land rights in urban areas also exacerbates situations of forced evictions and displacement of the urban poor. Research by the Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN) reveals that over 515,752 (5 lakh) persons were forcefully evicted from their lands and homes across the country, under various guises including, but not limited to ‘slum clearance, encroachment removal, infrastructure projects, environmental projects, disaster management efforts’. This alarming but conservative estimate highlights the urgent need to address the precariousness of land tenure for the urban poor.

The non-recognition of land rights also contributes significantly to homelessness, as communities struggle to assert claims over their land and access essential resources. Moreover, with the increasing impact of climate change on urban areas, people without land tenure and adequate housing are disproportionately affected. Research by HLRN reveals the severe impact of heatwaves on the homeless, and underscores the importance of access to adequate housing and land as a defence from extreme climatic events. It thus becomes significant to unpack the impact of lack of access to and participation in land tenure, finance, climate action, mitigation and adaptation measures on the urban poor.

For instance, in Delhi, there are communities continue to live on and cultivate land across the banks of the Yamuna, others who incrementally develop 'waste', 'contested' lands, and some who have been allotted alternative plots after the demolition of their homes in the city who live in insecurity due to the lack of formal recognition of 'conditional' tenure/ underscore the importance of land rights in urban areas. Conversely, initiatives in states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu show promise, with efforts underway to regularize informal settlements and secure land titles for marginalized groups, including women and conservancy workers. Such examples can provide valuable insights into effective strategies for advancing land rights.

To address these pressing challenges, it is crucial to build a common consensus on the rights to land among urban poor communities, ensuring adequate security of tenure, and fostering inclusive dialogue around access, use, and control of land. The need for collaborative action among policymakers, civil society, and affected communities is imperative to create a framework that recognizes and protects the land rights of the urban poor.
Land is a critical and integral source for housing. Around the world, approximately 1.1 billion people reside in subpar housing in informal settlements, experiencing the impacts of disasters and climate change[1]. Inadequate housing access reinforces poverty, intensified by the ripple effects of climate change. Those facing multiple vulnerabilities at once require improved support for their living conditions to enhance resilience to overall well-being. The need for suitable land for housing especially for the EWS is more critical and shortage more acute in the urban areas.

It's not just housing but also good infrastructure that is essential, including roads, drainage facilities, and more. Real estate development alone is insufficient without proper planning and infrastructural development. For effective infrastructure development, there must be accountability regarding land use and reserves for future growth. Infrastructure development relies on not only better housing units but also on the quality of sanitation and drainage systems. These factors are directly linked to improved health, contributing to the overall well-being of citizens. In addition, allotting the unused category of land will not only address the need of housing for EWS but also have a huge potential to contribute significantly in GDP. This holistic approach embodies the vision of "Viksit Bharat" and "Amrit Kaal," ensuring comprehensive progress and prosperity for every citizen.

The session aims to address several key concerns:

Identifying categories of land that can be used for housing for EWS such as Land footprinting for economic activities including housing , Wasted or unused good lands.

Exploring the nexus between real estate players and think tanks in utilising different categories of land especially surplus land parcels with trusts ,governments ,institutions , industries, etc. as well as commons, grazing land, lands attached to religious structures and wasteland in rural areas.

Examining h

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Serene Ho's talk

Jacinta Kerketta's talk

Alok Nagar's talk

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