Articles by R N Sharma

Mumbai's Slum Sanitation Programme that seeks community responsibility and its involvement in the setting up of sanitation facilities in living areas holds out important lessons for similar collaborative endeavours between the government, funding agencies, civil society organisations and the affected community. While such a broadly participatory approach ensures the accrual of benefits to the beneficiaries, it can only function effectively if methods of implementation are transparent and key members play a facilitating role.

This paper discusses the rehabilitation and resettlement programmes for people affected by infrastructure and industrial projects in the country. It considers aspects such as intensity of involuntary displacement of people from their productive assets and its effects, induced urbanisation and the role of funding organisations and NGOs. It also looks at voluntary displacement, which has resulted in the depletion of large tracts of productive land.

This article attempts to demonstrate, through a case study, that the ascendancy of new-liberal policies has led to the decline of the welfare state and that this has had an adverse effect on the employment situation and the lives of workers.