Paper short abstract:

The proposed paper intends to critically discuss these issues in detail and underline the politics of governing development in India highlighting major shifts therein during last six decades.

Paper long abstract:

Idea of development pursued by the Post Colonial Indian State at different points of time has typically come into conflict with the idea of development of common people whom it intends to develop. As such, the State has been adopting diverse instruments for governing development which continuously negotiate with people. The Land Acquisition Act enacted way back in 1894 during the colonial regime, for instance, has been one of the major instruments of forcing the State's idea of development upon its people even in the post colonial period. The very usage of the Act for development purposes embodies politics of governing development in the country over the years. As newer forms of governance are gaining space in the democratic politics in the recent past, the State obviously needs to respond and reorient its politics of governing development as well. The new Land Acquisition Act of 2013, which replaces the colonial version of the Act, therefore, needs to be located in the changing milieu of governance. When that is done, the new Act throws up plethora of mechanisms by which the State envisages to govern development taking common people on board. The State's attempt at this reconciliation reveals the changing imperatives of the State in forcing its agenda with newer forms of governance. The proposed paper intends to critically discuss these issues in detail and underline the politics of governing development in India highlighting major shifts therein during last six decades.