The groups of people uprooted from their traditional moorings is a grave human problem. The reasons may be political as in the case of the exodus following the partition of the country. But the process of modernization and industrialization also takes its toll of mass displacement. The magnitude of the problem cannot be over-emphasised: Narmada Valley project would displace an estimated one million people from their homes, the National Testing Range at Baliapal (Orissa) required evacuation of 130 villages and a population of one lakh inhabitants. Human beings are evacuated to create a sanctuary for tigers and other endangered species of animals. Then there are certain sections of uprooted such as the landless agricultural labourers, marginal farmers, etc. the rehabilitation and relocation of such groups of people require a definite policy and enormous human and financial resources. The problem cannot be tackled casually. In a seminar of distinguished social scientists and anthropologists, the myriad problems related to the uprooted and their resettlement plans were discussed with conviction and objectively. The first section includes papers on the rehabilitation programme as consequence of political process. The second section contains various studies concerning the displacement problems. The papers in the third section are of a conceptual nature and relate to the policy planning aspect of the rehabilitation problem. In all, the papers present an indepth, comprehensive study of the subject of the uprooted people, the causes and consequences of their displacement, and the strengths and weaknesses of the plans to re-induct them into a normal lifestyle.
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