Section 48 Land Acquisition Act 2013 - National Monitoring Committee for Rehabilitation and Resettlement
Section 48 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 empowers the Central Government, whenever necessary for national or inter-State projects, to constitute a National Monitoring Committee. Its statutory role is to review and monitor implementation of rehabilitation and resettlement schemes or plans under the Act.
Section 48 - Establishment of National Monitoring Committee
(1) The Central Government may, whenever necessary, for national or inter-State projects, constitute a National Monitoring Committee for reviewing and monitoring the implementation of rehabilitation and resettlement schemes or plans under this Act.
(2) The Committee may, besides having representation of the concerned Ministries and Departments of the Central and State Governments, associate with it eminent experts from the relevant fields.
(3) The procedures to be followed by the Committee and the allowances payable to the experts shall be such as may be prescribed.
(4) The Central Government shall provide officers and other employees to the Committee necessary for its efficient functioning.
Purpose of Section 48
Section 48 creates a national-level monitoring mechanism within the rehabilitation and resettlement framework of the Act. It is directed specifically to national or inter-State projects and enables the Central Government to establish a Committee when it considers such monitoring necessary.
- It may be constituted by the Central Government whenever necessary.
- Its statutory context is national or inter-State projects.
- It reviews rehabilitation and resettlement schemes or plans.
- It monitors implementation of those schemes or plans.
- Concerned Central and State Government Ministries and Departments may be represented.
- Eminent experts from relevant fields may be associated with the Committee.
- Procedure and expert allowances are governed by prescribed rules.
- The Central Government must provide necessary officers and employees for efficient functioning.
When may the National Monitoring Committee be constituted?
Sub-section (1) uses the expression "may, whenever necessary." The provision therefore authorises the Central Government to constitute the Committee when the statutory monitoring mechanism is considered necessary for national or inter-State projects. The section does not state that a separate National Monitoring Committee must automatically be constituted for every acquisition.
Meaning of national or inter-State projects
Section 48 uses the expressions "national" and "inter-State" projects to identify the context in which the Central Government may establish the Committee. An inter-State project ordinarily involves implementation or effects extending across State boundaries. Whether a particular project falls within Section 48 must be determined from its legal approvals, project documents and applicable Government notifications or orders.
Review and monitoring of R and R schemes or plans
The Committee's core statutory function is to review and monitor implementation of rehabilitation and resettlement schemes or plans under the Act. This focuses the national mechanism on whether approved rehabilitation and resettlement measures are actually being implemented, rather than merely prepared on paper.
Representation of Central and State Governments
Section 48(2) permits representation of the concerned Ministries and Departments of both the Central Government and State Governments. This enables coordination between authorities whose functions may be relevant to a national or inter-State project and its rehabilitation and resettlement obligations.
Association of eminent experts
The Committee may associate eminent experts from relevant fields. The Act does not confine the expertise to one discipline in Section 48 itself. Relevant expertise may therefore depend on the project, affected population, rehabilitation measures and issues requiring review, subject to the applicable rules and constitution of the Committee.
Procedure and allowances
Under Section 48(3), the procedure to be followed by the Committee and allowances payable to experts are to be prescribed. The term "prescribed" under the Act refers to prescription by rules made under the Act. The applicable rules should therefore be consulted together with any notification or order constituting a particular Committee.
Administrative support by Central Government
Section 48(4) places a positive responsibility on the Central Government to provide the officers and other employees necessary for efficient functioning of the National Monitoring Committee. This administrative support enables the Committee to perform its statutory review and monitoring role.
Relationship with Section 49
Section 49 contains reporting requirements connected with the national monitoring framework. Section 48 establishes the National Monitoring Committee, while Section 49 addresses information and reporting that support monitoring of rehabilitation and resettlement schemes or plans.
Relationship with State-level monitoring
The Act also provides a State Monitoring Committee under Section 50. Section 48 concerns national or inter-State projects at the Central level, whereas Section 50 creates the statutory framework for monitoring and reviewing rehabilitation and resettlement schemes or plans at the State level.
Official legal sources
For authoritative Central legislation and official land acquisition material, refer to India Code and the Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development. Rules, notifications, Committee constitution orders and project-specific documents should also be checked where the existence, composition or procedure of a particular National Monitoring Committee is relevant.
Note: This article explains Section 48 of the Central Act generally. The actual constitution, membership and working arrangements of a Committee may depend on applicable rules and Government orders.
Updated: October 2026