India, Aug. 15 -- The Punjab government took a quick and rational decision by withdrawing the land-pooling policy amid challenges since its announcement on May 14, 2025.

The challenges included lack of consultation with stakeholders, specifically farmers; no provision for alternative sources of livelihood to displaced farmers, landless workers and artisans; apprehension among farmers and opposition parties that the policy had been adopted at the behest of corporate realtors; protests by farmers; bypassing of major clauses of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, including a social impact assessment as observed by the Punjab and Haryana high court while passing the ...