Abstract
India has committed to develop the Nation Action Plan on Business and Human Rights as required under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The guiding principles require states to achieve policy coherence between international human rights obligations and national legal and policy frameworks, as well as between different arms of the State to ensure that the laws and policies are applied in accordance with their objectives. Over the years, India has developed a framework of laws that protect the rights of forest dwellers affected by mining projects. At the same time, the government is actively trying to undermine the safeguards that are embedded in these laws, putting the rights of forest dwellers at risk. This lack of policy coherence at the horizontal level is contributing to conflicts between the State and the people affected by such projects. The Indian State has to give serious attention to this lack of policy coherence; otherwise, the national action plan on business and human rights would be a meaningless exercise.