Independence of India witness one of the biggest migration in the history of mankind. It is interesting to know the intensity of this crisis and the way India handle it. Reference: India after Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha

1. Refugee Crisis
the partition curse

2. Partition of India
 20 Feb 1947: British announced independence
 2 May 1947: Cabinet approval to partition
 Sir Cyril Radcliffe: Task to partition Punjab and Bengal
 16 Aug 1947: Boundary award announced
 The greatest mass migration of refugees started
 Riots followed

3. Refugees from West Punjab
 Hindus and Sikhs fled from West Punjab
 Directed to refugee camps in Kurukshetra
 Migrants at the rate of 20000/day
 Brand new township in Faridabad
 5 lakh refugees in Delhi
 Refugees from Sindh in Bombay
Kolwada camp had 10,400 people living in barracks

4. Biggest Land Resettlement
 Land lost in West Punjab: 27 lakh hectares
 Land received in East Punjab: 19 lakh hectares
 Temporary allotment of 4 hectares to each family
 Sardar Tarlok Singh: Leaded permanent allotment operation
 Introduced idea of ‘Standard Acre’ and ‘Graded Cut’
 2.5 lakh land allotments by Nov 1949

5. Refugees from East Bengal
 Hindus from East Bengal fled to Culcutta
 Exodus spread out over years
 21 lakh migrants till 1950
 Sought refugee in empty hoses, vacant land, railway stations
 No massive migration in other direction, no fields for refugees
 Refugee committees emerged to solve the crisis

6. Crisis & Achievements
 Crisis:
 Shortage of food
 Communist control over Telangana
 Achievements:
 Rehabilitation of nearly 80 lakh refugees
 Completely accomplished by Indian officials
 Gracefully handled disproportionate land exchange

7. Next in this series
 Reorganization in linguistic states
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