NTPC is legally committed with the Government through the very detailed Concession Agreement, which was prepared in accordance with both Government policy on poverty reduction and ethnic minorities’ development and World Bank guidelines.
NTPC and the Government are required to comply with and implement the resettlement provisions, one of these being that the resettled population must be given every opportunity to have their living standards and income earning capacity improved and be provided with adequate support.
Accordingly, villagers will be fully supported in their choice of a range of livelihood options including irrigated agriculture, commercial forestry, reservoir fisheries, livestock husbandry, handicraft and other small-scale commercial activities. It is anticipated that average annual household incomes derived from these new livelihood activities will rise from its present level of US$ 461 to about US$ 800 by year four of resettlement (this level being the poverty line in the Lao PDR), to over US$ 1,200 in year seven (this level being the current annual income in the Lao PDR). Measures have been taken to ensure that the income from forestry and fisheries accrues in priority. In the early or transition years of the resettlement, there are a number of activities which will provide supplementary income to resettlers, while their new livelihood activities are developing to the stage of stabilisation. Rice supplements will also be provided in the first few years, as a safety net, but at no time will the Government or NTPC actually supplement incomes. Such incomes will derive from both the initial development of new activities (as food or cash for work), and then from the productivity of these new activities.

A detailed grievance procedure is provided to allow any affected persons to seek satisfactory resolution to any grievances they may have relating to the resettlement process and to ensure that:
the basic rights and interests of affected persons are protected;
the concerns of such affected persons arising from the resettlement process are adequately protected; and
entitlement of such affected persons are provided on time and in accordance with the Concession Agreement.

NTPC will make available a special fund as part of the compensation package for, among other uses, the maintenance of the community infrastructures such as schools, clinics, roads, and irrigation systems. In total, over US$ 20 million have been budgeted for population resettlement, equivalent to more than US$ 19,000 per household. This is part of a total US$ 36 million budget for resettlement and compensation.