The Hindu Business Line : AP chalks out scheme for distributing land to poor

HAVING identified 83,633 land-less poor families and 1,09,567 acres of land for distribution in the State on January 26, the Andhra Pradesh Government has firmed up a detailed scheme aimed at socio-economic empowerment of land-less poor.

Further, the Government has also formulated measures to strengthen the legislations to prohibit alienation of assigned lands and to protect land-related rights pertaining to the tribals in the scheduled areas, the State Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister and Chairman of the Committee on Land, Mr Koneru Ranga Rao, told newspersons here on Friday.

According to him, there has been slackness in the enforcement of the legislations pertaining to lands assigned to poor in the recent years. It was also brought to the notice of the Government that many land related problems of the poor remained unresolved for years. Accordingly, the Government now proposes to review the existing laws and rules relating to the land to secure greater access to the land for the poor, he said.

The Committee has decided to notify public hearings on land matters from individuals and organisations representing the poor at Hyderabad as well as district headquarters during the field visits. It would receive written representations from individuals and organisations on the land matters during these hearings.

The first such public hearing was held here on Friday with representatives of the political parties represented in the State Assembly and NGOs working on the land issues participating and making submissions to the Committee.

The Minister said the Committee would also hold regional meetings with the revenue officials and also take up field visits to inspect the lands to have first- hand knowledge of the issues. The Committee would also hold series of consultations with the departments such as revenue, forest, tribal welfare, endowments, irrigation and command area development and social welfare.

Apart from identifying a few selected topics and commissioning detailed studies through experts in the field, the Committee also plans to identify a number of task force teams consisting of officers with experience and expertise. The task forces would be entrusted with specific task of field visits, consultations with relevant Government functionaries and people and submit a report to the Committee, Mr Rao said.

Having reviewed the progress of land distribution programme for land-less poor proposed for January 26, the Committee has advised the Government functionaries to closely monitor the progress and ensure handing over of pattadar passbooks and physical possession of every piece of land distributed with stones demarcating the assigned land on the same day.

Observing that it was necessary to obtain status report in respect of Government lands, assigned lands, ceiling lands and tribal lands in scheduled areas to critically assess the implementation of land legislations, the Committee has decided to instruct the District Collectors to launch an intensive drive to obtain the present status of all these categories of lands, the Minister said.

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