LEGISLATION ON RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION
OF PROJECT AFFECTED FAMILIES IS UNDER ACTIVE CONSIDERATION: SHANTA
KUMAR
STATES URGED TO SPEEDILY IMPLEMENT
PATTADAR PASS BOOK SCHEME
The Minister for Rural Development Shri Shanta Kumar
has urged the states to expedite the distribution of Pattadar
Pass Book to the landowners. Delivering the inaugural address
at the Conference of State Revenue Ministers here today, Shri
Shanta Kumar said that given legal sanction, the Pattadar Kisan
Pass Book Scheme can be of great help to the farmers. Envisaged
as a multi utility passbook, the Pattadar Pass Book should be
treated as a record-of-rights so that the farmers can get credit
and facilities such as sale/purchase/transfer of land etc. Besides,
the Pass Book can also serve as a Ration Card and as an instrument
for crop insurance and all kinds of financial transactions. Shri
Shanta Kumar urged the States to confer the necessary legislative
support. For this, he said, the Rural Development Ministry has
already circulated a model Pattadar Pass Book as also a model
Bill to the States for adoption.
The Minister said, another important
area that requires urgent attention is the computerization of
land records. Shri Shanta Kumar said, there can be no greater
empowerment than equipping the farmers with full and precise details
of the land owned by him. Since inception of the scheme in 1988-89,
the Ministry has released Rs.233.58 crore to various States/UTs
for covering 582 districts and 2787 tehsils. Shri Shanta Kumar
noted that the progress is slow and asked the conference to deliberate
upon the causes of the slow progress and suggest measures for
completing the computerisation during the Tenth Plan.
Shri Shanta Kumar expressed concern over reports
of lands given to landless people being resold to the rich landlords.
This, he said, has reportedly happened in case of land distributed
to Scheduled Tribe people also. He said, the purpose of distribution
of surplus land is defeated through this process and called for
some legislation to prevent this. Shri Shanta Kumar also expressed
his concern over unauthorized acquisition of government land by
unscrupulous elements.
The Minister said that the center is actively considering
certain Amendments to the Land Acquisition Act to simplify the
existing procedures to facilitate speedy execution, avoid cost-escalation
and time over-runs, to provide for liberal compensation, ensure
transparency and reduce litigation. He said, a draft legislation
on the Resettlement and Rehabilitation for Project Affected Persons/Families
displacing one thousand families or more is also under active
consideration. This, he said, will help in providing a proper
rehabilitation and resettlement package for those who are not
able to take care of themselves, particularly those below poverty
line.
Welcoming the delegates, the Minister of State for
Rural Development Shri Anna Saheb M.K. Patil, urged the States
to give priority to the allotment of ceiling surplus land and
government wasteland among the landless poor, especially those
belonging to the SCs/STs. He expressed his regret that Agriculture
Ceiling Laws have been circumvented in States in various ways
as a result of which the surplus land available is much less than
what it should have been.
The two-day conference has been convened to focus
on the speedy implementation of land reform measures. Revenue
Ministers and Secretaries of different States are participating
in the Conference.
Minister of State for Rural Development Shri Subhash
Maharia, Rural Development Secretary Shri Arun Bhatnagar, Secretary,
Department of Drinking Water Dr. Meenakshisundaram and other senior
officials of the Ministry are also attending the Conference.
