Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa on Tuesday said land ownership rights would be conferred on the landless families of the district in “campaign mode”.
He was speaking after hoisting the national flag at the Independence Day programme organised by the district administration at the parade ground of the District Armed Reserve Police in the city.
Mr. Thimmappa said as providing land ownership to BPL families was necessary to alleviate poverty, the State government had decided to regularise houses constructed on revenue land measuring 50x70 feet in rural areas and 20x30 feet in urban areas.
So far, title deeds have been conferred on 8,604 families in rural areas of the district and on 1,598 families in urban areas. In addition to this, title deeds have been provided to 42,537 poor families engaged in bagair-hukum cultivation of land belonging to the Department of Revenue in the past four years.
The government will also take measures to confer title deeds on small and marginal farmers under the Forest Rights Act in an expeditious manner, he said.
On the progress of works taken up in the district under the Swachh Bharat Mission, he said over 2.8 lakh individual toilets have been constructed and the district would soon be declared open-defecation free.
Expressing regret that some of the families that have got toilets constructed under the scheme have continued the practice of open defecation, the Minister said beneficiaries of the scheme should be motivated to use the toilets.
To mark the occasion, a colourful parade was taken out by police troupes, battalions of the National Cadet Corps and Bharat Scouts and Guides, and students of various educational institutions. The students of Mary Immaculate School and Sarvodaya School enthralled the audience with their dance performance on patriotism. Freedom fighters and achievers in the field of sports were honoured.
Flag flutters upside down
In a goof-up, the national flag was hoisted upside down at the Independence Day programme at the office of the Shivamogga District Congress Committee here on Tuesday.
As soon as the flag was hoisted by Mr. Thimmappa, chief guest at the programme, the Congress leaders present pointed out that the flag was fluttering upside down. It was lowered immediately and hoisted again correctly. But even this did not prevent a picture of the upside down flag from going viral on social media.
