Uttar Pradesh Govt. announces rehabilitation policy for farmers

Thousands of farmers from Uttar Pradesh shout slogans during a protest rally against the acquisition of their land by the government for the construction of Yamuna Expressway, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on August 26, 2010. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday announced a rehabilitation policy with the provision of annuity for farmers against acquisition of their land.

“The state government has decided to implement a new rehabilitation policy under which a host of facilities will be offered to the farmers against acquisition of land,” Cabinet secretary Shahshank Shekhar Singh told reporters here.

Under the policy, every farmer — whose land will be acquired — would get an annuity (a contract by which one gets fixed payments on an investment for a lifetime or for a specified number of years) at the rate of Rs 20,000 per acre per year, which will be in addition to the compensation paid.

“This annuity will be hiked at a fixed rate of Rs 600 per acre and the payment will be made in the month of July,” Mr. Singh said.

In case, if any farmer is not willing to opt for the annuity, then he will be paid a fixed amount at the rate of Rs 2.40 lakh per acre as rehabilitation grant, he said.

“If the land is acquired for a company, the farmers will have an option of taking share up to 25 per cent of the total cost of land,” he said.

If the land is acquired for developmental projects, seven per cent reservation would be allotted to the affected farmers for residential purposes.

“Minimum area of the plot will be 120 square metre and the maximum limit will be decided by the authority concerned,” Mr. Singh said.

If a residential scheme is implemented on the acquired land, then the affected farmers will get 17.5 per cent reservation in the allotment of plot, he said.