Uttarakhand government calls for discussion on land reforms

In a step towards rolling out land reforms, the Uttarakhand government, on Saturday, called for a public discussion on land management across the State.

Speaking on the changes in the socio-agricultural practices after over five decades of land reforms in the area, Chief Minister Harish Rawat said, “This is the right time to invite a public discussion on the land management in the State.”

Mr Rawat said the disputes over private land, forest land, and gram panchayat land would be resolved once the land across the State is demarcated under land management. A land management system would also result in a land bank with the State government.

“We could have taken a decision on it through an executive order. But the need to bring the discussion to the people was felt,” he said, adding that after reviewing the reactions of the people if the government felt the reactions were in favour of the land management, only then it would be introduced in the Cabinet.

In a meeting held with the revenue department officials, Mr. Rawat instructed that a database of every village with a complete description of land must be prepared. In a decision to cater to the lower strata of the society, Mr. Rawat said the District Magistrates and the Sub-Divisional Magistrates had been given orders to provide land to the landless, the Dalits, and families which were below poverty line.

Expert body

Mr Rawat said an expert body would be constituted to study Uttarakhand land laws — old and new.

“The land laws practiced in the State were either of the British era, or, of the time when the State was a part of Uttar Pradesh. I will constitute an expert body which will study the land laws,” he said.