Dhiraj Saud
(The author is Secretary, Bodoland Territorial Council, Kokrajhar.)
Land is one of the key components for the survival, dig nity and identity of persons in the society, without which people, especially from the rural and tribal communities, can’t think of building social, cultural and economic capital. The landlessness often hampers economic growth, and there is a constant impoverishment of the household, often leading to weak socio-economic-cultural bondage.
Since the colonial period, though some measures were taken under the land acts and policies of the state for the tribal areas and tribal communities, several issues cropped up over the years, leading to inadequate settlement of land and ineffective regulation of illegal transfer of land inside tribal belts and blocks. Deprivation of rights over the land under their long occupation and also the illegal transfer of land to ineligible people led to conflict, instability and insecurity among the indigenous communities of the region. It is considered that land has been one amongst the major issues leading to the Bodo movement, where hundreds of lives were lost. Further, in spite of having some protective provisions under Chapter X of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886, strict enforcement was perhaps missing over the years, leading to deprivation, resentment, conflicts and unrest in the region.
The Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) has embarked on a transformative journey to modernise land administration, ensuring transparency, efficiency, and accessibility for its citizens. Over the last four years, significant milestones have been achieved in digitising land records, streamlining services, and implementing progressive policies to safeguard land rights. This transition has been crucial in ensuring efficient service delivery, land security, and improved dispute resolution mechanisms, addressing long-standing challenges in land governance. The introduction of digital land records, GIS-based mapping and online service portals has not only enhanced transparency but also empowered citizens by providing them with easier access to land-related services, which was a distant dream until a few years back.
On being embarked as the Chief of the Bodoland Territorial Council, Shri Pramod Boro committed to the people of Bodoland to resolve the land issues on a mission mode. He envisioned launching a digital platform enabling the citizens of BTR to apply for various land-related services online. Subsequently, all the land records were digitised, and “Mission Bwiswmuthi 1.0” was launched for delivery of fourteen services like mutation, partition, reclassification, conversion, etc. Within one and a half years, out of 190,000 applications received, received,164,000 have so far been disposed of positively. Encouraged by the peoples’ response towards “Mission Bwiswmuthi 1.0”, BTR authority decided to launch “Mission Bwiswmuthi 2.0” 2.0”with six more new services, like the settlement of government/PGR/VGR land to individual occupants, the settlement of government land to individual/registered cooperative society/SHGs of small tea/rubber growers, etc.
The “Mission Bwiswmuthi 2.0” is designed mainly to focus on providing land rights to the indigenous inhabitants of the region, which has been a major thrust for the people of various communities, as evident from the BTR Community Vision Document-2024 released by the Hon’ble Governor of Assam, Shri Lakshman Prasad Acharya. Initially, there were apprehensions among the people belonging to non-tribals about the right over their long-occupied land, but during the last four and a half years, the people of BTR have been sensitised through a series of awareness meetings at various levels that the Council Authority is keen on giving land rights to every landless family of the region, irrespective of caste and community, who are otherwise eligible as per the provisions of Chapter X of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886, and the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution (Amendment) Act, Act,2003. Based on these principles, over 65000 65000families have so far been provided land rights during the last four and a half years, both in revenue and forest villages. If the other services are cumulated, approximately 323,178 beneficiaries have received various land-related services in both offline and online modes within this period. “Mission Bwiswmuthi 2.0” is going to further ease the process of offering land settlement to more eligible families of BTR within less time and more transparently.
The BTR is also well known for its lush green tea gardens. As informed by the All Bodoland Small Tea Growers’ Association, there are approximately 8000 small tea gardens in the region covering an area of 2239.04 hectares of government land producing approximately 9,959,287 kg of green leaves per annum. The unfortunate part here is that the small tea growers associated with such livelihood activities were deprived of their land rights. For the first time in the history of BTR, the matter was considered seriously, and the land policy for small tea growers was formulated. The “Mission Bwiswmuthi 2.0” will pave the way for the settlement of such land for the small tea and rubber growers henceforth.
Another major initiative taken by the BTR Government is the survey of non-cadastral villages bordering Bhutan. People of various castes and communities residing in those villages were deprived of land rights, as the villages were not surveyed even after the completion of 77 years of independence. Those non-cadastral villages have been surveyed using drones, and land records are prepared. It is indeed a proud moment for the people of Bodoland that the Hon’ble Governor of Assam, Shri Lakshman Prasad Acharya, has consented to ceremonially distribute pattas to such long-deprived people while inaugurating “Mission Bwiswmuthi 2.0” on the 15th of June, 2025, in Barama.
It is noteworthy to mention that with these advancements and technology-driven land services, the BTR is the forerunner amongst the other Sixth Schedule Councils of our country and is committed to further improving service delivery endeavours, aligning with “Vikshit Bharat 2047”.