Dispur to frame an exclusive land policy for tribal people

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The State Government will devise an exclusive land policy for the tribal people of the state to ensure their land rights.

Most tribal people have no land rights now though they possess vast areas of their ancestral lands. After coming to power, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has noticed that the existing land rules in the state are against the interest of the tribal people. He has asked the Revenue Department to frame a land policy exclusively for the tribal people.

Talking to The Sentinel, Revenue and Disaster Management (R&DM) Minister Jogen Mohan said, "Under the existing land rules, a family, tribal or general, can get settlement of maximum seven bighas of arable land and maximum one bigha of homestead land. Since some tribal people of the state own vast areas of their ancestral lands, they opt not to apply to the government for land settlement as they fear that may cost them their ancestral lands exceeding (7+1) bighas. It is one of the reasons why most of the tribal people of the state have no land rights.

"The new government in the state headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has noticed that the existing land policy of the state is not in favour of the tribal people. And hence, he has asked the Revenue and Disaster Management department to frame a land policy exclusively for the tribal populace in the state.

"The tribal people of the state are the sons of the soil. We will frame a draft land policy for their land rights. We will give the draft policy its final shape. The Chief Minister has instructed us to allow tribal people to get land settlement for around 50 bighas of land instead of 7+1 bighas."

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