‘Move will safeguard the land rights and identity of the people’
Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched Mission Basundhara 3.0 on Sunday, with several reforms aimed at providing land rights to indigenous people, public institutions, tea plantations, and others. The official function to inaugurate the final phase of Mission Basundhara was held at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati.
The Chief Minister said that land pattas will be provided to educational institutions, naamghars, temples, cremation grounds, kabarsthans, public establishments like club houses, etc. The main criterion for issuing land pattas is three generations of ancestry. Also, a society registration certificate should be available. In the case of donated lands, if there has been no objection for the last 12 years, the land should be brought to an ‘undisputed’ position, and a patta should be issued to the institution concerned, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said, “Immediately after assuming office, we set out on a mission to provide land rights to indigenous communities in Assam—an exercise undertaken after 75 years of independence. Mission Basundhara was born with this vision on October 2, 2021.”
He further said that immediately after starting out to implement this mission, the state government was surprised by the unprecedented number of applications received from different beneficiaries. This receipt of a large number of applications validated the state government’s efforts for land-related initiatives in Assam. The CM said that the state government disposed of 8 lakh applications in nine months under Mission Basundhara 1.0.
He also said that realizing the immense potential in conferring land rights to the indigenous people of the state, his government launched the second edition of Mission Basundhara in November 2022 and gave land rights to over two lakh indigenous people within one year. “Through this comprehensive Mission, we aim to allot land ownership to priority groups at the earliest and bring transparency in various land-related services. Mission Basundhara 3.0 will be another firm step taken by our government to safeguard the land rights and the identity of the people of Assam,” he emphasised.
Moreover, the Chief Minister said that three generations of ancestry are required to be entitled to land rights under Mission Basundhara. However, people belonging to SC, ST, Tea Tribes, and Gorkha communities will not be required to prove three-generation ancestry as they are the sons of the soil. While informing that the premium rate will be reduced to 3 percent of zonal valuation for city dwellers, he announced that his government will shortly issue Land Passbooks to all land holders and introduce unprecedented land reforms. He further stated that by conferring land pattas, the state government is strengthening its resolve to protect ‘Jati, Mati, and Bheti’ (identity, land, and base) of the people of Assam.
He also responded to criticism from opposition parties like Congress and AIUDF, stating that the objective of Mission Basundhara is to grant land rights to the indigenous people of the state.
On the services that will be available, the Chief Minister said that Mission Basundhara 3.0 will enable review of cases under the second edition of the Mission pending for clarification, end-to-end digitization, conversion of annual pattas to periodic pattas with rationalized premium rates in urban and peripheral areas, one-time conversion of tea grant land to periodic patta, settlement of erstwhile Bhoodan and Gramdan land, etc.
The CM also launched the Project Closed User Group (CUG) of ASDMA. CUG is a contiguous special series of mobile numbers that will be allotted to the officials and staff under the Revenue and Disaster Management Department for facilitating seamless communication and efficient coordination during emergencies.
He also launched the Revenue Department’s Digidoc, a digital directory for non-registerable and optional registrable documents. The directory will streamline services, reduce processing time, and enhance public convenience while improving accessibility and efficiency. On the occasion, the CM also handed over financial grants of Rs. 1 lakh each for the digital upgrading of the offices of the Mouzadars across the state.
Revenue Minister Jogen Mohan, Handloom and Textile Minister UG Brahma, Power Minister Nandita Gorlosa, Chief Secretary Dr. Ravi Kota and other senior officers of the government were present on the occasion.
Also Read: Awareness programme on Mission Basundhara 3.0 organized in Sonitpur
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