Assam Government relaxed rehabilitation grant to indigenous people

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The State Government is relaxing the rehabilitation grant (RG) guidelines to benefit the indigenous people residing on government lands if they are eligible for land settlement.

It has come to the notice of the new government that many families are living on government land, and they are eligible for land settlement or allotment. They, however, have not applied for land settlement. In some cases, the government has not given them land settlements as yet.

When such people face property damage in natural calamities like floods, erosion, storms and the like, they don't get any rehabilitation grants from the government in the existing rules that give rehabilitation grants only to calamity-affected people holding Patta lands. The government has decided to amend the rehabilitation grant rules in principle.

The deputy commissioners will ascertain the people living on government lands and affected by natural calamities if they are eligible for land settlement or allotment. And if the deputy commissioner finds them eligibles for land settlement, he will enable them to avail of the rehabilitation grants for the loss incurred in any natural calamity.

The State Revenue and Disaster Management (R&DM) Department is preparing guidelines for bringing amendments to the existing Rehabilitation Grant guidelines, and the process is at the final stage. The grants will come from the SDRF (State Disaster Rehabilitation Funds).

The government has also streamlined the release of rehabilitation grants by empowering the deputy commissioners to sanction funds directly. The deputy commissioners only need to send a proposal to the R&DM Department for the release of the rehabilitation funds.

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