Bhubaneswar: The Revenue and Disaster Management Department has issued an elaborative guideline for settlement of land allotted to different beneficiaries under Economic Rehabilitation of Rural Poor (ERRP) scheme.
Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Satyabrata Sahu has recently issued the guidelines to all District Collectors and asked them to implement it.
He said that the State Government in the 1980s had launched a massive program for economic rehabilitation for 5 lakh poorest families in the State i.e. on an average 10 poorest families per village over a period of five years.
The objective of the scheme was to ensure an annual income of not less than Rs.1500 to each of the identified beneficiaries by providing some steady income generating assets depending on their aptitude and back ground level skill etc.
As per the guidelines issued by the State Government in erstwhile Agriculture & Cooperation Department for implementation of ERRP scheme, Government land up to 2 acres were allotted to the eligible beneficiaries in the State, he said.
The target of the program was to cover all the villages in all the Blocks of the State within a period of five years (1980- 85). However, after completion of the five-year period, encroachment cases were booked against the beneficiaries at some places, Shri Sahu pointed out.
Being aggrieved on such action in Balikuda Tahasil of Jagatsinghpur District, a Writ Petition was filed before the Orissa High Court in 2002 and the HC had issued its order on 23.06.2022.
The HC had asked the State Government to take a policy decision on the issue. As per the instruction of the court, the Government has lay down this guidelines relating to conferment of Dafayati Rights and settlement of land in favour of the ERRP beneficiaries.
As per the guidelines, the land which was recorded in Abad Jogya Anabadi khata at the time of allotment and continuing as such in the same khata and presently being used for annual cropping purpose may be settled, if not settled yet, in favour of the original beneficiary or his successor- in- interest up to the extent allotted under the ERRP scheme.
If the land was recorded in Abad Jogya Anabadi Khata at the time of allotment but is presently recorded in some other Khata, the kisam being un-objectionable and presently being used for annual cropping purpose, in that case, the competent revenue authority will bring back the land to Abad Jogya Anabadi khata by following due procedure and settle the same with the original beneficiary or his successor- in- interest up to the extent allotted under the scheme.
In case the land is in objectionable in nature, except forest kisam and presently being used for annual cropping purpose, in that case, the Tahasildar will verify as to how the kisam was changed in RoR and then steps will be taken to file Revision Case before the appropriate authority under the respective Acts to bring back the land to Abad Jogya Anabadi Khata.
After which, the land will be settled with the original beneficiary or his successor- in- interest up to the extent allotted under the scheme.
Similarly, all the settlement of unobjectionable government land will be made under the provisions of the OGLS Act, 1962 and Rules made there under. While settling government land with the beneficiaries or with their successors- in- interest, the eligibility of the persons like income criteria, extent of land held by them shall be taken into consideration, the ACS said.
The land which was not recorded in Abad Jogya Anabadi khata at the time of allotment, but allotted for plantation purposes, will not be settled in favour of the beneficiary.
Instead, only dafayati right, which was earlier conferred, will be continued in favour of the original beneficiary or his successor- in-interest up to the extent allotted under the ERRP scheme, he told the Collectors.
Similarly, the land which was recorded as Forest at the time of allotment or recorded as forest at present will not be settled with the beneficiaries. But plantation activity can continue on such land.
In case the land allotted under ERRP scheme is being used for any purpose other than the purpose for which it was given or any person other than the beneficiary using the land, the occupation will be treated as unauthorized occupation of government land and steps shall be taken to evict the person in occupation.
The plantation land may be resumed by the Government at any time if the land on which it is raised or plantation itself is required for a public purpose. In such an event, compensation for the plantation will be payable by the Government, ACS Shri Sahu informed.