Assam launches Mission Basundhara 3.0 to provide land rights to indigenous people

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaOctober 21, 2024

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ceremoniously launched Mission Basundhara 3.0 to provide land rights to indigenous people, at a function held at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra here on Sunday.

Under MB 3.0 steps will also be taken to digitize various land-related services and publish maps for the benefit of the people of the state as several new rules have been implemented to simplify the process of giving land rights to the people.

Sarma also launched the Project Closed User Group (CUG) of ASDMA. CUG is a contiguous special series of mobile numbers, which will be allotted to the officials and staff under the Revenue and Disaster Management Department to facilitate seamless communication and efficient coordination during emergencies. Under project CUG, government officials of the department will be equipped with specially allocated SIM cards for critical communications.

The Chief Minister also launched the Revenue Department’s Digidoc, a digital directory for non-registrable and optional registrable documents. The directory will streamline services, reduce processing time, and enhance public convenience and improve accessibility and efficiency. Dr. Sarma on the occasion also handed over financial grants of Rs. 1 lakh each for the digital upgradation of the offices of the Mouzadars across the state.

Speaking on the occasion, Sarma said, “Immediately after we assumed office, we set out on a mission to provide land rights to indigenous communities in Assam- an exercise undertaken after 75 years of independence. On October 2, 2021, Mission Basundhara was born with this vision”.

Sarma also said that immediately after setting out to implement this mission, the state government was astounded by the unprecedented number of applications, which were received from different beneficiaries. This receipt of applications thereby validated the state government’s efforts of land-related initiatives in Assam.

The Chief Minister said that the state government disposed of eight lakh applications in nine months under MB 1.0. 

Sarma moreover said that realizing the immense potential, especially 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. MB 3.0 will be another firm step taken by our government to safeguard the land right and the identity of the people of Assam,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that to be entitled to land rights under Mission Basundhara three-generation ancestry is required. However, people belonging to SC, ST, Tea Tribes and Gorkhas will not be required to prove three-generation ancestry as they are the sons of the soil.

He also informed that the premium rate was reduced to 3 per cent of zonal valuation for city dwellers. He moreover announced that his government would shortly introduce unprecedented land reforms and issue Land Passbooks to all landholders. He further observed that through conferring land pattas the State government is strengthening its resolve of ‘Jati, Mati and Bheti’ (identity, land and base).

Highlighting on the services that will be available, the Chief Minister said that MB 3.0 will enable review of MB 2.0 cases pending clarification, end-to-end digitization of annual pattas to periodic pattas conversion with rationalized premium rates in urban and peripheral areas, one-time conversion of tea grant land to periodic patta, settlement of erstwhile Bhoodan/ Gramland land etc.

He said that in the coming days the state government will launch many more initiatives which have the potential to revolutionize the convenience of the people of the state. 

Revenue Minister Jogen Mohan, Handloom and Textile Minister UG Brahma, Power Minister Nandita Gorlosa, Chief Secretary Ravi Kota, DGP GP Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Home and Political Ajay Tiwari, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Dr. KK Dwivedi, Principal Secretary to Revenue and Disaster Management GD Tripathy and other senior officers of the government were present on the occasion.