BHUBANESWAR : The state government has planned to purchase land from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities to protect them from exploitation, informed Revenue minister Suresh Pujari on Thursday.
Speaking to mediapersons, Pujari said while 20 per cent of the land sale by SCs and STs is for genuine reasons like weddings, medical treatments and education expenses of their children, the remaining is often triggered by pressure from influential persons, among other reasons.
“The government had conducted a survey in this regard through the district collectors to find out the pattern of land sale by the SCs and STs. Based on the survey, it has decided to step in to prevent such type of land sale by SCs and STs by purchasing it,” he added.
The minister further informed that the government intervention will help these communities get the genuine prices for their land. Land owners can repurchase their land within three years if they want, he added. “The state government has decided to set up a corpus fund in this regard.
A committee headed by the additional chief secretary in the Revenue and Disaster Management department will be set up to suggest how to proceed with the proposal.
The committee will hold discussions with the tribal groups, political parties, experts and people’s representatives at the ground-level before finalising the report. The scheme will be formally announced basing on the report of the committee,” Pujari said.
Meanwhile, the Opposition BJD and Congress have expressed doubts whether such an initiative will work. Opposition chief whip and BJD leader Pramila Mallik alleged,
“The government acquires land for projects. This is an attempt to mislead the people.” Congress MLA Ashok Das said the government does not seem to be serious about the matter. “What was the need to announce it before finalising the scheme?” he questioned.