VIJAYAWADA: The State Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the Secretariat on Tuesday, approved the new sand policy and the repeal of the AP Land Titling Act. A bill to repeal the Land Titling Act will be tabled during the ensuing Assembly session, which is expected to commence on July 22.
The Council of Ministers also cleared the proposal by the Department of Civil Supplies to avail loans to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore from banks and other financial institutions. They also approved the Agriculture and Cooperation Department’s request to avail a Rs 3,200 crore loan from the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) as working capital for purchase of paddy in the fiscal 2024-25.
Briefing the media on the cabinet decisions, Information and Public Relations Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy said a resolution approving the abolition of the AP Land Titling Act has been passed, considering the concerns people had raised.
Elaborating the reasons cited by the AP Titling Authority for scrapping the Act, he said as per the Act proposed by the NITI Aayog, the Title Registration Officer (TRO) should be a government official. However, the previous regime made changes to the recommendations, providing scope for ineligible persons to act as the TRO, he added.
Don’t get defamed by involving in sand ops: CM
“As per the Act, civil courts will have no role in resolving disputes. Hence, land owners will have to directly approach the High Court in case of disputes with the TRO. Similarly, the existing registration, revenue and judiciary systems will also have no role in case the Act in its current form is implemented,” Parthasarthy said.
Stating that the previous regime formulated the Act without considering views of the stakeholders, the Minister said while the original documents of the registered lands will remain with the TRO, only photo copies will be given to the land holders. As a result, land owners were afraid that the government may mortgage their lands as it withheld the original records with the TRO, he added.
Further, he informed that the sand policy introduced by the previous government was scrapped. The Cabinet approved order no. 43 issued on July 8, 2024 to provide sand free of cost to the people. The Cabinet also issued instructions to the Mines and Geology Commissioner to suspend all agreements with private agencies involved in sand operations and hand over all stock points to the concerned officials.
Additionally, the Cabinet felt the need to prepare a comprehensive sand policy - 2024 after considering opinions of customers and environmental issues. It opined that the policy should be in accordance with the guidelines issued by the High Court, Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal, and ensure that sand is supplied to customers at affordable prices. It also stressed the need for transparency in sand operations, and prevention of illegal mining and transportation.
On approving proposals of the Departments of Civil Supplies, and Agriculture and Cooperation to avail loans, the Minister pointed out that while the previous regime did not pay farmers even 84 days after purchasing paddy, the new government has cleared dues to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore.
The Council of Ministers underscored the need to rectify errors in the paddy procurement system and simplify it.
The Cabinet approved the formation of a committee, comprising Ministers of Finance, Civil Supplies and Agriculture, to take up a comprehensive study on crop insurance policies in different States, and advised it to submit a report within a month.
Emphasising the need for a policy to ensure easy loans to tenant farmers, the Chief Minister urged the Cabinet ministers to study the issue.
After the meeting, Naidu reportedly made several suggestions to the Ministers and MLAs. He asked them not to interfere in the new sand policy. “Don’t get defamed by involving in sand operations,” he told the Ministers. Reminding the Ministers that the government was running on a deficit budget, he asked them to get a grip on their departments and discharge their responsibilities efficiently.
Suspense over Budget continues
Although no discussion on the Budget was held during the Cabinet meeting as informed by the Information and Public Relations Minister, it has been learnt that the State government is mulling over tabling the State budget in the form of an Ordinance
Naidu calls on Shah in New Delhi
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and reportedly discussed issues related to the AP Reorganisation Act. He elaborated on the State’s financial condition and sought more Central aid. Ahead of the tabling of the Union Budget, he may meet Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman
