Assam government to provide land to landless indigenous families

GUWAHATI: The Assam government, during its cabinet meeting, decided to provide land settlement benefits to over 1500 indigenous households in the state.

Around 1540 indigenous households in 13 districts of Assam, who are landless, will receive land settlement benefits.

This move is part of the Assam government’s Mission Basundhara 2.0 initiative, which aims to facilitate land settlement for indigenous households without land.

The 13 districts are: Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Charaideo, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Darrang, Bongaigaon, Biswanath, Goalpara, Nalbari, Hojai and Bajali.

Moreover, at least 1.3 lakh houses will be built by the Assam government under the Mukhymantri Awas Yojana scheme, officials said.

This scheme is designed to complement the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), targeting those who have not received the benefits from the central government's scheme.

Additionally, the Assam government-sanctioned various land allocations: 61 annual patta conversions to periodic patta, 16 land allotments for educational institutions (both governmental and private), 128 allocations to NGOs/societies, and 96 allocations to diverse government institutions.

Notably, the Assam cabinet approved 197 proposals for reservation of VGR/PGR land, counterbalanced by an equivalent land reservation for landless indigenous families across several districts.

This proactive measure underscores the administration's proactive stance in addressing landlessness among indigenous populations, fostering socio-economic empowerment and stability in Assam.