PM heeds 'janadesh', pushes land reforms

Rural ministry asked to set up committee.

Sensing the strong mood of the masses on the vital issue of land rights, visible in the 25,000-strong march (Janadesh Rally) to New Delhi, the government moved quickly to address the issue comprehensively.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asked the rural development ministry to set up a committee on "State Agrarian Relations and the Unfinished Task in Land Reforms."

The committee has been asked to carry out field surveys and studies, collate data and recommend policies. The committee will be headed by Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and will report to the National Land Reforms Council, headed by the prime minister.

The prime minister has asked the rural development minister to look into "all land-related issues, including land reforms." The committe will also ensure speedier disposal of land-related court cases. "We will ask state governments to set up fast-track courts for this," Singh told Business Standard.

Earlier in the day, as the Janadesh Rally hit the capital, the prime minister met the rural development minister in the morning. Later, the minister had a four-hour meeting with the leaders of the mass movement.

After the meeting, activist Aruna Roy said, "This is the most contentious issue today. We are happy the government has taken the first step by setting up a committee. But we will have to wait and see what is actually done." She demanded that the government come out with the much-awaited land policy.

The rural development minister said the Centre and states would have to work in tandem. "Land is a state matter. I am soon going to talk to all chief ministers on how we need to work."

The terms of reference of the committee include "detailed consideration of and making recommendations on the issues related to ceiling on land holdings, distribution of land to the eligible persons, including the landless and homestead landless and for ensuring their posession."

The minister has marked two areas for immediate attention. He wants an up-to-date database on land records. "Computerisation of land records and digital mapping of land is being done now," he said.

He is also talking to chief ministers asking them to share land with the central government for providing housing to the landless poor. "We are looking for wasteland and surplus land from the government. There are some states where land from bhu-daan (donated by large land-holders) has also not been properly utilised," he said.

Apart from the rural development minister, the committee will have members eminent in the field of land reforms. It will have both officials and non-officials.