Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh today said land issues are "very very complex" in the country and only half of the total 4.8 million acres of Bhoodan land has been distributed to the landless poor so far.
Recalling Acharya Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan movement launched in 1951, the Minister said over the period, 4.8 million acres was donated under Bhoodan but only 2.4 million acres have actually been distributed to the landless poor.
"Only 50 per cent of the land that has been donated has actually been distributed. What happened to that land? Nobody knows...There is no record. I don't know...," the Minister said.
The issue will be discussed in the meetings of the state Revenue Ministers to be held in Delhi on September 20. Officails in the Ministry said "the worst culprits" in the case of distribution of Bhoodan land are Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
Vinoba Bhave, who launched the Bhoodan (land gift) movement, walked all across the country asking people with land to consider him as one of their sons and give him one- seventh of their land which he then distributed to landless poor.
"Land records is a very serious issue in India and revenue administration has generally taken a backseat. That is why we have called the meetings of the state revenue ministers," Ramesh said.
Leaders from various NGOs like Ekta Parishad's Rajagopal have been invited to attend the meeting.
