Cannot sell land received under Vasundhara yojana: Odisha Minister

The government of Odisha is soon to bring changes to the guidelines of the Vasundhara scheme, effectively prohibiting the sale of plots allotted to beneficiaries under this initiative. Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari informed these proposed modifications, on Friday.

The Minister clarified that the 1962 Land Settlement Act initially allowed landless individuals to be assigned 4-decimal plots under the Vasundhara scheme.

Previously, the beneficiaries could opt to sell these plots after a period of ten years; however, this provision would now be revoked.

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Minister Pujari noted that certain vulnerable individuals were allocated plots of less than four decimals. These individuals will now receive land parcels equivalent to four decimals under the updated regulations.

To facilitate this, they are required to return their initial land allotment to the government, prior to being assigned land in specified locations.

However, in Bhubaneswar, permission to sell a part of the plots obtained from the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) will be granted, with a focus on maintaining transparency. The Minister has sought a report to determine the number of such plots sold.

“As per the provisions envisaged in Orissa Government Land Settlement Act, 1962, the State government previously decided to provide lands to those who are either landless or those who do not possess any homestead land. The scheme is successful,” the Minister said.

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“However, some people have inherited less than four decimals of land from their ancestors. A house cannot be constructed on a patch of land less than four decimals. Unfortunately, those persons were earlier not being regarded as landless,” the Revenue Minister stated.

“The Government has plans to modify the Sub-Section 1 of Section 2 of Orissa Government Land Settlement Rules, 1983, which defines ‘landless’,” Minister Pujari added.