Assam cabinet to appeal Bhoodan law, expel squatters & settle natives

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on his cabinet decided to appeal 329 obsolete state acts, including the Bhoodan and Gramdan acts of 1965, brought under the Bhoodan movement initiated by Vinoba Bhave, in order to take over land under encroachers and settle native occupants on it.

The Bhoodan Act of 1965 and the Gramdan Act of 1965 would be repealed, according to the cabinet brief, in order to stop the unrelenting encroachment on over 10,897 bighas of Bhoodan and Gramdan land.

The Cabinet has resolved to celebrate Bir Lachit Barphukan's 400th birthday on November 23 and 24 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the closing ceremony on November 24 while Home Minister Amit Shah will be present for the opening ceremony on November 23.

For the first time, the Cabinet decided to hold the Chintan Shivir of the State Government for three days, starting from September 24. All ministers, including the chief minister, senior secretaries, and resource people from both the government and the non-government will be invited to the shivir. The government's recent accomplishments will be discussed during the shivir, along with plans for similar future work.

What is Bhoodan law/ movement?

The Bhoodan movement (Land Gift movement), also known as the Bloodless Revolution, was a voluntary land reform movement in India. The Bhoodan movement attempted to persuade wealthy landowners to voluntarily give a percentage of their land to landless people. Landless labourers were given small plots where they could settle and grow their crops on. Bhoodan Acts were passed that stated that the beneficiary had no right to sell the land or use it for non-agricultural purposes or for forestry.

In the state of Assam, the concept of Village common land and community ownership of the land were, however, nothing new, particularly in the hill areas and also in the tribal-dominated pockets. Consequently, the laudable teachings of Acharya Vinova Bhave had a great impact in those districts, and the donation of land and formation of Gramdani Villages were noteworthy, especially during the late 1960s.

The Land was received in the district of Assam’s Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Sonitpur, Darrang, Kamrup, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, and Nagaon.

The number of Donors as per record in nine Districts is 209 and the number of beneficiaries is 855. The number of Gram sabhas in Assam is 312 existing in the districts for the period of 3 (Three) years term. The district-wise breakup of Gram Sabhas is as follows:- Kamrup-24, Nalbari-15, Baksa-12, Sonitpur-7, Lakhimpur-111, Dhemaji-121, Sibsagar-15, and Morigaon-5.