Basundhara 3.0: SC,ST, Adivasi, Tea Tribes and Gorkhas won't be required to prove ancestry, says Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma unveiled Mission Basundhara 3.0 at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra on Sunday, October 20.

The ambitious initiative, which focuses on granting land ownership to the indigenous communities, has faced criticism from opposition parties, including Congress and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). 

Responding to the criticism, Sarma clarified that the project is specifically designed to secure land rights for the indigenous people, addressing a long-standing issue in Assam's land policy.

Mission Basundhara 3.0 introduces several measures to simplify land settlement processes, modernize land administration, and expand access to land ownership for disadvantaged groups. A significant feature is the launch of Digidoc, a digital repository for non-registrable and optionally registrable documents aimed at streamlining document handling and reducing service delays for citizens.

 Key Features of Mission Basundhara 3.0:

1. Land Rights Expansion: Indigenous groups such as Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Adivasis, Tea Tribes, and Gorkhas will be exempt from proving three-generation ancestry to establish land claims, recognizing them as "sons of the soil." Additionally, pre-1971 refugee certificate holders will also be eligible for land rights.

2. Reduced Premium Rates: In urban areas, premium rates for land settlements will be lowered to 3 per cent of the zonal valuation, making land acquisition more affordable for city dwellers.

3. Reconsideration of Rejected Applications: Applications previously turned down under Basundhara 2.0 will be reviewed, with policies adjusted as necessary to allow reconsideration.

4. Digitization of Land Processes: The entire land settlement process, involving various institutions and organizations, will be digitized. This includes converting annual leases to periodic leases in urban and surrounding areas based on reasonable premium rates.

5. Special Provisions for Tea Grant Land: Small landholders will have the opportunity to regularize the use of tea grant land for non-tea purposes, subject to a premium payment. However, legal measures will be introduced to penalize unauthorized land use once the mission concludes.

6. Review of Religious Institution Lands: Land acquired from religious institutions will undergo review to facilitate the settlement of landless indigenous people, in line with existing statutory provisions.

7. Geospatial Mapping Service: A new digital service will provide geospatial maps of land parcels to enhance the accuracy of land records and deepen the determinacy of property boundaries.

8. Mission-Mode Revenue Campaign: The state will launch an aggressive campaign to collect outstanding land revenue, with a proposal to link zonal land prices to revenue collection in urban areas.

9. Purification of Land Records: Under Section 116 of the Assam Land Revenue Policy, efforts will be made to delete outdated entries and clean up land records based on consensual division applications.

Through Mission Basundhara 3.0, the Assam government aims to expedite land ownership for priority groups while enhancing transparency in land-related services. The initiative represents a major overhaul of the state’s land policies, addressing complex issues such as land rights, settlement processes, and revenue collection with a multi-pronged approach.