New Revenue Act will once and for all put an end to Land-related sorrows being faced by poor farmers ... Etching CM KCR Name in the annals of Revenue Reforms : Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

 New Revenue Act will once and for all put an end to

Land-related sorrows being faced by poor farmers

Etching CM KCR Name in the annals of Revenue Reforms

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

The Pioneer (11-09-2020)

Millennium Post (11-09-2020)

While introducing the New Revenue Act in the form of two Bills namely, Abolition of Posts of VROs and Telangana Rights in Land and Pattadaar pass Books in the Telangana State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday the 9^th September 2020, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao summed up the historical importance, significance and essentiality of these Bills in one heart touching sentence. ‘The kind of happiness I am experiencing now is similar to the one when the Telangana state was formed’. In the same breath the CM also emphatically declared that the New Revenue Act would once and for all put an end to the land related sorrows being faced by the helpless poor farmers besides ending corrupt practices. The New Act would be simple, transparent and citizen friendly said the Chief Minister.

It is highly pertinent to recall his observations in the past, when the State-wide Household Survey was launched and later when a gigantic Land Records rectification, updating and purification program was initiated and later carried out successfully. The CM observed that it was only after 80 long years, such a unique survey was undertaken in the State to put a lid on endless, time consuming, criminal in nature land disputes and also cumbersome land records related procedures.  

In the same vein, the CM, while speaking at length and in depth on the New Revenue Act, said that, perhaps it was his righteous conducts in the previous life, that gave him an opportunity of introducing this Act-an Act which would have bearing on all the people in the State. Dwelling further, the CM said ever since organised farming began in the history of mankind about 6000 years ago, 95 percent of people were eking out a living on land and land related activities. CM said that several experiments were experienced for hundreds of years in our country and even today we have several issues related to the land. He referred to umpteen number of disputes over land boundaries, ownership right etc. which often lead to criminal offences such as attacks, murders etc.

CM made a reference to the earlier attempts to bring in land reforms since the time immemorial. It started under the rule of Sher Shah Suri and in Emperor Akbar’s period Todar Mal brought in the land reforms. Survey of lands began under Sher Shah Suri; such a practice was not there before. Under the British Raj, Captain (Alexander) Read and Captain Thomas (Sir Thomas) Munro have introduced Ryotwari system, collection of land revenue from each cultivator. In our Telangana context, Salarjung I made several significant reforms during his time as the Prime Minister. In the 1940s Communist Parties have lead movements against the Jagirdars. In 1971, PV Narasimha Rao had brought in the Agriculture Land Ceilings Act. Several attempts were made by the successive governments to reform the revenue administration.

Despite the fact that the Information Technology (IT) made its entry in the early twentieth century, none of the earlier regimes for reasons best known to them ever bothered to integrate IT into the Revenue matters said the CM. This led to largescale corruption, emergence of the land mafia, enmity between the revenue officials and the poor. Had the revenue administration been integrated with IT these unfortunate developments would not have taken place. We have seen a most ghastly incident such as a person torching an MRO to death and self-immolating himself later. We have seen how assigned lands were made their way into the hands of others. But successive governments played a mute spectator role. CM KCR said the TRS government for the past three years did a continuous exercise in this regard.

Referring to these the CM said that: ‘We have launched Revenue Records rectification and updating program in a big way though it had a lull half way through due to polls only to be restarted after a gap.  For the past 3 to 4 months, I along with the Chief Secretary, Law Secretary, senior CMO officials, others have done an elaborate exercise. I also had discussion with the revenue employees. They were very generous in saying that they have no objection to bringing a new act’.

CM further said: ‘Let me assure on the floor of this house that the New Act would do well to the people and would not have any adverse effect on the revenue employees’ jobs. 20,000-Odd Village Revenue Assistants would be absorbed in other services. I am committed to the new Act so much that I kept the portfolio with me and also made the Chief Secretary to hold the additional burden of the Revenue department. We both took the burden’.

Continuing his briefing on the Act, the CM further said that: ‘The Telangana state has 2.75 Crore acres land mass. Of this, the cultivable land is 1.65 Crore. There is about 66.56 Lakh acres of forest land in the State. There are other categories of land such as non-agriculture lands. The proposed Dharani Web portal will have data on two categories of land namely, agriculture and non-agriculture lands. With one click one can know what category of the land is? The entire land transaction can be done within five to ten minutes; registration, mutation and final documents of the land would be ready. Details regarding the land transaction would be available on portal’.

‘Details regarding the crop loans taken, loans raised pledging the land would also be posted on the portal. This will put an end to corruption while obtaining the Encumbrance Certificate. The Bank authorities also can check the land details online. This would become the mother of all recrods. Anybody can access the data from anywhere in the world. They cannot tamper with the records but can view, download the data. To protect such a vital data, backup mechanism and Disaster Management technology are used’.

‘Under the New Revenue Act no officer at any level is given discretion power. No body would need to run from pillar to post in the offices. Under the new Act, the registration system would not accept the registration of public utility lands, as they all would be locked. Once the process of the Act is on, we will survey each and every inch of land in the state, which was never done not even in the Nizam state. Total survey of Telangana state would be undertaken. Along with the survey, coordinates for each and every survey number with longitude and latitudes will be fixed’.

‘With this new Act, all Revenue Courts stand abolished. 16 fast track revenue tribunals will be formed to clear the cases pending before the MRO, RDO and Joint Collector Courts on a time bound method. To totally eradicate the land and property related crimes, disputes, clashes and mafia, a transparent, hassle-free Revenue Act is need of the hour. Under the New Act all the MROs will become Joint Sub Registrars. These MROs turned Joint Sub registrars will only register the agriculture lands. Non-agriculture lands will be registered by the present sub registrars. The New Act with the grace god would prove to be very beneficial to the people and serve its purpose in the last letter and spirit’ the CM explained.

With the Revenue Act in place, it is no exaggeration that CM KCR’s name would be etched in the history for bringing in such a great reform.  He would be remembered forever like Sher Shah Suri, Todar Mal, Captain Reed, Captain Munroe, Salar Jung and PV Narasimha Rao whenever the land reforms subject is referred, read, mentioned, researched or thought about for generations and generations. (With VJM Divakar)