No changes needed in LR Act: Min

Time of India

2 days ago

T'puram: Revenue minister K Rajan on Thursday asserted that there is no need for any major amendments to Kerala's landmark Land Reforms Act, reiterating its enduring relevance and strength in ensuring social justice and equitable land distribution.
His remarks come in the wake of state industries department proposing to revise the existing land ceiling limits to facilitate large-scale industrial projects, triggering concerns of possible dilution of Land Reforms Act.
The minister inaugurated the representative session of the four-day national conclave on digital resurvey titled 'Bhoomi', organized by state revenue and survey-land records departments at Kovalam.
During the session, he stated that while minor amendments and context-driven changes were made to the law in the past, there is currently no need for any major reform.
"The Kerala Land Reforms Act laid the foundation for the state's transformative social progress. Though several states emulated our land reforms, none matched the strength and breadth of Kerala's law," Rajan said.
"The law ended tenancy and helped actual tillers become landowners.
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It also empowers the govt to assign land for industrial, commercial, educational and charitable purposes," he added. Rajan clarified that reports suggesting Kerala was preparing to alter the land ceiling provisions were "misleading" and stemmed from a superficial understanding of the law's objectives. "Any reading of the Act must be rooted in its core intent of social equity," he said.
He pointed out that even as sweeping changes occur across the country in land use and demographics, the governance of land hasn't seen corresponding innovation.
Kerala, he said, is now moving towards what can be termed a "Second Land Reform" by modernising land administration through digital resurvey and e-governance. "Revolutionary steps in the revenue and survey sectors have been initiated under this govt, the most important being the statewide digital resurvey.
It has helped prepare accurate, transparent land records and resolve boundary disputes," Rajan said.
He added that for the first time in India, a unique thandaper (land ownership ID) system was implemented in villages where the digital resurvey was completed. The minister also highlighted the creation of a unified land portal — Ente Bhoomi — that integrates the portals of the revenue, survey and registration departments, offering a seamless interface for all land-related transactions and records. "In villages where the resurvey is complete, authenticated land sketches and ownership details will now be accessible even before registration.
This will eliminate fraud and misrepresentation in land transfers," he said.
Over 120 delegates, including top officials from 23 states, are participating in the conclave.