JORHAT, Oct 5 - The Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Education, Finance and PWD Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that the BJP-led government in the State which came to power in 2016 promising development and preserving the identity of the Assamese people, had taken both the issues as the cornerstone of the government agenda and had worked in this regard. Sarma made the said statement while speaking as the chief guest in a function organised by the State Revenue and Disaster Management Department with support from Jorhat district administration to handover land pattas and allotment papers to landless families belonging to indigenous groups.
Sarma said that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had taken an initiative to distribute land pattas to one lakh families belonging to indigenous groups and tribes across Assam and several thousand families received the documents last year. He said that this year the government had set a target of distributing the land papers to 55,000 across the State on October 5. Sarma said that the present government had undertaken a pro-active policy to recover satra and government land from the possession of the encroachers.
The minister said that the government practised the politics development and identity with progress and prosperity and steps initiated to maintain the identity of the Assamese society intact going hand in hand.
�Our government of had undertaken steps to ensure Assamese people live a life with pride and dignity and focused on providing social justice,� Sarma stated.
He pointed out that if someone check the voters� lists of areas in Barpeta district of 40 to 50 years ago and the present list of voters of the same areas and try to analyse or carry out research work the grave threat to Assamese society would be clearly visible.
Sarma also pointed out that several satras established by Srimanta Sankaradeva and Madhabadeva and their disciples centuries ago had shifted to different areas.
Terming large-scale encroachment of government land over the years as a �cultural and political aggression�, Sarma said that the government undertook measures to prevent such activities and also free government land thereby practising a policy of preserving identity of Assamese people and simultaneously carrying out development.
He said that over 13,000 bighas of government land had been freed from encroachment in the past four-and-half years of this government and was handed over to SHGs to carry out agricultural activities. Similarly, sections of encroached satra land too were recovered by the government and handed over to the satras, the Minister said.
Doomdooma Correspondent adds: Land pattas and allotment certificates were distributed among the landless people of Tinsukia district at a function held at the conference hall of the DC office in Tinsukia on Monday.
The programme was chaired by Deputy Commissioner of Tinsukia district, Diganta Saikia, and was attended by Sanjay Kishan, MoS for Tea Tribe and Labour Welfare Department, as chief guest. Sadiya MLA Bolin Chetia, Doomdooma MLA Durga Bhumij, Digboi MLA Suren Phukan and Chabua MLA Binod Hazarika were also present in the programme.
Although, the target for Tinsukia district was 2,633, the four revenue circles of the district exceeded the target by 118 numbers and prepared 2,751 numbers of pattas/allotment certificates for the landless people of the district, stated in a press release issued by the DIPRO, Tinsukia.
Nagaon A Correspondent adds: At a function held at Nagaon Khagen Mahanta auditorium, State Water Resource Minister Keshab Mahanta officially distributed land pattas among 50 indigenous landless farmers of the district on Monday.
The function was organised by Nagaon district administration in association with Revenue Department. Significantly, the State government will provide land pattas to a total of 1,167 indigenous landless farmers of the district.
Gracing the occasion as the chief guest, Mahanta said that it was a historical day for all those indigenous as well as ethnic landless farmers of the district as on this particular day, they were able to sustain their rights of land.
Deputy Commissioner Kabitha Padmanavon at the beginning delivered the welcome address. Local MLAs Rupak Sarma, Dimbeswar Das and other officials from district administration were present in the function.
Hailakandi Correspondent adds: At a ceremonial distribution function held at Rabindra Bhawan auditorium here, Silchar MP Dr Rajdeep Roy, Deputy Commissioner Megh Nidhi Dahal, Additional Deputy Commissioner-cum-CEO, DDMA, RK Dam, CEO Zilla Parishad, Joydeep Shukla and others gave away land patta certificates to 603 landless indigenous people of the district on Monday.
Speaking on the occasion as chief guest, MP Dr Roy said Hailakandi along with some other districts of Assam have started distributing land certificates to landless indigenous people at the instruction of the chief minister.
�Today, we have fulfilled our commitment to provide land deeds to 1 lakh indigenous people in 2020. These people need to have an ownership rights over the plots which they have been occupying for years,� the MP said.
The MP said that the present government led by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has fulfilled all the promises made in the election manifesto in 2016.
Dr Roy said that the Central government is wholly committed to double the income of farmers by 2022 and housing for all by 2024. The MP said the monthly honorarium of gaon burahs (village headman) of 26,000 villages of the State has been enhanced to Rs 6,000 and would be further increased to Rs 9,000.
Deputy Commissioner, Dahal said land patta is a vital document and gives the possessor an identity of his own and through which one can obtain all documents.
Goalpara Correspondent adds: Land pattas and allotment certificates were distributed to 1,000 indigenous people of the district at a function organised in Natasurya Phani Sarma Bhavan here on Monday.
Ceremonially distributing the land pattas and allotment certificates to indigenous landless people of the district from all the circles � Balijana, Dudhnoi, Lakhipur, Matia and Rongjuli � Minister for Tourism, Welfare of Plain Tribes and Backward Classes (WPT&BC) Chandan Brahma in his speech said that the decision of distributing land pattas and allotment certificates to the landless indigenous families has been part of the Land Policy,2019, that was formulated on the recommendation of Hari Shankar Brahma Committee on Protection of Land Rights of indigenous people.
He also heaped praise on State government for taking the initiatives in giving land pattas to the indigenous landless people of the State and also for working tirelessly for the development of the people.
Meanwhile, according to DIPR sources 60 pattas under Balijana , 349 allotment certificates under Dudhnoi Circle, 376 pattas under Lakhipur Circle, 31 allotment certificates and 184 pattas under Matia Circle were distributed by the government.
Dergaon Correspondent adds: Assam State Disaster Management Department in association with the Golaghat district administration distributed a total of 1,351 land pattas and 669 land certificates among the indigenous landless families under six revenue circles of the district on Monday.
The programme held on this occasion at district library auditorium was inaugurated by Agriculture Minister Atul Bora and chaired by Deputy Commissioner Bibhash Ch Modi.
