Maharashtra cabinet gives nod to amend Land Revenue Code; small farmers to get land back on payment of 25 pc of market price

 In a major decision, the Maharashtra government has initiated an amendment to section 220 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code in order to enable small farmers to reclaim land that was seized by government authorities on account of failure to pay arrears. These farmers can now pay 25 per cent of the current market value of land and reclaim their land. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday.

This move provides a big relief to farmers whose lands were taken over by the government following an auction, as the farmers had failed to pay dues and interest on it. The law states that land obtained through auction becomes a government land and farmers were given a 12-year period to repay dues and interest on it. If the farmers failed to pay the amount, then the land became government land. Currently, government has in its possession, 4,869 acres of land.

 The amendment to section 220 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code will have to be submitted before the state legislature in the next session. Once ratified, then farmers can get back their land by paying 25 per cent of the current ready reckoner rates of the land.

 Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde called the decision historic and said that this issue was pending for a long time and now a pro-farmer solution has been found. "The decision to return 4,849 acres of land to 963 small farmers will be a big relief to them," said Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bavankule.

 The decision is important as earlier there was no provision to return the land to farmers after 12 years and the land became a government asset. Now with this change in the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, this land can be returned.