Preparations Underway to Amend Land Revenue Manual: CM Sukhu

Vishal Rana, Hamirpur

In a significant step towards empowering rural landowners, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched the Swamitva Scheme today in Hamirpur, at the Dosarka Police Grounds. As part of this initiative, the Chief Minister distributed property cards to 10 eligible families from each of the 11 tehsils, marking the beginning of a project that will benefit over 4,230 families across 190 villages in the first phase. The scheme aims to grant ownership rights to landholders of village inhabited areas, providing them with a much-needed legal entitlement.

To implement this scheme effectively, drone technology was employed to mark land boundaries. Out of the 15,196 villages in the state, drone mapping has been completed in 13,599 villages. In Hamirpur district alone, the Survey of India has provided 16,588 first-level maps and 1,482 second-level maps, with 355 final-level maps ready for the issuance of property cards.

During his address, CM Sukhu highlighted Hamirpur’s pioneering role, as it becomes the first district in the country to grant land ownership rights to families in populated areas. Congratulating the beneficiaries, he emphasized that the red-tape issues faced by residents living within ‘Lal Dora’ (village inhabited areas) will now be resolved. The state government, since its inception, has been diligently working to ease the lives of its citizens. This includes amendments to the Land Revenue Code, which facilitated 1.57 lakh land record mutations over the past six months, reducing the need for repeated visits to revenue offices. Additionally, timelines have been set for officials to resolve revenue matters, and further changes to the Land Revenue Manual are being planned to streamline processes.

CM Sukhu criticized the previous government for waiving electricity bills for affluent individuals for political gain, whereas the current government is focused on extending subsidies to genuinely needy families. He urged well-off households to voluntarily forgo subsidies, aiding the state’s journey towards self-reliance and development. He also called on large hotels to relinquish electricity and water subsidies, emphasizing that water bill subsidies will be limited to families with an annual income of less than ₹50,000. The Chief Minister further outlined the government’s efforts to strengthen the rural economy, announcing that wheat and maize grown through natural farming methods will be purchased at ₹40 and ₹30 per kilogram, respectively, and certified accordingly. Himachal Pradesh, he noted, is the first state in the country to offer a minimum support price for products and milk produced through natural farming practices. The government is buying buffalo milk at ₹55 per liter and cow milk at ₹45 per liter, with a state-of-the-art milk processing plant being set up in Dhagwar, Kangra district, at a cost of ₹250 crore. The daily wage under MGNREGA has also been increased by ₹60, bringing it to ₹300.

Addressing the natural disasters that have recently struck Himachal Pradesh, CM Sukhu expressed concern over the devastating impact of cloudbursts, which have claimed 31 lives this year and left over 50 people missing. He assured that studies would be conducted to mitigate such incidents in the future.

Earlier, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stones for an Excise and Taxation Department colony in Pakka Bharo, Hamirpur district, worth ₹1.82 crore, and the Town Bharari-Nandhan-Plasi road, costing ₹5.59 crore.

Speaking at the event, Bhoranj MLA Suresh Kumar lauded the current Congress government for introducing significant reforms in land laws to alleviate public difficulties. He noted that CM Sukhu is the first leader from lower Himachal to hold the office of Chief Minister and commended the government’s efforts to stabilize the state’s financial situation through tough decisions made over the past 20 months. He also dispelled rumors about the discontinuation of the Himcare scheme, emphasizing that the government continues to support eligible beneficiaries.

The event saw the presence of several prominent figures, including MLAs Captain Ranjit Rana,District Congress President Suman Bharti, congress leader Dr. Pushpender Verma, Kuldip Pathania, Ram Chander Pathania, APMC Chairman Ajay Sharma, State Coordinator of Skill Development Corporation Atul Kadohta, former MLAs Anita Verma and Manjit Dogra, Congress leaders Subhash Dattawalia Joint Secretary to the Government of India Alok Prem Nagar, and Deputy Commissioner of Hamirpur Amarjit Singh, among others.