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Land Para-professionals As a last mile solution to land issues of the poor

Land Para-professionals As a last mile solution to land issues of the poor . B. Rajsekhar, IAS, Chief Executive Officer, Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty Department of RD, Govt of AP. Possession of Bhoomi is not just economics. It is a symbol of dignity

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Land Para-professionals As a last mile solution to land issues of the poor

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  1. Land Para-professionalsAs a last mile solution to land issues of the poor B. Rajsekhar, IAS, Chief Executive Officer, Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty Department of RD, Govt of AP

  2. Possession of Bhoomi is not just economics • It is a symbol of dignity • It is self-respect, it is politics,it is power • It makes you or unmakes you • You are worth the earth you possess • All socio-economic privileges and deprivations revolve around land

  3. Land Reforms in AP- A Snap Shot • A strong legacy of Pro poor land legislations • AP (Telangana Area) Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1950 and AP (Andhra Area) Tenancy Act, 1956 • AP (Telangana Area) Abolition Of Inams Act, 1955 and AP (Andhra Area) Inam Abolition Act, 1956 • AP Land Reforms (Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings) Act, 1973 • AP Scheduled Areas Land Transfer Regulation, 1959 as amended in 1970, 71 and 78 • AP Rights In Land and Pattadar Pass Books Act, 1971 • AP Occupants Of Homesteads (Conferment Of Ownership) Act, 1976 • AP Assigned Lands (Prohibition Of Transfer) Act, l977 • AP Land grabbing Act, AP Land Encroachment Act etc. • AP Land Licensed Cultivators Act, 2011

  4. Land Reforms in AP- A Snap Shot • Focus on 3 Key areas: abolition of intermediaries, tenancy reforms and land ceilings 53.6 lakh acres of Govt. land have been distributed to 32.4 lakh poor families Under RoFR, individual titles distributed 1.65 lakh tribals covering 4.72 lakh acres

  5. Last Mile Challenges

  6. Land Deprivation- Critical Poverty Dimension Landlessness • Total Disempowerment • Insecurity • Inaccessibility to credit • Ineligibility for entitlements Pattalessness Possessionlessness • Insecurity • Nil impact on livelihoods Land in litigation • No peace of mind • Unbearable legal expenses All the above drain the poor both economically and psychologically

  7. Poverty Agenda- AP • Govt. of AP established Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) in year 2000 to facilitate poverty reduction in rural areas • SERP has as its core strategies • Social mobilization and building institutions of the poor • Enhancing capacities and opportunities • Reducing vulnerability • SERP facilitated network of SHGs and their Federations to work on multi-dimensional aspects of poverty

  8. Issue-Free Land: Last mile solution • Land being critical productive asset, it must be issue-free • Since poor find it difficult to resolve the issues by themselves, they needed easily accessible professional support • SERP put in place sensitive land support mechanism in 2006-07 by positioning Paralegals and Community Surveyors • Policy advocacy also happened in parallel • G.O.Ms.No.1148 issued by Govt. for convergence between SERP and Revenue Department • Govt. also appointed Koneru Rangarao Land Committee to look into all land issues of the poor

  9. Vision • Every poor person owning or enjoying a piece of land should have • Title document in hand Entry as owner and enjoyer in every key revenue record Land safely in possession developed and yielding incomes

  10. Land Access Model • trained graduate youth from community (positioned in a mandal) Law Graduate (District Level) Retired Revenue Officer (District Level) • technically qualified youth trained in survey (positioned in a mandal)

  11. Paralegals recruited by way of notification, written test and interview Initial training of one month in the districts including village stay Training at AP Academy of Rural Development, Hyderabad for 5 days NALSAR conducted Paralegal Certification Course for 10 days Continuous capacity building at district land centers every fortnight Capacity Building of Paralegals Trainings covered basics of lands like types of lands and land records, land enactments, procedures, identification and resolution process of land issues

  12. Capacity Building of Community Surveyors • Youth having technical qualifications were recruited as Community Surveyors by way of notification, written test and interview • Trained for 2 months in cadastral survey in AP Survey Training Academy, Hyderabad • 12 months apprenticeship with departmental mandal surveyors in districts • Department of Survey issued licenses free of cost

  13. Training Material Developed

  14. Land Issue Resolution Process

  15. Land Inventory of SC/ST lands in the State • Mapping of 40 lakh acres of 17 lakh SCs/STs • to saturate land development of SC/ST lands under MGNREGA • to identify the lands of the SCs/STs and to facilitate them to have secured title and possession • 50,000 SC/ST youth were trained, provided with records, did household survey and verified land enjoyment • Entire data computerized

  16. Inventory Outcomes • For the first time land ownership and enjoyment data of SCs and STs is collected and physically verified (revenue records do not give this information as they have no caste field) • Inventory data formed the basis for • Works on 30.14 lakh acres with investment of Rs. 8,871 crore under MGNREGA • Providing irrigation facilities to 10 lakh acres of SC/ST lands under Indira Jala Prabha, with an investment of Rs.1800 crore • Land issues of 14 lakh SC/ST families involving 23.69 lakh acres identified and being followed up for resolution

  17. Some Innovations • Pahani, the key village record, was written on village public wall and made available for public scrutiny in Warangal district • Copies of critical land records are provided to each and every poor person having land issue in Medak District • Bhoomi Nyaya Sahaya Kendram (Land Legal Assistance Center) is established in DRDA, Warangal to assist the poor whose cases are locked in courts

  18. Overall Resolution of Issues Phase 1 (2006-10) Phase 2 (2011 onwards) • Revenue Department conducted Revenue Sadassulu between January to March, 2012 • Filing of individual representations by the SCs/STs facilitated • Land Issues resolution is being tracked through online web application at www.serp.ap.gov.in/Bhoomi • 7.19 lakh issues have been resolved

  19. Challenges Faced Acceptance by Revenue field functionaries in initial phase • Deputy Collectors on deputation and retired revenue officers helped bridging the gap Access to Revenue Records • CCLA issued series of circulars Convergence between RD and Revenue Departments • Joint monthly review by Joint Collectors Rectification of revenue records for resolving majority of the identified issues • Revenue Sadassulu, under leadership of Hon’ble RM, resulted in resolution of two-third of the issues

  20. Lessons from Our Experience • Apart from the pro-poor land legislations, the poor, especially SCs and STs, require exclusive facilitation support to get their land issues resolved • Paralegals, from the community of the poor, if trained well, can competently support both the poor and the Revenue Dept. • in settling land disputes • in bringing in community participation and • in making the system more transparent and accountable Thank You

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