Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday launched the distribution of land pattas to over one lakh indigenous landless families and public institutions under Mission Basundhara 3.0, reaffirming the state government’s commitment to resolving long-pending land-related grievances through a structured and transparent process.
The Chief Minister formally inaugurated the state-level distribution programme at Deuri Beel in Dhemaji district, where digital land pattas and allotment letters were handed over to beneficiaries.
He also initiated land settlement in previously unsurveyed villages where surveys have been completed under the SVAMITVA scheme.
In addition, forest land rights were granted to 538 residents of the Subansiri and Jiadhal Reserved Forests under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
CM Sarma said that a total of 1,06,905 beneficiaries across Assam received land pattas on the day, including 44,700 beneficiaries from Dhemaji district alone.
He said Dhemaji was chosen to host the central programme due to the large number of landless families awaiting settlement in the district.
Tracing the origins of Mission Basundhara, the Chief Minister said land records in Assam were historically disorganised, depriving many families of legal ownership and access to institutional credit.
Since the launch of the mission five years ago, land-related grievances of nearly 10 lakh families have been resolved, he said.
Under Mission Basundhara 1.0, issues such as conversion of annual pattas to periodic pattas and correction of land records were addressed, benefiting around 5.82 lakh families.
Mission Basundhara 2.0 focused on granting land rights to indigenous people living on government land for generations, benefitting 2.29 lakh families, a majority from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and OBC communities.
The Chief Minister said land pattas have also been issued to religious, educational and cultural institutions across the state.
Of the 903 unsurveyed villages in Assam, surveys have been completed in 769 villages, with over 30,000 families already granted pattas.
Announcing future plans, Sarma said all remaining land-related issues would be addressed through Mission Basundhara 4.0 and 5.0, including reclassification of land and settlement of eligible non-tribal residents of forest villages.
He added that around 80 per cent of land issues have already been resolved.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister inaugurated the Integrated District Commissioner’s Office Complex in Dhemaji, built at a cost of Rs 49 crore, stating that it would enhance administrative efficiency and citizen-centric governance in the district.
(IANS)
