<p>It was nearly 61 years ago that Acharya Vinobha Bhave started the ‘Bhoodan (Gift of Land) Movement’ as a voluntary, non-violent means of transferring surplus lands to the landless poor across India. And the irony is, in Tamil Nadu, even such gifted lands have not been spared from encroachments.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The latest report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the performance of various state departments recently has revealed that nearly 89 acres of ‘Bhoodan land’ allotted to the landless poor between 1956 and 1984, “had been occupied by other persons for more than ten years”.<br /><br />As a result of the ‘Bhoodan Movement’ , a little over 28,060 acres of land had been gifted to the Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Board. Of this, 20,485.35 acres had been allotted to landless poor persons in the state over the years, CAG said.<br /><br />As on December 2011, another 7,575.06 acres of land with the ‘Bhoodan Board’ were to be distributed to the landless in the state, CAG reports, quoting the Director of Land Reforms. <br /><br />However, even from the allotted ‘Bhoodan lands’, in 12 Taluks of Tamil Nadu, the CAG found that in 66 cases, lands totaling to about 89 acres, had been occupied by others. The value of such encroached ‘Bhoodan lands’ was placed at Rs 7.56 crore as on June 30, 2010. The encroached ‘Bhoodan Lands’, as provided for in the ‘Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Yagna Rules’, should have been taken back by the government and re-allotted to eligible persons”.<br /><br />But this has not been done so far though the Commissioner of Land Reforms for Tamil Nadu has said that it would take necessary action to evict the unauthorised occupation of ‘Bhoodan Lands’, said the report.<br /><br />Ministerspeak<br /><br />However, state Finance Minister O Pannerselvam, referring to the CAG’s latest report, for the period ending March 2011, on the performance of various sate government departments including state PSUs, has clarified in a statement that “all these lapses pointed out by the CAG have occurred during the tenure of the previous DMK government”.<br /><br />“On the contrary, the present Jayalalitha–led AIADMK government has been taking a number of steps to set right the shortcomings pointed out by the CAG,” Pannerselvam said here.<br /><br />“For instance, one of the CAG report has pointed out that the subsidy payment (by the government to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board) to compensate for providing free electricity to farmers in the state at Rs 250 per horse power (HP) per year was very low. <br />But after the AIADMK government assumed office, the subsidy payment on account of free supply of electricity for agriculture has been increased from Rs 250 to Rs 1750 (per HP per year),” Pannerselvam added.</p>
<p>It was nearly 61 years ago that Acharya Vinobha Bhave started the ‘Bhoodan (Gift of Land) Movement’ as a voluntary, non-violent means of transferring surplus lands to the landless poor across India. And the irony is, in Tamil Nadu, even such gifted lands have not been spared from encroachments.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The latest report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the performance of various state departments recently has revealed that nearly 89 acres of ‘Bhoodan land’ allotted to the landless poor between 1956 and 1984, “had been occupied by other persons for more than ten years”.<br /><br />As a result of the ‘Bhoodan Movement’ , a little over 28,060 acres of land had been gifted to the Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Board. Of this, 20,485.35 acres had been allotted to landless poor persons in the state over the years, CAG said.<br /><br />As on December 2011, another 7,575.06 acres of land with the ‘Bhoodan Board’ were to be distributed to the landless in the state, CAG reports, quoting the Director of Land Reforms. <br /><br />However, even from the allotted ‘Bhoodan lands’, in 12 Taluks of Tamil Nadu, the CAG found that in 66 cases, lands totaling to about 89 acres, had been occupied by others. The value of such encroached ‘Bhoodan lands’ was placed at Rs 7.56 crore as on June 30, 2010. The encroached ‘Bhoodan Lands’, as provided for in the ‘Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Yagna Rules’, should have been taken back by the government and re-allotted to eligible persons”.<br /><br />But this has not been done so far though the Commissioner of Land Reforms for Tamil Nadu has said that it would take necessary action to evict the unauthorised occupation of ‘Bhoodan Lands’, said the report.<br /><br />Ministerspeak<br /><br />However, state Finance Minister O Pannerselvam, referring to the CAG’s latest report, for the period ending March 2011, on the performance of various sate government departments including state PSUs, has clarified in a statement that “all these lapses pointed out by the CAG have occurred during the tenure of the previous DMK government”.<br /><br />“On the contrary, the present Jayalalitha–led AIADMK government has been taking a number of steps to set right the shortcomings pointed out by the CAG,” Pannerselvam said here.<br /><br />“For instance, one of the CAG report has pointed out that the subsidy payment (by the government to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board) to compensate for providing free electricity to farmers in the state at Rs 250 per horse power (HP) per year was very low. <br />But after the AIADMK government assumed office, the subsidy payment on account of free supply of electricity for agriculture has been increased from Rs 250 to Rs 1750 (per HP per year),” Pannerselvam added.</p>
