Assam Launches Mission Basundhara 3.0 Land Pattas

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the distribution of land pattas to over one lakh indigenous landless families and public institutions under Mission Basundhara 3.0, reinforcing the government’s commitment to resolving long-pending land disputes through a transparent framework.

The state-level programme was inaugurated at Deuri Beel in Dhemaji district, where digital land pattas and allotment letters were handed over to beneficiaries.

Mass Distribution and Forest Rights

A total of 1,06,905 beneficiaries across Assam received land pattas, including 44,700 from Dhemaji alone. The district was chosen due to the high number of pending land settlements.

Land settlement was also initiated in previously unsurveyed villages where surveys were completed under the SVAMITVA scheme. Additionally, forest land rights were granted to 538 residents of Subansiri and Jiadhal Reserved Forests under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

Evolution of Mission Basundhara

Mission Basundhara was launched to streamline historically disorganised land records that denied families legal ownership and access to institutional credit. Over five years, land-related grievances of nearly 10 lakh families have been addressed.

Mission Basundhara 1.0 resolved issues such as conversion of annual pattas to periodic pattas and record corrections, benefitting 5.82 lakh families. Version 2.0 focused on granting land rights to indigenous communities residing on government land, benefiting 2.29 lakh families, largely from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and OBC groups.

Important Facts for Exams

• SVAMITVA scheme aims to provide property ownership records in rural areas.
• Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognises land rights of forest-dwelling communities.
• Land pattas confer legal ownership or tenancy rights over land.
• Periodic pattas offer more secure land tenure than annual pattas.

Future Phases and Administrative Strengthening

Out of 903 unsurveyed villages in Assam, surveys have been completed in 769, with over 30,000 families already receiving pattas. The Chief Minister announced that remaining land-related issues, including reclassification and settlement of eligible non-tribal forest village residents, will be addressed under Mission Basundhara 4.0 and 5.0.

Earlier in the day, an Integrated District Commissioner’s Office Complex was inaugurated in Dhemaji at a cost of Rs 49 crore to enhance administrative efficiency and citizen-centric governance. The government stated that around 80 per cent of land issues in the state have already been resolved.