The Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor’s administration on August 25 reserved the land to landless scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) to only domiciles of the Union Territory.
“A person shall be considered landless if he is a domicile of J&K having a separate family and doesn’t have land in his own name or in the name of any of his family members or is not entitled to inherit five Marlas or more land,” reads the latest government order.
It said the State land will be allotted on a lease basis to the landless beneficiaries under the PMAY (G)/Awas plus of the Rural Development Department as per the permanent waiting list of 2018-19.
“The land shall be granted on lease on payment of a token amount of ₹100 per Marla as a one-time premium and a nominal amount of ₹1 per marla per annum as ground rent, in relaxation of Jammu and Kashmir Land Grant Rules, 2022,” the order said.
The lease shall be for a period of 40 years, extendable further for a period of another 40 years, subject to the fulfilment of all codal formalities and norms, it said. “However, if a person fails to build a house on allotted land within a period of two years, such lease shall be cancelled forthwith,” the order reads.
All the deputy commissioners have been directed to forward the cases to the tehsildar concerned for inquiry, who shall identify the State land and verify the particulars of the beneficiaries, including their status of being landless, the order said.
According to official figures, 2,711 landless families have been given land in J&K. A total of 1,99,550 families have been identified as homeless.
‘Need transparency’
Reacting to the move, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claimed it was aimed to settle outsiders, and called for “greater transparency”.
The PDP has accused the L-G administration of settling outsiders in the garb of the land to landless scheme. The L-G administration has denied these allegations.
In a fresh statement, PDP chief spokesperson Syed Suhail Bukhari said there was a need for clarity surrounding the developments related to the land to landless scheme. “With each passing day and new developments surrounding the policy, there emerges a sense that the government is withholding crucial information, thereby raising suspicions among the public about the true intentions behind the scheme,” Mr. Bukhari said.
He said a pivotal question that requires addressing is the identity of these domiciles. “The party had information suggesting that domicile certificates had been granted to numerous non-State subjects,” Mr. Bukhari said.
He urged the government to reveal the true demographic impact of the policy, particularly in terms of the inclusion of non-locals as domiciles.
“The PDP has long held the belief that the administration has intentions to alter the demographic makeup of Jammu & Kashmir. Under the guise of this scheme and other initiatives, there appears to be a plan to relocate individuals from outside the region, thereby significantly changing the social composition and demographic identity of Jammu & Kashmir,” the PDP leader said.
