Amid an aggressive campaign launched by the opposition parties regarding the "snatching" of land rights after the abrogation of Article 370, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday assured protections and safeguards for the land rights after the introduction of new land laws in the Union Territory.
"The new land laws will not only afford protection to over 90% of the land in J&K from being alienated to outsiders but will also help revamp the agriculture sector, foster rapid industrialization, aid economic growth and create jobs in J&K," the J&K government stated.
The new land laws are being hailed by the people of Jammu and Kashmir as a major step towards the development and progress of J&K. The historic initiative of the government will revamp agriculture and allied sectors besides ensuring holistic development of all sectors.
J&K government replaces old land laws
The new land laws introduced in Jammu and Kashmir replaced some outdated, regressive, intrinsically contradictory land laws with a set of modern, progressive, and people-friendly provisions.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, through an order on October 26, introduced amendments to 14 laws of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and repealed 12 others. Key amendments were made to four major state laws that governed the ownership, sale, and purchase of land in the erstwhile state. These are The J&K Development Act, 1970, The J&K Land Revenue Act, 1996, The Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976, and The J&K Land Grants Act, 1960.
The designation of land for industrial purposes will open up greater employment avenues for the youth who have always yearned for the industrial revolution in J&K so that they can get better employment opportunities.
According to the new land law, agricultural land can only be sold to an agriculturist and he has been defined as a person who cultivates land personally in the UT. The term 'agriculture land' unambiguously is defined to include not just agriculture but horticulture and allied agro-activities as well. The most extensive definition includes not just horticulture but poultry, Animal Husbandry, fallow land, etc also.
Lieutenant Governor assures protection of the land rights
In October 2021, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that "not an inch of agricultural land" in Jammu and Kashmir has been given to anyone from outside the UT while addressing a gathering after launching the Apple festival 2021 at SKICC.
He assured the farmers that "no agricultural land has been given to anyone from outside and to protect the land of Jammu and Kashmir is the responsibility of the government of Jammu and Kashmir".
As a major initiative toward good governance and ease of convenience to the citizens, the Revenue Department started issuance of trilingual Land Passbooks in Hindi, Urdu, and English to the landholders with effect from the 19th of February 2022 from the districts of Jammu and Srinagar.
