Bhubaneswar
In a major development, the Odisha Cabinet has decided to amend The Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (by STs) Regulation, 1956 to relax many restrictions and prohibitions related to tribal land. One of the most prominent among them is allowing the Scheduled Tribe (ST) people to sell their land to non-tribals in Scheduled Areas with a written permission from the Sub-Collector.
“Now, an ST person can gift, exchange for public purposes or obtain a loan by mortgaging a plot of land in a public financial institution for agriculture, construction of residential house, higher studies of children, self-employment, business or establishment of small-scale industries or transfer it in favour of a person not belonging to ST community for these purposes,” said chief secretary PK Jena after the Cabinet meet on Tuesday.
“A member of the ST community, however, will not be permitted to sell off all properties under his or her possession, as the person cannot become landless. The collectors and sub-collectors will make sure this,” Chief Secretary PK Jena said after the Cabinet meet.
If the sub-collector does not grant permission for transfer, sell or mortgage of such land, then the person can appeal to the respective district collector within six months, whose decision will be final in this regard, he said.
The move is set to give a big boost to industrialisation as non-availability of land was a major hindrance in undertaking developmental projects.
The decision for amendment of The Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (by STs) Regulation, 1956, was taken for the larger interest of the ST people following recommendations of the Scheduled Tribes Advisory Council, Jena said after the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
In 2002, after some amendments were made to this regulation, ST-category citizens were allowed to transfer immovable property only to tribals. A tribal was also allowed to mortgage his land to any public financial institution for agricultural purpose only.
“Due to such provisions, the educated youth belonging to ST communities were facing many difficulties. Realising this problem and based on the recommendations of the Scheduled Tribes Advisory Council, the amendments were made,”
Before 2002, no land belonging to a member of the ST community was sellable.
