Debt waiver scheme faces flak from panel on naxalism

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New Delhi, Jun 24: implementing ceiling laws for the last two to three decades, the panel said it appears, “as if there is no possibility of identifying ceiling surplus land hereafter. This is not a fact. A serious effort must be made to continuously implement the land ceiling laws, so that the ceiling surplus land, thereby obtained, is made available for distribution amongst the most vulnerable sections of the landless poor”.

It also pointed at the various loopholes in ceiling legislations in states, that have resulted in bogus claims aimed at evading the law. Such loopholes should be done away with, and all cultivable land, irrespective of the legal form in which it is held, should be brought under ceiling laws, the penal demanded.

The naxalites, however, seem to be having greater success with government lands. Though no precise estimates are available, the report states that it is a fact that in some cases, the naxalite movement has succeeded in helping the landless to occupy a substantial extent of government land, either for homesteads or for cultivation.

In Bihar, for instance, all the naxalite parties have attempted to assist, in their respective areas of influence, the landless Musahars, the lowest among the dalits, to take possession of a sizable extent of such land. However, the poor still remain without a title to the land because the administration feels that giving them a title or even a conditional assignment, through which the assignee can use the land and pass it on to their heirs but cannot sell the land, would approve law-breaking and strengthen the naxalites.

Forest-produce should be provided with a protective market by fixing minimum support price for various commodities, upgradation of traditional haats (community markets), and provision of modern storage facilities to avoid post-harvest losses. At the same time, the public distribution system should be specially designed for the specific requirements of the forest dwellers.

In this respect the existing tribal development corporations and cooperative marketing organisations such as Girijan cooperative corporation, Orissa tribal cooperative corporation and Trifed, of the government of India can play an effective role just like the food corporation of India in regard to rice and wheat, for ensuring support price to procurement and professional marketing support. The state should support the expenses relating to the infrastructure, administration and operation of these corporations and they should not have monopoly rights to procurement.