Amendment in Punjab Land Reforms Act gives major relief to sufferers of natural calamities

Punjab Government has amended Section 27 of the Punjab Land Reforms Act, 1972, to ensure its seamless implementation. Resulting in the enhancement of compensation for crop damages due to natural calamities from ₹8000 to ₹12000 per acre. The decision was taken in the meeting led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

It may be recalled that the state government had, in 2011, exempted certain lands from the operation of Punjab Land Reforms Act, 1972, vide amendment to Section 27 the Act, to prevent any adverse impact on infrastructure and SEZ projects approved in the past as well as projects that may be set up after approval

Punjab Government has notified the Punjab land Reforms (Amendment) Act, 2017 on 20th of January this year.

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“The Act covers two aspects. The first is an amendment in section 3(8) of Punjab Land Reforms Act, 1972. The definition of an orchard under this section the Act didn’t include land under guava, banana trees and vineyard as an orchard. In order to diversify the base of agricultural production of the State from monoculture of wheat and paddy towards fruits and vegetables, the Punjab Government has made an amendment in this section 3(8) of the Act and henceforth, the definition of orchard would also cover the land under banana, guava trees or under vineyard in the definition of an orchard,” informed the State Financial Commissioner (Revenue) Vini Mahajan.

“With this amendment, guava, banana and vineyard cultivation will also be covered under the set of exemptions provided to orchard cultivators and will give a much-needed boost to the Government’s drive towards diversification of agriculture,” she said.

Mahajan said that the second amendment was made in section 27(j) of Punjab Land Reforms Act, 1972, “to ensure that agriculture land which has been utilised for non-agricultural purposes like housing, industrial, infrastructure projects like SEZ, tourism units (hotels and resorts), public utilities, warehousing, commercial, cultural, recreational, sports, religious, institutional is kept out of the purview of this Act”.

COURTESY :- NEWS BHARATI