The Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Yagna Act, 1958 (Tamil Nadu Act XV of 1958)
The State Legislature enacted the Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Yagna Act, 1958, Tamil Nadu Act XV of 1958, effective from 1 January 1958, to support voluntary land donations for the Bhoodan Yagna and the settlement of donated land for landless poor persons, cooperative societies, Sarvodaya Panchayats or community purposes. The Act establishes the Tamil Nadu State Bhoodan Yagna Board and provides that donated Bhoodan land vests in that Board, subject to specified provisions. The supplied text reflects later amendments and adaptations and does not state that the Act has been superseded.
What the Act governs
The Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Yagna Act, 1958 applies throughout Tamil Nadu. It governs land voluntarily donated to the Bhoodan Yagna movement initiated by Shri Acharya Vinobha Bhave.
Its stated purposes include transferring and settling donated land for:
- Landless poor persons.
- Cooperative societies.
- Sarvodaya Panchayats.
- Purposes serving the general good of the community.
The Act also covers Gramdan villages, where qualifying land donations allow the Government to declare a revenue village, group of villages or parts of them as a Gramdan village.
Who may be affected
The Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Yagna Act, 1958 is relevant to people who donated land for Bhoodan Yagna, including donations made before its commencement, and to people or bodies receiving or managing such land. It may also affect owners and residents in villages proposed or declared as Gramdan villages.
For the Act, an owner includes a tenant who has a heritable and transferable interest in land. The text also defines an indigent poor person by reference to land ownership limits and annual income limits prescribed for that purpose.
Tamil Nadu State Bhoodan Yagna Board
The Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Yagna Act, 1958 places responsibility for carrying out its provisions with the Tamil Nadu State Bhoodan Yagna Board.
Key provisions include:
- The Board is a corporate body with perpetual succession and a common seal.
- It may contract and acquire, hold, administer and transfer movable or immovable property.
- The Government appoints the Chairman and between ten and fourteen other members, after the consultation specified in the Act.
- Appointments must be published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette.
- Members, including the Chairman, hold office for four years and may be reappointed.
- The Government may remove members on specified grounds and may dissolve or supersede the Board in stated circumstances, after giving it an opportunity to respond.
Effect on donated land
The Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Yagna Act, 1958 states that all land donated for Bhoodan Yagna, whether donated before or after the Act began, vests in the Tamil Nadu State Bhoodan Yagna Board. That vesting is expressly subject to sections 16, 17 and 20, whose contents are not included in the supplied text.
This summary is generated from the source document to help you find what is relevant. The PDF above is authoritative. For advice on your own property, use LandLens One or speak to a qualified professional.
Common questions
Does the Act apply across Tamil Nadu?
Yes. The Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Yagna Act, 1958 extends to the whole of the State of Tamil Nadu.
Who can receive land donated through the Bhoodan Yagna?
The Act describes distribution to landless poor persons, cooperative societies or Sarvodaya Panchayats, and use for community purposes.
What happens to land donated before the Act commenced?
Land donated for Bhoodan Yagna before or after commencement vests in the Tamil Nadu State Bhoodan Yagna Board, subject to sections 16, 17 and 20.
Does ordinary privately owned land automatically vest in the Board?
The supplied text provides for vesting of land donated for Bhoodan Yagna. It does not state that all ordinary privately owned land vests in the Tamil Nadu State Bhoodan Yagna Board.
