Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Yagna Rules, 1959
The Governor of Tamil Nadu, through the Public (Rural Development Projects) Department under G.O. Ms. No. 1951 dated 9 July 1959, made the Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Yagna Rules, 1959 to regulate donated Bhoodan Yagna and Gramdan land, its confirmation, grant and administration. The rules were later amended by several government orders listed in the text, including G.O. Ms. No. 115, Rural Development Department (P4), dated 30 March 2001.
What the rules govern
The Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Yagna Rules, 1959 provide procedures for donating land for Bhoodan Yagna or Gramdan, examining declarations, publishing notices, granting donated land and administering the State Board and Local Committees. A buyer or owner should check whether land originated from a Bhoodan grant because a grantee generally cannot sell, dispose of or rent out the land.
Donation and confirmation process
The Tamil Nadu Bhoodan Yagna Rules, 1959 require:
- Donation declarations to use the prescribed form, with different forms applying to certain government assignees who are political sufferers and to other donors.
- Each declaration to be entered in a register and accompanied by a title deed, kist receipt or statement from the village officer.
- Notice of a declaration to be published in Tamil in the District Gazette and in the Fort St. George Gazette. Copies must also be displayed at the taluk office and in public places in the village concerned.
- The Tahsildar or Deputy Tahsildar to give parties a reasonable opportunity to present their case, record evidence and decide objections.
- An order confirming a declaration or declaring it null and void to be passed within three months from the date on which the last objection was filed.
The Government may permit exchange of donated land after consulting the State Board and satisfying the conditions under the Act. Once alternate land vests in the State Board, the original donated land is released.
Eligibility and conditions of grant
Under the amendment recorded in G.O. Ms. No. 115, Rural Development Department (P4), dated 30 March 2001, a landless poor person may own no more than one acre of wet or garden land, or two acres of any other class of land, and must have annual income not exceeding sixteen thousand rupees.
Before granting land, the State Board must obtain a written undertaking that the grantee:
- Will not sell or otherwise dispose of the land.
- Will not rent out the land.
- Will pay land revenue, cess and other government charges.
- Will use the land for its granted purpose within three years.
A grant may be cancelled for breach after giving the grantee a reasonable opportunity. The land then returns to the State Board and may be re-granted. With State Board permission, a grantee may mortgage all or part of the land to the Government, a co-operative bank or a nationalised bank to obtain financial assistance for developing it.
Records and public notice
The State Board and Local Committees must maintain registers of land grants. Grants must also be displayed at the relevant panchayat office and taluk office.
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Common questions
Can a person who received Bhoodan land sell it?
No. The written conditions of grant state that the grantee has no right to sell or otherwise dispose of the land.
Can Bhoodan land be rented out?
No. The conditions imposed before grant expressly prohibit renting out the land.
Can a grantee mortgage Bhoodan land to obtain development finance?
Yes, with permission from the State Board. The mortgage may be made in favour of the Government, a co-operative bank or a nationalised bank as security for financial assistance to develop the land.
Where can I check whether a Bhoodan land grant was publicly recorded?
The State Board and Local Committees must maintain grant registers. The grant must also be displayed on the notice boards of the relevant panchayat office and taluk office.
