Aam aadmi sop: advisory group on land issues

In this context, the PMO is also learnt to have sought views of the Department of Land Resources on demands made by Ekta Parishad, which include constitution of a National Land Reforms Commission and a new land policy.

However, with Union Minister for Rural Development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, under which the department functions, addressing Janadesh rallyists in Haryana on Wednesday, it is obvious that a final decision will be taken by political leadership.

Considering the aam aadmi claims of the Government, it may find reasonable to accommodate demands of a land policy in its proposal while restructuring various schemes under the Department of Land Resources as part of its 11th Plan proposals.

The department is likely to suggest the formation of an expert group under the PMO, which will advise on issues of fast-tracking of tenancy cases, land reforms, distribution of excess land with the Government among the landless, tribals and marginal farmers who have been displaced as a result of mining, industries or wildlife parks.

The group may be asked to advise the Government to meet land needs of all those who have been driven out of the land they tilled for generations, which officially is forest land, and also on Dalits who have been systematically kept out of tenancy rights. The department officials are learnt to have been asked to work on this on a war-footing.