The Uttar Pradesh government is conducting a survey of landless people, who are also below the poverty line (BPL), in the 70 districts of the state. The land-use board has also been asked to provide details about the government land in districts, so that it can be contributed to the landless people. The exercise conducted by the department of social welfare has begun in Varanasi. District Magistrate Ajay Kumar Upadhyaya has given orders to all the sub-divisional magistrates to conduct the survey and prepare a detailed database of the landless people.Additional Director (social welfare) Ramakant said the survey is a prelude to a new scheme where all landless BPL people will be given land by the state government. “Earlier, only the BPL Scheduled Castes were given the land on a lease at nominal rates by the state government. But now, the government will try to give land lease to all the BPL, irrespective of their castes,” he added. Similar schemes launched in 2003-04 offered the land lease to the landless BPL among Dalits but it was found that many of them were not allowed by the upper castes to use their land, said Ramakant. “Often, the Dalits were alloted the land surrounded by the land of upper caste people, who made it difficult for the Dalits to use their land,” said Ramakant. “The land use board and the Revenue Department have been asked to give the details on the state land, which can be given out to the poor on lease,” he added.If landless people are more than the available land, then the poorer among them would be given a preference, said the official. While the survey has begun, he said the scheme will not be launched before the next fiscal.
