Land Reforms & Land use Opportunities/Options with focus on Rajasthan

Abstract

This paper traces the typology of historical reforms at grass root level in the state and specific reforms initiated by the State Board of Revenue. These reforms gave due cognizance to a series of legal aid and empowerment initiatives of the government of India (‘Pro bono legal services, Tele law service and Nyaya Mitra Scheme) on judicial reforms. Expediting case disposal, digital reforms and capacity building of subordinate courts was taken up by state revenue board duly supported by a legal framework drawn to carry out land reforms under specific sections of land revenue Act of 1956 and Rajasthan Tenancy Act of 1955. The paper also includes land reforms with special reference to large agrarian districts, urbanised districts, IGNP (Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyojana) command, etc.

Introduction - Land Reforms

Land Reforms is an integral part of civil servant’s journey. The LBSNAA inculcates a deep understanding of the Land Reforms in India, with a comprehensive assignment to be undertaken by every IAS Probationer during the District attachment and which is presented in Phase II of the program. In undertaking the Land Reforms assignment, an IAS officer studies Land Ceiling cases, Tenancy Reforms including partition of holdings, Land Revenue & Revenue Court Work, Management of Common Lands, Management of Temple Lands, Protection of Women’s Rights, Digitization of Land Records and Watershed Development practices. Thereafter, IAS officers serve as a Sub-Divisional Officer and District Collector and in the Board of Revenue of the State. 

In my probation period in Nagaur district of Rajasthan, I developed a tremendous passion for Land Reforms, visiting several villages and conducting night-halts in Tehsils/ Sub-Divisions, interacting with Farmers, Advocares, Patwaris, Girdawars, Tehsildars, and Sub-Divisional Officers to understand the complex tenancies of Rajasthan. Thereafter, I served as a Sub-Divisional Officer in two large agrarian sub-divisions Bhilwada and Nimbaheda, as District Collector in two desert Districts Pali and Jodhpur and as Chairman, Board of Revenue of Rajasthan at Ajmer. I also served as Additional Area Development Commissioner of the IGNP and as Director Watershed Development and Soil Conservation of Rajasthan. My association with Land Reforms over a period of 14 years gave me a comprehensive overview of complex issues of tenancy rights, common lands, land allotment to landless peasants. The Rajasthan Land Revenue Act 1956 and the Rajasthan Tenancy Act 1955 represent powerful instruments in the hands of the State to ensure Land Rights and Security of Tenure.

I interacted with thousands of farmers who depend on land for their survival. Those who have secure land rights to own or use that land are able to protect it from powerful interests. It is the State's job to protect Land Rights and ensure security of tenure. My mind goes back to my 1992 study on Tribal Land Alienation conducted in Jhadol and Kotra Tehsils of Udaipur district wherein I had studied the indebtedness amongst Tribals of Udaipur district concluding that high lending rates from Shahukars were leading to tribal land alienation.

In my capacity as Chairman Board of Revenue for Rajasthan, I have guided the Revenue Courts of Rajasthan to improve justice delivery systems, adopt digitalization practices, improve quality of judgment writing and prioritize policy interventions to protect rights of the girl child, temple lands, common lands and the rights millions of tenants of the State.

In the period 2014-2025, the Nation has witnessed a Rural Transformation, with Jan Dhan Aadhar Bhim applications leading to comprehensive financial inclusion. Rajasthan's Revenue Administration sought to ensure that tenants with secure land rights are encouraged to make investments in land commitments in the form of better seeds, soil improvements, and irrigation so that moneys spent on these investments will boost agricultural productivity and yields. The march to a New India at 2047 is dependent on how well the revenue administration in States implements land reforms. 

Land Reforms in 21st Century

Major structural reforms are envisaged in current day administration in the field of land reforms. These include the following:

1. Digitization of land records in a single standardized format across various departments.

2. Overhauling litigation in land with reduced timelines and fast-tracked courts and judicial processes.

3. Rationalizing stamp duty and reducing the burden of stamp duty.

4. Streamlining property registration system and linking land records to stamp registration.

5. Providing easy access to Government data and other land related information.

The emphasis on timely and updated land records for a farmer to use land as collateral is of critical important. Farm loan lending by banks -both short term and long term is based on land being registered as collateral. In the absence of timely updation of land records through mutations and entries in record of rights the access to credit can be limited. 98.5 percent of the land records in rural areas of the country have been computerized and digitized but there exist differences in textual and spatial records. The endeavor is to move towards good quality land records and a transparent, modern land records management system. 

The National Perspective - Initiatives of Department of Land Resources

The key initiatives and programs implemented by the Department of Land Resources are as follows:

• The Digital India Land Records Modernization Program for digitization and computerization of land records and registration processes is implemented across the country as a central sector program with 100 percent financial assistance from Central Government since 2016-17. The basic components of the program are computerization of record of rights, digitization of cadastral maps, computerization of registration, connectivity between sub-registrar offices and tehsils, integration of land records and registration. 

• Implementation of the Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) or Bhu-Aadhar which is a 14-digit Alpha-numeric unique ID for each land parcel based on geo-coordinates of vertices of the parcel. 

• The computerized registration for documents/ deeds, “One Nation – One Registration” software namely National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) has been developed for Registration departments across India. This innovative initiative received the Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration for 2021 under the category of Innovation-Central. Data relating to NGDRS is available on NGDRS portal- www.ngdrs.gov.in on real time basis.

• The Revenue Courts Management System has been implemented across 18 States/ UT’s. 

• The National Geospatial Knowledge based on land survey of urban habitations (NAKSHA), is a transformative pilot program for modernizing urban land records. 

Digital India Land Records Modernization Program (DILRMP)

Digital India Land Records Modernization Program was revamped and converted as a central sector scheme from 2016. The DILRMP seeks to develop a modern, comprehensive, and transparent land record management system. It also seeks to reduce land disputes, check benami transactions and obviate the need for physical visits to Revenue offices by sharing information on real-time basis. Under the DILRMP, Record of Rights (RoR) have been digitized by more than 93 per cent in 29 states/UTs; cadastral maps digitized by more than 90 per cent in 24 states/UTs; computerization of registration completed more than 93 per cent in 28 states/UTs and Integration of sub registrar offices with land records done in more than 99 per cent in 20 states/UTs. The next steps include integration of Aadhaar number with the land record database and computerization of revenue courts and their integration with land records.

The objective of Linkage of e-Court with Land Record and Registration Data Base is to make authentic information available to the courts resulting in speedy disposal of cases and ultimately, reduction in land disputes. The RCMS provides first-hand information for courts on substantive and authentic evidence of Record of Rights, cadastral maps including geo-referenced and legacy data.

Rajasthan’s Critical Land Legislations

The critical Land Reforms Legislations of Rajasthan are the Rajasthan Tenancy Act 1955 and the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956. 

1. The Rajasthan Tenancy Act 1955 is a progressive legislation with several provisions to ensure security of tenancies and protection of rights. Under the Rajasthan Tenancy Act 1955, the Land Holder is the State represented by Tehsildar. The State has 2 types of Tenants - Khatedar and Gair Khatedar.

2. The Rajasthan Land Revenue Act is a consolidating and amending Act dealing with questions of land, land revenue, appointment, powers and duties of revenue courts and officers and preparation of land records. The powers of the District Collector largely emanate from the various Land Allotment Rules notified under the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act 1956.

Land Reforms – Key Provisions in Revenue Laws

The various Sections of the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956 dealing with the Board of Revenue are the following:

1. Section 4-Establishment and Composition of the Board: The Board of Revenue for Rajasthan consists of a Chairman of the Board and 20 members.

2. Section 5-Tenure of the Members: All members of the Board shall hold office during the pleasure of the Governor.

3. Section 6 Place of Sitting: The Board of Revenue shall be at Ajmer but by general or special orders of the State Government, it shall be lawful for the Board to sit at any place within its jurisdiction.

4. Section 7- Ministerial Officers: The Ministerial officers of the Board of Revenue are the Registrar, the Additional Registrar and 3 Deputy Registrars. They exercise such powers and discharge such functions as the Board may direct.

5. Section 8-Powers of the Board: The Board is the highest revenue court of appeal, revision and reference in Rajasthan. The Board of Revenue exercises 3 kinds of powers (a) Appeal, (b) Revision and (c) Reference.

These powers are exercised subject to the provisions of

a. Rajasthan Land Revenue Act 1956 - Sections 74 to 87 for Appeal, Revision, Reference and Review; Sections 53-55 for transfer and consolidation of cases and Section 261 (1) for making rules under the Act.

b. Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955 - Sections 222-228 for Appeals, Section 230-231 for Revision and Section 232 for Reference, Section 233 for Transfer of Cases and Section 258 for making rules thereunder.

The Board of Revenue is a Court under Article 375 of the Indian Constitution and Section 5(35) of the Rajasthan Tenancy Act with full powers to initiate contempt of court proceedings for breach of orders issued by it.

1. Section 9 - General Superintendence of Subordinate Revenue Courts: The Board exercises general supervision and control over all Revenue Courts and all such Courts and Officers shall be subordinate to it. There is a similar provision under the Rajasthan Tenancy Act Section 221-Subordination of Revenue Courts-The General Superintendence and control over all revenue courts shall be vested in and all such courts shall be subordinate to the Board; and subject to superintendence, control and subordination.

2. Section 10 Jurisdiction of Board how exercised: The jurisdiction of the Board is exercised by the Chairman or any other member of the Board sitting singly or by a Bench of the Board, consisting of two or more members. There are two modes to exercise jurisdiction-(i) by Single Bench or, (ii) by Double Bench or More Members. The class of cases to be heard by Single and Division Benches are laid down in the Rajasthan Revenue Courts Manual Rules.

Rule 8 - Single Benches hear and dispose second appeals under Section 76 of the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956, applications for transfer of cases, revisions, references etc.

Rule 9 - The Division Benches of the Board hear and dispose cases of all decrees and orders coming under the consideration of the Board on appeal except those specified under Rule 8. When a case is heard by a Bench of the Board, the decision of such a case shall be in accordance with the opinion of the Members.

Special Appeal - A party aggrieved by the decision of a Single Member shall have the right to make a special appeal to a bench consisting of 2 or more members of the Board within one month if the member who passed the judgment declares the case as a fit one for appeal. It is only the member who passed the judgment who is competent to grant permission for special appeal and no other member is competent to do so. Special Appeal does not lie against interlocutory order of the Single Bench and decision does not include order of Board passed under revisional jurisdiction.

1. Section 11-Power to Refer to a Bench: The Chairman or any Member sitting singly for the disposal of any case or proceeding may, if he thinks fit, for reasons to be recorded in writing, refer any question of law or custom having the force of law for the opinion of a Bench and the case shall be disposed of in accordance with such opinion. Further case law indicates that powers of this Section have been enlarged to cover a reference made by a Double Bench to a Larger Bench or Full Bench.

2. Section 12 Power to refer question to High Court: If in any case it appears to a Bench that any question as is referred to in Section 11 is of Public Importance and that it is expedient to obtain the opinion of the High Court thereon, the Bench may refer the question to that Court. The High Court may after such hearing, as it thinks fit, may record the opinion on the question so referred and the decision of the case shall be in conformity with such opinion.

3. Section 13-Decision in case of Difference of Opinion: Where a case is heard by a Bench of the Board, the decision of such case shall be in accordance with the opinions of the majority of members who hear it. Where the members are divided in opinion as to the order to be made in the case, the case shall be referred to another member and made in accordance with the opinion of the majority of the members including such other members who hear it.

4. Section 14-Registers of the Board: The Board shall cause to be kept and maintained such registers and accounts as may be prescribed or as may be necessary for the transaction of its business. A list of Registers prescribed by the Board under its various sections is prescribed under the Section.

The Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955

The critical sections of the Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955 are the following:

• Conferment of Khatedari Rights: Sections 13, 15 and 19

• General Restrictions on Sale, Gift and Bequest: Section 42

• Letting or Sub-Letting in Exceptional Cases (Lands held by Deity): Section 46

• Division of Holding: Section 53

• Declaratory Suits: Section 88

• Ejectment for illegal transfer: Section 175

• Injunction against wrongful ejectment: Section 188

• Provision for Injunction and Appointment of Receiver: Section 212

• Important Legal Principles in Court Work

In deciding Temporary Injunctions, Revenue Courts are required to ensure compliance of the principles governing the grant of temporary injunction namely (a) That the Plaintiff has a prima facie case (b) That the Court's interference is necessary to protect the party applying for temporary injunction from irreparable damage before his legal right is established by the trial and (c) Balance of convenience which is likely to arise from granting the injunction. Ordinarily a Temporary injunction cannot be granted against a recorded Khatedar Tenant. The status of deity under the Rajasthan Tenancy Act is an important area of legal interpretation. In several cases being pleaded in the Board of Revenue, Khatedari rights are being claimed on lands held by deity. It imperative that Revenue Courts are fully knowledgeable about the legal provisions of lands held by deity. In several instances, lands held by Deity have got recorded in the name of the Pujari and thereafter transfers have been made to third parties. The Deity is a minor in perpetuity and Revenue Courts must see that wherever such mutations and records of rights entries exist, necessary action for initiating References under Section 82 must be initiated. It is not for the Revenue Courts to determine who the Pujari is for a particular Deity. That is left to the civil courts to decide. 

Improving Justice Delivery Systems

Successive governments have spoken about improving justice delivery systems. This is one area in need of dire and drastic improvement. It takes over 15 years for second appeals to be decided in the Board of Revenue. Most of the criminal litigation emerges from delays in adjudication of cases in Revenue Courts where the litigant is forced to take law into his own hands. The interminable delays have become unfair to the litigant.

The government convened the Joint Conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts on 5 April 2015 to discuss the pressing issues relating to the administration of Justice in the country. India had 2.64 crore cases pending in Subordinate Courts and 42 lakh cases in High Courts. The agenda for the conference included development of infrastructure, undertaking judicial reforms, ICT enablement of courts and specific steps required for reduction of arrears and ensuring speedy trials. The justice delivery system has an important role in improving the ease of doing business. An e-Courts Mission Mode Project was implemented which placed case data of thousands of courts online. The National Judicial Data Grid covering a majority of High Courts was available to the judiciary for improving case and court management and judicial performance. Amongst the other steps taken by the government were strengthening Judicial Academies, Lok Adalats and training of judges.

The Government of India has launched a series of legal aid and empowerment initiatives for expediting judicial reforms. The three legal aid and empowerment initiatives launched were 'Pro bono legal services', Tele law service and Nyaya Mitra Scheme. The government also stated that the Nation's justice system would be digitally transformed as digital inclusion holds the key to the country's march to Digital India. The 'Pro bono legal services' initiative is a web-based platform through which interested lawyers can register themselves for volunteer pro bono services for the underprivileged litigants who are unable to afford it. Tele Law was aimed at facilitating delivery of legal advice through an expert panel of lawyers stationed at State Legal Services Authorities (SLSA). The Nyaya Mitra scheme envisaged employment of a retired Judicial or Executive Officer with legal experience designated as Nyaya Mitra and deployed at the Common Service Centres with responsibilities to identify delayed cases through the National Judicial Grid and enable speedy dispute resolution.

The government has operationalized the e-Courts portal (http://www.ecourts.gov.in) through websites of individual districts and also through the National Judicial Data Grid. The portal provides online services to litigants such as details of case registration, cause list, case status, daily orders and final judgments.

Critical Reforms in the Board of Revenue

The Board of Revenue for Rajasthan was one of the State level institutions established at Ajmer at the time of formation of Rajasthan, the others being the Rajasthan Public Service Commission, the Board for Secondary Education and the Directorate of Ayurved. The Institution had a 70-year legacy as a Temple of Justice. It is amongst the oldest Boards of Revenue in India along with Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, established in 1949, It had the largest in terms of number of members and handled the highest number of revenue cases.

The Board of Revenue is the Chief Controlling Revenue Authority under all enactments in force. Being the Chief Controlling Revenue Authority, it acts as a limb of the State government exercising powers vested in it under the various enactments. It is the highest Revenue Court of Appeal, Revision and Reference in Rajasthan having wide powers of general superintendence and control over all subordinate courts. In 1974, the State government delegated its revisional powers in cases of a non-judicial nature, and not connected with settlement. The Land Records work has also been entrusted to the Board which is administrative in nature and a very important responsibility.

The Board of Revenue was an institution clogged by huge caseloads and also technologically an obsolete institution with digitization practices virtually non-existent. Manual supervision of the case status of thousands of files was an impossibility. Every day there were 5000 litigants and 1000 lawyers who would attend the 14 benches functional in the Board of Revenue. Very few arguments were heard, and disposal norms were about 450 cases per month. The Institution was in need of radical reforms and transformational governance. By the end of my 18-month tenure, the average case disposal/month had doubled. The core premises of good governance were Chairman conducting Bench every day, with focus on timely arguments and timely judgments, and digitization of the Board of Revenue.

As Chairman of the Board of Revenue, I had the opportunity to digitize the Revenue Courts of Rajasthan, Improve Systemic Efficiency through Enhanced Inspections, Improve the Predictability and Consistency of Court Sittings and Improve the Relationship between the Bench and the Bar across the State by interacting with thousands of advocates and convincing them to adopt technology. Institution building in the Board of Revenue in my tenure was based on four pillars - deeper examination of the issues of jurisprudence, expediting decision-making, deepening the technology impact, enhanced capacity building initiatives and stronger administrative/judicial processes.

A multiplicity of tenancy practices prevailed across the States of Rajputana which were integrated into Rajasthan. As land-to-the-tiller policy was implemented following the enactment of the Rajasthan Tenancy Act 1955, there was a proliferation of litigation in Tenancy and Ceiling cases. Rajasthan's Revenue Courts had 5.74 lakh court cases for adjudication. There were certain core principles that governed tenancy practices-protection of common lands, protecting the rights of girl child, deterring the might-is-right practices in agrarian districts, protecting temple lands and partition of holdings to be subject to oversight of the Tehsildar.

Expediting Case Disposal

There were two ways of improving court work in the Board of Revenue: (a) Members achieving higher disposal following streamlining of internal governance processes and (b) Advocates cooperating with the Bench in expediting disposal. The cases maintained by the Registry of the Board of Revenue were in two classes: completed cases which were sent to the Benches and incomplete cases which were handled by the Registry. These were updated on a monthly basis providing a clear indication of the work of the Registry which was responsible for ensuring that the preliminary procedures for admission and documentation, service of summons were completed. There were regular consultations with the Rajasthan Revenue Bar resulting in considerably higher productivity, a complete absence of strikes by the Bar and positive synergy. The number of completed cases which the Registry sends to the Bench for arguments was enhanced from eight cases per day to 30 cases/day. The total number of completed cases in the Registry reached 22,000 cases with campaign for service of summons. 

Impact of Technology on Revenue Courts - A Force Multiplier

A diverse group of stakeholders converged for the First Digital Revolution in Revenue Courts of Rajasthan. The decision to provide universal access to judgments and decrees of Revenue Courts from Trial Court to the Board of Revenue represented a significant step forward in use of technology in Revenue Courts. The dissemination of the Revenue Court Management System (RCMS) on 'e-mitra plus' meant that judgments could be downloaded in over 10,000 Gram Panchayats of Rajasthan. Not only were judgments of every Revenue Court available on a technology platform, the case status for all the 570,000 cases listed in Revenue Courts was available. SMS facility for advocates in new admission cases, E-signatures of judgments, RCMS mobile app, Online monitoring of performance of Revenue courts have all commenced. The RCMS platform provided a bird's eye view of the performance of every Revenue Court of Rajasthan in terms of number of sittings, cases heard and judgments and decrees pronounced. In the Board of Revenue, Members were informed of the status of judgments and decrees status on a daily basis. Rajasthan's RCMS adoption contributes significantly towards simplifying a litigant's journey in Revenue Courts.

Capacity Building of Subordinate Courts

The capacity building needs at SDO level represented a significant step forward for Improved Justice Delivery Systems in Revenue Courts. The Board of Revenue conducted 33 capacity building workshops at District Level and five workshops were conducted at the Board of Revenue Ajmer. Senior Advocates presented the salient provisions of the Rajasthan Tenancy Act 1955, the provisions of the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act 1956, and Civil Procedure Code1908. The workshops with SDOs and Assistant Collectors listed four agenda points for discussion-(a) organization of court work, (b) important judgments on salient provisions of Rajasthan Tenancy Act and Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, (c) interactions between the Bench and the Bar and (d) Digitization. The workshops with the Additional District Collectors deliberated on the provisions of Rajasthan Land Revenue Act with regard to land allotment rules and the provisions of appeal, revision and review. The importance of the Bar and Bench relationship and the need for courtesy and cordiality in building a strong and sustainable relationship was also discussed.

Tenancy Reforms in Rajasthan’s Districts

Tenancy reforms challenges vary across Districts of Rajasthan - large agrarian districts, tribal districts, IGNP command area districts

Nagaur District

The big challenge which in large agrarian districts of Rajasthan like Nagaur is to ensure updation of land records to ensure that benefits of development reach farmers on a timely basis. The vast geographical spread of Nagaur, with 1700 villages, a largely agrarian economy necessitates large deployment of Revenue Officials. The expansion of Sub-Divisional Officers and Tehsildars to cope with the huge workloads of the District in Revenue Administration is a significant step forward taken by State Government. One of the fastest methods for developmental financing to reach the farmers is through timely credit availability. The massive expansion of financial inclusion under Jandhan and Aadhar based mandatory linkages for availing bank loans has necessitated consistency in recording of entries in land records. There is huge litigation that is being filed for correction of entries in Khatauni, Jamabandis under section 136 Rajasthan Land Revenue Act 1956. Thousands of cases have been decided during the Revenue Campaign and in regular court sittings for corrections of entries. Agrarian districts are witnessing large number of cases for division of holdings. Division of holdings should be between co-tenants. The procedure for division of holdings entails passing of 2 decrees, preliminary and final, which is the preferable course of action, while not compulsory. Partition of holdings in should be done by meats and bounds and recorded appropriately in the revenue map.

Ravi Kumar, an IAS probationer, in his socio-economic study on village Sukhwasi, of Nagaur District says Nagaur has extensive land and usually farmers have big tract of land. Hence sub-letting land is a common phenomenon in the tehsil and district. The village administration is working towards formalization of contracts. Sukhwasi village has done well in following land tenancy and ownership related laws. The study recommends formalization of tenant contracts which focus more on Model farmers contract law; awareness generation regarding rights and their liabilities of tenants; coordination between tenant and for taking risk and cultivating non-conventional crops; and use of ICT in maintaining supervision over owner-tenant work as futuristic tenancy reforms for Nagaur district. 

Land Reforms in Pali District

Deshal Dan an IAS probationer in his socio-economic study of Rani tehsil examines Land Records Modernization. He says that linkage of the registration process to the Record of Right (RoR) is pending. Once it is done land titling will be on an auto online mode and the disputes will reduce and time and energy of common populace as well as revenue functionaries will be saved by this great endeavor. The DILRMP in Rajasthan has pursued

• Computerization of existing land records has been the first step that was ensured through a platform called Apna Khata where anyone gets a soft copy of his jamabandi.

• Map Digitization through e-Dharti where the certified copy of the map of a particular khasra is made available.

• A Modern Record Room is being set up at each Tehsil headquarter which will be technologically equipped and advanced.

• Survey Resurvey has also been conducted wherever it was required

• Linkage between RoR and Registration process will be the final step to ensure an auto mode online conclusive land titling regime in the state.

• The Revenue court management is a digital monitoring platform for the different revenue courts in Rajasthan. Litigants, mostly poor farmers, have all information about their cases in any revenue court in the state. Huge pendency in revenue courts had prompted the Revenue Board to come up with this solution. A huge amount of relevant information and data for evidence-based decision making is possible.

Growing Urbanization - Kota District

Kota is amongst the important districts of Rajasthan witnessing rapid Urbanization. SDO Kota has 8 Patwar circles in the urban limits where agricultural lands are being developed for urban needs with residential plots being developed. The number of cases for partition of holdings in the court of SDO Kota and ACM Kota reflect the trends of growing urbanization. Revenue courts must partition holdings by meats and bounds so that rights can be clearly delineated in the field. The challenge of ejectment of trespassers from charagah lands in urban limits has been identified as a major challenge. The Rajasthan Tenancy Act Section 16 Land in which Khatedari rights shall not accrue makes it clear that Khatedari rights shall not accrue in pasture land. The UIT is a party to several court cases in SDO Court, Kota. 

Challenges in IGNP Command – Bikaner District

The IGNP is one of India's largest and most complex irrigation systems, with 15 lac hectares of command lands in the Thar desert. The terrain is very harsh with high sand dunes, sand storms and most of the canal submerged in sand during summer. Land Allotment in IGNP was the responsibility of the Colonization Department. Considering that land allotment targets ranged upto 50,000 hectares per annum by the Colonization department, the challenges faced in creating land rights in the IGNP areas of the Thar desert was similar to establishing a new civilization. For effective revenue administration, SDO's and Tehsildars must visit the IGNP command area to get familiar with the IGNP. They need to familiarize themselves with warabandi practices, irrigation/ CAD department's patwaris and engineers, Colonization department's officials and above all meet settlers who have cultivated and transformed the IGNP.

Change of Land Use

Change of Land Use from Agriculture to Industrial purposes has been identified as amongst the important priority area for driving growth across the Nation. States/ UT’s have been advised to simplify/ digitize procedures and regulations for land use change, adopt a flexible, zoning framework that allows mixed use development activities. A level of uniformity in procedures across the States has been attempted, for example the ground coverage, construction of hostels in industrial areas, construction of buildings as per zoning requirements. 

Conclusion

The litigant has to remain the centrality of the journey in Revenue Courts. Consistency and predictability of sittings and intense commitment to the cause of land reforms have enabled the Board of Revenue for Rajasthan to help millions of litigants of the State while ushering in radical reforms, transformational changes in governance, enabling the march to Viksit Bharat at 2047. The initiatives of the Department of Land Resources can enable significant transformative reforms in Land Management. The changes in Land Use are next area of reforms where procedural changes will be a key driver for economic growth. 

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29. V. Srinivas, Revenue Court Verdicts to be available online in Rajasthan, article in Business Standard dated November 2, 2017, www.landrevenue.rajasthan.gov.in

30. V. Srinivas, NEERANCHAL - Watershed Development and Soil Conservation in Rajasthan, Address at the Directorate of Watershed Development and Soil Conservation, Jaipur dated October 16, 2017 www.landrevenue.rajasthan.gov.in

31. V. Srinivas, Phase II of Digital Rajasva Mandal,  http://bfsi.eletsonline.com/rajasthans-revenue-board-tolaunch-second-phase-of-digital-rajasva-mandal-on-february-19/ dated February 19, 2018, www.landrevenue.rajasthan.gov.in