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Paln to give land,
loans to landless
ISLAMABAD-The Federal Government on August 30 finalized a
strategy to distribute state land and provide soft- term loans
to landless in a bid to reduce poverty.
The guidelines to implement the strategy has been given to the
provinces which proposes upto 20 acres of irrigated or a
maximum of 40 acres of unirrigated land to be distributed to
each beneficiary. A loan of at least Rs.30,000 is also
proposed to be given to farmers for cultivating these lands.
The strategy targets about 106000 beneficiaries - roughly 1%
of the total landless population in the country.
The strategy to "Alleviate Poverty through Distribution of
Land," was approved in high-level meeting chaired by Minister
for Labour and Manpower, Local Government and Rural
Development, Omar Asghar Khan. " The Government's scheme of
distributing land to the landless is a positive step towards
improving the living conditions of the rural poor," said the
Minister. The strategy aims to ensure effective distribution
of land and presents a realistic prioritized agenda for three
years. It has been prepared with the active consultation of
all the four provinces, the Minister said.
The strategy proposes a lot size of between 16 and 20 acres of
irrigated land or between 32 & 40 acres of irrigated land to
be distributed to each beneficiary in a fair, transparent
system to reach the deserving. The provinces will be
responsible for distributing appropriate land. All allottees
will pledge to keep the land and cultivate it, while the
government may accord special powers to local magistrates to
deal with the
complaints of allottees being forced to give up their produce.
A representative organization of beneficiaries in an area will
be formed to act as a unit of interaction between them and
other development initiatives. All provinces and local
governments will conduct surveys to ascertain the status and
principal needs of the allottees. The survey will appreciate
the characteristics of the land and infrastructure and the
interventions needed, while developing a baseline from
mid-term evaluation in three years and a final evaluation in
six years from inception of the programme.
The lots being distributed are not prime land and will require
considerable work to make them cultivable. The actual support
needed for each lot will depend on the nature of land and its
use, and environmental considerations will be kept in mind.
The new district offices of Works & Services and Agriculture
will coordinate land levelling, water supply and land use
needs. Agriculture Research Institutions will support the
interventions in the field with latest techniques.
The strategy envisages a telephone to be provided in every
union council to facilitate marketing and communications.
Financing for interventions is a primary concern.
Possibilities include use of funds in related projects, use of
Khushal Pakistan programme funds, use of Zakat funds to
deserving individuals and donor involvement. It has been
proposed to provide soft lands to allottees for three years to
allow.
Loans of at least Rs. 30,000 at no more than 8% interest will
be made available for agriculture-related activities and
inputs. Loans may be provided through Khushali Bank, ADBP or
Rural Support Programmes, and will be conditional on saving by
allottees to build up local capital. The credit will be routed
through the organization of beneficiaries. Union Nazims and
farmer representatives will be responsible to monitor the
scheme with the help of committees that include allottees.
The beneficiaries will thus be linked directly to local
governance through union, tehsil and district government.
Organizations of beneficiaries will be tasked with collective
marketing, purchase of inputs, storage of agricultural surplus
and bargaining for other interventions. District Agriculture
Boards are envisaged to coordinate marketing activities,
provide market information on day-to-day basis, and ensure
technical support. The Federal land Commission will collate
provincial reports of distribution on a
quarterly basis for onward submission.
The scheme may be independently evaluated after a year after
approval of this strategy to determine the future course. The
Minister said, importantly the strategy is flexible, allowing
each province and district to determine the exact nature of
their intervention within the given framework and the
provinces will hold ultimate responsibility.
August 31
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