Bhubaneswar, June 1: Another panel has been formed to give suggestions to the ministerial committee formed to formulate rules to protect the interests of sharecroppers in the state.
“A five-member committee comprising officials of cooperative, agriculture and revenue departments has been formed to decide whether a new bill should be introduced or amendment to Orissa Land Reforms (OLR) Act will be made,” revenue minister and chairman of the inter-ministerial panel Maheswar Mohanty told reporters here Thursday.
The committee headed by law secretary would examine the provisions in the existing law and what more is needed to provide government benefits to sharecroppers, Mohanty said.
They would also look after the sharing of produces between land owners and sharecroppers. The panel has been asked to submit their report within 14 days, following which the inter-ministerial committee will take the final call on the draft bill at next meeting scheduled June 19, he said.
The new Act aims to recognise and protect the rights of sharecroppers across the state as they are still deprived of benefits. Through this Act, the sharecroppers are expected to get the benefits of crop insurance, compensations in case of crop loss and all other benefits provided by the state government.
Meanwhile, Opposition Congress and BJP criticised the government for not taking concrete steps for the sharecroppers.
“The ministerial committee held several meetings. But, it is yet to take a decision. An all-party meeting should be called under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take a final decision in this regard,” Congress leader and Opposition chief whip Taraprasad Bahinipati said.
BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma too attacked the BJD government on this, saying, “For one year, the government says they will bring in a law to protect the interests of sharecroppers. However, a final decision is yet to be taken. This shows the callousness of the government towards poor farmers.”
However, BJD vice-president Surya Narayan Patro said, “After getting the report from the officers’ committee, we will finalise the draft. We will ensure protection of the rights of both land owners and sharecroppers.”
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