Over 2.56 L acres of Bhoodan land distributed in Bihar; lack of papers delayed process: Panel

The Bihar government has so far distributed over 2.56 lakh acres of land out of the 6.48 lakh acres that it had received during the Bhoodan movement, spearheaded by human rights activist Vinoba Bhave in the 1950s, a report released on Friday revealed.

A three-member commission, set up by the Bihar government in 2017 to check the paperwork for the land donated during the movement, also said in the report that another 1.04 lakh acres have been found fit for distribution among the poor and the landless.

"Of the total 6,48,593.14 acres donated during Bhoodan Andolan, the state government has so far distributed 2,56,664.88 acres among 3.52 lakh people following thorough scrutiny. Another 1,04,958.7 acres, donated during the movement, has been found fit for distribution," the panel, headed by former state chief secretary Ashok Kumar Choudhary, stated.

Talking to PTI, Choudhary said that 2.92 lakh acres are mired in various legal and administrative bottlenecks, and can be handed over to beneficiaries only after certain changes are made to the existing laws in the state.

"People had donated huge plots during the movement. However, the state Bhoodan committee later realised that many of these lack documentation. Also, certain plots were found located on river beds, hills and forests," the former chief secretary noted, adding that the entire process got delayed by decades due to such problems.

Born in 1895, Vinova Bhave had dedicated his life to propagating Gandhian values and is particularly remembered for the Bhoodan' campaign, as part of which he persuaded wealthy and affluent people across the country to donate land for distribution among the landless poor.