Settlement of surplus lands

Settlement of surplus lands -

1. (1) Seventy percentum of the surplus lands vested in the Government under section 45 shall be settled with persons belonging to the Scheduled Tribes or Scheduled Castes in proportion to their respective populations in the villages in which the lands are situated and the remaining lands shall be settled with persons not belonging to the aforesaid categories: Provided that where the population of the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes in a village exceeds seventy per cent of the total population of that village, the percentage of lands to be reserved for persons of the said communities shall be equal to the percentage of their population: Provided further that if sufficient number of persons belonging to the aforesaid categories are not available in the village in which the lands are situated or, being available, are not willing to accept settlement of land, so much of the lands reserved for the said persons as cannot be settled with them may be settled with other persons: Provided also that the Collector of a district may, with the prior approval of the Government, set apart any of the said surplus lands for being utilised for any public purpose, other than the purpose of cultivation, and thereupon the remaining surplus lands shall be settled in accordance with the provisions of this section.
2. (2) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Orissa Government Land Settlement Act, 1962, the procedure for the settlement of lands under this section shall be such as may be prescribed, and the settlement shall be made in favour of the following categories of persons and in the following order of priority, namely:-
   • (a) co-operative farming societies formed by landless agricultural labourers;
   • (b) any landless agricultural labourers of the village in which the land is situate or of any neighbouring village;
   • (c) ex-servicemen or members of the Armed Forces of the Union, if they belong to the village in which the land is situate;
   • (d) raiyats who personally cultivate not more than one standard acre of contiguous land; and
   • (e) in the absence of persons belonging to any of the foregoing categories, any other persons.