Guwahati (Assam) [India], July 28 : Assam Health and Family Welfare, Irrigation, and Guardian Minister of Bishwanath district, Ashok Singhal, on Monday, handed over land title certificates to 2,145 people in Bishwanath district under the Forest Rights Act.
It is worth noting that the District Administration of Bishwanath has issued land title certificates to individuals residing on forest land under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
Under the 82 forest rights committees in Biswanath district, land title certificates were distributed today to 1336 claimants from Bishwanath constituency, 157 from Gahpur constituency, 509 from Naduar constituency, and 143 from Bihali constituency. A total of 11,982 people have received land title certificates in forest land in Bishwanath district so far.
On this occasion, the Minister Singhal said that the state government has been working relentlessly to safeguard the indigenous people. He also stated that the BJP government, led by Dr Himanta Biswa Sharma, has been able to grant land rights to the indigenous people who have protected the forests.
The state government has taken various steps to give dignity and respect to the tribal people, he added. Every cabinet of the state government discussed the advancement of the tribal people, the minister said that the main issue among these was the issue of land rights. The minister said that the state government has been making continuous efforts to grant land rights to indigenous people under the Forest Rights Act.
Today, no one can call the people who have acquired land rights encroachers. In his speech, he pointed out that the tribal people have been deprived of many government schemes due to a lack of land rights. That's the problem that has been solved from today, he added.
He also mentioned that the Bodo people of this region are not new to the area. History shows that the undivided Sonitpur district was once ruled by the Ban king. Many people are unaware that the Ban Raja was a member of the Boro community. Since taking office, our government has prioritised the rights of the state's indigenous people and has given utmost importance to their protection.
"The relationship between nature and the people who live in the forests is not well known to people other than the tribal people," he added.
He said that people who have worshipped nature as God since ancient times cannot destroy nature.
Minister Ashok Singhal said this is an innovative initiative of the Government of Assam to protect the indigenous people of Assam socially and culturally under the Forest Rights Act.
Without land rights, a nation's interests and rights cannot be protected. Therefore, since the formation of the government, we have been taking steps to protect the lands of the state's indigenous people.
The meeting was attended by MLAs Pramod Barthakur, Utpal Bora, Diganta Ghatwal, Zilla Parishad Chairperson Sunita Tanty, District Commissioner Simanta Kumar Das, Superintendent of Police Shubhashish Barua, Co-District Commissioners Dhruvajyoti Das and Lukumani Bora, and other dignitaries.
Health and Family Welfare and Irrigation Minister Ashok Singhal inaugurated the Sakomatha reconstructed Irrigation Scheme. The scheme, reconstructed at a cost of Rs 3.30 crore, aims to supply water to 800 hectares of agricultural land every 12 months.
The scheme was launched in 77/78 but failed at a later stage and was rebuilt in 2024/25 at a cost of Rs 3.30 crore and launched today. He said climate change has also created many problems in Assam. He stated that the state government has focused on reconstructing irrigation schemes rather than initiating new ones over the last four years. As a result, the department has been able to bring the failing schemes back into operation.
The Minister directed the District Commissioner to hold a joint meeting with the Irrigation and Agriculture Department to ensure that farmers can access water through the scheme. He suggested forming a Water User's Committee to ensure the active participation of management the scheme.
He urged the department to inspect the scheme every seven days and also urged the people to cooperate to ensure that the scheme does not fail.
The meeting was attended by MLAs Pramod Barthakur and Diganta Ghatwal, District Commissioner Simanta Kumar Das, Superintendent of Police Shubhashish Barua, and other top officers of the department, as well as other dignitaries.