Odisha to Digitise Bhoodan Land Records, Tighten Checks on Illegal Transfers

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has decided to digitise and integrate old records of Bhoodan land with the state’s Bhulekh system while tightening restrictions on its illegal transfer and mutation, as part of a wider push to make land and revenue services more transparent and efficient.

The decision was taken at a high-level review meeting chaired by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari to assess the implementation of major departmental schemes and citizen-centric services.

Under the proposed system, records of almost all Bhoodan land in the state will be scanned and digitised and integrated with Bhulekh through the Bhoodan-LRMS Portal. Until the digitisation process is completed, restrictions will be imposed on illegal transfers and mutation of such land.

The department will also undertake investigations into suspected fraudulent transactions involving Bhoodan land and initiate action to remove illegal encroachments. Officials said allotment of Bhoodan land would be prioritised for genuine homesteadless persons, in keeping with the objectives of the Bhoodan movement associated with Acharya Vinoba Bhave.

Protection of land belonging to Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath also figured prominently in the review. According to officials, 31,906.52 acres of land across 17 districts have so far been recorded in the name of Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath, including 20,507.36 acres in Khordha district.

The government is also taking steps to protect Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) land from encroachment, particularly along national and state highways, while expediting the disposal of pending revenue cases in accordance with directions of the High Court.

The meeting further discussed measures to protect and restore Jagannath Temple properties located in different districts of Odisha as well as in other states. The government will write to other states in phases to obtain comprehensive details of properties belonging to Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath and initiate measures for their restoration.

Steps will also be taken to ensure complete registration of such properties in favour of Shri Jagannath Mahaprabhu Bije Puri through the Shri Jagannath Temple Administration.

The review also assessed progress under the Vasundhara Scheme, under which surveys have been completed and 34,251 eligible landless families have been allotted homestead land during the past two years. The Revenue Minister directed officials to give priority to eligible beneficiaries and ensure systematic resolution of issues affecting implementation.

Land records of educational institutions were another focus area. Of the state’s 52,056 educational institutions, including degree colleges, high schools and primary schools, correction of Records of Rights (RoRs) has been completed for 27,556 institutions.

The department has set December 31, 2026, as the deadline for providing complete RoRs to all educational institutions located on lease-eligible land.

The meeting also reviewed various reform-oriented measures concerning land and land records, with emphasis on providing citizens with faster, transparent and hassle-free revenue services.

Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee, the Secretary, Board of Revenue, and senior officials of the department attended the meeting.