Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma officially launched the Mission Basundhara 3.0 scheme on Sunday at Srimanta Sankaradev Kalakshetra in Guwahati, aimed at conferring land rights to the indigenous communities of the state. The initiative, which represents a significant step in safeguarding the rights of local populations, emphasises the BJP-led government's commitment to preserving "Jati-Mati-Bheti" (community, land, homeland).
At a ceremony held in the state, Sarma reflected on the importance of the project, stating, "Immediately after we assumed office, we set out on a mission to provide land rights to indigenous communities in Assam—an exercise undertaken after 75 years of Independence. Mission Basundhara was born with this vision on October 2, 2021."
The chief minister noted the overwhelming response to the program, revealing that the government had received an unprecedented number of applications, making it one of the largest land initiatives in Assam's history. Under the first phase of Mission Basundhara, 800,000 applications were processed in just nine months. The second phase, launched in November 2022, successfully granted land rights to over 200,000 individuals within a year.
In outlining the objectives of the third phase, Sarma highlighted the scheme's focus on digitizing land-related services, publishing maps, and further facilitating land rights for the indigenous populace. He emphasised that no future iterations of the scheme would follow, stating, "There will not be any Mission Basundhara 4.0. This will be the final Mission
Basundhara, so we should bring all applications from the people properly."
Sarma also clarified that members of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Adivasi communities, Tea Tribes, and Gorkhas will not need to prove three-generation ancestry to obtain land rights, recognizing them as "sons of soil." Additionally, he announced a reduction in the premium rate for city dwellers to three per cent of the zonal valuation, while also allowing authentic pre-1971 refugee certificate holders to apply for land rights under the scheme.
The Mission Basundhara initiative aims to expedite land ownership for priority groups while enhancing transparency in land-related services. Sarma further noted the introduction of "Digidoc," a digital directory for non-registrable and optional registrable documents, designed to streamline processes and improve public convenience.
