Major Reform in Agricultural Land Market Valuation Rules in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, 30 July

In a cabinet meeting held today at the Ministry (Mahanadi Bhawan) under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai, a major proposal from the Commercial Tax (Registration) Department was approved. The proposal concerns the market valuation of agricultural land in rural areas, aiming to eliminate discrepancies affecting farmers, stakeholders impacted by land acquisition, and revenue-related matters.

Under the approved proposal, the valuation method for rural agricultural land has been significantly changed. The previous system of calculating rates for plots up to 500 square meters will be discontinued. Now, valuation will be calculated per hectare for the entire landholding. This new system is expected to prevent irregularities like those seen in the Bharatmala Project and Arpa-Bhainsajhar in Bilaspur.

Additionally, the earlier provision of multiplying the rate of irrigated land by 2.5 times for evaluating converted rural land has been removed. For villages near urban boundaries and lands in investment zones, land rates will now be determined per square meter. These reforms are expected to reduce the number of disputes related to land acquisition and ensure transparent and fair compensation for farmers.

Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai described this as a visionary step in policymaking. He called it a historic decision for the benefit of farmers and stakeholders affected by land acquisition. He emphasized that bringing transparency to the guideline rate process will not only ensure justice for farmers but will also accelerate the pace of development projects in the state. This reform represents a significant effort to make land valuation systems more transparent, straightforward, and dispute-free across Chhattisgarh.