AP Removes Five Categories of Land from Prohibited List (Section 22-A)
Table of Contents
Source: Deccan Chronicle
Relevance (UPSC & State PSC):
GS Paper II: Governance, State Government policies, Land administration, Citizen-centric reforms
GS Paper III: Land reforms, Digitisation of land records, Use of technology in governance
Prelims: Section 22-A, prohibited lands, pattadar passbooks, blockchain in land governance
Why in News?
The Andhra Pradesh government has removed five categories of land from the prohibited list under Section 22-A, granting long-pending relief to farmers and landowners. The decision follows Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s directive to correct wrongful inclusion of private lands and reform the revenue administration system.
Background: Section 22-A of the Registration Act
- Section 22-A empowers the State to prohibit registration of certain categories of land to prevent illegal transfers.
- Over time, genuine private lands were wrongly included, causing:
- Registration freeze
- Legal disputes
- Economic distress to farmers
Key Decision: Removal of Five Land Categories
The Revenue Department removed the following from the prohibited list:
- Lands allotted to former & serving defence personnel
- Lands granted to freedom fighters
- Lands allotted to political victims
- Assignments made prior to 18 June 1954
- Private patta lands
In partially disputed survey numbers, only the disputed portion will remain prohibited after subdivision.
Pending Decisions (Under Consideration)
A Group of Ministers will soon decide on:
- Conditional patta lands
- Service inam lands
- Certain ‘dotted lands’ re-included during re-surveys
- Freehold lands (decision expected within two months)
Administrative & Governance Reforms Announced
Citizen-Friendly Measures
- Single-document sufficiency (any one of):
- Old revenue registers
- Assignment records
- Record of Holdings
- Registration documents
- DKT pattas
- Officials instructed not to harass applicants
Technology-Driven Reforms
- Resurvey of lands
- Digitisation of land records
- Auto-mutation of pattadar passbooks
- Use of Artificial Intelligence & Blockchain to prevent tampering and disputes
Institutional Empowerment & Enforcement
- Collectors empowered to:
- Cancel fake registrations
- Prevent double registrations
- 21.8 lakh new pattadar passbooks to be distributed (Jan 1–9, 2026)
Political & Administrative Significance
- 2026 declared as “Year of Land Reforms”
- Investigation into large-scale land irregularities during the previous regime
- Zero tolerance towards:
- Land encroachments
- Fake registrations
- Revenue Minister Anagani Satyaprasad led implementation
Significance
- Restores property rights of genuine landowners
- Enhances ease of living & ease of doing transactions
- Reduces land disputes through technology-backed governance
- Strengthens trust in state institutions
Way Forward
- Complete pending category decisions swiftly
- Ensure district-level grievance redressal
- Integrate blockchain land records with registration portals
- Continuous monitoring to prevent misuse
Conclusion
The delisting of land categories under Section 22-A marks a transformative land governance reform in Andhra Pradesh, combining justice, technology, and administrative accountability. If effectively implemented, it can become a model for land reforms across Indian states.
CARE MCQ
Q. Which of the following land categories were removed from the prohibited list in Andhra Pradesh?
- Lands allotted to defence personnel
- Private patta lands
- Conditional patta lands
- Assignments made prior to June 18, 1954
Choose the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 4 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: (a)
Explanation:
Conditional patta lands are still under consideration.
