DISTRIBUTING STATE OWNED LAND TO THE LANDLESS AGRICULTURE WORKERS

[Noor E Alam]

Ownership of land in Bangladesh is vested in either private individuals or entities of the State. Khas land is government owned land, which applies to agricultural, non-agricultural and water bodies. There is no update data about the amount of khas land in Bangladesh. The estimates of khas land are open to contestation since land records are poor and open to legal challenge[11].

According to report (2005) of parliamentary standing commiee on land there is 50, 00,000 (50 lac) acre khas land in the country; a major portion of landless family can get settlement of this land.[12]

The estimated amount of total identified (based on official sources) khas land in Bangladesh is 3.3 million acres with 0.8 million acres of agricultural khas land, 1.7 million acres of non-agricultural khas land, and 0.8 million acres of khas water bodies[13]. Of immediate relevance to agrarian reform, 0.8 million acres of agricultural land (4% of the total agricultural land) and 0.8 million acres of water bodies, an important economic resource, can be put at the service of the resource poor.[14]

In a campaign brief, Land Watch Asia states that Khas land and khas water bodies cover some 2.1 million hectares, 24% of which are agricultural. Agricultural khas land covers some 321,323 ha, of which 43.47% has reportedly been distributed to landless households[15].

Source:- https://excludedvoices.wordpress.com/category/land-reform-in-bangladesh/