NITI Aayog recommends legalising land leasing to promote agriculture efficiency

The NITI Aayog's expert committee on land leasing has recommended legalising agricultural land leasing to promote agriculture efficiency, equity, occupational mobility of the rural people and rapid rural transformation.

A central model legislation in this regards will be unveiled soon giving states the option to adopt the model act and legalise land lease, sources in NITI Aayog said.

According to the committee report, chaired by T Haque, this will ensure complete security of land ownership right for the land owner, lessors and security of tenure for the lessee cultivator for the agreed lease period

The committee has recommended that the term and conditions of the agreement could be mutually determined by the land owner and tenant.

"The law would allow automatic resumption of land by the land owner on the expiry of the lease period," it said, adding that the law will recognise all forms of lease cultivation and facilitate tenants to access insurance , disaster relief and bank credit without mortgaging the leased land.

Sources in the Aayog said that the disputes under the Act will be resolved at the gram panchayat level and at the level while a special tribunal set up for ten purpose could be used as a last resort to resolve disputes.

The existing tenancy laws, most of which are several decades old, allows transfer of ownership rights to the tenant while either prohibiting or heavily discouraging leasing and sub-leasing of land.

NITI Aayog had set up an expert committee under T Haque in September last year to prepare a model agricultural land leasing act in consultation with states keeping in view the need to legalise and liberalise land leasing for much-needed agricultural efficiency, equity, occupational diversification and rapid rural transformation. The draft law is based on the recommendations of the Haque committee whose term was due to expire on March 7.