196 forest villages in Gujarat to become revenue villages

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government has decided to convert 196 villages from forest area in the tribal belt of the state into revenue villages, enabling tribals to get ownership rights of their land.

"Chief Minister Anandiben Patel today took a historic decision of converting 196 villages of forest areas into the revenue villages which will benefit the tribal families across the state," a statement issued by the state government said.

The decision of converting the forest villages into revenue villages will be put into effect in the tribal districts of Surat, Tapi, Narmada, Bharuch, Dahod and Panchmahal, it said.

"In the first of its kind of initiative by the Gujarat government, 79 villages of forest areas of Surat, 12 of Tapi, 52 of Narmada, 20 of Bharuch, 9 of Dahod and 24 of Panchmahals will be converted into revenue villages," as per the statement.

"The step taken by the Chief Minister will help tribals to get ownership rights of their land. The villagers living in forest areas will get the legal papers of their land with a map of their particular land," it said.

Citing the benefit of the decision, Patel said that tribals will be at ease while converting the ownership of their ancestral land and they will also easily avail loan from bank or cooperative societies, the statement said.

The names of villagers of those revenue villages will be registered in the revenue records, it said, adding that earlier only the male member of the family was named as the owner of the land, but from now onwards the records will have to name both male and female members of the family.

The people and farmers of those converted revenue village will get benefits of all the government schemes, it said.