A total of 191 landless agricultural labourers from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities benefited from the land purchase scheme of Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO) in 2023.
To improve the socio-economic conditions of landless labourers from SC and ST communities in Tamil Nadu, the State government introduced the land purchase scheme in 2004. The scheme focuses on women whose annual family income is not more than ₹ 3 lakh. The applicant should fall under the age category between 18 and 65.
The applicant can choose the parcel of land she intends to purchase from the seller, who should not be an SC or ST person. The scheme provides subsidy of maximum 50% of the market value of the land or ₹ 5 lakh, whichever is lesser, to each family and for purchasing up to either 2.5 acres of Nanjai or five acres of Punjai land. The land registration fees and stamp duty are exempted under the scheme. In 2022, the Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare allotted ₹10 crore to implement the scheme.
According to the data available with the TAHDCO, a total of 191 persons benefited under the Land Purchase Scheme in 2023. A total of ₹ 8.96 crore of subsidy has been distributed to the beneficiaries for purchasing land. Since 2019, the scheme have benefited a total of 215 persons.
M. Kalpana, a beneficiary from Periyammapalayam village near Veppanthattai in Perambalur district, told The Hindu: “The scheme was very useful to me and my family. Earlier we did not own land and used to work as farm labourers. A few months ago, I approached the TAHDCO office in Perambalur to avail benefits under the scheme. I received a sum of money as subsidy and used it to purchase a little over half of an acre of land. Along with my family, I am involved in sericulture now.”
Official sources said TAHDCO also provides assistance for land development activities to beneficiaries from SC and ST communities. A total of 146 persons benefited from the land development scheme in the last five years.
K.S. Kandasamy, Managing Director, TAHDCO said the subsidy will be directly given to the seller. Earlier the subsidy was given as a percentage of the guideline value, which was relatively a very small amount. The scheme was remodelled to provide the subsidy as a percentage of the market value. Apart from this, TAHDCO, by collaborating with the National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) and Indian Overseas Bank, has been providing additional assistance to the beneficiaries in the form of loans over and above the subsidy cap under the scheme.
