Raj village free from ‘lagan’ after 69 years

For 222 farmers of Aakeli Bi village in Rajasthan’s Nagaur district, real ‘azadi’ came only last week. While, the country got independence in 1947, for 69 years these farmers lived as tenant on their own land and forced to pay “lagan” to the state government just as they used to pay during the British rule.

While all other farmers got ownership rights of the land, which they have been tilling for generations, these farmers were quite unlucky as due to complicated revenue system, their land was recorded as the government land in the revenue record and “Khalsa” (a term used for government land in private possession) for almost seven decades after independence.

They paid heavily for this official callousness by paying heavy “lagan” (penalty) to the state government every time there crop was ready for harvest.

Revenue inspector of Degana tehsil, Ramnarayan said, “Till 2000, these farmers even paid penalties 50 times of the normal fee paid by other farmers.”

Further, despite putting in blood and sweat in extremely harsh weather conditions, these farmers had no right on the crop rather it was auctioned by the government.

However, this anomaly was brought to attention of Rajasthan’s co-operative minister Ajay Singh Kilak, who belongs to Nagaur district and represents Degana constituency of which this village is a part. The government formed a committee to regularise the land. A special camp was organised to receive applications from the farmers and the committee took decision on the spot.

According to SDM Degana, Brahmanand Jat, more than 2,000 bigha was regularised in these farmers’ name. Right now the farmers have got “gair Khatedari” rights while in the next three years, they would get complete “Khatedari” rights.