Land and Land Reforms
The origin of Land & Land Reforms Department can be traced back to the setting up of the Board of Revenue. The Board was set up by the British with the primary aim of revenue collection and maximization in accordance with ‘permanent settlement' enacted under Regulation I of 1793. After independence, the focus shifted from of revenue administration to welfare administration. 

After independence, “land reforms”became the primary focus of the Department. The concept of land reforms encompassed abolition of intermediaries such as zamindars, equitable distribution of land, ensuring food and livelihood security and enhancing agricultural production. Administering of social justice demanded that land must not be in the hands of a few and should be distributed judiciously amongst the landless.

As a first step towards land reforms, The West Bengal Estate Acquisition Act was enacted in 1953 which abolished thezamindari system, set a ceiling on land holdings, provided for vesting of ceiling surplus land and distribute it among the landless. The Act also sought to accord protection to tenants and bargadars. Subsequently, the West Bengal Land Reforms Act was enacted in 1955 to streamline the procedures of vesting and distribution of ceiling surplus land, survey and settlement and maintenance of land records.

In order to ensure secured land tenure ownership of land which are crucial for the transformation in a family from poverty to prosperity and infuse self-respect, dignity and peace, a new scheme "NIJO GRIHA NIJO BHUMI PRAKALPA" was launched on 18th October, 2011 for providing up to 5 decimals of land to each identified eligible beneficiary family i.e. to all landless, homeless and agricultural labourers/artisans/fishermen of rural areas. This Prakalpo also envisages active linkage and convergence with other schemes especially meant for housing, drinking water, sanitation and livelihood supports. More than 2 lakh beneficiaries have been covered under NGNB scheme since its inception.

The Department is now focusing on and is committed to improve the citizen centric services such as mutation and conversion, issuance of plot information and certified copies of Record of rights etc. The land records in most of the blocks are now being maintained on web based e-Bhuchitra application software from where the live data of land records in respect of those blocks which have migrated to the online system is being displayed for public access in the departmental website at http://banglarbhumi.gov.in. A robust ICT platform is the backbone of modern land record management.

Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation
The influx of refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan was a major event in Indian history. The census figures of 1971 show the population of displaced persons in the state at nearly 60 lakhs as reported to the planning commission in 1974 by the Govt. of West Bengal.According to the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Committee Report, the number was assessed at 80 lakhs in 1981. The Refugee, Relief and Rehabilitation Department was set up to cope with the sudden influx of refugee and address the problems of the immigrants. In 2016, the Department of Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation was merged with the Land and Land Reforms Department in order to ensure greater harmonization and systemic efficiency improvement in delivering the services to the people. The department is now focusing on distribution of freehold title deeds and infrastructure development of the Rehabilitation and Resettlement colonies.

Shri. Debasis Biswas
Assistant Secretary& SPIO
Land and Land Reforms and Refugee, Relief and Rehabilitation Department
Writer’s Building
Ph: 033 2254 4271