Jharkhand Bhoodan Yagna Act, 1954
No: 22 Dated: Jul, 21 1954
Jharkhand Bhoodan Yagna Act, 1954
Bihar Act 22 of 1954
An Act to facilitate the donation of lands in connection with the Bhoodan Yagna initiated by Shri Acharya Vinoba Bhave and to provide for the settlement of such lands with landless persons [or with a village community, Gram Panchayat, or with a Co-Operative Society organised by the Bhoodan Yagna Committee],
Whereas it is expedient to facilitate the donation of lands in connection with the Bhoodan Yagna initiated by Shri Acharya Vinoda Bhave and to provide for the settlement of such lands with landless persons; [or with a village community, Gram Panchayat or with a Co-operative Society organised by the Bhoodan Yagna Committee];
And Whereas it is the desire of Shri Acharya Vinoba Bhave that the lands donated to him in connection with the Bhoodan Yagna prior to the commencement of this Act shall be transferred to, and vest in, the Bhoodan Yagna Committee:
It is hereby enacted as follows:
1. Short title, extent and commencement. - (1) This Act may be called the Jharkhand Bhoodan Yagna Act, 1954.
(2) It extends to the whole of the State of Jharkhand.
(3) It shall come into force at once.
2. Definitions. - In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context. -
(a) "Bhoodan Yagna" means the movement initiated by Shri Acharya Vinoba Bhave for acquisition of land through voluntary gifts with a view to distribute it to landless persons; [or to a village Community, Gram Panchayat, or a Co-operative Society organized by the Committee];
[(a1) "Collector" includes an Additional Collector;"]
[(a2) "Bank" means-]
(i) a banking company as defined in the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949);
(ii) the State Bank of India constituted under the State Bank of India Act, 1955 (23 of 1955);
(iii) a corresponding new bank constituted under the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970 (5 of 1970);
(iv) a Regional Rural Bank established under the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976 (21 of 1976);
(v) the Agricultural Refinance and Development Corporation constituted under the Agricultural Refinance and Development Corporation Act, 1963 (10 of 1963); and
[(vi) the Agricultural Finance Corporation Ltd., a Company incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956)];
(b) "Committee" means a Committee established under section 3;
(c) "land" means land which is occupied or let for agricultural or horticultural purposes or for purpose (or for purposes) subservient to agriculture or horticulture and includes waste-lands [and things attached to the earth, such as trees, bamboo clumps, structures];
(d) "landless person" means a person-
(i) whose main source of livelihood is agriculture or agricultural labour or who undertakes in writing to employ himself on lands granted to him under this Act; and
[(ii) who does not hold any land or holds such areas of land not exceeding five acres as may be prescribed by the Committee];
[and includes a person who has donated in writing his entire lands other than those enumerated in the proviso to sub-section (1) of Section 10 to Shri Acharya Vinoba Bhave or the Committee.
Explanation. - The Committee may prescribe in this behalf different areas for different parts of the State within the limit prescribed in sub-clause (ii)]:
(e) "owner"; means any person who holds any land as a proprietor or tenant and has a lawful title thereto and a transferable and heritable interest therein:
Provided that in the Santhal Parganas and the Chotanagpur Division, "owner" shall include a person holding any land as a raiyat, [though he may not have a transferable interest therein];
[(e1) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules or regulations made under this Act;
(e2) "person" includes a village community, Gram Panchayat or a Cooperative Society organised by the Committee; and]
(f) "Revenue Officer" means the Collector, Additional Collector, Sub-divisional Officer, Additional Sub-divisional Officer [or any officer not below the rank of Sub-Deputy Collector] appointed by the State Government to discharge all or any of the functions of the Revenue Officer under this Act.
3. Establishment of the Jharkhand Bhoodan Yagna Committee. - (1) There shall be established by the State Government a Committee to be called the Jharkhand Bhoodan Yagna Committee to administer all lands vested in it for the purposes of the Bhoodan Yagna in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
(2) The Committee shall be a body corporate and shall have perpetual succession and a common seal with power to acquire, hold and dispose of property; both movable and immovable, and shall by the said name, sue and be sued.
(3) The Committee may enter into and perform all such contracts and exercise such other powers and discharge such other functions as it may consider necessary or expedient for carrying out any of the purposes of this Act.
4. Constitution of the Committee and term of office. - (1) The Committee shall consist of a Chairman and such number of members, which shall not be less than four and more than nine, as the State Government may determine.
(2) The Chairman and members of the Committee shall be appointed by the State Government:
(3) The names of the Chairman and members shall be published in the Official Gazette.
(4) The term of office of the Chairman and members of the Committee shall be four years from the date of the publication of their names in the Official Gazette and shall include any further period which may elapse between the expiration of the said period of four years and the date of the publication in the Official Gazette of the names of the Chairman and members of the next succeeding Committee.
(5) The Chairman and members of the Committee shall be eligible for reappointment.