‘Govt should recover missing Bhoodan land immediately’

BHUBANESWAR: Following the statement of Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh about the missing of the records of around 24 lakh acres of Bhoodan land in various States, the noted Bhoodan workers of the country on Tuesday expressed grave concern over the matter and urged the Government to recover the missing records of the Bhoodan land immediately which would immensely help the poor.

During the observance of 90th year of Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to Odisha and 60th year of Vinoba Bhave’s visit to Odisha, The Gandhi Smriti And Darshan Samiti (GSDS) and Vinoba Seva Pratisthan (VSB) organised a two-day Gandhi Samagam (a congregation for peace and universal brotherhood) started here from Tuesday. The freedom fighters, Sarboday leaders and Gandhians were present during the congregation.

The Bhoodan activists said the land mafias are looting the agricultural lands everyday by displacing the poor people of the State in the name of industrialisation and business. Some of them also looted the Bhoodan lands by impressing the corrupted political leaders and bureaucrats, they added.

During his address Gandhian Acharya Bhavanand said the people of the country should re-read and re-interpret the Gandhian philosophy to solve the present problems with positive motive. The people should be self reliant and follow the values, he added. Gandhian Prof Ramjee Singh said the land problems have created Maoist problems in the States of country. To solve the problem, we have to stop land-looting from the country, he added.     

Sarboday leader Dr Labanam, Gandhian Prof Ramjee Singh, Rajya Sabha MP AV Swamy, son of first land donor to Bhoodan Prof V Sudhir Reddy and freedom fighter Bhabani Charan Patnaik were felicitated during the ceremony. Among others, CYSD chairman Prafulla Kumar Sahu Bhoodan Employees’ Union secretary Gaurang Mahapatra, GSDS director Dr Manimala, VSP President Dr Bhagaban Prakash and VSP secretary Manoj Jena inspired the youth mass in their speech for reconstruction of the country to become self-reliant.