The Maharashtra government has prolonged its special amnesty scheme for nazul land leases for an additional year. This decision was made following a compelling appeal by Nagpur Central MLA Pravin Datke, who emphasized the scheme’s significant public support and effective revenue generation.
The extension received approval during a meeting led by revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule at the state legislature on Thursday. Initiated on March 16, 2024, the scheme permits residents in the Nagpur and Amravati divisions to convert nazul land leases into permanent Class-1 ownership rights by paying merely 2% of the current market rate — a substantial decrease from the previous 5%.
The scheme was a direct outcome of a long-standing demand I presented in 2024 as a member of the Legislative Council. It has provided genuine relief to ordinary citizens holding nazul plots for residential purposes, Datke stated. “I express my gratitude to CM Devendra Fadnavis and Bawankule for acknowledging the necessity to extend the scheme.” Official statistics presented during the meeting illustrate the financial justification for the extension. From 2019 to 2024, when the premium rate was set at 5%, the state generated Rs9 crore from lease conversions.
However, under the newly adjusted 2% rate, revenue surged to Rs24.65 crore within just one year. “This scheme has demonstrated itself to be both citizen-friendly and revenue-efficient,” Datke remarked during the meeting. The special initiative, currently applicable only to nazul lands leased for residential purposes in the Nagpur and Amravati divisions, was initially scheduled to conclude on July 31.
The extension will allow more leaseholders to take advantage of the low-rate conversion without facing bureaucratic obstacles. “The feedback from citizens has been overwhelmingly positive, and the government has experienced a significant increase in earnings. This represents a classic win-win situation,” stated a senior official who attended the meeting, which included district collectors, divisional commissioners, and revenue officers.
