THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Revenue Minister K. Rajan has directed that land title deeds be distributed to all extremely poor landless individuals by March 31. The directive was issued during a meeting of revenue officials from the southern region.

On January 9, Kerala Kaumudi had reported that although it was announced that land would be provided to all extremely poor landless individuals by November 2025, only 213 people have been granted title deeds so far. There are 2,766 landless individuals among the extremely poor.

All pending cases with the Land Tribunal must be resolved by January 1, 2026. Land assignment issues should also be addressed promptly. A meeting of officials from the central region, covering the districts of Kollam, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, and Palakkad, is scheduled to take place in Ernakulam on the 31st. Similarly, a meeting for the northern region, involving officials from Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts, will be held in Kozhikode on February 3. After the completion of these meetings, district collectors should convene with village officers to explain the necessary actions and procedures.

Strict action should be taken against intermediaries who challenge the law by putting up boards promising land reclassification. The discussions also included topics such as the distribution of title deeds for poramboke and forest land, the acceptance of tax based on the digital resurvey, and the strengthening of village offices.

Revenue Principal Secretary Tinku Biswal and Land Revenue Commissioner Dr. A. Koushigan outlined the urgent actions to be implemented. The functioning of villages should be evaluated monthly by charge officers. It should also be ensured that village-level public committees meet on the third Friday of every month. Survey Director Sambasiva Rao provided updates regarding the digital resurvey.

The meeting, held at the Thycaud Government Guest House, was attended by Land Revenue Joint Commissioner A. Geetha, district collectors from Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, and Alappuzha, as well as deputy collectors, tahsildars, land revenue tahsildars, survey deputy directors, survey superintendents, and joint directors.