SRINAGAR: The ruling National Conference (NC) is gearing up to introduce the Land Grant Bill 2025 during the upcoming Jammu & Kashmir Budget session, scheduled to resume on March 27 in Jammu, with the primary aim of restoring land rights to economically weaker sections of society.
Party spokesperson and MLA Tanvir Sadiq described the proposed legislation as “very important,” emphasizing its role in reversing the 2022 amendments that he claimed stripped land rights from the poor. “There are many bills. In the session after this, there will be government bills and private members’ bills. In that, I have a very important bill, Land Grant Act 2025,” Sadiq told reporters, highlighting its focus on returning land to those affected.
He alleged that the earlier changes targeted land belonging to vulnerable groups, underscoring the urgency to undo them and protect the underprivileged. “It is very important. It takes the land of poor people. And the amendment that took place in 2022, we have to give back the land of poor people, to give back their rights,” Sadiq asserted.
Sadiq noted that several other private members’ bills will also be tabled during the session. In the previous Assembly session in October, the J&K government had rejected a similar land grants bill proposed by PDP’s Waheed Parra.
On a separate note, when questioned about potential legislation on alcohol prohibition, Sadiq expressed personal support for a ban. “If you ask me personally, alcohol should be banned. I wish that when there was a PDP government, there was a bill at that time… Then we would not have to struggle so much in this,” he remarked, lamenting past inaction.
Addressing global concerns, Sadiq urged India to leverage its diplomatic influence to de-escalate ongoing Middle East tensions, warning of their ripple effects on J&K residents. He pointed to surging fuel prices and essential commodity costs already impacting daily lives, with prolonged conflict poised to exacerbate hardships for the poor.
“If this war continues for another week, then all the everyday things will be affected. And especially the common people, the poor people, will suffer the most,” he cautioned, while expressing hope for swift peace. “India should also play its role. Because it has good relations with both countries. If it is able to help end this war somehow, it will be a big thing in today’s time,” Sadiq added.
