76,000 acres of Bhoodan land missing in AP

Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh calls it the ‘scam beyond parallel.’ Some 2.5 million acres of the 5 million acres donated under Acharya Vinobha Bhave’s Bhoodan movement has vanished without a trace, he said last week. The situation in Andhra Pradesh, the state where the Gandhian launched his movement 61 years ago, is no better. Some 76,000 acres of Bhoodan land has allegedly been cornered by people other than the intended beneficiaries. They include some land sharks and realtors.
Vinobha Bhave launched his movement in Pochampally village in Nalgonda district in 1951. It was the country’s first voluntary land redistribution initiative.
Since the movement was kicked off with a donation of 100 acres by a landlord of Pochampally, some 1.95 lakh acres was pledged to the movement. Of this, the AP Bhoodan Yagna Board distributed around 1.10 lakh acres till date.
 Some 9,000 acres still remain with it but a staggering 76,000 acres has been cornered by non-eligible beneficiaries. Also, much of the 1.10 lakh actually distributed to the landless poor subsequently passed to ineligible persons. The Bhoodan Yagna Board rules stipulate that Bhoodan land cannot be sold.
Consequently, the AP Bhoodan Board is bogged down in litigation, says its chairman C V Chary, to fight which it has neither the staff nor the resources.
For example, realtors are said to have encroached upon around 600 acres of Bhoodan land in Rayapuram near Bibinagar alone.
There were several allegations against some of the functionaries of the board. One of them is alleged to have allotted the plot of land to two or three beneficiaries in return for a consideration. “Yes, there are several irregularities relating to allotment of lands to the poor,” said one board member, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “I am fed up and have stopped attending board’s meetings.”
When the missing 76,000 acres of Bhoodan land came to light in 2010 and even figured in the Assembly, the state government promised action within six months. But nothing has happened till date.

Six Ministers at Sixes and Sevens

Hyderabad:  The six ministers who are due to receive notices from the Supreme Court in the Jagan Mohan Reddy wealth case continued to be on edge Tuesday although chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy advised them to stay calm Some of the six are said to be seeking legal opinion.
The apex court had on Monday issued notices to six ministers and eight IAS officers, on a petition that asked why they have not been questioned about their role in issuing 26 GOs that allegedly helped the Kadapa MP amass assets during his father's tenure as chief minister.
The six ministers -- Dharmana Prasada Rao, Sabitha Indra Reddy, J Geetha Reddy, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Mopidevi Venkata Ramana, and Kanna Lakshminarayana -- put up a brave face but seemed worried. "As head of the government, the chief minister should come to our rescue," one of them is reported to have said.
The ministers met the chief minister Tuesday and reportedly sought his help lest they land in trouble. Since the notices have not yet been served, it was decided to wait for them before taking any decision.
Geetha Reddy said the ministers would decide their next course of action only after receiving the notices. "We acted as per rules and there are no individual decisions," she said.
The other ministers were not forthcoming to the press Tuesday. Dharmana Prasada Rao said, "I will not react to the development. If I have to respond, I will react on the floor of the Assembly. But the situation is not conducive in the House; the opposition is not allowing us to give any  clarification,"
Three of the six -- Lakshminarayana, Lakshmaiah and Prasada Rao -- conferred in the lobbies of the Assembly and coopted former minister Gade Venkata Reddy to defend them in a press conference.
Subsequently, the senior Congress leader called a presser and batted for the half dozen. He said serving notices to ministers did not mean that they were accused in the case. "If the ministers are proved guilty, the Congress government will take appropriate action. No Congress government in the past has shielded the accused and it will not do so in future," he said.
In private comments, the ministers were heard complaining that sympathy was difficult to get. Quoting an MLA, he said: "A BC MLA, who aspired for the Irrigation portfolio in the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy government, said he was lucky not to have been inducted into the Cabinet then. Otherwise, he would have been in a soup now,"
Another minister said that "golmal" could only have happened in the Mines Department, then headed by Sabita Indra Reddy.
Another minister pleaded innocence. "If an officer comes to me for some work and I do it as per rules and that officer takes money from the person who benefited from my decision, how can you hold me responsible for?"

The GOs and the Go-To Men and Women

INTRO: The Supreme Court issued notices to six ministers and 8 IAS officers who had a role in the issue of 26 GOs which allegedly benefited Kadapa MP Jagan Mohan Reddy to amass Rs one lakh crore.

GO       Date of issue      Secy & dept             Minister

GO 54   13-02-2009         Y Srilakshmi (Industry)  Sabitha indra Reddy
This order was issued to change the name of Raghuram Cements to M/s Bharathi Cement Corporation Ltd.


GO 104   3-2-2009             M Samuel (Revenue)      Dharmana Prasada Rao


GO 293 26-2-2009   M Samuel (Revenue)     Dharmana Prasada Rao


GO 1435 4-12-2008  K Ratna Prabha (Revenue) Dharmana Prasada Rao
Land allotments to TWC Infrastructure, owned by Ramky

GO 136  19-2-2009   C V S K Sarma (MA&UD)       Koneru Ranga Rao
GO was issued for establishment of integrated solid waste management scheme by Ramky Pharma



GO 12   26-02-2010   Sam Bob (Industry)   Kanna Lakshminarayana
Ramky Enviro Engineers benefited through this GO. GO issued for the reimbursement of stamp duty and registration fee to M/s Ramky Pharma City Ltd.


GO 382  25-3-2008  S V Prasad (Revenue)           Dharmana Prasada Rao
This GO was issued to benefit M/s Mantri Developers giving exemption of excess land in Mamidipalli village in Saroornagar mandal.


GO 477   2-8-2007   Secretary, Industry          J Geetha Reddy
GO permitted Brahmani Industries to set up a steel plant in Jammalamadugu


GO 785   8-6-2007  Secretary, Revenue             Dharmana Prasada Rao


GO 1490   12-12-2008   M Samuel (Revenue)           Dharmana Prasada Rao
M/s Penna Cements was allotted 231.91 cents of land


GO 91   29-3-2008  Y Srilakshmi (Industry)  Sabitha indra Reddy
This GO gave a prospecting licence for limestone over an extent of 304.74 ha in Kurnool district

GO 25   29-1-2009   Y Srilakshmi (Industry)          Sabitha Indra Reddy

GO 76   26-22009   Y Srilakshmi (Industry)           Sabitha Indra Reddy

GO 865  11-7-2009      M Samuel (Revenue)              Dharmana Prasada Rao
M/s India Cements invested Rs 5 crore in M/s Carmel Asia Holdings Private Ltd by subscribing to shares at a huge premium of Rs 252 per share. In turn, India Cements got land lease renewal in Kadapa district through GO 865. Another GO 146 dated 22-7-2008 of the Irrigation Department was issued  to draw 10 lakh gallons of water from the Krishna river. And another 13 million cubic feet of water from the Kanga river through another GO 94 dated 12-8-2009.


GO 146   22-7-2008   Aditya Nath Das (Irrigation)  Ponnala Lakshmaiah

GO 94  12-8-2009  Aditya Nath Das (Irrigation)     Ponnala Lakshmaiah

GO 107   18-52009   Y Srilakshmi (Industry)        Sabitha Indra Reddy

GO 321  8-12-2008  Y Srilakshmi (Industry)         Sabitha indra Reddy
This GO was issued transferring a limestone quarry lease from Eswar Cements to Dalmia Cements

GO 1110  15-9-2008  M Samuel (Revenue)             Dharmana Prasada Rao
This GO is issued for alienation of land in favour of Vanpic Projects

GO 1115  16-9-2008  M Samuel (Revenue)             Dharmana Prasada Rao

GO 305   7-11-2008  Y Srilakshmi (Industry)     Sabitha Indra Reddy

GO 151    18-6-2007  Y Srilakshmi (Industry)  Sabitha Indra Reddy

GO 152   10-6-2007  Y Srilakshmi (Industry)   Sabitha Indra Reddy

GOs 19, 21 to 30, 32, 35, 36 and 42 dated 31-7-2009, 14-6-2009, 26-6-2009,
   24-6-2009, 28-3-2009, 10-7-2008 and 7-7-2008: Manmohan Singh (Infrastructure). Minister: Mopidevi Venkata Ramana Rao
Nimmagadda Prasad (A-12 in the Y S Jagan's assets case) purchased 21.42 lakh shares at a premium of Rs 650 per share and paid Rs 140 crore to M/s Sandur Power Company Ltd. In turn, Vanpic Porjects, promoted by Prasad, was allotted more than 15,000 acres of land in Prakasam through GO 29. The other GOs were issued for development of Vadarevu and Nizampatnam ports for Vanpic project.