Democratic Progressive Azad Party president Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday said the eviction drive to retrieve government land was “unlawful” and claimed he will bring back the Roshni Scheme if his party is voted to power in the next assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
Azad said that everyone, including government officials, who used the scheme to usurp large chunks of land will face the law.
The Roshni Scheme was a controversial law that was enacted in 2001 to confer proprietary rights of land to occupants. The scheme was repealed in 2018 after it was found to have been misused by many people, including government officials.
Azad defended the Roshni Scheme, saying that it was meant to benefit the landless poor in the villages and also regularise the land in the cities to generate revenue. He said that there were complaints of wrong-doing by some people, including members of the government and police, but that his party will launch an inquiry against them if voted to power.
Azad also promised to regularise the daily-wagers working in different government departments for over two decades. He said that it will be his first priority as they have a right.
