VIJAYAWADA: The long-awaited resolution for land rights may soon materialize for millions of farmers in the state. The government has decided to regularize the decades-old ‘Sada Bainama’ agreements and issue land titles to these farmers.
Previously, informal handwritten sale agreements known as Sada Bainama were commonly used in rural areas, based on mutual trust. However, land ‘owners’ could not secure title deeds or pattadar passbooks, as revenue and registration departments did not acknowledge their claims in the absence of formal documentation.
Revenue Minister Anangani Satya Prasad stated, “The Sada Bainama transactions, which lacked registration, have significantly impacted countless farmers’ lives. They have cultivated and invested in these lands without legal ownership. Thanks to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s directive, numerous farmers will finally receive formal pattas as part of this land regularization initiative.”
The government has set forth detailed guidelines to actualize the Chief Minister’s vision of transforming previously insecure agricultural land transactions into legally recognized ownership. “On paper, this is a regularization process, but in practice, it promises identity, security, and dignity for farmers who have cultivated land without titles for years,” explained a senior official.
Over 3,200 villages across all 26 districts have been earmarked for regularization. District collectors have been instructed to hold awareness camps in each mandal and accept applications from farmers. Already, 1,168 farmers in Prakasam district alone have submitted applications within two weeks, with officials anticipating a large influx of responses to the regularization scheme in the near future. For communities accustomed to oral inheritances and informal exchanges due to financial constraints and procedural challenges, this program could be transformative.
Authorities emphasized that only valid claims will be processed, and fraudulent attempts will result in penalties. “Legal ownership opens doors to crop loans, insurance, disaster compensation, subsidies, and welfare schemes. It also enables legal sale, mortgage, or transfer of property, providing families with financial stability during crises,” stated Gurazala legislator Yarapathineni Srinivasa Rao.
The initiative primarily targets vulnerable farmers, particularly those managing up to 2.5 acres of dry land or 1.25 acres of irrigated land. Verification will involve checking land records, conducting physical surveys, linking Aadhaar, corroborating neighbor accounts, and providing proof of cultivation and crop history. This regularization scheme brings renewed hope to farmers who have labored under uncertainty without proof of land ownership, while also resolving long-standing disputes and alleviating fears of sudden land loss.
