NAGPUR: The Maharashtra government has decided to extend its special amnesty scheme for nazul land leases for another year. This move comes after Nagpur Central MLA Pravin Datke emphasized the positive public feedback and significant revenue generation from the scheme.
The extension was confirmed during a meeting led by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule at the state legislature on Thursday. Initially launched on March 16, 2024, the scheme enables residents in the Nagpur and Amravati regions to convert nazul land leases into permanent Class-1 ownership rights by paying only 2% of the current market rate, a decrease from the previous 5%.
“This scheme was a direct response to a longstanding demand I raised in 2024 as a Legislative Council member. It has provided genuine relief to citizens holding nazul plots for residential purposes,” Datke stated. “I express my gratitude to CM Devendra Fadnavis and Bawankule for acknowledging the need to extend this scheme.”
According to official data presented at the meeting, between 2019 and 2024, the state collected ₹9 crore from lease conversions at the 5% premium rate. However, with the new 2% rate, revenue soared to ₹24.65 crore in just one year. “This scheme has been both citizen-friendly and financially beneficial,” Datke highlighted during the meeting.
The initiative, which presently applies only to nazul lands leased for residential purposes in Nagpur and Amravati, was originally scheduled to close on July 31. The extension allows more leaseholders to take advantage of the low-rate conversion without bureaucratic delays. “The response from the community has been tremendous, leading to increased government earnings. This is a clear win-win situation,” remarked a senior official present at the meeting, which included district collectors, divisional commissioners, and revenue officers.