SANGSAD BHABAN, Sept 4, 2023 (BSS) - The Land Reforms Bill, 2023, which
forbids the ownership of more than 60 bighas of land was placed in the Jatiya
Sangsad with a view to establish accountability in the land reforms.
 
Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowhdury today placed the bill in the House with
Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.

Piloting the bill, the minister said the draft of the act will establish
transparency and accountability in share cropping system and also protect the
land owners and the share cropper also.

The government will buy the extra land if a person owns more than 60 bighas.
 
This provision will not apply to cooperative societies, owners of tea
gardens, coffee, rubber, and fruit orchards, or land producing raw materials
for industrial factories. Landowners of industrial and agro-processing
businesses with an export focus, waqfs, and religious trusts, he claimed,
will also be exempt from this provision.
 
"If an individual possesses over 60 bighas of land (33 shotok per bigha), the
government will be able to acquire the additional land," he explained. In
addition, breaking the law regarding land will result in a Taka 1 lakh fine,
a month in jail, or both.

The finance minister urged the House to send the bill to the concerned
parliamentary standing committee for providing within a week.