By Our Correspondent, Saptari, Dec. 9: Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Shashi Shrestha has said that no one will remain landless anymore.

She made this remark at a land ownership certificate distribution programme organised by the Survey Office on Wednesday in Agnisair Krishnasavaran Rural Municipality of Saptari district.

She said that land ownership certificates would be distributed to squatters and unorganised settlers across the country.

Minister Shrestha said that the government would take full responsibility for the work done by the commission formed in different periods to manage the landless squatters and unorganised settlers.

"Good work should be called good. The current government has stepped up its efforts to solve the land-related problem of the previous government."

She said that the then government was not loyal to the people and only conducted the survey of the large plots of land in the Terai.

The then government had missed measuring the land of the people because the state would not get a large share of the revenue from it.

That is why from 2021 BS to today, for almost 60 years, these landless people did not get the land ownership certificate of their own land, she said

In the country, land disputes, including squatters, haliyas, guthis are the result of the state's negative views towards the people, said Minister Shrestha.

She also expressed her commitment that any citizen who is now occupying the land under this campaign of distributing land ownership certificate from Saptari will not be deprived of land registration certificate.

Stating that procedures have been formulated to solve all the problems related to land, Minister Shrestha urged the people's representatives, employees and stakeholders, to identify the real landless and provide land with a legal certificate.

She said that cooperation from all was needed to make the government's land distribution campaign a success.

While distributing land ownership certificates, Minister Shrestha urged the landowners to reap benefits by using the land ownership certificate properly.

In 114 VDCs of Saptari, which has the land of village blocks, the work of issuing maps and land ownership certificates of then 99 VDCs has been completed so far.

Minister Shrestha has instructed the officials to complete the remaining 25 VDCs of Goithi, Sitapur and Prasni of Saptari district as soon as possible.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Internal Affairs and Communication of Province 2 Ruby Kumari Karna said that people were still being harassed by the landowners (jamindar).

State Minister Karna expressed her commitment to continuing the fight for land rights of the poor, squatters, herdsmen, and Dalits.