Lines drawn over Odisha govt's third attempt to amend tribal land law

Odisha's political arena ignites as the BJD government takes a third swing at amending a decades-old law, leaving the fate of tribal land hanging in the balance and opinions on fire

It’s been a maze of twists and turns as the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government in Odisha attempts, for the third time, to amend a 67-year-old regulation that would allow Scheduled Tribes (STs) to transfer their land to non-tribals.

On November 14, the Odisha Cabinet decided to amend Regulation 2 of the Orissa Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (by STs) Act, 1956, as recommended by the Tribes Advisory Council (TAC).

According to the proposal, tribals can sell or mortgage their land to non-tribals in scheduled areas with written permission from the sub-collector. There would be a rider that the