Kerala Budget: ‘Land Reforms 2.0’ for reviewing land laws, amending statutes

Published 19 June 2026 · politics

The new Unied Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala will implement ‘Land Reforms 2.0’ for reviewing land laws that were relevant in the past and

The new Unied Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala will implement ‘Land Reforms 2.0’ for reviewing land laws that were relevant in the past and amending outdated statutes. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan in his revised Budget for 2026-27 that was presented in the Assembly on Friday (June 19, 2026) announced that a comprehensive ‘land management policy’ would be formulated to address structural challenges in freeing up land for industrial projects. Kerala Revised Budget 2026-27 LIVE “An acute scarcity of land, limitations in land mobilisation, and a lack of legal clarity constituted formidable barriers to the State’s industrial infrastructure aspirations. Even as investors actively sought land for projects, vast tracts of land held by government departments and public sector undertakings remained unutilised or entangled in red tape,” he pointed out.

A land management framework would be established, supported by legislation, to create a land bank utilising such surplus and unused land parcels. The procedure for converting land for commercial enterprises would be expedited. For large-scale projects, a land pooling framework would be introduced. Government agencies such as KINFRA and INKEL would be empowered to handle land acquisition processes and subsequent activities in a transparent and professional manner. He said, “The policy would be instrumental in harnessing land resources for the State’s future.” A commission would be constituted for studying the requirements of forming new districts and taluks, according to the Budget that earmarks ₹76.7 crore for the Revenue Department.

Satheesan said the Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre (KSREC) would develop a ‘Kerala Geo-Spatial Governance Platform’ (K-GIS) on a par with international standards to support regional spatial governance activities in the State. A ‘drone lab centre’ will be established for collecting and processing high-resolution data and digital elevation model (DEM) data required for disaster management activities in the State. Land titles (pattayam) would be provided to all coastal residents who do not possess title deeds. Issues hindering the distribution of land titles in hilly regions would be resolved in a time-bound manner. Steps would be taken to expedite the disposal of the Cardamom Hill Reserve (Idukki district) case before the Supreme Court, matters relating to the 1964 Rules, and the cases before the High Court concerning land title distribution, in order to protect farmers’ interests and restore distribution of title deeds.