Andhra Pradesh govt launches distribution of new land passbooks to farmers

The Andhra Pradesh government has taken a significant step to provide permanent land rights to farmers in villages where land re-surveying is complete. Starting Friday, the state began distributing around 2.2 million new land passbooks to farmers across Andhra Pradesh.

Unlike previous practices, these new passbooks are printed with the official government seal, without any political symbols, ensuring a transparent and neutral process.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu described the initiative as a New Year gift for farmers. He said that giving farmers passbooks with official seals, guaranteeing full rights over their land, brings them real benefits. “We are fulfilling the promises made during elections and taking steps toward transparent governance,” he said. CM instructed officials to distribute the passbooks directly to farmers in village meetings by January 9.

CM strongly criticized the previous YSR Congress government, accusing it of creating unnecessary disputes over land and causing hardships to farmers. He pointed out that the previous administration spent ₹22 crore to print their own images on old passbooks, which provided no real benefit to farmers. “As soon as we came to power, we removed political markings and ensured passbooks reflect government authority and quality,” he said. Officials added that CM will personally participate in upcoming distribution events to hand over passbooks to farmers.

Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand instructed district collectors to closely monitor the distribution process. During a video meeting from the Secretariat on Friday, officials discussed issues including passbook distribution, land acquisition for railway under/over bridges, public perception, and proper document uploading.

Vijayanand emphasized that the new passbooks are being issued to replace old ones, and every farmer with land will receive them. He assigned collectors direct responsibility for supervising the process, ensuring that passbooks are distributed in the presence of local representatives and that old passbooks are properly canceled before issuing new ones.