Jammu (Jammu Kashmir): Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said "farm-grabbers" may lose land that has been illegitimately taken away from farmers and not that of the agriculturists.
He refuted the false rumours that the farmers will lose ownership of their land under the new farm laws.
Participating in a special programme of PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi digitally addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Nagrota panchayat in Barnoti block, the minister said misgivings were sought to be spread even in Kathua district that the ownership and registry papers of farmers will be cancelled as per the new law.
These misgivings and lies are being spread, precisely, by those who have over the years illegally or forcibly taken away the land from innocent farmers and built their mansions or commercial establishments on it, said Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel.
Instead of there being any threat to farmer's land, he clarified that on the contrary, action has been initiated to retrieve the agricultural land that is occupied by "non-farmers" in an unauthorised manner so that it could be restored back for agricultural purposes.
The action initiated against the Roshni scam and other land scams recently is actually meant to restore back to the farmers the land ownership rights, the minister said.
"Not the farmers but the farm grabbers may lose land which has been illegitimately taken away from the farmer," Singh said.