Staff Reporter, Dhaka : Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury said that manual land development tax collection will be cased nationwide from next Pohela Boishakh (Bengla New Year) (Bengali New Year) (14th April 2023). Henceforth Land Development Tax will be collected online only. After paying taxes online, land development taxpayers can collect QR code-included receipts (Dakhila) online. As a result, a cashless land development tax system will be introduced across the country like cashless e-Mutation.

Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury made this remark in response to a question in the ‘BSRF Dialogue’ organized by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF), an organization of journalists working in the Bangladesh Secretariat beat, at the media center at the Secretariat on Thursday. BSRF President Tapan Biswas and General Secretary Masudul Haque were present at the event.

The land minister also said that a single document called ‘Certificate of Land Ownership’ or CLO will be issued as proof of ownership of land. Land owner’s information as per government records, overall information including land development tax payment information, and land location information such as geo location of the land on Mauza map can be found out from this document. There will be no need to carry separate documents like deed registration, Khatiyan, or Mouza map for proof of ownership – this will reduce the hassle of people. At the same time, a smart card will also be issued to citizens who own land, which will contain a digital version of information about the land owned by the card bearer and the card will also contain all the previous information of those lands as per all government records.

Earlier, Saifuzzaman Chowdhury thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in his speech and said that because the Prime Minister had confidence in him, she gave him the opportunity to lead the reform of one of the most complex sectors of the country. He highlighted the digitization activities in the land sector and land law reforms. We are emphasizing sustainable and qualitative changes in land management – he added.

In response to a question from a journalist present after the speech, the Minister said, the draft law on ‘Land Use and Ownership Right Act’ and ‘Land Uses and Ownership Rights Act’ has been prepared in such a way that Its legal application is retroactively effective up to the last survey. In response to another question, the minister said that now the officials of the Ministry of Land and its field-level public employees are brought under accountability more than at any time in the past. Departmental proceedings are ongoing against many land officers for running unscrupulous activities. He said that the government is serious about the land rights of all people, including minority groups, and the government is also working on a priority basis for the economically weaker sections of the country.

Referring to the media as the mirror of the country, Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury called on the journos to present the verbatim reality of what is happening in the society or the state to the public.

BSRF President Tapan Biswas presented a brief introduction of Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury at the beginning of the program. BSRF general secretary Masudul Haque conducted the program. BSRF Vice-President Motaher Hossain delivered the welcome speech; In his speech, he highlighted his satisfactory experience in receiving land service. Journalists from various media working in the Bangladesh Secretariat beat were present in the dialogue.