Yogi Government To Grant Legal Land Ownership To 2,196 Bangladeshi Refugee Families In UP—All About It

The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has decided to grant legal land ownership rights to 2,196 Hindu refugee families from former East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) who have been living in 25 villages in Pilibhit district for over six decades, Aaj Tak reported.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the concerned departments to initiate formal procedures for granting legal land ownership rights to the refugee families.

These families, displaced during the 1960s and 1970s, were resettled in UP districts like Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bijnor, and Rampur.

Although land was allotted to them for housing and farming, they were never granted formal ownership, leaving them excluded from many welfare schemes.

The Chief Minister highlighted that the move goes beyond simply issuing land documents, it represents a recognition of the decades-long struggles and hardships faced by thousands of displaced families who sought refuge across the border.

Pilibhit District Magistrate Gyanendra Singh said the administration is prepared to begin the process as soon as the final directives are issued.

Minister-in-charge Baldev Singh Aulakh expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for the decision.

Local BJP leaders, including district president Sanjeev Pratap Singh and former zila panchayat member Manjeet Singh, called it “long-awaited recognition of the refugees’ sacrifices and struggles.”

According to officials cited in the Aaj Tak report, out of 2,196 refugee families living in Pilibhit’s villages, verification reports for 1,466 applicants have already been submitted to the state government.

Refugees in more than 25 villages across Kalinagar and Puranpur tehsils, such as Tatar Ganj, Bamanpur, Bela, Siddh Nagar, Shastri Nagar, and Nehru Nagar, will benefit from this decision.

After 62 years of waiting, these families are finally set to receive legal recognition of the land they have lived on and cultivated for generations.

Also Read: Yogi Government Expedites Land Ownership Rights For Bangladesh Refugees Who Came Before 1975