The Left-Front Government is pledged to uphold the rights of the neglected and poor LAND REFORMS MEASURES DECENTRALISATION OF IN THE INTEREST OF DEMOCRACY THROUGH THE FARMERS DURING THE PANCHAYAT SYSTEM TENURE OF THE LEFT- - c ^ r r FRONT GOVERNMENT • SP^ead ^aousness of their democratic rights and right to participate in local administration, _ . r , r among rural folk. • Uprooting of sharecroppers from agricultural land has been stopped. • Bulk of finance for rural development is todav channelised through Panchayats. • Sharecroppers' rig^s have been • 56,000 elected representatives of legalised through Operation Bar^a the Panchayat are active in rural Upto March, 31st, 1985 13.17 lakh ^r^as. sharecroppers have been registered. _ _ . . „ ... . , . • Irrigation facilities have been provided for 1 lakh hectares of • 12.50 lakh acres of surplus land have land. been acquired by the Government, j Panchayats have created 15 lakh Man Days through the 'Food for „ . . , ,, , , work* proeramme. • Out of this 8.03 lakh acres have been • ° distributed among landless peasants. • 57 Rural Distribution Centres have been opened under the Panchayat. • 1.95 lakh sharecroppers and agn- , l. 13 lakh houses have been built cultural labourers have received land for r i .ji ., . , tor landless peasants. residential purposes. r • 8700 adult education centres have been set up. • Agricultural inputs and bank loans • Rs. 1.36 crores have been dis-have been organised for sharecroppers bursed as bank loan for house-and 'pattadars*. building GOVERNMENT OFiWEST BENGAL TCP/ICA 927/S5