Bill Summary

The Himachal Pradesh Ceiling on Land Holdings (Amendment) Bill, 2023

• The Himachal Pradesh Ceiling on Land Holdings (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on April 3, 2023 and passed on the same day.  The Bill amends the Himachal Pradesh Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1972.  The Act limits and regulates the maximum amount of land that can be owned by an individual, family or entity.  The key provisions of the Bill are as following:

• Benefits for Daughters:  In the Act, to calculate the maximum permissible land ceiling for families, sons were considered as separate units.  The amount of land that a family can own is directly proportional to the number of ‘units’ in a family.  Thus, families with a son could hold more land than families with daughters.  The Bill adds that married and unmarried daughters will also be considered as separate ‘units’ for the calculation of land ceilings.

• Exemption for Solar Projects:  The Act exempts certain entities from land ceiling limitations.  These include: (i) the state and central government, (ii) banks, and (iii) local authorities.  Land that is being acquired for industrial use (as notified by the state government) is also exempted.  The Bill amends this provision by adding solar power projects to the list of entities exempted entities.  The solar power project(s) must be undertaken by a PSU, the state government or the central government.