A draft audit report from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has found widespread irregularities in the sale of land belonging to members of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) communities in Odisha.
The audit, covering the period from 2018 to 2023, found that revenue officials in three sub-divisions—Sonepur, Birmaharajpur, and Kendrapara—systematically violated legal safeguards designed to protect marginalised landowners from exploitation.
Of the 1,287 cases involving the transfer of 661.073 acres, the audit team checked 528 cases, of which 335 cases involving nearly 379 acres were found to be “irregular”.
The sub-collectors permitted the sale of 120.70 acres in 111 cases for medical treatment, but auditors found that in 86 of these cases, there were no records or documents to verify the legitimacy of the medical need.
The CAG report noted that the Government of Odisha provided universal free healthcare through the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, rendering the sale of land for medical treatment an invalid pretext.
Apart from this, 97.866 acres were transferred in 91 cases for “repayment of loans,” with no records detailing the loan amounts, purposes, or outstanding balances.
The audit identified at least 17 instances in which the residual land fell below the survival threshold, and permission was granted for the alienation of joint landholdings, in direct contravention of existing regulations.
