A.P. Assembly approves amendments to Assigned Lands, GSWS Bills

The Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed the Andhra Pradesh Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfers) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, enabling the government to consider acquiring assigned lands on long-term lease basis for setting up renewable energy projects under the A.P. Integrated Clean Energy Policy 2024. 

The Bill is for making the necessary changes to the A.P. Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfer) Act, 1977 which, according to Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad, is a protective legislation that prohibits the transfer of lands assigned to landless poor for cultivation, either by purchase, gift, lease, mortgage, exchange or otherwise. 

However, having decided to establish 10,000 Megawatts of solar power projects in the State, the government has amended the Act of 1977, permitting lease to A.P. Green Energy Corporation Limited, which has been renamed as A.P. Rural Agriculture Power Limited for use as deemed fit and including for usage of non-agriculture purposes. 

Moving the Bill, Mr. Satya Prasad said the A.P. Integrated Clean Energy Policy, 2024 aimed to add over 160 GW of renewable energy capacity, with a potential to attract investments worth ₹10,00,000 crore, and that the policy has been adopted in consonance with the Central government’s ‘Nationally Determined Contributions’ in alignment with the global efforts to mitigate climate change. 

Since the renewable energy projects, especially solar, require vast tracts of land, the government has to do acquisition, including assigned lands, wherever required, on lease. The Bill seeks to replace the A.P. Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfers) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025.

Village and ward secretariats

The Assembly also approved the A.P. Grama Sachivalayams & Ward Sachivalayams (GSWS) (Amendment) Bill, 2026 to revise the roles and responsibilities of the functionaries in the village and ward secretariats for achieving the Swarna Andhra and Viksit Bharat-2047 goals.