CHENNAI: Revenue and Disaster Management Minister K A Sengottaiyan announced in the Assembly on Monday that Village Administrative Officers (VAOs) and Taluk Revenue Inspectors (RIs) will be provided with tablet devices to help them carry out field-level assessments.

Making a series of announcements following the debate on demands for grants for the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, the minister said that 12,466 VAOs and 1,253 RIs would benefit from the initiative.

The devices would help officials conduct crop damage assessments during disasters such as droughts and floods, he said.

The minister also announced that the land tax introduced during British rule and continued by the Revenue Department would be abolished. The benefit would be applicable to farmers and landowners from Fasli year 1436.

The existing four-stage process would be reduced to three stages to simplify the issuance of revenue certificates, Sengottaiyan said. Chennai residents would also benefit from the establishment of 12 mini-taluk offices, which would facilitate the quicker issuance of certificates.

The minister further announced that house pattas would be issued to around 20 lakh poor and marginal families living on vacant lands classified as village natham.

Sengottaiyan also announced that a separate Work Safety Act would be enacted to prevent untoward incidents involving VAOs while they are discharging their duties.

He further said the government would simplify the procedures for land acquisition for highway projects.