India, April 23 -- In a significant policy shift, the Maharashtra government will unlock more than 173,560 hectares of land by granting full ownership rights to the lessees on payment of a premium. The decision was taken in the state cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

These land parcels were allotted nearly six decades ago primarily to landless individuals especially farmers, ex-servicemen and individuals from weaker sections with Occupancy Class II rights for cultivation. They are land parcels acquired by the state under the Maharashtra Agricultural Lands (Ceiling on Holdings) Act, 1961.

From 2016, the state government began granting ownership rights to Occupancy Class II land reserved for residential, commercial and industrial use. For the...