Military reward grants, or fauji jagirs.
2. Government of India, Military Department, resolution no. 867-B., dated 27th February, 1893. (1)-These grants are dealt with in paragraph 138-39 of The Land Administration Manual. They are made to Indian Officers by the Government of India for distinguished military service rendered to that Government.
(2) The orders of Government of India are addressed by Army Department to the Punjab Government, and are dealt with by the Financial Commissioner in his dual capacity of Revenue Secretary to Government and Financial Commissioner.
(3) Forms of grant - Up to the 1st January, 1931, the orders conveyed a grant either :-
(a) of land of the “annual value of Rs. 400” clear of all charges and deductions; or
Army Instruction (India) No. 102, dated the 16th September, 1930, and Government of India, Army Department, letter No. B-2523-3 (A.G. 9), dated the 3rd March ,1931. From the 1st January, 1931, however, the grants will be either-
(a) of land of the “annual value of Rs. 400” clear of all charges and deductions; or
(b) of a “cash payment amounting to Rs. 600 per annum” in place of jagirs in the form of assignments or remissions of land revenue.
4. Procedure where a grant of land is made - Where the order is for grant of land, the following procedure shall be followed: -
(i) If the orders of Government of India do not specify the name of the district in which the grantee wishes to take his grant, the first step to be taken is a direct communication, from the Financial Commissioner’s Office to the grantee to ascertain his wishes.
(ii) When it is ascertained where the grantee wishes to take his grant, the Deputy Commissioner of the district concerned is asked, a copy of the letter being sent to the Commissioner, to report where land is available and, if it is to place himself in communication with the grantee. This order is addressed to the Deputy Commissioner, with copy to the Commissioner, for information and guidance.
(iii) If no land is available in the locality in which the grantee wishes to take his grant, he is asked to select some other locality, and, failing that, a report to this effect is made to the Government of India.
(iv) If suitable land is available, the Deputy Commissioner is ordered to put the grantee in possession as early as possible.
(v) These grants of land are given on the following conditions;-
(vi) When a grant of irrigable land is under contemplation, reference must be made to the Irrigation Branch before any promises of irrigation are given to the grantee. If the Irrigation Branch decides that irrigation is not possible, the grantee should be informed and an acknowledgement obtained from him that he agrees to take the land on the understanding that irrigation cannot be extended to it.
(vii) As soon as the grantee has been put in possession of his land the Deputy Commissioner concerned should submit a completion report to the Financial Commissioner, through the Commissioner, stating the market price of the land granted.
(5) Assignments of land revenue - As the form of jagirs granted prior to the 1st January, 1931, and the status and dignity attached to such jagir awards remain unchanged, the following conditions governing them are reproduced below:-
(i) All grants are subjected to the loyalty and the good behaviour of the holder.
(ii) Assignments of this kind are for three lives only , the original assignee receiving the whole sum , his first heir half , and the next heir in succession one-quarter.
(iii) On the death of the original holder, one –half of the grant shall descend integrally to a single heir; the heir will be selected by the Deputy Commissioner , but will ordinarily be the eldest male heir in the eldest branch of the deceased’s descendants. On the death of the selected heir, one-quarter of the original grant will descend integrally to one of his heir similarly chosen by the Deputy Commissioner. The selection made by the Deputy Commissioner will, in all cases , be subject to confirmation by the Commissioner ,who will report the name of the approved successor to the Financial Commissioner for information.
Note:- The rule that the grant should descend integrally to a single heir , may be relaxed at the discretion of the local Government and the reduced grant, i.e., the grant after the death of the original grantee, may be distributed among several heirs in such proportions as may seem most suitable , provided that the proper proportion of the original grant is not exceeded. (Dispatch from His Majesty’s Secretary of State for India , No.50-Finl., dated 20th December, 1918.)
(iv) The assignment, if taken in an estate, the land revenue of which is fixed, will, in each case, be paid in the same proportions as the instalments of land revenue obtaining in the estate in which it is taken. Thus if the instalments are kharif one-third and rabi two-thirds, an assignee of Rs.600 will receive Rs.200 at kharif and Rs 400 at rabi.
(v) If the assignments is taken in an estate under fluctuating assessment, the assignment should ordinarily be paid in two equal instalments. If, owing to the predominance of either crop, this is not feasible, special proposals should be made by the Deputy Commissioner.
(vi) Where the grantee takes his reward in the form of fixed assignment of land revenue, haq-ul-tehsil should not be charged.
(vii) Punjab Government letter no. 9154 (Rev. & Agrl.-Genl.) dated 23rd March, 1920:- With effect from rabi 1920, the Punjab Government have been pleased to exempt Indian military jagirdars from the payment of contributions towards the remuneration of zaildars and inamdars leviable under Land Revenue Rule 11.
(viii) Government of India letter no. 825-101-2, dated, the 18th August, 1922. It has been ruled by the Government of India that military reward assignees should be treated like other jagirdars as regards remissions and suspension of land revenue. That is to say that, if the revenue of the state in which the assignment is taken is suspended or remitted on account of bad seasons, the assignee must bear the proportionate loss. The object of granting an official or non-official an assignment of land revenue on a particular village is to increase his izzat localy, so that he becomes a jagirdar of that village and his association with the land is accepted with the full knowledge of the danger, that at times his revenue will not be collected.
6. Condition of loyalty and good conduct. The policy and procedure in regard to the forfeiture of military pensions and other military awards will be found in the Army Department letter No. B.-27919/1 (A. G.-8), dated the 9th April, 1934, to all such local Governments and Administrations, copy endorsed to all Deputy Commissioners and Commissioners with Punjab Government endorsement No. 14452-H./Mily., dated the 2nd May, 1934.
7. Cash payments - Where the orders of the Government of India are for the grant of a cash payment, the Civil Authorities will not be concerned. This cash payment, which will be for three lives, reducible by half on each succession, will be known as a “jagir allowance’’. To Indian Officers on the active list, payment will be made monthly through a unit pay bill. To Indian Officers on the pension establishment, payment will be made at the same time, and through the same channel, as the individual’s pension.
The title of “Bahadur” will be conferred on every recipient of a “jagir allowance” who is not already a member of the Order of British India.
8. Adjustment between civil and military estimates of the expenditure in connection with the annual military grants of land and jagirs:- As land revenue, including the proceeds from the sale of Crown lands, is now a purely provincial source of income the provincial Government receives compensation from the revenues of the Central Government for all grants of land and assignments or remissions of land revenue, sanctioned on or after the first April, 1921 and also assignments of land revenue sanctioned in connection with the Government of India Special War Rewards Scheme referred to in the late Army Department of the Government of India letter No.18779, dated 20th December, 1917, in favour of officials and non-officials in recognition of exceptional services rendered by them direct to the Government of India.
For Jagirs sanctioned on or after the Ist April 1921; For Jagirs sanctioned the Government of India, Special War Reward Scheme; Hissar, Kangra, Jullundur, Ludhiana, Hissar, Rohtak, Kangra, Ludhiana, Ferozepore, Amritsar.
The Deputy Commissioner of the marginally noted districts should report by Ist March each year the exact amount of the assignment paid to any such Jagirdar to the Financial Commissioner, who will arrange for the necessary adjustment of the expenditure through the Accountant-General.