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Land granted, land held: the Tamil Nadu Government has given the Assembly two totals for Panchami land, 112,598.52 acres in 2015 and about 147,296 in 2021

How much Panchami land is there in Tamil Nadu, how much is held by others, and how much has been retrieved?

By The Dalit ProjectUPDATED OCTOBER 10, 2026

Panchami land, which the Government assigned to Scheduled Castes (the official list of Dalit communities under India’s Constitution), across Tamil Nadu, as two Ministers told the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on 16 September 2015 and 31 August 2021. These are the only Government figures we found: the Adi Dravidar (Tamil Nadu’s official name for its Scheduled Castes) and Tribal Welfare (now Social Justice) and Revenue Department policy notes for 2011-12 to 2026-27 give none, and no register of Panchami land is published.

acres of Panchami land, the Government’s figure in 2015
112,598.52
acres, its figure in 2021
~147,296
acres encroached and not yet retrieved, 2015
17,912.40

  1. Exhibit 1

    The Tamil Nadu Government told the Assembly there were 112,598.52 acres of Panchami land in 2015, and about 147,296 acres in 2021: 34,697.48 acres more, with no explanation in either answer

    What each Minister told the Legislative Assembly about Panchami land across Tamil Nadu, acres, as given.

    What the Minister gave16 Sept 2015, Minister for Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare31 Aug 2021, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management
    Panchami land in Tamil Nadu (acres)112,598.52about 147,296
    Encroached (acres)18,939.6 (p. 125); 18,939.69 (p. 166)Not given
    Retrieved (acres)1,027.29Not given
    Beneficiaries given retrieved land715Not given
    Still to be retrieved (acres)17,912.40Not given

    Note: The 2021 answer gives the total only, as an approximate figure, and says the Government has asked the District Collectors, the officers who head each district’s administration, for reports. Neither answer gives a date the extent is counted as on, or a figure by district.

    Source: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly debates, 16 September 2015, Demands for Grants 2015-2016: Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare, page 124; Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly debates, 31 August 2021, Demands for Grants 2021-2022: Revenue and Disaster Management, page 135. Our translation from Tamil. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 10 Oct 2026.

  2. Exhibit 2

    Of 18,939.69 acres of Panchami land the Minister said in 2015 was encroached, 1,027.29 acres had been retrieved and given to 715 beneficiaries, leaving 17,912.40 acres

    Panchami land encroached, retrieved and still to be retrieved, Tamil Nadu, acres, as the Minister for Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare gave them on 16 September 2015.

    1. 18,940Encroached
    2. −1,027Retrieved
    3. 17,912Still to be retrieved

    Note: The same debate prints the encroached area twice: 18,939.6 on page 125 and 18,939.69 on page 166. 18,939.69 less 1,027.29 is 17,912.40, the remainder the Minister gave; 18,939.6 less 1,027.29 would be 17,912.31. The chart uses 18,939.69.

    Source: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly debates, 16 September 2015, Demands for Grants 2015-2016: Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare, pages 125 and 166. Our translation from Tamil. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 10 Oct 2026.

About this data

What this shows
The Tamil Nadu Government’s own figures for Panchami land, as two Ministers gave them to the Assembly in 2015 and 2021.
Source
Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly; answer by Thiru (the Tamil form of Mr) N. Subramanian, Minister for Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare; Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly; answer by Thiru (the Tamil form of Mr) K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, 2 documents. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 10 Oct 2026. Every source
What it does not show
Where the land is, who holds it now, or any figure after 2021: no register is published, and the reports asked of the District Collectors in 2021 have not been made public.
Last updated
10 Oct 2026 · Next expected update: when the Tamil Nadu Government publishes a register of Panchami land or gives the Assembly a new figure
Corrections
Changelog (version 1) · Corrections policy

Sources, caveats and definitions