In order to safeguard the rights of both the landlord and the tenant, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to bring out a legislation which will prevent a dispute between the two parties in the future.
The draft ordinance titled ‘Uttar Pradesh Regulation of Urban Premises Tenancy Ordinance, 2021’ has been cleared by the state cabinet held by circulation.
According to the government spokesman, under the new law a rent agreement is now mandatory for a property to be given on rent.
A rent authority will be set up and any new rent agreement will have to be registered with it. The authority will issue a unique identification number and within seven days of receiving an agreement, will upload details of the tenant on its website.
Details of tenants may not be shared with the authority if the duration of the tenancy is less than 12 months.
Under the new law, the house owner can only hike five per cent rent annually for domestic usage and seven per cent for commercial. Not paying rent for two months will lead to eviction of the tenant. The rent authority and appellate tribunal will have to dispose of any dispute within 60 days as per the provisions of the law.
The tenant and the property owner will jointly decide the duration of the tenancy and any renewal of the agreement. The points mentioned in the agreement will continue to be applicable to the successor of both, the tenant and the landlord, in the case of death of one or both.
The new law lays down responsibilities of the landlord, increase in rent on renewal of the lease, details of the rent authority which will consider cases of dispute, etc.
“Once this law is in place, there will be much more transparency in the agreement between the tenant and the landlord and therefore, there will be no scope for petty disputes or at least, there will be much more clarity on several issues. For instance, the law will make it clear whose responsibility it will be for painting, paying maintenance, water, power bills, etc,” said a government spokesman.
The new ordinance is unique in the sense that it makes provision for regulating the rent of the existing tenancies.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative to ensure food and nutritional security, the Yogi Adityanath government has taken up a project to distribute fortified rice through the public distribution system in Uttar Pradesh.
The fortified rice will added food and nutritional supplements and sufficient quantity of iron, zinc, vitamins A and B, Vitamin B12, folic acid and other micronutrients.
The programme has been launched virtually from Chandauli, one of the aspirational districts in UP.
All ration shops in Chandauli will distribute fortified rice from February while the entire state will be covered by the year-end.
To ensure that fortified rice becomes part of the diet of the people due to its nutritional value, the state will create public awareness in which their representatives will also be asked to participate.
The Chief Minister has directed for the appointment o nodal officers to ensure proper promotion of fortified rice and to check black marketing.
The rice will be distributed through ration shops, where people avail of subsidised food grains.
Rice is one of the favourite diets of Indians, with the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) saying that about 65 per cent people make rice an essential part of their food.
The authorities believe that fortified rice will play an important role in fighting malnutrition in India.
Nearly 59 per cent children in the age group of 6 months to 5 years, 53 per cent women in the age group of 15 to 50 and 22 per cent men in the age group of 15 to 50 are deficient in iron and micronutrients.
Fortified rice is normal rice but coated with required amounts of iron, vitamins and micronutrients. Millers will also benefit by processing this rice. The endeavour will also help generate employment at the local level in the MSME sector.
Along with this, ‘Kala Namak’ rice of Siddhartha Nagar, which is rich in zinc and iron, will also gain popularity and its demand increase. The local farmers will also benefit in terms of increased income.
