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The Andhra Pradesh government has notified a new land pooling policy for the Amaravati capital region, reviving its flagship greenfield development plan. While the old city core remains under the original 2015 scheme, this updated policy applies to an extended capital region and aims to bring in an additional ~40,000 acres on top of the ~54,000 acres already pooled. The scheme is voluntary, Aadhaar-based, and offers landowners reconstituted developed plots, annuities, and a package of social entitlements including free education, healthcare, and a one-time farm loan waiver of up to INR 150,000. The policy guarantees infrastructure development within three years of plot allotment and marks a renewed push to position Amaravati as a modern, people-first capital.
The Andhra Pradesh government has formally launched a new land pooling scheme for the Amaravati capital region, setting the stage for a fresh round of development after nearly a decade of setbacks and political flux. The new scheme, notified earlier this week, is aimed at acquiring an additional ~40,000 acres of land from voluntary contributors, to be layered onto the ~54,000 acres already pooled under the earlier land consolidation programme initiated in 2015. Advertisement
This time, the scheme has been extended beyond the city core and into the larger Amaravati capital region, which includes neighbouring urban centres like Guntur, Vijayawada, Mangalagiri and Tadepalli. However, lands within the old Amaravati capital city remain governed by the original policy, ensuring no disruption to earlier agreements. Religious institutions, notified forest areas, weaker-section colonies, and existing village boundaries are exempted from the pooling process.
The new policy is voluntary in nature and requires landowners to provide Aadhaar-authenticated consent. Once land is pooled, owners will be allotted developed plots either residential or commercial-based on the land's original classification and contribution. They will also receive annuity payments and several socio-economic benefits. These include free education and healthcare, financial assistance for house construction, pensions for eligible farming families, and a one-time agricultural loan waiver of up to INR 150,000.
As per the policy framework, landowners will be issued a Land Pooling Ownership Certificate (LPOC), which enables them to access government services and guarantees delivery of trunk infrastructure-such as roads, drinking water, stormwater drainage, power and sanitation within three years of certificate issuance. The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) will serve as the nodal agency for implementation and regulation of the new rules.
According to officials, this renewed policy is also compliant with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, and intends to avoid the disputes that had plagued the previous administration's plans. The previous land pooling initiative, launched between 2014 and 2016 under the TDP regime, had seen over 34,000 acres contributed by farmers, but work stalled amid political shifts, financial constraints, and a shift in the capital development strategy.
Alongside the new policy, the government has greenlit a series of infrastructure contracts to ensure that development keeps pace with land acquisition. This includes the construction of utility ducts valued at INR 1,052 crore, a six-lane seed access road, and the long-awaited government tower complex. The much-delayed 320-metre cable-stayed bridge across the Krishna River is also back on track as part of this push.
State officials noted that this renewed land pooling framework reflects a more equitable and participative vision for Amaravati. It is being positioned not merely as a capital city but as a sustainable regional growth centre. The focus now lies in integrating Amaravati with its surrounding urban nodes, effectively making it a megacity under a unified planning framework.
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