Goa, June 6 -- The Goa government has launched an ambitious initiative to revive and safeguard the state's historic khazan lands-low-lying estuarine floodplains traditionally used for rice cultivation, aquaculture, and salt production. At the heart of this plan is the proposed Khazan Board, which will hold overriding authority on land use decisions, superseding the Regional Plan, Outline Development Plans (ODPs), and 21 other government land use policies, except for the Goa Land Use Act of 1991, which will still govern agricultural tenancy lands.

The Khazan Land Management Plan (KMP) focuses on preserving farmland and enhancing local food security by promoting cultivation of rice, vegetables, and fish. It calls for a detailed survey of b...