Land Pooling Decision
APCRDA Allots 115 Returnable Plots to Amaravati Farmers via E-Lottery (23 Jan 2026)
On 23 January 2026, the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) used an e-lottery to hand out 115 returnable plots to farmers who had pooled land for the Amaravati capital city, after postponement requests cut the originally planned 145 plots down to 115.
| Decision date | 23 January 2026 (Friday) |
|---|---|
| Deciding body | Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) |
| Plots originally slated | 145 across 16 CRDA units |
| Plots actually allotted | 115 (30 deferred on farmer request) |
| Farmers covered in this session | 80 |
| Mechanism | E-lottery / online random-selection system |
| Venue | APCRDA headquarters, Rayapudi |
| Related same-day allotment | 381 plots to 195 farmers (Undavalli, Clause 9.14 LPS) |
| Land pooled to date (Phase 1) | ~34,000 acres (as of Jan 2026) |
| Phase 2 land pooling target | 16,666.78 acres across 7 villages, notified from 3 Jan 2026 |
What was decided
The APCRDA allotted 115 returnable plots to farmers who had earlier pooled agricultural land for Amaravati's greenfield capital city, using a transparent e-lottery process.
Arrangements had originally been made to allot 145 plots spread across villages under 16 CRDA units, but farmers linked to 30 of those plots asked for a postponement, so only 115 were finally allotted on the day.
Who decided, and when
The allotment was carried out by APCRDA at its headquarters in Rayapudi on Friday, 23 January 2026. The authority confirmed the outcome in a press release, stating that none of the allotted plots were outside the land pooled for the capital city.
The exercise was run in two back-to-back sessions on the same day. The morning session (10 am–1 pm), covering farmers from villages including Kuragallu, Velagapudi, Mandadam, Nidamarru, Penumaka, Thullur, Nekallu, Anantavaram, Nelapadu, Dondapadu, Pichukalapalem, Lingayapalem, Uddandarayunipalem and Malkapuram, produced the 115 plots for 80 farmers. A separate afternoon session (3 pm–5 pm) covered Undavalli village farmers who had handed over land under the Land Pooling Scheme (Clause 9.14) since 2015, allotting 381 residential and commercial plots to 195 farmers — a related but distinct allotment on the same date.
Operative details: village-wise plot distribution
| Village / Unit | Plots allotted |
|---|---|
| Nidamarru 1 & 2 | 58 |
| Mandadam 1 & 2 | 15 |
| Velagapudi | 10 |
| Malkapuram | 10 |
| Penumaka | 6 |
| Lingayapalem | 6 |
| Kurugallu 1 & 2 | 5 |
| Nelapadu | 2 |
| Nekkallu | 1 |
| Anantavaram | 1 |
| Dondapadu | 1 |
This village-wise split totals the 115 plots allotted in the session, covering land-pooling participants from Kurugallu 1 & 2, Velagapudi, Malkapuram, Mandadam 1 & 2, Nidamarru 1 & 2, Penumaka, Lingayapalem, Nelapadu, Nekkallu, Anantavaram and Dondapadu.
Before the final draw, APCRDA ran a trial using an online random-selection system in the presence of farmers, followed by the live lottery itself, to keep the process visibly transparent. Provisional certificates were subsequently handed to allottees, with officials advising them to complete registration and await GIS-based demarcation of their plot boundaries.
Practical effect
For the 80 farmers who received the 115 plots, the allotment converts their earlier land-pooling contribution into a specific, identifiable returnable plot within the capital city layout — the next concrete step after years of waiting since land was pooled. Farmers still need to complete registration formalities and get their plot's exact location and boundaries confirmed through GIS mapping and village-level survey support before they can take physical possession or build.
The 30 plots whose allottees requested postponement remain pending; APCRDA has indicated these will be taken up in a subsequent lottery round, though no confirmed date has been reported as of this writing.
Wider land-pooling context
This allotment sits inside a much larger land-assembly programme. Amaravati's Phase 1 land pooling gathered roughly 34,000 acres from farmers, on top of which the government has been moving into a second phase of land accumulation. Reported second-phase figures vary by source and date: an APCRDA-linked account cited 42,000 acres identified with farmer acceptance, while a Phase 2 notification dated around 1–2 January 2026 set a target of 16,666.78 acres across seven villages and nine units, with GIS mapping, field surveys and agreements targeted for completion by 28 February 2026. Independent land-conflict tracking has separately put total land acquired for the capital city at about 54,000 acres, mostly agricultural land, across 25 villages in three mandals (Thulluru, Mangalagiri and Tadepalli) of Guntur district.
In July 2025, the state government introduced the Capital Region Land Pooling Scheme Rules, 2025, expanding the scope of pooling to integrate Vijayawada, Guntur, Tadepalli and Mangalagiri into a wider capital region, with landowners offered developed plots, annuity payments and social benefits such as free education, healthcare, pensions, housing support and a farm loan waiver of up to Rs 1.5 lakh in exchange for voluntarily surrendering land.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly did APCRDA decide on 23 January 2026?
APCRDA allotted 115 returnable plots to farmers who had pooled land for Amaravati's capital city, using a live e-lottery, after postponement requests reduced the originally planned 145 plots to 115.
Why were only 115 of the planned 145 plots allotted?
Farmers associated with 30 of the 145 originally slated plots asked APCRDA to postpone their allotment, so those 30 were excluded from the day's lottery, leaving 115 plots allotted.
Which villages benefited from this allotment?
Plots went to farmers from Kurugallu 1 & 2, Velagapudi, Malkapuram, Mandadam 1 & 2, Nidamarru 1 & 2, Penumaka, Lingayapalem, Nelapadu, Nekkallu, Anantavaram and Dondapadu, with Nidamarru 1 & 2 receiving the largest share (58 plots).
Was this the only allotment that day?
No. A separate afternoon session on the same day allotted 381 residential and commercial plots to 195 Undavalli village farmers who had contributed land under the Land Pooling Scheme's Clause 9.14 since 2015.
How does this relate to Amaravati's second phase of land pooling?
This allotment settles claims from Phase 1 land pooling (around 34,000 acres pooled to date), while a separate second phase — targeting roughly 16,666.78 acres across seven villages — was notified to begin from early January 2026, with completion targeted by 28 February 2026.
What do allotted farmers still need to do?
Officials have asked allottees to complete plot registration and use APCRDA's GIS-based demarcation support to confirm the exact location and boundaries of their plots before taking possession.
Sources
- Amaravati Land Allotment: APCRDA Completes Plot Distribution — Devdiscourse
- CRDA allots returnable plots to Amaravati farmers through e-lottery — ThePrint/PTI
- E-Lottery Allots 496 Returnable Plots To 275 Amaravati Capital Farmers — Deccan Chronicle
- Amaravati Land Pooling Phase 2 to Begin on January 3 — M9 News
- Amaravati Second Phase Land Pooling: Time for CBN Govt To Wake Up — M9 News
- Land pooling, farmer resistance, and the Amravati capital project in Andhra Pradesh — Land Conflict Watch