The Treasury Department has handed state land lease contracts to 1,100 people in Khon Kaen's Ban Hat district, deputy finance minister Santi Promphat said.
The land had previously been used by the Disease Control Department (DCD) to provide shelter and medical treatment for leprosy patients in tambon Nonsomboon.
The land was subsequently returned to the Treasury Department, which has developed the land for lease to landless people under the Thanarak Pracharath project.
Thanarak Pracharath is aimed at solving encroachment on state land, said Mr Santi, adding those entitled to rent the land are patients who used to stay at the now-defunct leprosy shelter, their heirs, and general residents, he said.
As for rental rates for living on the land, patients will pay 0.13 baht per square wa per month while the heirs will pay 0.25 baht per square wa per month. General residents will be charged at 0.50 baht per square wa was per month.
For those who use their plot for farming, extra annual fees are required.
Upon receiving the contracts, they can use the land as collateral to secure loans from and funding from financial institutions, which take part in the project so the tenants can have funds to pursue careers or build homes, Mr Santi said.
He added the government also has a policy to exempt rental fees for one year to help people affected by the economic problems caused by Covid-19.
Mr Santi said that currently, the Treasury Department has more than 12 million rai of unused land, which are being surveyed and developed for leasing to people at lower prices for agricultural, living, and commercial purposes. The land can also be bequeathed to their heirs, he added.
The department is said to have plans to give landholding rights covering more than 1.05 million rai of land to a total of 73,427 people by 2022.