Land Reforms in India

Introduction

• The term ‘land reforms’ refer to land tenure reforms.
• The word tenure is derived from the Latin word “teneo”, means ‘to hold’.
• Land tenure is used to refer to the conditions under which land is held.

Introduction

• Land Reforms are policy steps that make land distribution more equitable. This equitable distribution is aimed at increasing the productivity of land and decreasing the poverty of its dependent population.

Introduction

• land reforms aim to redistribute land by reducing the ownership of those who have too much and increasing it for those who have too little or none.

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Importance of Land Reforms in India�

• To achieve an equitable distribution of land.
• Implementing a ceiling on the ownership of land to redistribute the surplus land among landless, small, and marginal farmers.
• Eradicating poverty and achieving equitable rural development.

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Importance of Land Reforms in India�

• Abolishing zamindari system.
• Reforming tenancy laws.
• Increasing productivity of agriculture.
• Reducing land fragmentation through land consolidation.

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Importance of Land Reforms in India�

• Social-economic equality.
• Ensuring the land of tribals is not taken over by outsiders.
• Enabling acquisition of land for non-agricultural purposes such as industry.

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Land Reform Policy in India�

Four types of land reform measures in independent India:

• Legislative action
• Legislative action coupled with popular mobilization: as done in West Bengal and Kerala. Here, the land was forcibly seized from zamindars and redistribution among peasants.

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Land Reform Policy in India

• Naxalite insurgency in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and West Bengal regions.
• Voluntary donations through the Bhoodaan and Gramdan movements led by Vinoba Bhave

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Major Objectives of Land Reforms in Independent India�

• Abolition of Zamindari
• Reform of tenancy laws
• Consolidation of fragmented land holdings
• Land ceiling
• Bhoodan Movement
• Gramdan Movement
• Compilation and Updating of Land Records

Abolition of Zamindari�

• Legislative measures for the abolition of intermediary tenure started with Uttar Pradesh with the Zamindari Abolition and Land Reform Act of 1950 of U.P. followed by legislations in other states.

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Key Elements

• i) It abolished all rights of zamindars and jagirdars and put a ban on further acquisition of land.
• ii) Abolition of intermediary tenures was effected on payment of compensation to the land-owners. iii) The vast mass of the peasantry was freed from all illegal exactions in cash, kind and services.
• iv) Land records were created and survey and settlement was carried out in these areas.
• v) Holdings were demarcated on the basis of the individual as a unit

Problems faced by these reforms:

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• Absence of land records
• Compensation paid for acquiring land varied from state to state.
• The lands declared to be under personal cultivation to be kept with the owners. However, the size of such land was not limited What constituted personal cultivation was also not clearly defined

Tenancy Reforms

• These reforms aimed to provide security of tenure to tenants who had cultivated land for a certain minimum period of time. They aimed to reduce rent payable by tenants to a fair level. They also aimed to provide tenants opportunities to gain ownership of land subject to certain restrictions. However, these reforms faced the following problems:

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Tenancy Reforms

• Tendency continued in a concealed manner without entering into official contracts.
• Tenants were converted into sharecroppers, thus escaping the legislation.
• Rents were largely determined by market forces being much higher than those mandated by the laws.
• The Green Revolution led to a rise in rents, especially in northern India.

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CEILING ON LAND HOLDINGS�

• In January, 1959, at the Nagpur Conference of the Indian National Congress, it was resolved that agrarian legislation to cover restrictions on the size of land holdings must be implemented in all states by the end of 1959.

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CEILING ON LAND HOLDINGS

• These legislations aimed at putting a cap on the maximum amount of land that could be owned by a single person. These reforms were largely unsuccessful due to a variety of reasons:
• In most states, ceilings were made very high.

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CEILING ON LAND HOLDINGS

• Ceilings were placed on individuals and not on families.
• Many exemptions were provided which led to loopholes and litigations.
• There were long delays in bringing these legislations.
• The 34th constitutional amendment act placed ceiling laws in the 9th schedule. Which led to a renewed effort in this direction in the 1970s.

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Consolidation Of Holdings

• Sub-division and fragmentation of holdings chiefly arise from the customary practice of partitioning of land among the heirs.
• As a result, in successive generations, holdings not only become smaller but also get dispersed in fragments.

Consolidation Of Holdings

• The growing population only increases the pace of this process. On the other hand, consolidation of fragmented holdings helps in improving the agricultural production as well as in providing common services to small holders.
• Consolidation of holdings was attempted in isolated experiments in different parts of the country, mainly under the aegis of the cooperative movement.

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Consolidation Of Holdings

• The need for consolidation of holdings was realised way back in 1917 and therefore, All India Board of Agriculture drew the attention of the local governments to draw up remedial measures in consultation with the Registrars of Cooperatives Societies.
• It was only in 1928, however, that the case for consolidation was finally established with the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Agriculture.

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Bhoodan Movement�

• Acharya Vinoba Bhave started this movement in 1951 which was later also joined by JP Narayan. He organized Sarvodaya Samaj Which was a federation of his followers and embarked on a padayatra to convince landholders to voluntarily donate 1/6 of their land to the landless. The movement started in Telangana But lost momentum after some time. The majority of the donated land was either unfit for cultivation or disputed.

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Gramdan Movement�

• This movement was started in 1955 based on the Gandhian notion that all village land belongs to God. Therefore, the land of a Gramdaan Village was to belong to all villagers and not to any single person. It was started in Orissa and was most successful there.

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Compilation and Updating of Land Records

• A land record management system is essential for an effective land reform programme.
• In 1987-88, a Centrally-sponsored scheme for Strengthening of Revenue Administration and Updating of Land Records (SRA&ULR) was introduced in Orissa and Bihar.

Compilation and Updating of Land Records

• The scheme was extended to other states in 1989-90. It provides funds for survey and re-settlement operations, training for revenue and settlement staff, facilities for modernisation of survey and settlement operations and strengthening of revenue machinery at the village level.

Compilation and Updating of Land Records

• The information available in the record of rights is not of a uniform pattern. In every state, the record of rights is expected to contain information about each plot or survey number, its area, name of the owner, the class of land, and therefore also the land revenue payable.

Impact and Advantages of Land Reforms in India�

• Despite many weaknesses, land reform measures in India had the following impact:
• The powerful class of landlords was completely abolished in many areas. The exploitation of the peasantry by these landlords was reduced to a considerable extent.
• Peasants became aware of their legal rights and the legal avenues for their protection.

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Impact and Advantages of Land Reforms in India�

• Land ceiling led to a redistribution of land in Jammu and Kashmir.
• A lot of fallow lands came into cultivation, which increased the productivity of agriculture
• These reforms led to socio-economic upliftment of poor peasantry

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