LAND REFORMS IN INDIA

WHAT IS LAND REFORM

Land reforms involve the changing of laws, regulations or customs regarding land ownership. Land
reforms refer to transfer of ownership from more powerful to less powerful.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Land reforms after independence -
1. Institutional reforms
Abolition of intermediaries
Tenancy reforms- security of tenure, decrease in rent, conferment of ownership
rights.
Ceiling on size of landholdings
Cooperativization and community development programmes.

2. Technological reform
Beginning around mid or late sixties ushering in green revolution .

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF LAND REFORMS-

Anti poverty strategy majority of our population depends on agriculture so
improvement in agriculture through the vortex of land reforms is prerequisite.
Empowerment of women as it has been increased feminization of agriculture , an
estimated 20 % of rural household are de facto female headed , women are often
managing land and livestock . Tenurial security can empower women to assert
themselves better with agencies that provide input and extension services. women
with asset such as land have greater bargaining power which can lead to more
gender equal allocations of benefits even from male incomes. Women without
independent resources are vulnerable to poverty though they are better informed
about agricultural knowledge. Moreover it would add to socio-cultural fabric.
Land alienation-the menace of naxalism has its root in land alienation . The Ministry
of Home Affairs assessment, in 2006, was that 120-150 districts in 12 states were
Naxal-infested. Obviously, normal writs of the State did not operate in these areas.
Thus, a huge chunk of mainland India was being governed by extra-legal and, in
some places, illegal authorities. The assessment also showed that militants, whoever
they were, had established a rapport with the local population due to which they were
able to move about freely evading and avoiding the pincers of the law-enforcing
authorities. They were proving to the hilt Mao Tse-tungs doctrine of Fish in Water,
where the fish were the militants and the water the mass of disgruntled, disaffected
peasantry and landless agricultural workers. If the disaffection of the latter could be
substantially reduced, the water would evaporate and the militants disappear.
Food security- to ensure food security for such a vast population as in india land
reforms becomes vital. And if we fail to ensure food security we fail to ensure
nutritional security too.
Equality to india- equality is our constitutional right and by land reforms this is
granted to every citizen of our country.

INITIATIVES TAKEN SO FAR-
Land ceiling ceiling limits has been prescribed by the states above which a family
cannot own a land.
Bhoodan land- the land owners who had large quantities of land were persuaded to
surrender some part voluntarily .
Tenancy reforms- leasing out land to others needy person on written or oral
agreement hence some states enacted laws to protect tenants.
Common property resource- states have conferred rights to the communities over
resources such as pasture land, fuel wood, minor forest produce.
Waste land- states distributes the waste land available with them to the landless
persons.
Tribal land alienation- enactment of laws for the protection of scheduled tribes.

CHALLENGES
Land and its management land and its management fall in exclusive domain of states . each
state has different set up for land and land record management so this heterogenecity is an
issue.
Shifting Economic Imperatives Increasing peoples access to land and creating a more
equitable redistribution of land assets are important for India, particularly in view of its high
and ever-increasing person-to-land ratio. Increased emphasis on industrialization should not
result in an abandonment of the rural sector.
Maintaining Ecological Balance ecological balance between the proportion of land
designated for forestry, agriculture, and nonagricultural purposes. There is a need to explore
the linkages among rural poverty, landlessness, and skewed land tenure systems with
particular attention to the problems of deforestation. The reduction of forests inevitably
disturbs the ecological balance. Cyclical patterns of droughts followed by floods have been
clearly linked to this. At the same time, there is no guarantee that the already existing skewed
distribution of land outside the forests will not be replicated.
Preserving Human Diversity The concept of land as a commodity comes into conflict with
traditional concepts of common property and with societies, such as those of many tribal
peoples throughout India, who generally do not have a documented system of land rights.
Complexities of Common Property Regimes Resources, both natural and manmade,
controlled and managed as common property present another challenge in the context of
land-related issues. Besides private property or property owned and controlled by the state,
common property such as forests, grazing lands, water, and fisheries can also be held and
managed through a community resource management system.
At present the issues related to land are dealt by the various govt. department with little scope
of interdepartmental coordination. Land management largely bureaucratically controlled no
resurveys to create upto date land records . To add to the misery of rural population majority
of the revenue courts continue to operate in English language unknown to rural hinterlands.



MEASURES TO STRENTHGEN LAND REFORMS-
A massive operation should be undertaken to restore alienated tribal lands to their rightful
tribal owners.
Appropriate amendments of the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 and Coal Bearing Areas
(Acquisition Development) Act of 1957 in tune with PESA.
Issue of user pattasin the names of women and men for use of CPR including tree pattas for
forest dwellers and water pattas for fisherfolk over inland or coastal CPR waterbodies.
Setting up of a dispute settlement mechanism at the gram panchayat level with gram
panchayat members and representatives of beneficiary groups, with a representative of the
bureaucracy as a member convenor, to keep records and explain the legal position.
The NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL so as to make it fully federal structure.
The settlement of rent should be left to the village community to decide at the panchayat level
and to be appropriated for their own purpose.
The survey operations should be subjected to social audit
The state have to device a regular method where by the updation of records of rights may
take place without there being requirement of survey operation in the present mode.

NAME- SWATI
REFERENCES- 1) YOJANA
2)BIPIN CHANDRA-INDIA AFTER INDEPENDENCE