Post-independence, several measures were taken to address the issues of land ownership and tenancy. These included the abolition of intermediaries, tenancy reforms, and the reorganization of agriculture.
1. Abolition of Intermediaries
Scope: At independence, 57% of land was under the zamindari system. The abolition aimed to eliminate intermediaries like zamindars, mahalwari, and ryotwari systems.
Implementation: By 1956, many states passed their Zamindari Abolition Acts. These acts vested common lands with the state government and required compensation to intermediaries for acquired lands.
Impact: Approximately 173 million acres were acquired by the government, and around 2.5 crore farmers were brought into direct relationship with the state. However, loopholes allowed intermediaries to retain home farms and led to issues like personal cultivation evictions and lack of protection for sharecroppers.
2. Tenancy Reforms
Objectives: Protect tenant rights, regulate rent, and provide security of tenure.
Key Measures
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- Regulation of Rent: Fixed reasonable rents, not exceeding 1/5 to 1/4 of gross production.
- Security of Tenure: Ensured future income for tenants but faced issues like voluntary surrender and informal tenancies.
- Ownership Rights: Aimed to transfer land titles to tenants, with mixed success across states.
- Impact: Initiatives like Operation Barga in West Bengal recorded 1.5 million sharecroppers and provided better security. However, overall tenant protection remained inadequate.
3. Reorganisation of Agriculture
Measures: Included ceiling on agricultural landholdings, consolidation of landholdings, and cooperative farming.
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- Land Ceiling: Statutory limits on land holdings to prevent large-scale accumulation and promote equitable distribution. States adopting family holding criteria were more successful.
- Consolidation of Landholdings: Addressed fragmentation by merging scattered plots. As of 2015-16, marginal and small holdings constituted 47.3% of cultivated land. However, legislation faced resistance and partial success.
- Cooperative Farming: Encouraged economies of scale through collective farming. Despite incentives, cooperative farming had limited success due to large farmer dominance, lack of professional skills, and corruption.
Successful Land Reform Measures in Some States
1. West Bengal
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- Operation Barga: Launched in 1979, it recorded sharecroppers’ rights and protected them from eviction. Recognized as one of India’s most successful land reform programs.
2. Jammu and Kashmir
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- New Kashmir Resolution: Promised abolition of landlordism and land to tillers. Significant reforms included the Big Landed Estates Abolition Act, 1950, and the J&K Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976.
3. Uttar Pradesh
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- Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950: Implemented to abolish zamindari and redistribute land.
- Land Ceiling Act, 1960 and 1973: Prescribed and reduced land ceiling limits, impacting the economic and social status of allottees positively.
4. Kerala
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- Land Reforms Act, 1963: Enacted the ‘land to the tiller’ policy, giving full ownership to tenants. The 1975 act protected tribal lands from alienation.
