LAND REFORMS

LAND REFORMS 

Introduction

1. Purpose: Eradication of poverty and hunger
2. Philosophy: Socialist idea of redistributive justice
3. History
1. One of promise of congress
2. Daniel Thorner: India is the most important case of study of land reforms
1. means institutional backing to address concentration of wealth in few and giving to landless
3. Constitutional provision
1. Directive Principle: art 39(b),(c) makes it constitutional obligation on Indian state to address concentration of wealth
2. 44th amendment repealed right to property
3. 9th schedule introduced by 1st amendment contains large no. of land reform legislation
4. Types of land reform
1. Zamindari abolition
1. Only successful aspect of land reform
2. Most zamindar got heavy compensation invested in capital industries like rice mill
2. Tenancy reform
1. Comparatively successful
2. Idea was to give security to tenants
3. Most successful in Kerala and WB- operation Banga
4. Benefitted intermediate caste
3. Land ceiling
1. Most crucial and weakest
2. Loopholes in laws
3. People protected land by dividing joint family, Benami transfer
4. Distribution of surplus land
1. Land to tillers
2. Very limited redistribution
3. Govt didn't distribute what they have acquired
5. Consolidation of land holding and establishment of co-operatives
1. Next logical step
2. Failure
3. Whatever have come is not cooperative but joint stock company of rich farmer
5. New economic model impacted even rich farmers
6. Agriculture is worst affected
7. Causes of failure
1. Lack of political will
2. Presense of dominant caste in congress
3. Lack of organised peasant movement in country
4. Lack of land records
5. Corruption
8. Views of scholar
1. Gunnar Myrdal: India is soft state
1. Even Nehru failed in implementing land reforms
2. Atul Kohli: State in India lack capacity to confront propertied class
1. eg- Kerala and WB: reform successful because of ideology
3. Francine Frankel: Accommodative politics pursued by state has jeopardised the radical agenda
4. Sudipt Kaviraj and Pranab Bardhan: State in India express the interest of dominant class
5. Hamza Alvi; Over-developed state
9. Suggestions
1. Appears outdated. duty of intellectuals to bring it in public consciousness
2. Responsibility of civil society to organise peasants and landless labourers to create pressure on govt
3. Should take cognisance since has led to left wing extremism
4. Maintain land records, address loopholes
5. Constitute lok adalats to dispose off old legal disputes
6. Prevent agriculture land transferred to non-agricultural use