Land reforms refer to institutional measures directed towards altering the existing pattern of ownership and management of land. Land reforms are necessary to ensure that the vagaries of time do not endanger the productivity of agricultural land.
India is facing a problem of fragmented landholdings at present, with nearly 67% of Indian farmers possessing land holdings below 1 hectare. Appropriate reforms in this case would be cooperative farming to ensure viability and proper tenancy laws to ensure that the tenant farmers and not the land owners get the benefit of the schemes meant for agriculture.
Post-independence, the following land reforms were undertaken in India:
First phase (till 1960s)
1. Abolition of Zamindari
2. Tenancy laws (security of tenure, decrease in rent, ownership rights to tenants)
3. Land-ceiling laws
4. Placing the above laws in 9th schedule to make them immune from judicial review
5. Land acquisition acts by states such as Rajasthan and Punjab in 1953.
6. Bhoodan and Gramdan movements to encourage voluntary giving up of excess land and redistribution.
7. Cooperativization.
Second phase
Green Revolution (technological reform)
Right to property [A. 19(1)(f)] was abolished as a fundamental right
Factors that led to success of land reforms:
1. Political will to insert the 9th schedule in the constitution and abolish the right to property.
2. Land being a state subject, these land reforms were particularly successful in states of Kerala and West Bengal, which had communist governments for several decades.
3. Increasing literacy and awareness regarding land rights and constitutional provisions.
4. Advent of various NGOs and cooperatives that helped farmers reap the benefits of such laws.
5. High yield variety (HYV) seeds, inorganic fertilizers and subsidies on diesel and electricity that increased productivity manifold during Green Revolution.
Land reforms are an ongoing process, and the post-independence reforms helped several landless farmers get their fair share of landholdings. It is imperative that newer reforms such as proper crop rotation, organic farming and sustainable agriculture be promoted now, in view of the present scenario.
