Question

Discuss why the colonial government in India brought in the following laws. In each case, explain how the law changed the lives of pastoralists:

Waste Land rules

Answer 1

Waste Land rules: The colonial government considered any uncultivated land as unproductive. If this land could be transformed into cultivated farmland, it would result in an increase in land revenue and production of crops such as jute, cotton and wheat. This is why the Waste Land rules were formulated. However, they sounded the death knell for pastoralists because the increase in cultivated land meant an obvious decline in pastures, and a consequent loss of a means of livelihood for them.