Question

Explain the types of land reforms implemented in the agriculture sector. 

Answer 1

Due to the above problems in the Indian agriculture, it was very necessary to undertake land reforms. Land reforms comprise of the following steps:-

1. Abolishing Intermediaries: The prime focus of land reforms was to abolish intermediaries like Zamindars, Jagirdars, etc. There were many steps undertaken to make the tillers, the owners of the land.
2. Regulation of Rent: The cultivators were exploited in the form of exorbitant rents. In the first five-year plan, the maximum rent fixed was one-fourth or one-fifth of the total farm produce (except in Punjab and Haryana, where it was `1/3` rd). The regulations of rent not only reduced the burden from the tenants but also enabled them with a greater portion of finance to invest on farms.
3. Consolidation of Holdings: As the land holdings were small and also fragmented, it was very necessary to consolidate the land holdings for the use of modern and advanced technology. The farmers were given consolidated holdings equal to the total of the land in their various fragmented plots. This enabled them the benefits associated with the large scale production.
4. Land Ceilings: It means legislated fixed amount of land that an individual may hold. The basic motive behind this step was to promote equality of ownership of land holdings. This eradicated the concentration of land holdings in a few hands. The government used to confiscate the excess land over the fixed amount of land and distribute it among the landless farmers.
5. Co-operative Farming: This step was taken to counter the problems due to sub-division of holdings. Small-scale farming by an individual landholder is neither profitable nor productive, so these steps encouraged different farmers to pool their farms and perform farming jointly. This enhanced the productivity and greater profits were shared by the individual farmers.