Question 32 from UPSC CSE 2019 - Economics

Question

With reference to land reforms in independent India, which one of the following statements is correct?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. The major aim of land reforms was providing agricultural land to all the landless.

Strategy: Evaluate each option by recalling key objectives and features of land reforms. The major goal post-independence was redistributing land to the landless, ensuring security and ownership. Option (b) points directly to this. Options (a) and (d) can be eliminated by recognizing that ceiling laws varied by state and many exemptions existed; they were not uniformly based on family nor absolute. Option (c) is incorrect because the focus was on food security, not cash crops, especially post-Green Revolution. Hence, option (b) is correct, aligning with the fundamental aim of providing land to the landless.

Key Info: Land reforms in post-independence India referred to systematic governmental measures to redistribute land, reform tenancy, and rationalize holdings. The key objectives were: (1) abolition of intermediaries (like zamindars), (2) imposition of land ceiling laws to limit maximum holdings and redistribute surplus land to landless cultivators, (3) tenancy reforms to provide security and fair rents, and (4) consolidation of fragmented holdings for efficient agriculture.
- Ceiling on land holdings: Imposed limits on how much agricultural land one could hold, with surplus distributed to the landless. States varied in defining the 'unit' (family or individual) and provided exemptions for certain categories (like plantations, religious institutions, etc.). Post-1971, the family-based unit and stricter ceiling policies were promoted.
- Exemptions: Many exemptions existed, as per state policy, for plantations, cooperative farms, and certain institutions. The ceiling was thus not without exceptions.
- Cultivation patterns: Early years of independence emphasized increasing production of food crops over cash crops to address food scarcity and ensure food security, especially during and after the Green Revolution.
- Aim of reforms: Central to the reforms was providing land to the landless and marginal farmers to achieve greater social equity, enhance agricultural productivity, and reduce rural poverty. The Land Reforms Act, respective state legislations, and subsequent Five-Year Plans focused heavily on this redistribution.
- Ceilings and holdings: The ceiling was not universally defined by family or individual; this varied between states, and a uniform policy evolved only later.
- The land reforms process also included abolishing bonded labour and recognizing rights of tenants. Despite these ambitious aims, actual implementation varied across regions and states, often limited by political factors and administrative challenges.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: The ceiling laws were aimed at family holdings and not individual holdings.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option C: It resulted in the cultivation of cash crops as a predominant form of cultivation.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: Land reforms permitted no exemptions to the ceiling limits.