Land Reforms

After the British left, India had to undo a lot of damage they had done to
our economy and society. One such system of the British Raj that independent India
had to correct was the zamindari system. To promote equity the government introduced
land reforms. Let us see how this was implemented.

Land Reforms

During the British times, the tillers of the lands were not its owners. So a farmer did
not have actual ownership of the land. The ownership was with the intermediaries, i.e.
the zamindars, jagidars etc. The farmer would farm the land and pay rent to these
zamindars.

This did not motivate the zamindars to invest in the farm or invest in
the agricultural practices. They were only focussed on collecting their rent. And as you
can imagine the farm and the farmer both suffered.

But after independence, the government realized that the agricultural output was not
sufficient for the whole country. One way to boost the produce was to make the tillers
of the land its owner. And so efforts were made to abolish the intermediaries and this
was known as the land reforms.

Objectives of the Land Reforms

The government of a newly independent India had a few objectives in mind to
implement these land reforms. Let us take a look at the few important ones
  The main objective was to bring systematic and complete changes to the
agrarian structure of the country.

 Its other main aim was to abolish the intermediaries of the semi-feudal
landlordism system of India, i.e. get rid of the zamindars

 Bring about equity in the economy and society and ensure social justice for
past atrocities towards farmers

 The land reforms would also prevent any exploitation of the tenant farmers
by the hands of the landlords

 And finally to motivate these farmers and implement practices to increase

agricultural output.
Steps Implemented under the Land Reforms
Immediately after independence, many states in India passed the Zamindari Abolition
Act. In the states of Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar etc the surplus land of the
landlords were seized by the states. Although the Supreme Court found the act
unconstitutional, the legislature amended the article and corrected their actions.

By the abolition of intermediaries of all types, nearly 2 crore tenants became owners of
their own lands. The tenure laws were updated and the land reforms were finally
showing some positive results.

The other important step taken was the imposition of the land ceiling. This law fixes
the total amount of land an individual or family can hold. Not only does the law
implement the fixation of the ceiling, it also allows the government to take over the
surplus land. Such land was then distributed among landless farmers or small farmers.
The imposition of such a ceiling was to deter the concentration of land in the hands of
a few.

The reforms also promoted consolidation of holdings. If a farmer had a few plots of
land in the village, under this scheme these lands would be consolidated into one big
piece of land. This can be done by the purchase or exchange of land. Actually, one
problem of agriculture in India is that the land parcels are too small for commercial
farming. This method can solve the problem of land fragmentation.
To solve the problems of land subdivision and lack of financing the government also
began promoting co-operative farming. Here farmers can pool their lands and
resources and gain the advantages of economies of scale and capital investment. But
co-operative farming in India has only seen limited success.

Importance of Land Reforms

The main incentive of these land reforms is to act as an incentive for the farmers and
the cultivators of the land. If the government can assure their protection (from
exploitation) and provide them financial help, these farmers are willing to do the hard
work. Once he is actually granted ownership he can raise credit and cultivate his land
to the full potential.

Another major advantage of such land reforms is that they can increase the agricultural
output of the country. This is done without any major influx of capital by the state.
India was anyways struggling with food self-sufficiency. These land reforms were a
cost-free method to increase grain and agricultural output from farms. And once the
farmer is self-sufficient he will sell the market surplus and help the economy.

These land reforms also helped in establishing a relationship between the farmers and
the government. During the British rule these farmers were heavily exploited and
hence they became disenfranchised. These reforms opened a dialogue between the
government and the farmers. They both cooperated to boost the agricultural sector of
our economy.

And land reforms fulfilled one of the major goals of the five-year plan – Equity. It
provided social justice to the crores of farmers across the country. It made sure the
farmers benefitted from their own labour and promoted equality of wealth.

UPSC Study Notes

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Here
The Zamindari System, introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793 was most prevalent in Bengal, Bihar,
and Orissa and was later introduced in Varanasi and Madras. Prior to Independence, 19% of the Indian
land was under Zamindari System. Zamindars were the intermediaries who originally trace their identity
as kings who were overthrown by the British but eventually gave their lands back through an agreement.
This gave them power over vast landholdings and the right to collect taxes from their peasants. The
Zamindari System was decided to be abolished as part of Land Reforms since they were destructing the
farmers. This article will explain to you about Abolition of the Intermediaries (Zamindari
System) which will be helpful in preparing the Agriculture Syllabus for the UPSC Civil Service exam.

Table of Contents

 Zamindari System
 Zamindari System - Features
 Abolition of Intermediaries -
Background
 Abolition of Zamindari System
 Abolition of Intermediaries -
Advantages
 Abolition of Intermediaries -
Disadvantages
 Conclusion
 FAQs
 MCQs

Plights of Zamindari System

What is Zamindari System?

 Under his Permanent Settlement Act, Lord Cornwallis, who served as governor-general of India
from 1786 to 1793, established the Zamindari System.
 The Zamindari System originally aided the Rulers' collection of land income, but over an ill-
defined period of time, it degenerated into a system designed to further the Zamindars' financial
interests, which entailed serious mistreatment of the tillers.
  In order to encourage two different types of zamindars—one who owned exclusive rights to the
land (Primary Zamindars) and others who served as middlemen for various leases (Intermediary
Zamindars)—the zamindar system was set up.
 According to this, the Primary Zamindars' money would be collected by the Intermediary
Zamindars, who would then deposit it in the imperial treasury.
 Despite having a range of wealth, these Zamindars developed a dependence on the need for
lawfulness in their own lands as a result of many advantages.

Basic Structure of Zamindari System

Other Relevant Links

Tenancy
Ceilings on Landholdings
Reforms

Bhoodan
Gramdan Movement
Movement

Reasons for Failure of Cooperative

Land reforms Farming
Zamindari System - Features
 The system recognized zamindars as landowners who leased their properties to tenant farmers
in exchange for a portion of the crop's proceeds.
 In return, the zamindar was required to pay the British Government a set
amount. Peasants were heavily exploited as a result of this.
 There is a separation of cultivators' responsibilities in the Zamindari System.
 In this system, a single person—the Zamindar—claims a town and is responsible to the
government for the payment of land earnings.
 The Mughal Era saw the conversion of laborers into tenant farmers and the denial of land
titles, along with other rights and privileges.
 Through numerous intermediary authorities, the zamindars collected the land rents.
 As a result of this approach, gatherers had formed staggered positions under the Zamindar.
 The working class was relegated to despicable neediness and dependant on the difficulty of their
offer in agricultural produce. 57% of the country's developed land was under this revenue
arrangement.
Abolition of Intermediaries - Background
 By the time India gained independence, intermediaries such as Zamindars, Talukdars,
Jagirdars, and Inams had dominated the agricultural sector.
 Naturally, the abolition of intermediary tenures was given top priority.
 Congress had long been committed to the idea of eliminating intermediaries between peasants
and the state.
 Soon after independence, various states passed legislation to abolish the Zamindari system.
 In Madras, the first Act to abolish intermediaries was passed in 1948. Since then, state after state
has repealed Zamindari rights through legislation.
 By 1955, almost all states had completed the process of eliminating intermediaries.
Abolition of Zamindari System
 The most significant land reforms following Independence were the abolition of the Zamindari
System.
 Even before the Indian Constitution was adopted, multiple Zamindari Abolition Bills were
introduced.
 Zamindari Abolition Measures were introduced by Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam,
and Bombay; however, the zamindars resisted the bills and the agrarian reforms were postponed.
 As a result, the First Amendment Act of the Constitution altered the right to property.
 The zamindari system was eliminated in Independent India shortly after the Indian Constitution
altered the right to property under Articles 19 and 31.
 The zamindars disputed the validity of the laws when various zamindari-related legislation was
created.
 Many zamindars kept their land because they were permitted to keep it in specific places for
their own personal cultivation.
 The goal of the Zamindari System Abolition was to eliminate zamindars, or middlemen,
between the government and the peasantry.
 And after the State reclaimed the land ownership title from the zamindars, compensation was
given to them.
Abolition of Intermediaries - Advantages
 As a result of the removal of intermediaries, it is estimated that approximately 2 crore tenants
have come into direct contact with the State, making them landowners.
 The elimination of intermediaries has resulted in the extinction of a parasite class.
 More lands have been transferred to the government for distribution to landless farmers.
 The state now owns a large amount of cultivable wasteland and private forests owned by the
intermediaries.
Abolition of Intermediaries - Disadvantages
 The elimination of intermediaries imposed a significant burden on the state budget. The ex-
intermediaries were compensated in cash and bonds totaling Rs. 670 crores.
 It resulted in widespread eviction. Large-scale eviction, in turn, has created a slew of social,
economic, administrative, and legal issues.
 Instead of the abolition of official landlords, absentee landlords emerged as a class.
 As a result, the claim made in official documents about the elimination of intermediaries lacks
logical support. The truth is that it has only changed its appearance.
Conclusion
The primary goal of agrarian land reform was to alter the revenue structure in a way that would benefit
small and marginal farmers. Numerous peasants and sharecroppers were able to obtain the land ownership
title once the zamindari system was abolished. The idea of a zamindar was eliminated since the removal
of zamindari rendered bonded labor a crime. By that point, the zamindari system had been abolished,
resulting in about 20 million former tenants becoming owners.

Other Relevant Links

Agriculture Notes Land Reforms in India

Scope and Problems of Indian

 Importance of
Agriculture
Agriculture

Agricultural
Green revolution
Revolutions in India

Factors determining
Agriculture Allied
cropping pattern in
Sectors
India

Farming Systems Major Crops of India

FAQs
Question: What is the abolition of intermediaries?

Question: What are the advantages of abolition of the zamindari system?

Question: What is the zamindari system?
UPSC Mains Practice Questions:

 Establish the relationship between land

reforms, agricultural productivity, and
elimination of poverty in the Indian
economy. Discuss the difficulties in
designing and implementing agriculture–
friendly land reforms in India. (UPSC 2013)
 Give your assessment of land reforms in
India. (UPSC 1997)
 Immediately after Independence, Land
reform measures were initiated to achieve
the twin objective of increasing
agricultural production and attainment of
social justice. What types of measures
have been taken by the State to achieve
the objectives and with what results?
What is the role of the Union Government
in this? (UPSC 1983)
MCQs
Question: Consider the following statements on Zamindari System:
 The Zamindari System was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793.
 Zamindars were originally the kings overthrown by the British.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) See the Explanation
Question: Which of the following statements regarding the Zamindari system is not true?
(a) It was originally implemented in Bengal.
(b) The landowner became the legal owner of the property.
(c) Zamindar provided the British 80% of the total tax while keeping the other 20%.
(d) 19% of India's land was subject to this practice before Independence.
Answer: (c) See the Explanation
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official
website of the exam.