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

1. The ceiling laws were aimed at family holdings and not individual holdings.
2. The major aim of land reforms was providing agricultural land to all the landless.
3. It resulted in cultivation of cash crops as a predominant form of cultivation.
4. Land reforms permitted no exemptions to the ceiling limits.

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• The process of land reforms post-independence unfolded in two main phases. The first phase, referred to as the institutional reforms phase, began shortly after independence and lasted until the early 1960s. It emphasized:
  • Abolishing intermediaries like zamindars and jagirdars,
  • Implementing tenancy reforms that ensured tenant security, reduced rents, and granted ownership rights to tenants,
  • Imposing ceilings on landholdings,
  • Promoting cooperatives and community development programs.
• The central objective of Land Reforms was to achieve a more equitable distribution of land by transferring it from wealthy landlords to impoverished, landless peasants.

• The second phase, starting in the mid-to-late 1960s, marked the introduction of the Green Revolution, focusing primarily on technological reforms.

Answer: (b) The major aim of land reforms was providing agricultural land to all the landless; Difficulty Level: Easy