Land Tenure and Reforms

Introduction: 

The stigma of Indian Agriculture is the highly defective structure of its land holdings.The measures of land reforms aim at correcting it. The term 'land reforms' involves procurement and redistribution of large holdings of agricultural land among the small farmers and landless agricultural labourers. It is an instrument to bring about improvements in the institutional framework of land.The responsibility of land reforms is owned by the government with a view of benefiting those who either have petty holdings or have no land at all.  As big land owners are quite unlikely to share their holdings with their landless counterparts, intervention by the government using force of law/legislation is necessary to secure social justice for the masses.

Land Tenure System:

Land tenure may be defined as the system in which land is held by an individual or the actual tiller of the land; it determines his rights and responsibilities in connection with his holding. Obviously, land tenure system refers to law/rules and regulations which confer ownership rights upon an individual or actual tiller of the soil. It determines the status of the actual tiller of the land and his relations with the state.

1. Zamindari System: (introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1876)

In Zamindari system, there is a separation of ownership of land from its cultivators. Under this system, one person known as zamindar owns a village and is responsible for the payment of land revenues to the government. This system existed in West Bengal, some parts of U.P, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Now this system has been abolished. It consisted of 2 types: 

Permanent Settlement: The land revenue is fixed for permanent basis.

Temporary Settlement: Land revenue was assessed for a period ranging between 20 to 40 years

Merits

1. Zamindars were faithful to the government.
2. Government receives fixed revenue every year without botheration.
3. Zamindars – leaders of the village and help the cultivators.


Demerits
1. Quality of cultivation suffered.
2. The problem of ‘Absentee of Landlordism’.
3. Based on Exploitation.
4. Sub-renting
5. Insecurity of farmers.
6. Torture of the Agents of Zamindar.
7. Farmers lost interest in the land.

Characteristics of Indian Agriculture

1. Agriculture is the livelihood for the bulk of the rural population

2. Agricultural products meant for self consumption

3. Agriculture is linked with social institution

4. Lack of specialization

5. Lack of investment

6. Less nutritive value

7. Pre-dominance of small farmers

8. Population explosion

9. Bonded laboure

10. Uneconomic and scattered holding

11. Depends on monsoon

12. Traditional and defective method of cultivation

Problems of Indian Agriculture

1. Old and unskilled methods.

2. Old kinds of tools.

3. Undeveloped varieties of seeds.

4. Small and scattered farms.

5. Shortage in means of irrigation.

6. Shortage of manure.

7. Destruction of crops by insects.

8. Defective tenure system.

9. Poor livestock and other equipment.

10. Poor marketing and transport facilities.

11. Poor health of agriculturists.

12. Illiteracy of the farmers.

13. Conservatism of Indian farmers.

14. Indebtedness.

Importance of Agriculture in Rural Economy

India is a predominantly agricultural country. The majority of the Indians are engaged in agriculture. More than 70% of the Indian population lives in villages in rural economy

1. Means of Livelihood for bulk of population in the country.

2. Main source of National Income.

3. Source of raw materials for Industries.

4. Provides solution to the food problems and also fodder for animals health.

5. Main source of export.

6. Basis of the economic structure.

7. Helps in development of transport and communication.

8. Backbone of Indian economic development.

Rural Economic Structure

Introduction:

• The Rural Economy in India is wholly agriculture based and it is of tremendous importance because it has vital supply and demand links with the other Indian industries. 

• Agriculture is the main stay of the Indian economy, as it constitutes the backbone of rural India which inhabitants more than 70% of total Indian population. 

• Most of the village people are dependent on agriculture and allied occupations.

•  Further, Rural Economy in India has been playing an important role towards the overall economic growth and social growth of India. 

•  India has been predominantly an agriculture-based country and it was the only source of livelihood in ancient time. During prehistoric time when there was no currency system the India economy system followed barter system for trading i.e. the excess of agricultural produce were exchanged against other items. 

• The agriculture produce and system in India are varied and thus offers a wide agricultural product portfolio. 

Professionals other than farmers;

1. Priests: (well respected, performed all the religious and other ceremonies in the villages)

2. Carpenters: (Responsible for making and repairing agricultural implements, bullock carts, furniture and other households.

3. Blacksmiths: (helps in manufacturing and repairing agricultural equipment and provides help to the carts and other means of communication to the villagers.)

4. Barbers: (Apart from shaving and hair cutting of farmers they play an important role in the settlement and the arrangement of the marriages and acts as a messenger in the village and carries the messages to others and nearby villages.)

5. Washerman: (He washes and irons the clothes of the villagers. He is also plays an important role in certain ceremonies of the village. He was given a part of crops by farmers.)

6. Cobblers: (Apart from making shoes he is also responsible for the cleanliness of the village.)

7. Shepherds: (They only found in hilly villages. They make blankets and other woolen clothes.)

8. Shopkeepers: (They run small shops and sell goods of day-to-day needs of the villagers.)

Rural Sociology and India

The constitution of independent India has already fixed the goal towards which Indian society is to develop. A secular state based on universal franchise and with welfare of its citizens as its prime objective as provided for in the DPSP in the constitution, is the national ideal which has emerged after the transfer of power. If we want to achieve this goal, proper attention should be given to the rural people to create a social and cultural atmosphere

1. India lives in villages and the villages are the Centre of Indian Culture.

2. India is a classic land of agriculture and the poverty of this country can only be renewed when agriculture is improved.

3. Solution of rural problems can bring about change in rural society.

4. The country and its society can be reconstructed only through rural reconstruction.

5. In the interest of democratic decentralization village community has to be studied in totality.

6. Diversified cultural pattern.

Importance of Demography

With the majority of developing countries facing population explosion, the study of population and its problems has become very important in every sphere. They are:

1. Economic planning 

2. Social Planning

3. Political Planning

4. Education planning

5. Employment planning

6. Health Planning

7. Housing Planning

1. Economic Planning: The importance of study of population in the field of economic is must. It is with the help of population study the Nations comes to know how far the rate of population growth is keeping pace with that of economic development and in case both are not keeping pace with each other and how to adjust it? If the population growth rate is faster than the economic growth rate then there will be economic crises, poverty, inadequate food supply, shortages, result in high mortality rate, poor health, and low physical activities and consequently the low productivity. 

2. Social planning: Population study is much advanced in social field. The society comes to know what basic social needs are required for the growing population. It helps in finding out of extra facilities like electricity, water, housing, school, hospitals and other similar social needs. 

3. Political planning: Population study is significant because the political authority come to know about the rate at which number of voters are increased hence the generation gap gradually increasing in National and International politics. The Politician are interested to know which are pockets of new concentration?, where most stress should be laid? And what type of arrangement should be needed for conduct election? etc. Population study helps to find the solution for these questions.

4. Educational planning: Every nation today is concerned with providing proper education to its citizens. Education planning for children requires demo-graphical planning. This is also required in the case of uneducated adults. The demo-graphical assignment of wide spread illiteracy and quantum of education requires is necessary prevalence to all educational planning.

5. Employment planning: these days employment is international problem. Unemployment, under employment is fast growing not only economic backward country also most develop Nations. 

6. Health planning: persistent high fertility causes health problem for both mother and child. In most of the develop countries man and women are characterized by continuous nutritional drain for repeated pregnancy, curtailment of breast feeding are some important causes of high infant mortality. 

7. Housing planning: Demand for housing increases with the increase in size of population. Therefore data for mortality, fertility, migration and family formation provides bases of estimate of housing required. According to estimate 22 million housing unit in urban area and 150 million in rural area require housing facilities. The increasing in urban population, migration etc, creates housing problem, intern it leads to development of slums and other anti-social activities.