With reference to land reforms in independent India, which one of the following statements is correct?
The ceiling laws were aimed at family holdings and not individual holdings.
The major aim of land reforms was providing agricultural land to all the landless.
It resulted in cultivation of cash crops as a predominant form of cultivation.
Land reforms permitted no exemptions to the ceiling limits.
Answer is Wrong!
Answer is Right!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2019
Statement B is correct. A major aim of land reforms, particularly the imposition of ceiling limits on landholdings and redistribution of surplus land, was to provide agricultural land to the landless poor and marginal farmers, thereby reducing inequality and improving their economic status.
Statement C is incorrect. Land reforms aimed at structural changes in land ownership and tenancy. The shift towards cash crops is a complex phenomenon influenced by various factors like market demand, irrigation availability, technology, etc., and not a direct or primary outcome aimed for by land reforms.
Statement D is incorrect. Land ceiling laws included various exemptions, such as land held by plantations (tea, coffee, rubber, etc.), specialized farms (horticulture, dairy), and religious/charitable institutions. These exemptions were one of the reasons for the limited amount of surplus land available for redistribution.