UPSC Prelims 2019 Q2: Indian Economy – Agriculture & Rural Development
- (a) The ceiling laws were aimed at family holdings and not individual holdings.
- (b) The major aim of land reforms was providing agricultural land to all the landless.
- (c) It resulted in cultivation of cash crops as a predominant form of cultivation.
- (d) Land reforms permitted no exemptions to the ceiling limits.
Answer: (b) The major aim of land reforms was providing agricultural land to all the landless.
Explanation
Land Reforms in Independent India: Aims and Outcomes
| Option | Claim | Verdict | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) | Ceilings aimed at family, not individual holdings | FALSE | Initial ceiling laws (1950s-60s) targeted individual holdings. Only after the 1972 national guidelines did states shift to family as the ceiling unit. |
| (b) | Major aim = agricultural land to all the landless | TRUE | Central objective of land reforms - abolition of intermediaries, tenancy reform and ceiling & redistribution - was redistributive justice for landless labourers and marginal peasants. |
| (c) | Resulted in cash crops as predominant cultivation | FALSE | Land reforms did not cause a shift to cash crops. The Green Revolution (wheat/rice) and market forces did. |
| (d) | No exemptions to ceiling limits | FALSE | Numerous exemptions were allowed - plantations (tea, coffee, rubber), orchards, religious/charitable land, cooperative farms. This is why redistribution was limited. |
Answer: (b) The major aim of land reforms was providing agricultural land to all the landless.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Ceiling laws first targeted individuals; the family-as-unit norm came only after the 1972 guidelines.
- (b) CORRECT. The core aim was redistributive - abolition of intermediaries and giving land to the tiller/landless.
- (c) Incorrect. Cash crop dominance was driven by Green Revolution and market policy, not land reforms.
- (d) Incorrect. Ceiling laws had extensive exemptions (plantations, orchards, religious lands), which is a key reason redistribution was modest.
Key point
Land reforms goal = land to the landless. Three pillars: (i) abolition of intermediaries (zamindari), (ii) tenancy reforms, (iii) ceilings & redistribution. Exemptions and evasion (benami holdings) blunted the ceiling laws.
Remember
The main objective of land reforms in independent India was to provide agricultural land to the landless and abolish exploitative intermediaries. Other options misstate the design (ceilings were on individuals, exemptions existed) or attribute outcomes (cash crops) that came from the Green Revolution, not reforms.
Common mistakes
- Confusing land reform aims with Green Revolution outcomes. Reforms aimed at equity; Green Revolution aimed at productivity.
- Assuming ceiling laws had no exemptions. Plantations and religious lands were widely exempted - a major loophole.
- Thinking family was always the ceiling unit. It became so only after the 1972 national guidelines.
Exam tip
Land reforms mantra: Abolition of intermediaries succeeded (zamindari abolished 1950s); tenancy and ceiling laws had partial success due to loopholes, delays and political resistance. Objective was always land to the tiller/landless.
Sources
- NCERT Class 11 - Indian Economic Development (Agriculture chapter)
- Planning Commission - Report of the Task Force on Agrarian Relations (1973)