UPSC Mains 2023 · GS III · Q4 · 10 marks · 150 words

State the objectives and measures of land reforms in India. Discuss how land ceiling policy on landholding can be considered as an effective reform under economic criteria.

हिन्दी में

भारत में भूमि सुधार के उद्देश्यों एवं उपायों को बताइए। आर्थिक मापदंडों के अंतर्गत, भूमि जोत पर भूमि सीमा नीति को कैसे एक प्रभावी सुधार माना जा सकता है, विवेचना कीजिए।

Land Reforms

How a topper answered the closest question

Toppers wrote this one in a test series: “'Unfinished agenda of land reforms sustains the socio-economic disparities in rural India.' Discuss.”

VikasAIR 27 · CSE 2025 · 176 wordsTheir whole copy

Opening · a definition

Land reforms were the process of land redistribution, abolition of zamindari system under the slogan of "land to tiller". e.g. Gramdaan & Bhoodan movement.

Body · points

Failure of land reforms

  1. 85% of farmers are still small or marginal farmers with less then 2 hectare of land.
  2. Tenants and labourers donot have any agricultural land.
  3. Corruption, weakness of laws & insufficient implementation led to failure of land reforms.

Socio economic disparities in rural areas:

  1. Tenants and labourers remained marginalised with no agricultural development.
  2. Green revolution too benefited the large farmers.
  3. small farmers face the hurdles of land fragmentation.
  4. unviability of small agricultural holdings has led to agrarian distress (eg average landholding is 1.06 hectares).

Way Ahead:

a. Land Reforms 2.0 → Digitisation of land records through Bhu-Aadhar, Swamitva yojana etc.

b. Lewis Model of Growth, transferring excess labour to other sectors.

c. small farmer, large field concept, farmer producer organisations, SHG's, cooperative farming shall be promoted.

Close · a way forward

Land Reforms 2.0 is necessary to counter agrarian distress & rural prosperity for a New India.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) Examination 2023, General Studies Paper III, Q4. The paper on upsc.gov.in. Themes and links to toppers’ answers are by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.