Land Reforms History — Set 1
Indian Agriculture · भूमि सुधार इतिहास · Questions 1–10 of 120
Which British policy introduced the Permanent Settlement of 1793 in India?
Correct Answer: A. Cornwallis Code
The Permanent Settlement of 1793 was introduced by Lord Cornwallis through the Cornwallis Code in Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha. It fixed land revenue permanently and created a class of zamindars as proprietors of land. Zamindars had to pay a fixed sum to the British government or lose their land. This system entrenched landlordism and led to exploitation of peasants for over 150 years.
Under the Permanent Settlement of 1793, who was recognized as the owner of land?
Correct Answer: C. Zamindars
Under the Permanent Settlement, zamindars were recognized as the owners of land in Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha. They were given hereditary rights over land in exchange for paying a fixed annual revenue to the colonial government. Peasants who actually cultivated the land were reduced to the status of tenants with no ownership rights. This created a parasitic landlord class that extracted maximum rent from cultivators.
The Ryotwari system of land revenue was introduced primarily in which region?
Correct Answer: B. Madras and Bombay Presidencies
The Ryotwari system was introduced in Madras Presidency by Thomas Munro and in Bombay Presidency by Mountstuart Elphinstone. Under this system, the government settled directly with individual cultivators (ryots) without any intermediary landlord. Revenue was assessed on each plot and could be revised periodically, unlike the Permanent Settlement. Ryots who paid revenue were recognized as owners of their land.
The Mahalwari system of land settlement was mainly introduced in which region?
Correct Answer: C. North-Western Provinces and Punjab
The Mahalwari system was introduced in the North-Western Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh), Punjab, and parts of Central India. Under this system, the revenue settlement was made with the village community (mahal) collectively. The village headman or community was jointly responsible for paying revenue to the government. Individual holdings were recognized within the village but collective responsibility was maintained.
Which constitutional article empowers the state to enact laws for redistribution of material resources of the community?
Correct Answer: B. Article 39(b)
Article 39(b) of the Directive Principles of State Policy directs the state to ensure that ownership and control of material resources of the community are distributed to best serve the common good. This article provided the constitutional basis for land reform legislation including zamindari abolition and land ceiling laws. Article 39(c) further prohibits concentration of wealth to the common detriment. Together, these articles enabled comprehensive agrarian reforms after independence.
The 9th Schedule was added to the Indian Constitution to protect land reform laws from which challenge?
Correct Answer: B. Judicial review
The 9th Schedule was inserted by the First Constitutional Amendment Act of 1951 to shield land reform and zamindari abolition laws from judicial review. Laws placed in the 9th Schedule cannot be challenged in courts on grounds of violation of Fundamental Rights. This was done because zamindars were using courts to challenge land reform legislation under property rights (then Article 31). However, the Supreme Court in I.R. Coelho case (2007) held that 9th Schedule laws can be reviewed if they violate the Basic Structure.
Which constitutional amendment inserted the 9th Schedule to protect land reform laws?
Correct Answer: A. First Amendment, 1951
The First Constitutional Amendment Act of 1951 inserted the 9th Schedule and Articles 31A and 31B to protect land reform laws from judicial challenge. Article 31A protected laws for acquisition of estates, and Article 31B validated laws placed in the 9th Schedule. This was necessitated by zamindars challenging the Bihar and Uttar Pradesh zamindari abolition acts in courts. Thirteen laws were originally placed in the 9th Schedule, predominantly land reform laws.
Vinoba Bhave started the Bhoodan (land gift) movement in which year?
Correct Answer: B. 1951
Vinoba Bhave started the Bhoodan (land gift) movement in 1951 after visiting the village of Pochampally in Nalgonda district of Telangana (then Hyderabad state). He appealed to landlords to voluntarily donate one-sixth of their land to the landless poor as a gift. The movement was inspired by Gandhian principles of non-violence and voluntary redistribution. By the mid-1950s, millions of acres had been pledged, though actual distribution was often of poor-quality land.
In which village did Vinoba Bhave receive the first land donation that started the Bhoodan movement?
Correct Answer: C. Pochampally
Vinoba Bhave received the first land donation at Pochampally village in Nalgonda district of Telangana on April 18, 1951. A landlord named V. Ramachandra Reddy donated 100 acres for distribution among 40 Harijan families in the village. This spontaneous act inspired Vinoba to walk across India appealing for land gifts. Pochampally is now famous as the birthplace of the Bhoodan movement and also as an ikat weaving center.
The Gramdan movement, an extension of Bhoodan, aimed at converting entire villages into what?
Correct Answer: C. Common community ownership
The Gramdan movement, led by Vinoba Bhave, aimed at converting entire villages into common community ownership where all land would be pooled and managed collectively. Under Gramdan, villagers would donate all their land to the village community, surrendering individual ownership. The concept was inspired by Gandhian vision of village self-governance and cooperative living. Though thousands of gram-daan declarations were made in the 1950s–60s, actual implementation of collective farming was difficult.