Land Reforms History — Set 5

Correct Answer: C. Individual cultivating peasants

A 'ryot' (also spelled 'raiyat') refers to an individual cultivating peasant or farmer in the Indian land revenue context. Under the Ryotwari system, each ryot held land directly from the government and was responsible for paying revenue. The word comes from Arabic 'ra'iyya' meaning flock or subjects. Ryots contrasted with zamindars (landlords) and were the actual cultivators who faced the burden of revenue payment, rent, and indebtedness throughout colonial history.

Correct Answer: C. Fifth and Final Report 2006

The National Commission on Farmers under M.S. Swaminathan submitted five reports between 2004 and 2006. The fifth and final report (October 2006) addressed land reforms comprehensively, recommending distribution of ceiling surplus land, preventing diversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural purposes, and a Land Authority to maintain agricultural land banks. The Commission emphasized that land security is fundamental to farmer welfare. The reports also recommended land leasing reforms to enable formal tenancy.

Correct Answer: B. Multi-layered rent-collecting classes between state and cultivator

Abolition of intermediaries targeted the multi-layered structure of zamindars, sub-zamindars, talukdars, jagirdars, inamdars, and other rent collectors who stood between the state and the actual cultivator. Under the colonial system, revenue was collected through these intermediaries who extracted a large share as rent. Post-independence abolition laws vested these lands in the state, compensated the intermediaries (usually through government bonds), and established direct relationship with cultivators. The abolition affected about 20 million tenants across India.

Correct Answer: A. Tenant with permanent, heritable, and transferable rights

An occupancy tenant had permanent, heritable, and often transferable tenancy rights recognized under colonial tenancy laws. They could not be arbitrarily evicted as long as they paid rent, and their rights passed to heirs. This category emerged from colonial tenancy legislation like the Bengal Tenancy Act 1885. Post-independence land reforms built on this by conferring full ownership rights on occupancy tenants in many states, completing the journey from tenant to owner.

Correct Answer: B. 6 months

Under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013, the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) must be completed within 6 months. The SIA examines the impact of proposed land acquisition on the community, including displacement, loss of livelihood, and impact on social infrastructure. After SIA, an Expert Group reviews it and the Appropriate Government decides whether to proceed. This process was designed to prevent arbitrary acquisition as under the 1894 Act.

Correct Answer: C. 4x

The Right to Fair Compensation Act 2013 provides compensation at four times (4x) the market value for land acquired in rural areas and two times (2x) for urban areas. Additionally, the Act provides solatium (100% of compensation) and provisions for rehabilitation and resettlement. The market value is determined by the collector based on sale deeds, registered in the preceding 3 years. This was a significant improvement over the 1894 Act which provided only basic market value with a 30% solatium.

Correct Answer: D. 80%

The Land Acquisition Act 2013 requires the prior consent of at least 80% of the affected families for land acquisition for private company projects. For public-private partnership (PPP) projects, consent of 70% of affected families is required. For purely government projects, no specific consent percentage is mandated but consultation processes must be followed. This consent requirement was controversial, with industry arguing it would delay infrastructure projects, while farmers' groups supported it as protection against forced displacement.

Correct Answer: B. Acquired land is not used for the specified purpose within 5 years

Section 101 of the Land Acquisition Act 2013 provides that if acquired land remains unutilized for the specified purpose for 5 years, it should be returned to the original owners or put in the land bank. This was a significant reform over the 1894 Act under which government could acquire land for some purpose and then use it for entirely different purposes or sit on it indefinitely. The provision aims to prevent speculative land acquisition. Original owners or their legal heirs would get priority if land is returned.

Correct Answer: B. Wrongful dispossession of SC/ST land is an atrocity under the Act

The SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989 includes wrongful dispossession of land belonging to SC/ST persons as one of the offences constituting an atrocity. This recognizes that taking away land from marginalized communities is a form of social oppression beyond mere property crime. The Act provides stringent punishment and has special provisions for SC/ST complainants including presumption in their favor. Land-related atrocities have been among the most frequently reported offences under this Act.

Correct Answer: C. About 42 lakh acres

The Bhoodan movement collected pledges of approximately 42 lakh (4.2 million) acres of land across India by the mid-1960s. However, of this, only about 13 lakh acres were actually distributed to landless poor, as much of the donated land was unfit for cultivation, involved in legal disputes, or was of very poor quality. The movement's greatest impact was moral and political rather than in actual land redistribution. States like Bihar, UP, and Andhra Pradesh saw the most Bhoodan activity.