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Explain the Land Reforms Position in Pre-Independence Period

The history of land reforms in India in the pre-independence period is a history of colonial exploitation, agrarian distress, and the gradual awakening of the Indian peasantry to demand justice and security. The land tenure systems introduced and perpetuated by the British colonial administration created a class of absentee landlords who exploited millions of cultivators, while the colonial government extracted maximum revenue from the countryside without investing in agricultural development or the welfare of farmers. An understanding of the land tenure systems of the pre-independence period is essential for appreciating the significance of the land reform programme carried out by independent India and the constitutional provisions that were enacted to support it. Land Tenure Systems in Pre-Independence India The British colonial administration established three major systems of land tenure in different parts of India: 1. Zamindari System (Permanent Settlement) The Zamindari Sy...
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Explain the Features of Urban Land Ceiling and Regulation Act

The Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976 (ULCA) was a landmark piece of social legislation enacted by the Indian Parliament to deal with the problem of concentration of urban land in the hands of a few persons and to make land available for housing for the urban poor. The Act imposed a ceiling (upper limit) on the amount of vacant urban land that any person could hold and provided for the acquisition of land held in excess of the ceiling limit for distribution to the landless and the poor. The ULCA was enacted during the period of the Emergency (1975-1977) as part of the 20-point programme of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The Act was enacted under Entry 18 of the Concurrent List (land, land tenures, rights in or over land) of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. It is important to note that the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Repeal Act, 1999 repealed the ULCA in most states, and only a few states (like Maharashtra and some northeastern states) contin...
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What is Social Impact Assessment

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is one of the most innovative and important features of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (RFCTLARR Act, 2013). It is a systematic process of identifying, predicting, evaluating, and managing the social consequences of land acquisition before the acquisition takes place. The mandatory SIA requirement represents a significant departure from the old Land Acquisition Act, 1894 which had no such provision and allowed the government to acquire land without any assessment of its social impact. Meaning of Social Impact Assessment A Social Impact Assessment is a study that: Identifies all persons and communities likely to be affected by the proposed land acquisition Assesses the social and economic impact of the acquisition on those persons and communities Evaluates alternative sites that could serve the same purpose with less social disruption Determines the minimum area o...
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Constitutional Provisions Relating to Abolition of Zamindari, Jagir and Inam

The abolition of Zamindari, Jagir, and Inam systems was one of the most revolutionary and socially transformative aspects of post-independence land reform in India. These systems were colonial-era land tenure arrangements under which large tracts of land were held by landlords (Zamindars, Jagirdars, and Inamdars) who extracted rents from the actual cultivators while the latter had little or no security of tenure. The abolition of these intermediary systems was essential for implementing agrarian reform and achieving the constitutional goal of social and economic justice. Meaning of Zamindari, Jagir, and Inam Zamindari System: Under the Zamindari system (introduced by the British through the Permanent Settlement of 1793 ), large landlords called Zamindars were recognized as the owners of vast areas of agricultural land. The Zamindars collected rents from the actual cultivators (ryots/tenants) and paid a fixed amount to the government as revenue. The Zamindars had no obligation to inv...
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