land tenure
Land tenure system: Land is a gift of nature. We produce several things from the land. In India, in ancient times, the land belonged to the almighty or the society. Although the land is tilled by the individual farmer, the ultimate ownership of it rests in the government, who charge revenue from the individual farmer.
In India there came a time when a middle man appeared on the scene. He realized revenue from the individual farmer and paid something to the government. This was not at all a very healthy position. Land tenure system should be congenial for the development of land and also for agricultural production.
System of Land Tenure in Pre-Independent India: The land tenure system has a long history of its own. There are references to it even in the “Arthashastra’ of Kautilya. As stated in “Arthashastra”, the king was the sole proprietor of the land. According to other scriptures, the tiller of the land was practically regarded as the real owner of the land. The king only had the power to increase or decrease the land tax. The ancient system of land tax continued even during the Muslim rule with some modifications here and there. In the 16th century, Sher Shah Suri initiated land settlement operations for assessment and collection of land revenue. During the reign of Akbar, there was some improvement in the system.
The British rulers inherited a well-laid-out land system from the Mughals. The British administration modified or transformed the prevailing land tenures in such a manner as to secure the maximum revenue for the government from land tax. These changes resulted in the development of three types of land tenure systems.
1. The Zamindari System: The Zamindari system was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793 with a view to increasing the revenue of the East India Company. Under this settlement, the landlords were recognized as the full proprietors of the land. In return for this honor, the task of
In India there came a time when a middle man appeared on the scene. He realized revenue from the individual farmer and paid something to the government. This was not at all a very healthy position. Land tenure system should be congenial for the development of land and also for agricultural production.
System of Land Tenure in Pre-Independent India: The land tenure system has a long history of its own. There are references to it even in the “Arthashastra’ of Kautilya. As stated in “Arthashastra”, the king was the sole proprietor of the land. According to other scriptures, the tiller of the land was practically regarded as the real owner of the land. The king only had the power to increase or decrease the land tax. The ancient system of land tax continued even during the Muslim rule with some modifications here and there. In the 16th century, Sher Shah Suri initiated land settlement operations for assessment and collection of land revenue. During the reign of Akbar, there was some improvement in the system.
The British rulers inherited a well-laid-out land system from the Mughals. The British administration modified or transformed the prevailing land tenures in such a manner as to secure the maximum revenue for the government from land tax. These changes resulted in the development of three types of land tenure systems.
1. The Zamindari System: The Zamindari system was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793 with a view to increasing the revenue of the East India Company. Under this settlement, the landlords were recognized as the full proprietors of the land. In return for this honor, the task of
Bibliography: Land rights, gender equality and household food security: Exploring the conceptual links in the case of India. Online Article (2006) Agarwal, B. (2005, October 17). Women’s inheritance: Next steps. The Indian EXPRESS. Newspaper Article Identity, Gender and Poverty: New perspectives on caste and tribe in Rajasthan. Author :Unnithan-Kumar, M. (1997). Government of India. (2010). Census Data 2001- India at a glance- Religious Composition.