A report, titled ‘Land Squeeze’ has been released by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) showcases pressures on land leading to land inequality in India and across the globe.
Steps taken to address land inequality in India
Post-Independence Era
- Abolition of the Zamindari system removed the layer of intermediaries who stood between the cultivators and the state.
- Tenancy abolition attempted either to outlaw tenancy altogether or regulated rents to give some security to the tenants and was most successful in West Bengal and Kerala.
- Land Ceiling Acts imposed an upper limit on the amount of land that can be owned by a particular family.
- Bhoodan Movement initiated by Acharya Vinova Bhave aimed at provisioning of land by gift for the common benefit of the landless.
Post 2000
- Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition Of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (Forest Rights Act, 2006) to ensure land tenure, livelihood and food security of the forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dweller.
- Ministry of Panchayati Raj’s Svamitva Scheme provides legal ownership cards to the property owners by mapping land parcels using drone technology.
- Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013 to ensure a humane, participative, informed and transparent process for land acquisition for industrialisation
- Model Tenancy Act aims to balance the rights of all types of tenant and landlords and create an accountable and transparent ecosystem for renting of premises in disciplined and efficient manner.
