Understanding the Indian Economy from the Post-Reforms of 1991

CHAPTER 4

Institutional Change in Indian Agriculture: Land Reforms

The question of land reform is very close to the center of development policy in India. This chapter discusses land reform and briefly reviews the country’s land reform history, objectives, components, performance, and obstacles in the way of the speed and intensity of implementation leading to the failure of land reform. Land reform is usually introduced by government initiative or in response to internal and external pressures, to resolve or prevent an economic, social, or political crisis. Thus, land reform may be considered a problem-solving mechanism.

Concept of Land Reform

The concept of land reform has varied over time, based on the range of functions that land itself has ...