Land Reforms History — Set 3

Correct Answer: B. State of Bihar v. Kameshwar Singh

In State of Bihar v. Kameshwar Singh (1952), the Bihar Land Reforms Act 1950 was challenged by zamindars on grounds that it violated fundamental rights to property. The Supreme Court struck down certain provisions but upheld the overall zamindari abolition. This case prompted the First Constitutional Amendment to provide stronger protection for land reform laws. The case was a turning point that showed the constitutional framework needed adjustment to effectively implement agrarian reforms.

Correct Answer: D. 54 acres

After the Central government's 1972 guidelines for revised land ceiling legislation, the ceiling for unirrigated (dry) land was set at 54 acres for a family of five. For irrigated land with two crops, the ceiling was 27 acres, and for irrigated single-crop land, it was around 36 acres. States were required to revise their laws to conform to these stricter national guidelines. However, exemptions for orchards, sugar plantations, and religious endowments weakened actual implementation.

Correct Answer: B. About 73 lakh acres

By the early 2000s, approximately 73 lakh (7.3 million) acres were declared surplus under land ceiling laws across India. Of this, only about 53 lakh acres were actually acquired by governments, and even less was distributed to landless beneficiaries. The gap between declarations and actual redistribution was due to benami transfers, litigation, and administrative inefficiency. Scholars noted that land ceiling reforms achieved only partial success in addressing land concentration.

Correct Answer: C. 2013

The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act was passed in 2013, replacing the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 that had governed land acquisition for over 100 years. The 2013 Act provides for compensation at 2x market value in urban areas and 4x in rural areas. It mandates Social Impact Assessment and requires consent of 80% of affected families for private projects. The Act also provides for comprehensive rehabilitation and resettlement of displaced persons.

Correct Answer: B. British colonial period

The Land Acquisition Act of 1894 was enacted during the British colonial period and remained the primary law governing compulsory acquisition of private land for public purposes for 119 years. It allowed the government to acquire land by invoking public purpose without adequate compensation or resettlement. The law was widely criticized for treating displaced persons inadequately and was used for major infrastructure projects. The 2013 replacement Act incorporated much stronger protections for landowners and displaced communities.

Correct Answer: C. Scheduled Tribes and traditional forest dwellers

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, recognizes the rights of Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been living in forest land for generations. The Act recognizes individual rights (to live on and cultivate forest land), community rights (over community forest resources), and habitat rights (for particularly vulnerable tribal groups). It aims to correct the historical injustice caused to forest communities by colonial and post-colonial forest laws. Gram Sabha plays the central role in determining forest rights.

Correct Answer: C. Gram Sabha

The Gram Sabha (village assembly) is the primary authority to initiate the process of recognizing forest rights under the Forest Rights Act 2006. Claims are first verified by the Gram Sabha, then reviewed by Sub-Divisional Level Committees, District Level Committees, and finally State Level Monitoring Committees. This bottom-up approach was designed to ensure community participation and prevent bureaucratic delays. The Forest Rights Committee (FRC) at the gram sabha level does the ground-level verification work.

Correct Answer: C. 2020

The SVAMITVA scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on National Panchayati Raj Day, April 24, 2020. The scheme uses drones to conduct surveys of inhabited (abadi) land in rural areas to create accurate land records. Property cards (rights records) are issued to residents of villages under the scheme. The scheme aims to reduce property disputes, enable access to credit against property, and facilitate better village-level planning.

Correct Answer: C. Abadi (inhabited/residential) land

The SVAMITVA scheme specifically targets abadi land — the residential and inhabited areas within village boundaries, not agricultural land. Agricultural land records already existed through traditional revenue records, but residential land in villages often lacked proper documentation. The scheme uses drone technology to map these areas precisely and create property cards (rights records of houses). This enables rural homeowners to use their property as collateral for institutional credit.

Correct Answer: C. Drone-based mapping (Continuous Operating Reference Stations)

The SVAMITVA scheme uses drone-based mapping technology combined with Continuous Operating Reference Stations (CORS) network for high-precision geo-referencing. Drones are flown over inhabited areas to create large-scale maps at 1:500 scale. The Survey of India is the technical implementation partner for the scheme. Property cards generated through this technology are digitally signed and serve as legal documents for ownership of house/property.