QUESTION 3
GS3
10 marks
How did land reforms in some parts of the country help to improve the socio-economic conditions of marginal and small farmers?
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Explain how land reforms in particular states improved the lives of small and marginal farmers.
ExplainMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point.
Demand-wise check
- 1Types: zamindari abolition, tenancy reform, ceiling and redistribution, consolidation of holdings≈30 words
- 2Success stories: West Bengal (Operation Barga), Kerala (land to tiller, 1969), Jammu and Kashmir (Big Landed Estates Abolition Act 1950)≈30 words
- 3Benefits: security of tenure, higher productivity, dignity, reduced bonded labour, political empowerment≈30 words
- 4Limits: patchy implementation elsewhere; today's issues (land records, leasing law)≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Types of reformsState examples with outcomesBenefitsLimitsConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Generic list of reforms with no state example
- Not linking reforms to socio-economic outcomes
Draw this
- Map with successful reform states marked
Value addition
- ExampleOperation Barga (1978 onward) registered about 1.5 million sharecroppers in West Bengal, giving them secure tenure and a fixed crop share.Government of West Bengal / Banerjee, Gertler and Ghatak (2002)
- DataBanerjee, Gertler and Ghatak (2002) found Operation Barga raised farm productivity by about 20%.Journal of Political Economy, 2002
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 7 minutes, then get it checked.