Geographical Appraisal of Land Reform Process in India: Retrospect's and Prospects Scenario for the Countryside's

Abstract

India is one of the rapidly developing and emerging economies of the world. There has been recorded continuous decline in the share of agriculture and allied sectors in its gross domestic product which is an expected outcome for a fast-growing and structurally changing economy. Ancient records show that, among the Indo-Aryans, arable land was held by family ownership. The British governed the land from 1750 to 1947. There are number of strategic issues in land governance and development under different plans and policies. Land reforms are connected with the right to life and livelihood of the huge rural population. The negative consequences of urban pull factors results into the upcoming of slums and squatter settlements. A chronological analysis of the past 12 Five Year Plans makes it clear that, since the inception of the Planning Commission, industrialisation has been equated with development. Land reform has remained been the focal point of the country's political and economic agenda. Land reform means the distribution of surplus land to small farmers and landless cultivators. So, the lessons learned from the experiences of India will also help other developing countries and in the global fight against hunger and poverty.