Subject: GS 3
Syllabus:
- Land reforms in India.
- Effects of liberalisation on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
Questions
- Land reform is an ongoing task since independence which has succeeded only in a few pockets. Discuss the need of land reforms and what are the problems in it. (150 Words, 10 Marks)
- Organic farming is gathering pace and has a lot of potential in many ways. Discuss the factors that are favourable for organic farming in India and the challenges that need to be addressed. (250 Words, 15 Marks)
Model Structure
1. Land reform is an ongoing task since independence which has succeeded only in a few pockets. Discuss the need of land reforms and what are the problems in it. (150 Words, 10 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction
- Land reforms include all exercises that involve redistributing land to the landless and bringing parity in the society so that all sections of society have access to land.
- It aims at improving the income and bargaining power of the weaker sections of society.
Main Body
- In the past, land ownership belonged to the zamindars and jagirdars, and the actual cultivators of land didn’t have any ownership rights. Tenant exploitation was rampant, and there was a proliferation of intermediaries due to land leases.
- Need for land reforms
- Socialism is a part of the basic structure of the constitution and also the directive principles, which make land redistribution indispensable.
- Ensure that the land ceiling helps take surplus land from big farmers to small and marginal farmers.
- Ensure better agricultural productivity and involve women also in the development process.
- It will also protect tribals from getting evicted from their land.
- Address the issue of rural poverty and register all tenant holdings with local bodies so that government initiatives like insurance schemes can be easily availed by them.
- But land reforms are yet to take shape due to the following issues
- The implementation part was made inefficient as lower-level officials were hand in glove with zamindars.
- Issues in the availability of land records hampered the progress of land reforms as without documentation, no action could be taken.
- There was a clause under ‘personal cultivation’ which was very loosely defined and was prone to interpretation.
- Judicial delays and case after case led to delays in justice, which ultimately made the whole exercise ineffective.
Conclusion
- To ensure land reforms are made a success, modern-day steps like land digitisation, leasing of unviable land and re-consolidation of land holdings can be undertaken.
2. Organic farming is gathering pace and has a lot of potential in many ways. Discuss the factors that are favourable for organic farming in India and the challenges that need to be addressed. (250 Words, 15 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction
- Organic farming is a farming system that uses environmentally friendly methods of weed, pest, and disease control
- India ranks first when it comes to the number of organic farmers but 9th in area under organic farming.
Main Body
Favourable factors for organic farming in India:
- Organic farming is linked with our tradition, and it is still continually practised in North East India, with Sikkim becoming the world's first fully organic state.
- Organic farming requires a workforce that is present in India, with 55% of the manpower depending on farming and allied activities.
- India has six major types of soils and a few minor soils based on terrain and geography. This gives an opportunity to exploit naturally available organic nutrients for organic farming.
- There is a thrust on achieving sustainable development goals, and organic farming, being less harmful to the environment, can help promote sustainable agriculture.
- India has a lot of tribal population living in remote interiors of a pristine environment. They do not depend on chemicals and fertilisers and only practice organic farming.
Challenges that need to be addressed:
- Yield per hectare in the case of organic farming is very small, which naturally makes the costs at which organic products are sold higher.
- Conversion of a conventional farm to organic is time-consuming because there are some minimal standards and labelling guidelines that need to be adhered to.
- For the same quantity produced by conventional farming, organic farming needs more land, which is not conducive to a growing population. This can also raise issues around food security.
- Non-adherence to policy in states like Kerala and Karnataka, which have organic farming policies since pre 2012 period. Whereas states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh etc, do not have such a policy but have around half the area under organic cultivation.
- Awareness among farmers and a lack of marketing facilities are other challenges.
Conclusion
- Organic farming needs a push due to advantages like increased jobs and economic sustainability with more social impact. Government schemes like Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOCVD-NER) etc have been supportive but need to improve at the implementation level.
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