Question

Discuss why the colonial government introduced the Waste Land Rules in India. How did the Waste Land Rules change the life of pastoralists?

Answer 1

(i) The colonial state wanted to transform all grazing lands into cultivated farms because the colonial government considered any uncultivated land as unproductive.
(ii) If this land could be transformed into cultivated farmland, it would result in an increase in land revenue and production of crops such as jute, cotton and wheat.
(iii) All grazing lands were considered as waste lands by the colonial rulers as they brought no revenue to them.
(iv) From the mid-nineteenth century Waste Land Rules were enacted in various parts of the country.