Question

What was the Land Ceiling Act? Why did the Land Ceiling Act become necessary?

Answer 1

Instructions:

• Discuss the land ceiling act and then list down its provisions in brief.
• Explain the reasons behind the implementation of the Land Ceiling Act.

Solution:

• The Land Ceiling Act was implemented to limit the size of landholdings and the redistribution of land.
• In Andhra Pradesh, it was passed in 1972 and came into effect in 1975.

Provisions of the Land Ceiling Act:

• It defined a family of 5 members as a unit.
• A family of 5 members could own a maximum of 10 to 27 acres of irrigated land and 35 to 54 acres of dryland.
• The rest of the land was declared surplus and taken away by the Government.

The Land Ceiling Act become necessary because:

• The Zamindari System was unable to solve the problem of land concentration.
• Even after the completion of land reforms in 1955-56, 55% of peasant families owned less than 2 hectares of land in Andhra Pradesh.
• The rich landlords used to control over 38% of the cultivable land in the entire state.
• A vast number of landless Dalit labourers were still agitating for land.