State the objectives and measures of land reforms in India. Discuss how land ceiling policy on landholding can be considered as an effective reform under economic criteria.

Objectives of Land Reforms in India:

1. Abolition of Intermediaries: The main aim was to eliminate layers of intermediaries (like zamindars, jagirdars, etc.) and to bring direct relationship between the state and the cultivator.
2. Tenancy Reforms: To provide security to tenants, regulate rent, and confer rights of cultivation to the actual tiller of the soil.
3. Consolidation of Holdings: To bring scattered landholdings into a single, compact unit to achieve economies of scale and better agricultural productivity.
4. Land Ceilings: Imposing upper limits on landholdings to distribute surplus land among landless and marginal farmers.
5. Empowerment of Dalits and Marginalized: To ensure that historically disadvantaged sections get equitable rights to land and its resources.
6. Upgradation of Land Records: Modernizing and digitizing records to ensure clear titles and reduce disputes.

Measures of Land Reforms in India:

1. Zamindari Abolition Acts: Several states passed acts to abolish Zamindari and other intermediary systems, like the Bihar Land Reforms Act, 1950 and Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950.
2. Legislation on Tenancy: States adopted laws to protect tenant farmers by providing them security of tenure and regulating rents. Examples include the Andhra Pradesh (Telangana Area) Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act and the Tamil Nadu Cultivating Tenants Protection Act.
3. Land Ceiling Acts: Various states enacted laws to limit the amount of land an individual/family could own. Surplus land was to be redistributed among the landless.
4. Bhoodan Movement: Initiated by Acharya Vinoba Bhave in 1951, this was a voluntary movement where landowners donated land for the landless.
5. Digitization of Land Records: Modern technological initiatives, like the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP), were undertaken to upgrade and digitize land records.

Land Ceiling Policy as an Effective Reform under Economic Criteria:

1. Promotion of Equitable Distribution: By redistributing land from large landholders to landless peasants, it aimed to bridge the vast economic disparities in rural areas.
2. Increases Agricultural Productivity: Smaller farms are often found to be more productive per unit of land due to more intensive cultivation.
3. Economic Empowerment: Ownership of land is directly linked to economic empowerment. It provides security, increases access to credit, and boosts agricultural investment.
4. Reduction in Rural Poverty: By providing land to the landless, it aimed to improve their economic conditions and reduce rural poverty.
5. Promotion of Cooperative Farming: The policy encouraged pooling of land and resources to achieve economies of scale.

Facts:

• Post-independence, over 20 million tenants were given ownership rights due to the land reforms, and nearly 5 million hectares of land were redistributed.
• Despite the ceiling laws, effective implementation remained a challenge. By the late 1980s, only around 2% of the total cultivable land was redistributed.

Conclusion:

While the objectives of the land reforms were noble and had the potential to bring about significant economic change, the effectiveness largely depended on the political will and robustness of implementation mechanisms in different states. The land ceiling policy, particularly, stands out as a radical economic reform aimed at reducing economic disparities and increasing agricultural productivity. However, the actual impact varied across regions depending on the rigor of its enforcement.