Bhu-Aadhaar Scheme

The central government has allocated financial incentives under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2024-25 to promote land-related reforms across rural and urban areas. This initiative seeks to modernize land administration, enhance land-related governance, and improve economic efficiency.

With a specific focus on rural and urban areas, the government is pushing for technological integration through digital tools like Bhu Aadhaar and other innovations to bring in transparency and efficiency.

Land reforms in India have been a critical aspect of economic and social equity, shaping agrarian relations, urban planning, and overall development. Since independence, various land reforms have been introduced to address issues like agrarian distress, inefficient land management, and urban land mismanagement. However, despite progress, challenges like outdated land records, fragmented holdings, and urban land mismanagement persist.

The Bhu Aadhaar system introduced by the government is one such effort aimed at transforming land administration in India. This initiative is expected to modernize land records, promote transparent ownership, and increase both agricultural and economic productivity. The 2024-25 scheme seeks to digitize land records and enhance the overall land governance framework for both rural and urban areas.

Rural Land Reforms

• Unique Land Parcel Identification Numbers (ULPIN), also known as Bhu Aadhaar, will be assigned to land parcels for precise identification of ownership. This innovation will significantly reduce land disputes, ensuring that land ownership is recorded with clarity and transparency.
• Cadastral map digitization will update land records to reflect the current ownership status. The integration of technology will help in minimizing fraud and making land transactions smoother and more secure.
• Land surveys will be conducted to assess land subdivision patterns. This ensures that land is fairly distributed among cultivators, and it also aids in resolving disputes efficiently.

• Comprehensive land registries will be established to streamline the management of land records, ensuring transparency, reducing corruption, and improving overall land governance. The Bhu Aadhaar card will be a crucial element in this reform.

Urban Land Reforms

• GIS-based mapping will be employed to digitize urban land records. This system will help in the precise mapping of land ownership within urban areas, leading to more efficient land management and urban planning.
• IT-based systems will enhance property record administration, property tax collection, and dispute resolution in urban areas. This move will promote the digitalization of urban land records and reduce human intervention in these processes.
• Standardized property databases will be developed to facilitate ease of business, streamline property transactions, and support urban planning initiatives.
• State-level financial incentives will be allocated to support the implementation of digital land governance initiatives. This initiative will further promote the use of systems like Bhu Aadhaar and related digital platforms across the country.

Pre-Independence Issues

• Land in India was largely controlled by zamindars, jagirdars, and intermediaries, with cultivators having little to no ownership or control over it.
• Exploitative tenancy practices were common, leading to agrarian distress and poverty among farmers.
• Poorly maintained land records and complex tenure systems made land transactions difficult, leading to frequent disputes and fraudulent transactions.

Post-Independence Land Reforms

• Abolition of Intermediaries: The Zamindari system was dismantled, transferring land ownership to cultivators and ensuring better control over land for the peasants.
• Tenancy Reforms: Laws regulating rent, providing tenant security, and facilitating ownership transfers were introduced.
• Ceiling on Landholdings: Landholding limits were set to prevent the concentration of land in the hands of a few elites, aiming to promote land redistribution.
• Consolidation of Landholdings: Scattered land parcels were merged into larger, more viable units to improve agricultural productivity.

Recent Initiatives for Land Reforms

• Digital India Land Record Modernization Programme (DILRMP): This initiative focuses on digitizing and integrating land records across the country, ensuring better management and transparency in land ownership.
• SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) Scheme: This scheme uses drone technology to map rural land parcels accurately, ensuring better clarity in land ownership and reducing disputes.
• National Land Records Modernisation Programme (NLRMP): This initiative focuses on enhancing transparency and minimizing land-related disputes through the digitalization of records.

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Entrenched Power Structures

• Large landowners and powerful intermediaries resist reforms, delaying the effective implementation of land ceiling acts and other reforms.

Complex and Outdated Land Records

• Inaccurate, outdated, and poorly maintained land records hinder the effective implementation of land reforms. In many regions, disputes arise due to these discrepancies, making land redistribution efforts more difficult.

Land Fragmentation

• Over time, landholdings have become smaller and fragmented, reducing the viability of agriculture. The average size of landholdings has declined from 2.28 hectares in 1970-71 to 1.08 hectares in 2015-16, affecting the ability of farmers to achieve economies of scale.

Legal and Implementation Issues

• Legal loopholes, weak enforcement, and ambiguous land ceiling policies have hindered the success of land reforms. Many states have struggled with effective implementation due to insufficient political will or legal challenges.

Urbanization and Land Acquisition

• Rapid urbanization has led to the displacement of farmers, raising concerns over fair land acquisition. Urban expansion has often been accompanied by conflicts over land ownership, with inadequate compensation for displaced farmers.

Technology-Driven Land Administration

• The adoption of modern technologies like satellite imaging, AI, and blockchain can enhance the security, transparency, and accessibility of land records. Innovations like Bhu Aadhaar will play a critical role in this transformation, ensuring accurate land records and reducing disputes.

Strengthening Legal Framework

• Closing legal loopholes, ensuring stricter enforcement, and updating land reform laws will help address the challenges faced by land reform programs. Strong political will is necessary to drive reforms in this area. Successful state models, such as those in West Bengal and Kerala, offer valuable lessons in implementing reforms effectively.

Promoting Land Consolidation

• Encouraging voluntary land pooling and cooperative farming will help address issues of land fragmentation. These initiatives can create larger, more productive land holdings that are better suited to modern agricultural practices.

Equitable Land Acquisition

• Transparent, fair, and just land acquisition policies should be implemented, with adequate compensation and rehabilitation measures for displaced farmers. This will help address concerns over urbanization and ensure that farmers are not unfairly displaced in the process.

Empowering New Landowners

• Providing agricultural training, access to credit, and market linkages will help new landowners generate sustainable livelihoods and improve productivity. Such empowerment will contribute to the long-term success of land reforms.

Land reforms are key to India’s economic growth and social justice. Recent financial support under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment and the push for digital land governance mark progress in modernizing land administration. However, long-term success depends on technology integration, legal reforms, and political will. Effective land management is crucial for equity, sustainability, and economic growth, driving India toward a transparent and efficient system.

• What were the key land-related challenges during British rule?

  • The British rule in India introduced exploitative land revenue systems like the Zamindari, Ryotwari & Mahalwari. These systems prioritized tax collection over welfare of farmers. In the long run, it crippled the Indian agriculture through exploitation of tenants, indebtedness, land alienation & declining productivity of lands.

• Which constitutional provisions govern land reforms in India?

  • The Directive Principles of State Policy in Part IV of the Constitution of India (Articles 39(b) & (c)) emphasize on equitable distribution of resources, including land.
  • Also, Entry 18 of the List II (7^th Schedule) grants states the authority to enact laws related to land reforms.

• How have land reforms influenced agricultural productivity?

  • The land reforms in post-independence India have ensured equitable land distribution among the landless, regulated the land holdings by imposing ceiling limits, ensured fair rents, made the cultivators owners of the land. All this has provided a sense of ownership among the farmers leading to increased agricultural productivity.

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