UNIT 2 LAND REVENCTE ADMINISTRATION-It

Contents Objectives Introduction Land Revenue Administration - An Overview Land Revenue Administration - The Current Status 2.3.1 Deployment of Persormel at Various Levels 2.3.2 An Assessment Recommendations of the 'Committee on Revitalisation of Land Revenue Administration' Management Information System in Land Revenue Administration Governmentai Initiatives in Land Reforms Let Us Sum Up Key Words Suggested Readings

2.0 OBJECTIVES The aim of this unit is to give an overview of Land Revenue Administration in , its current status and major governmental initiatives. After going through this unit, you will be able to explain: the current status of Land Revenue Administration; deployment of personnel at various levels; and role of Management Information System in Land Revenue Administration.

2.1 INTRODUCTION An elaborate administrative structure was developed by the British to deal with the assessment and collection of land revenue. Notwithstanding the differences in the designations of the functionaries and major variations in their duties, the basic structure was similar in the provinces and that structure (accept in permanently settled areas) penetrated deep into the remotest areas. After Independence, initially the Government of India adopted more or less the same system of land revenue administration. With the passage of time, the Government initiated several measures with a view to streamline and reform land revenue administration. Although the share of land revenue in the revenue collection by the State has declined considerably, land revenue administration is one of the major functions of the administrative machinery.

2.2 LAND REVENUE ADMINISTRATION - AN OVERVIEW Land revenue was the most important source of government revenue in the ancient and medieval periods and for several decades after the establishment of the British rule. The assessment and collection of land revenue was one of the major functions of the government. An elaborate administrative structure was developed to perform the work throughout British India.

At the lowest level, there was the , variously designated, in charge of a single village or a group of villages. The District Officer, designated as the Implementation of Land Collector or Deputy Commissioner, headed the set up at the district level. In every Reform. - Constraints and province, the hierarchy included at least two functionaries between the District Officers Prospects and the Village Accountant. These were the Sub-divisional Officers in charge of the Sub-division, and below him, the Tahsildar in charge of the Taluk. Below the taluk level, there were field officers designated as Inspectors or Kanungo, to supervise the work of group of Village Accountants.

In the permanent settlement provinces, there was no elaborate administrative machinery, as the land revenue payable was fixed permanently. The Zamindars who were required to make the payment were relatively few in number and there was a stringent law requiring payment by a prescribed date. After Independence, more or less tihe same type of administrative set up was established in the permanent settlement areas as well.

The primary purpose of the administrative structure developed during the British rule was to exact as much as possible from the rural areas in the shape of revenue. The accurate assessment and efficient collection ~f land revenue necessitated an elaborate systam of land records, their maintenance and updating, collection of agricultural statigtics and detailed set of rules and regulations. Right up to the time of Independence, land revenue administration and maintenance of the law and order were the two important functions of the District Officer. The District Officer's responsibilities in the matters of law and order were as onerous as his responsibilities regarding land revenue. The Sub-Divisional Officers and the Tahsildars assisted the District Officer also in the field of law and order.

The country embarked on a planned economic development and ambitious development progkammes were drawn up. Though new staff was provided in due course for the new schemes, part of the additional burden with regard to development also fell on the already existing staff, who were handling land revenue administration.

In recent years there has been a shift in the focus of the land revenue administration. Land revenue has ceased to be an important source of government revenues. Some States have exempted certain types of land and holdings below certain limits from tye liability to pay land revenue and some have abolished it altogether. Yet the supreme need to maintain accurate and updated land records continues as in the past. In a coudtry like India, where the ownership of land is widely dispersed and there are over 91.7 million ownership holdings and each holding has on an average of 5-6 of ldnd, the importance of maintaining accurate and up-to-date land records hardly needs any emphasis. An efficient land administration is indispensable for peace arud prosperity of rural areas, as also for the protection of the rights of millions of thosle owning small areas of land.

2.3 LAND REVENUE ADMINISTRATION - THE I CURRENT STATUS Significant developments that have taken place since Independence haye led to the Land Revenue Administration being saddled with a wide variety of functions. Soon after Independence, the implementation of the various land reform laws added substantially to the volume of work handled by the Revenue Departments. Though there are variations between States, the other items of work handled by the Revenue Depwments include acquisition of land for public purposes, distribution of Government and Iceiling-surplus land, distribution of house sites, protection of government land fro4 encroachment, compilation of agricultural statistics, issuing various permits, licenses and certificates, overseeing the public distribution system, conducting elections, census etc., providing relief during natural calamities and disasters, assistance to all development departments and organs of local government and many other miscellaneous functions. Thus there has been a substantial increase in the range and volume of the work handled by the department, but there has been no corresponding increase in the Land Revenue personnel and in the provision of infrastructure. Administration-I1

2.3.1 Deployment of Personnel at Various Levels Village Level The 'Village Accountant', who is in charge of one or more villages, forms the base . of the land revenue administration. He is called the 'Village Administrative Officer' in , and Pondicherry; Talati in , and I Goa; Patwari in Punjab, , and , Village Officer in ; Lekhpl in ; Karmachori in Bihar and Tahsildar in Tripura. There is no such post in Assam and West Bengal. where the work at the village level is handled by the Circle Inspector/Revenue Inspector. The Village Accountant is a full time government servant in all the States, except in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu where he is a part-time employee. The jurisdiction of the Village Accountant (VA) ranges between one to eight villages in the plains, and between one to fourteen villages in the hills and in tribal tracts. In area, the variation is between 0.15 Sq. km. and 148.19 Sq. Km. A VA has to deal with 4 to 14038 cultivators and a population of 11 to 36064. The jurisdiction of a VA in many areas is large and unwieldy. A Committee set up by the Government of Himachal Pradesh recommended the yardstick of one Putwari per 3000 Khasra which was supported by the Conference of Revenue Ministers held in 1985.

CircleJFirka The first supervisory level above the village is the circlelfirka. The functionary in charge is called Revenue Inspector, Circle Inspector or Kunungo. He is required to supervise all the work done by the VA. On an average, the In~pectorlKanungo supervises the work of 8 to 20 VAs.

TaluWTahsil The second supervisory level is the Taluk or Tahsil or Circle. The officer in charge of the Taluk is called the Mamlatdar in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa, Anchul Adhikari in Bihar, and Circle Officer in Tripura. He is known as the TEihsildar in all the other States. In Andhra Pradesh, however, taluks have been abolished and in the place of the 309 Taluks that were abolished, 1110 Mandals, that are co-terminus with Firkas have been created.

In the case of Taluks also, there are wide variations between States in respect of the number of villages, area and population. The number of villages varies between 4 and 351, while the area varies between 1 and 2000 Sq. Kms, and population varies between 7,000 and 500,000. Many Taluks are unwieldy in respect of both area and population.

Revenue Sub-Divisions The officer in charge of the Revenue Sub-Division is known as the Sub-Divisiond Officer, Revenue Divisional Officer or Sub-Collector. Most districts are divided into sub-divisions, but in a few cases the district and sub-division are co-terminus. There are wide variations in the jurisdiction of the Sub-Divisional Officer as well. The number of villages varies between 99 and 2274 and area varies between 1 and 6717 Sq. Kms, and population varies between 20,297 and 12,30,959. There is no uniformity in the number of Taluks in a sub-division as well. In most states, on an average, there are 2 to 5 Taluks in a sub-division. But in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, Taluks and sub- divisions are co-terminus. At the other extreme is Andhra Pradesh, where mandals have replaced Talukas. On an average, the Sub-Divisional Officer is required to supervise the work of about 14 mandals. Implementation of Land Disttict Refurms - Constraints and Prospects The district has been the most important unit of land revenue administration since a very long time. The head of the district administration is designated as Collector, Collector and District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner. Since, the collection of land revenue was one of the most important duties of the head of the district administration during the British period, he came to be called the "Collector".

Divisions In most States there are large administrative units called Divisions, comprising a few districts. The functions of Divisional Conmissioner is largely supervisory in nature. He has also some quasi-judicial functions.

State Level At the State level, all the work relating to Land Revenue Administration is handled by the Revenue Department. In most States, there is also a Board of Revenue with one or more members. The powers and functions of the Board of Revenue vary greatly between States. To oversee the implementation of land reforms, post of Land Reforms Commissioner has been created in several states. Many States also have a post of Director of Land Records and Survey.

2.3.2 An Assessment Despite the obvious inadequacies of the administrative set up in the matter of personnel and infrastructure, the land revenue administration maintained a fairly high level of efficiency until the nineteen fifties. The assessment and collection of land revenue was attended to with great promptitude. Through strict supervision and close guidance, land records were kept in a reasonably good condition. The level of integrity among the functionaries at the lower levels was never high even in the past. The Collectors kept the field staff under effective control through frequent tours and field visits, formal inspections at the prescribed intervals, attending promptly to the grievances of the public, maintaining a fairly high level of discipline and taking deterrent action against the delinquents.

Land Records The preparation and regular updating of land records has been badly neglected in most States, Very few States have a well managed and efficient system of periodical updating of land records. In most States, villages and field maps, records of rights and land measurement records have become obsolete. The North Eastern States of Manipur and some tribal tracts of Assam have no land records system. In these areas survey and settlement operations have not been carried out. In the States of Andhra Pradesh, Assarn, , Kerala, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu, the original survey still remains to be done in some pockets and in respect of certain categories of land. Revisional surveys have been overdue for long in most areas. In the States of Assam, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal and Kerala there is no system of periodical updating of land records. The absence of correct and up- to-date land records has injured the interests of numerous landowners, the bulk of whom are small landholders, this has also led to avoidable land disputes and has thwarted the implementation of land reform laws. Before Independence, all the provinces, exaept the permanently settled ones, had a reasonably adequate system of preparation and maintenance of land records and it served the main objectives of the revenue admirlistration. The, records showed who owned the different plots of land in the village, the area and boundaries of each plot, who cultivated it, what crops were grown and how much was payable to the government as land revenue. And it was the duty of the Village Accountant to update the entries every year. The superiors in the hierarchy closely supervised the work of the VA. Since the mid-fifties when measures of land reform were initiated, the work has been badly neglected. Furthermore, in several States the records of rights over land is invariably out-of-date, Land Revenue because mutations are not effected promptly. The rules require that as soon as Administration-11 inheritance, partitions or transfers take place, names of the new owners should be entered in the registers. The work of mutation is, however, in arrears in most states.

In the permanent settlement areas. there was no need for the British administration to have records other than those prepared at the time of Survey/Resurvey. There was no practice of the annual updating of records. The position of land records in the native States also was unsatisfactory. After Independence serious effort was hardly made to bring about an improvement in the situation.

Since the establishment of British Rule, the practice has been to prepare the record of rights after carrying out cadastral survey of the area, followed by settlement operations. As Baden Powell puts it "the process by which Government orfizials determine the amount of land revenue payable, is called Settlement (of land revenue) and the person or body whom Government recognizes as entitled to be proprietor subject to the revenue payment is said to be 'settled with' or hold the Settlennent". Surveylresurvey and settlement operations are time-consuming, expensive and heavily ' staff oriented. The resurvey and settlement of a district of average size by conventional methods takes five to ten years to be completed, the publication of the final records is often delayed even further. Considering that the old objective of exacting frorn each landowner as much rent as possible is no longer tenable, and better and less expensive technology is now available, it should be possible to simplify the procedure and reduce the cost and time.

Agricultural Statistics The demand for information on different aspects of the rural economy has been rising rapidly since the introduction of economic planning. Several official agencies are presently involved in the collection of data pertaining to land utilization. The data that are required relate to the area under forests, irrigation and different crops, output of different crops, characteristics of operational holding, livestock and fisheries, agricultural prices, wages and trade, and rural development programme in agricultural and allied fields. Agriculture being a State subject, the primary responsibility for collection of agricultural statistics rests with the State Government. The Directorate of Econonlics and Statistics in the Ministry of Agricultural acts as the central coordinating agency for collection, compilation and publication of agricultural statistics at the State and all- India levels. Broadly, three different methods are used for collection of primary agricultural statistics: (i) complete enumeration by spot inspection in all the village in the former temporarily settled states, (ii) sample surveys in the former permanently settled areas of West Bengal, Orissa and parts of Kerala, and (iii) conventional method of estimation in the nature of eye estimates based on the personal knowledge of the village officers in areas which are neither cadastrally surveyed nor possess the requisite revenue agency. At present, around 85 per cent of the total repo:tlmg are2 is covered by complete enumeration, about 10 per cent by sample surveys, arid the remainder by conventional methods of impressionistic estimates provided bj the village officials. The state revenuelagriculturelplanning/statistics department is generally responsible for collection of agricultural statistics, and utilises for this purpose, the services of the village level staff of the Revenue Department.

Check Your Progress 1 Notes: a) Write your answers in the space provided. b) Compare your answers with the text. 1) Describe deployment of personnel at the village level...... 23 Implementation of Land Reforms - Constraints and 2) Describe deployment of personnel at the revenue Sub-Divisional level. Prospects ......

2.4 RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 'COMMITTEE ON REVITALISATION OF LAND REVENUE ADNIINISTRATION' In 1993, the Government of India set up a High-level Committee, known as Committee on 'Regitalisation of Land Revenue Administration', under the Chairmanship of P.S. Appu, Eormer Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar, to study the problems encountered in proper administration of land revenue and suggest ways and means for its restructuring and streamlining.

The Committee opined that the objectives and functions of the land administration should be as under:

a) Maintenance of correct and up-to-date land records b) Iniplementation of land reform laws and other land related laws c) Cqllection of agricultural statistics d) Collection of land revenue, irrigation rates and agriculturist loans and other dues under the public Demands Recovery Act e) The safeguarding of public interest, public property and public assets, including common property resources f) Attending to disaster management, census operations, elections, civil supplies, irriplementation of measures for assistance to the weaker sections and other selected miscellaneous functions. Restructuring and Rationalising Land Administration The Committee observed that in several States, the jurisdiction of some functionaries is unwieldy. It is necessary to bring the work load within manageable limits. It also suggested that in the long run, land administration should be transferred to the Panchayats and some steps should be taken immediately to bring land administration closer to Panchayats. Keeping these objectives in view, the Committee, inter-alia, made the following recommendations

i) The jurisdiction of the Village Accountant should be made co-terminus with the Panchayat. Ideally, a Village Accountant should not have to handle more than 3000 Khasras or plots. Where the Panchayat has more than 5000 plots, or the cultivated areas are far-flung, it may be necessary to provide more than one Village Accountant for the Panchayat. Similarly, where Panchayats are very small there may be a common Village Accountant for two Panchayats ii) Where the Village Accountant has no office of his own, he should have his office in the Panchayat Bhavan. Apart from bringing the Village Accountant closer to the Parichayat and providing him with a regular office, it will also be of advantage to the public. iii) In the state of Assam, where there is no functionary at the village level, it is Land Revenue necessary to create new posts at that level. Admlnistratlon-I1 iv) In Andhra Pradesh it is necessary to replace the part-time village administration officers by full-time govemment functionaries. Part of the funds needed for this can be found by abolishing the posts of part-time Village Servants. In Tamil Nadu also such posts may be abolished. V) It is necessary to rationalize the jurisdiction of Circle Inspectors1 Kanungoes. An Inspector cannot supervise effectively the work of more than 8-10 Village Accountants. In West Bengal, it is necessary to provide the Revenue Inspectors with a suitable office so that the records can be properly preserved and the public know where to go. vi) Some Taluks are very unwieldy and should be co-terminus with the Community Development Block. The Blocks were carved out in a systematic manner keeping in view the population, the area and the terrain. There are several advantages in making the Taluks and Blocks co-terminus. vii) In Bihar, Gujarat and Karnataka, the TalukslCircles and the Block are co- terminus. If there are serious'difficulties in creating new Taluks, the jurisdiction of the Block and Taluks may be adjusted. \ Infrastructure The Committee observed that the position regarding both office and residential accommodation for the staff of the Land Administration Department at various levels is unsatisfactory. Considering the heavy outlay involved it will not, however, be possible to construct new buildings at the village and firka levels. The problem of office accommodation for the Village Accountant can be solved by accommodating him in the Panchayat Bhavan. The Circle Inspectors normally operate from the Taluk Headquarters and their functions are mostly supervisory. The Committee did not recommend the construction of new office buildings for them except in West Bengal. In West Bengal there are no Village Accountants and the Circle. Inspector is the functionary of the Land Administration Department at the lowest level. People have to go to his office for various purposes. It is, therefore, necessary to construct an office building for the Inspector. Office buildings should be constructed for Tahsildars in the Taluks where no govemment office building exists at present. The Committee was not in favour of the new residential buildings being constructed at any level. In states where no house rent allowance is given at present it was recommended that sanction of a suitable house rent allowance may be made. State Governments may consider giving them suitable conveyance allowance. Most Tahsildars have telephones and jeeps. Where these facilities do not exist at present they should be provided with these facilities. In most States copyists are employed to furnish certified copies of documents to the public. It was recommended that all Taluk offices be provided with photocopiers. As an alterative, loans may be given to copyists for purchasing photocopying machines for taking copies of official documents.

Introduction of Modern Technology Though a small beginning has been made in the computerization of land records and NICNET facility has been provided at the district le"e1, the administration functions at present without benefiting from the revolutionary changes that have taken place in information technology in recent years. It was high time that of modem technology is introduced in a systematic way. High priority should be accorded to the introduction of modem technology and techniques in the following there areas. i) The day-to-day functioning of the Land Administration Department; ii) Maintenance of land records and continuous updating of land related information, including mutations; and iii) Survey and settlement. Implementation of Land District Land Administration Reforms - Constraints and Prospecls The Committee recommended the following steps for the introduction of modem technology to render the land administration more efficient.

a) All sub-divisional and Taluk offices should be linked to the district computers through NICNET or directly. This will, of course, necessitate the installation of computers in all sub-divisional and Taluk offices. b) All District Collectors should be provided with suitable personal to operate computers, so that they have easy access to all the data they need. c) All the staff from the District Collector down to the Assistants in the Taluk office should be given necessary training to familiarise them with the new technology. The subject should be introduced in all training institutes. d) Once the new system becomes operational. government should insist that the new technology be fully utilized for the maintenance of accounts, compilation of data and the transmission of reports and returns. e) Computerization of land records should be expedited where necessary, by engaging private agencies. Maintenance of Land Records There is considerable diversity between states in the matter of the land records they maintain and the details contained in the various registers. It is neither feasible nor necessary to bring about absolute uniformity in this field. As a legacy of the past, every State still has some registers and returns that serve no useful purpose. As such, the Committee suggested that each State should look into this matter thoroughly and weed out the register. reports and returns that serve no useful purpose.

Essential Records The Committee suggested that every State should necessarily maintain the following essential land records:

a) An updated village map. b) A field book giving up-to-date information regarding every plot of land, included in the map showing its survey, plot number, area, classification of the land, name of the owner, name of the tenant, if any, the crops grown, and land revenue payable. c) A register of landholders showing the type of rights, plot numbers, area of each plots, its boundaries, classification of the land, crops grown, name of the tenant, if any, the terms of the tenancy, and land revenue payable. d) A tenant's ledger shows the survey plot numbers and the area of the land leased in, the name of the owner, and the terms of the lease. e) A register of government properties showing plot numbers, area. boundaries, classification of the lands the use to which it is put, encroachments, if any, and the steps taken to remove the encroachment. Q A register containing 21 thc details mentioned in (e) above regarding common property resources. Computerization of Land Records The Committee noted that with funds allocated by the Government of India, a beginning has been made in the computerisation of land records. The progress in this regard has, however, been slow due to the following reasons:

i) lack of interest on the part of the State Governments, ii) poor maintenance of .hardware, 26 iii) delay in software development, Land Revenue Administration-II iv) lack of motivation of revenue functionaries, and v) shortage of computer staff. Adequate Funds for Computerization The Committee recommended that the programme for computerization of land records under which funds are allocated now by the central Government, needs to be continued on the basis of 100% Grants-in-aid to the States and ,the computerization of land records in all the districts of the country completed on a mission mode as soon as possible.

Survey and Settlement Surveylresurvey and settlement is an area where there is great scope for simplifying the procedures, hastening the pace and cutting down the costs. There is also scope for the introduction of new technology. All or some of the operations in survey and settlement are done under a statute. Irrespective of whether the procedure is statutory or not, the landowner gets three opportunities to file objections. The procedure provides for appeals/revisions at each stage. The disposal of the objections takes a great deal time.

The main objective of the British administration in undertaking survey and settlement operations, as already pointed out, was to exact from each landholder as much as possible in the shape of land revenue. The land revenue payable was determining the locational and other advantages, and working out the average annual net income. In the early settlements land revenue was invariably fixed at 50% or more of the net income. Now that land revenue constitutes only a negligible proportion of the income from land, there is no need at all of persisting with the detailed classification of each plot of land on the basis of its productivity. At present in some instances, the classifications exceed 100. It will be enough if there are four classes of land as under the ceiling laws. The four classes would be irrigated double-cropped and equivalent land, irrigated single-cropped and equivalent land, dry land and special categories like desert or hilly land. The substantial reduction in the classification of land will reduce the workload considerably and thereby will speed up the operations and reduce the cost. The State government should accordingly amend their rules relating to the assessment of land revenue. In surveylresurvey and settlement operations the emphasis should shift from assessment of land revenue to the updating of land records and the maintenance of survey marks on the ground. Survey/Resurvey and Settlement consists of the following three important stages: i) Preparation of map; ii) Preparation of fecord of rights; iii) Assessment of land revenue. All these stage can be simplified, speeded up and rendered more efficient. There is considerable scope for the introduction of modem technology. The suggestions of the Committee in this regard were as under:

Preparation of Map Where survey has been done and survey marks exist on the ground, there is no need of fresh survey. Where survey marks do not exist on the ground or where changes are too many and survey maps do not reflect them, re-survey is necessary. Survey can be done by adopting: a) Conventional methods, such as i) Diagonal and offset or Implementation of Land ii) Plane Table etc. Reforms - Constraints and Or Prospects b) Photogrammetric methods, such as i) Rectification ii) Stereoscopic plotting iij) Orthophoto iv) Analytical photogrammetry Or b c) Global Positioning System Receivers Or d) Satellite imagery when the technology is adequately developed for the purpose of cadastral survey.

The cbnventional methods are tedious, time-consuming and often not very accurate. As such, the Committee recommended that, where feasible, the States should go in for the aerial photography technology with the help of the Survey of India for the preparation of line maps. But this technology will be feasible and cost effective only when the area to be surveyed is large and does not have an acute slope or hilly terrains. For scattered areas. conventional methods will be better suited and more cost effective. States should identify the areas to be surveyed or resurveyed and then decide whether to go in for conventional methods or photogrammetry. The States may &so, on their own, or in collaboration with the Survey of India, take up experimental projeats in photogrammetry. Such experimental projects will show how cost effective the new method is and will also be of help in evolving the national policy.

Assessment of Land Revenue The Committee observed that the main objective of re-survey and settlement in the past was the raising of land revenue to the highest possible level. That cannot be, and should not be, the objective of land administration now. Even so, there is every justifjlcation for recovering from landowners at least the annual expenditure on the Depai-tment of Land Administration. The Committee, therefore suggested that land revenue be enhanced keeping this objective in view. The Committee felt that considering the great increase in the productivity of land and in agricultural prices, such an increase in land revenue will not be a serious burden on the landowners.

Automatic Updating of Land Records The observations of the Committee with regard to automatic updating of records were as under: The bffice of the Sub-Registrar should be merged with the office of the Tahsildar. Before registering any land transaction by way of sale, partition, gift mortgage or othehise, the Sub-Registrar should be required under the law to get the averments in the document verified with reference to the land records. Furthermore, as soon as the document is registered, the records should be updated. Tradsparency Voluntary organisations, public spirited bodies and even individuals should have the rightto obtain details regarding the land owned by any landowner. Such a provision may contribute to the unearthing of clandestine transactions in land and the better implementation of land reforms laws.

Torrens System The essence of the Torrens System is that the state guarantees the title of the landowner. In view of the heavy load of work, expense and risks involved, in introducing the system in a country like India with over 97.1 million landowners, owing some 500 Land Revenue million parcels of land, the Committee did not recommend the adoption of the Torrens Administration-I1 System.

Training The Committee observed that the existing training facilities are utterly inadequate in the States. With the introduction of modern technology, there will be greater need for the training of the staff at various levels. It, accordingly, suggested that the existing training institutions should be suitably upgraded and wherever necessary, new institutions should be set up at the Divisional level or for groups of districts. The training syllabi should be such that besides upgrading the skills of the trainees to enable them to discharge their duties more competently, they also get an exposure to the technological and human relations dimensions of modern land administration. In order to attract better professionally qualified trainers in the training institutions, adequate financial and other incentives should be provided for.

The Committee also recommended that Regional Resource Centers be established for groups of States to take modern technology to the field level through practical demonstrations and extension courses. The Survey of India and other technical bodies should be associated with the efficient running of these Centers.

States should make better use of the Survey of India's Survey Training Institute at Hyderabad. Special courses should be run there for training senior officers. The syllabus of the training in States should be revised in consultation with the institute at Hyderabad so that the trainees can be made fully conversant with the new technology.

2.5 MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM IN LAND REVENUE ADMINISTRATION i) Implementation of the Scheme of Computerisation of Land Records The scheme of computerisation of land records was started by Government of India in 1988-89 with the aim of removing some inherent flaws in the existing land records system. Pilot projects were initiated in 8 districts of the country to bring efficiency, transparency and easy accessibility to the system of land records. The scheme was subsequently extended to other districts. The main objectives of the scheme are: Ensuring that landowners get computerised copies of ownership, crop and tenancy and updated copies of records of rights (RORs) on demand. Releasing low costs and easily reproducible basic land record data through reliable and durable preservation of old records. Ensuring accuracy, transparency and speedy dispute resolution. Facilitating fast and efficient retrieval of information for decision-making. According legal sanctity to computer generated certificate's of land records after authentication by the authorised revenue official. Setting up a comprehensive land informationi system for better land based planning and utilisation of land resources. Focus on citizen centric services related to land and revenue information.

Under the scheme, 100% financial assistance is provided to States for completion of data entry work, setting up computer centres at tibe tehsil or taluk or block and sub- divisional levels and a monitoring cell at the State level. Funds are also provided undzr the scheme for imparting training on computer awareness and applications software Implementation of Land to revenue officials for regular updating of records of rights and smooth operation of Reforms - Constraints and computer centres. Prospects Computer centres have been set up in 3225 tehsils, taluks and blocks and computerized copies of RORs are being issued to landowners on demand in 2755 tehsils, taluks and blocks.

ii) Comprehensive Modernisation of Land Records (CMLR) Basad on suggestions made by the National Advisory Council on Modemization of Revenue Administration and Establishment of clear Land Titles, a new scheme, Comprehensive Modemization of Land Records (CMLR), was launched by integrating Survey & Settlement, CLR and Registration. The Scheme of CMLR will be implemented on pilot basis in one district in each State and Union Territory (excluding North-Eastem States) central funding. The main components of the proposal under the scheme of CMLR are: i) SurveyIResurvey using modem equipment; n) PhotocopyIScanning of basic land recordslmaps; iii) Updatinglmutation of textual records; iv) Digitization of cadastral maps; v) Linking of non-spatial with spatial data; vi) Computerization of Registration Offices; vii) Integration of the Registration process with computerization of land records; viii) Ensure connectivity of Registration Office with office of Tehsil/Taluk/MandaY Block; ix) Connectivity of Tehsils/Taluks/Block/Mandal with District Data Centre; x) Computerization of Land Records in Executive Offices of Nagar PallikafUrban Area Bodies;

) Ensure connectivity of Executive Offices of Nagar Pallika with the offices of Tehsils/Taluks/Blocks/Sub-Divisions; xii) Setting up of Computer Centre in the Offices of Tehsil/Taluk/Mandal/ Registration Offices/Executive Offices of Nagar Pallika; xiii) Preparation of software for all the above activities; xiv) Provision of training on application software and computer operations to the officials of TehsillTaluk/Registration/Offices Nagar Pallika; and xv) Provision of skilled manpower in the offices of Tehsils/TaluksIRegistration offices1 Nagar Pallika offices for one year.

2.6 GOVERNMENTAL INITIATIVES IN LAND REFORMS Implementation of the Scheme of Strengthening of Revenue Administration :and Updating of Land Records (SRA&ULR)

Updating is vital for systematic maintenance of land records to reflect ground realities in sync with ownership chhges, genuine land transactions and implementation of rural development programmes and for effective enforcement of land reforms. It will also minimize land disputes and create social harmony in villages.

Although the importance of a proper land records system has been emphasized from the First Five Year Plan, land records in most parts of the country are not in good shape largely due to resource constraints. As per existing instructions, records of Land Revenue rights are prepared by carrying out cadastral surveys followed by settlement operations; Administration-II these are time consuming and require huge staff and are also costly. Equipment used in these operations are also outdated. Even where there is a system of periodical. updating of land records, lack of adequate revenue machinery and proper infrastructure and absence of training are responsible for poorly maintained land records.

Problems of North-Eastern States The system of land records and land administration are entirely different in the hilly and tribal tracts of north-eastern States. In some of these areas, there is no legislation regarding land and land related matters. Cadastral survey has not been done for most areas. Therefore, accurate land records do not exist. Though individual ownership of land has been developed in some areas, a good deal of land is still owned communally. Jhuming or shifting cultivation is practiced. There is no record of the area or the boundaries of plots allotted to individuals.

Distribution of Ceiling Surplus Land With the introduction of land ceiling legislation in 19.72, ceiling on landholdings was introduced in 19 States and 3 Union Territories. The 1972 national guidelines recommended ceiling limits ranging from 10-18 acres for irrigated land with two crops, 27 acres for jmgated land with one crop and 54 acres for dry land. Various Revenue Ministers' Conferences recommended downward revision of the ceiling. The Conference of 1985 recommended a ceiling limit of 12 acres for irrigated land with two crops, 18 acres for imgated land with one crop and 30 acres for dry land. However, the Confederation of Commerce & Industry (CCI) have at various fora sought relaxation of ceiling limits for degraded and waste lands so that there is no hindrance in developing large chunks of such land.

As a result of implementation of ceiling laws, since its inception till March, 2006, the total quantum of land declared surplus in the country was 68.38 lakh acres, of which about 59.80 lakh acres have been taken possession of, and 49.40 lakh acres distributed to 53.50 lakh beneficiaries, of whom 39 per cent belong to Scheduled Castes and 16 per cent to Scheduled Tribes.

Tenancy Reforms Legislative provisions have been made in many States for conferment of ownership rights to tenants or allowing cultivating tenants to acquire ownership rights on payment of compensation. Some States have acquired ownership of land from landowners and transferred it to the tenants. Sub-tenancies are generally prohibited all over the country, except in certain cases in respect of widows, members of armed forces, minors, unmamed women, persons suffering from disabilities, etc.

Prevention of Alienation and Restoration of Ajienated Tribal Lands Article 46 of the Constitution places an obligation upon States to promote the interests of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and protect them from social injustice and from all forms of exploitation. There is a major concentration of tribal population in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, , Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Rajastha11 and West Bengal, apart from the north eastern States.

State governments have accepted the policy of prohibiting transfer of land fro111 the tribals to the non-tribals and restoration of alienated land to tribals. States with large tribal populations have enacted laws prohibiting alienation of tribal land and promoting restoration of alienated land. Though positive results have been forthcoming in efforts undertaken by different States for restoration of tribal land, the task is yet to be completed. Implementation of Land Consolidation of Holdings Reforms - Constraints and Prospects Consolidation of fragmented agricultural landholdings is an integral part of the land refoms policy. Successive Five Year Plans have been laying stress on the consolidation of fragmented landholdings for planned development of villages and increased agricwltural output. Many States had enacted legislation and taken up the work relating to consolidation. Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab have achieved commendable success in this regard. Some States have stopped consolidation work for various reasons. As per information received from States, 1742.47 lakh acres have been consolidated in the country.

Consplidation of holdings refers to amalgamation and redistribution of fragmented land to bring together all plots of land of a cultivator in one compact block. On accodnt of growing pressure of population on land and limited opportunities for work in the non-agricultural sector, there is increasing trend towards sub-division and fragmentation of landholdings in the country. The average size of holdings is already very low and there are no economies of scale. Fragmentation leads to additional diseconomies due to wastage of time and money on the movement of physical and human inputs from one farmstead to another. Besides, it makes the task of irrigation management, land improvement and personal supervision of different plots, very diffictdt .

Increasing pressure of population on land has led to increase in the number of fragments per farm. Forcible land distribution has led to fragmentation of holdings and productivity has not improved much. It has been duly emphasized in the Five Year Plans that consolidation of holdings should form an integral part of the agricultural development programme. Poor performance in consolidation of holdings has been due to:

i) Fear of eviction of tenants and small and marginal farmers, ii) Small size of holdings, iii) Lack of legal provisions for compulsory consolidation, and iv) The problem of proper land valuation. National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy, 2003 (NRRP-2003) The Ministry of Rural Development formulated the National Policy on Resettlement and Rehabilitation (NPRR-2003) in the form of 6road guidelines and exe-cutive instructions laying down basic norms and packages for resettlement and rehabilitation of the project affected families (PAFs).

NPRR-2003 essentially addresses the need to provide succour to the assetless rural poor, support the rehabilitation efforts of the resource poor, namely, the small and the marginal farmers, the SCsISTs and the women who have been displaced. Besides, it seeiks to provide a broad canvas for an effective dialogue between the PAFs and the Administration for resettlement and rehabilitation. Such a dialogue is expected to anable timely completion of projects with a sense of definiteness as regards costs, and adequate attention to the needs of the displaced persons, especially the resource poor sections. The intention is to impart greater flexibility for interaction and negotiation, so that the resultant Package gains all-round acceptability in the shape of a workable instrument providing satisfaction to all stakeholders. The galient features of the policy are given below: i) The policy is applicable to the projects displacing 500 families or more en masse in plain areas and 250 families or more in hilly areas, DDP blocks, and areas mentioned in Schedule V and Schedule VI of the Constitution. ii) The resettlement and rehabilitation benefits are provided to those PAFs who Land Revenue have been residing or carrying out their occupation, employment or vocation, in Administration-I1 the affected zone continuously for a period of three years preceding the date of declaration of the affected zone. iii) The tribal families, if resettled out of their Taluksttribal areas, get 25% higher resettlement and rehabilitation benefits in monetary terms. iv) A Resettlement and Rehabilitation Committee to monitor and review progress at the project level, a Grievance Redressal Cell under the Commissioner for Resettlement and Rehabilitation for redressal of grievances of PAFs, and a Monitoring Cell at the national level for monitoring the progress of various Resettlement and Rehabilitation Projects are envisaged in the policy.

Check Your Progress 2 Notes: a) Write your answers in the space provided. b) Compare your answers with the text. 1) Enumerate the areas where modem technologies have been introduced in Land Revenue Administration......

2) List out the essential records which are to be maintained by the States, as recommended by the 'Committee of Revitalisation of Land Revenue Administration'......

2.7 LET US SUM UP

In this unit, an attempt has been made to acquaint you with the current status of Land Revenue Administration in India. In this context, we have discussed the system of land revenue administration in the States and the deployment of land revenue functionaries at various levels e.g. village, circle, district and state. In this context, we have critically examined the scenario of maintenance of land records and the need for their upgradation.

We have also discussed, in sufficient detail, various recommendations made by the 'Committee on Revitalization of Land Revenue Administration', in which due emphasis was given on re-structuring, rationalization and development of infrastructure related to land revenue administration, for which, introduction of modem technology was considered vital. The Committee had further emphasized exercised the need for use of modem technology in land administration at the district level. To conclude, the unit laid emphasis on the maintenance of land records, some other essential land records, and computeristion of land records. Prospects Jhurning cultivation : Shifting cultivation: Form of cultivation, mostly practiced

Torrehs System : State guaranteeing the title of landowner.

Development of Land Revenue Administration, JR Publications, Delhi, 1980.

Report of the Committee on Revitalisation of Land Revenue Administration (Ministry of Rural Development, March, 1995).