land is one of the most important productive assets, which provides identity, social security, food sufficiency and employment to all rural household. Agriculture has been creating opportunities for fullest utilisation of manpower and natural resources available in rural villages to mitigate poverty, distress migration and raise production which needs to be improved further. land distribution is required to boost production, democratise ownership and access and by that ensure economic justice to the poor.
land holding patterns are recognised as one of the important determinants of agriculture production. The skewed distribution of agricultural land in the State is affecting production. Agricultural land is required for those who are still depending on cultivation which includes bonded labourers, agricultural labourers, and share croppers.
The State Government has identified 50,000 bonded labourers out of which half of them are from undivided KBK districts. As per the Revenue Department sources, in 2006 about 4,45,450 agricultural landless families were identified in the State out of which 1, 25,494 were SCs and 1, 42,359 were STs. There has been no data about share croppers of the State. However, share croppers are deprived of getting formal credit, compensation and benefits of Government schemes in the absence of entitlement.
It is an established fact that absentee landlord presence is a problem for agriculture which affects production. It is very often reported in media that a large number of influential people have grabbed Government land and manipulated revenue record in their favour. The subsequent Government’s policy and lack of political will has been affecting land distribution programme.
The land distribution programme, once the agenda of left forces, are slowly losing visibility. The land distribution was opposed by kings and Jamindars in early fifties and later by big farmers and now private corporate bodies. It is observed that the State Government has been providing huge area as lease to private companies and facilitating land lease for corporate farming and contract farming. Half of the geographical areas of the State are 5th Scheduled areas where survey and settlement have not yet been completed.
The State Government’s “Mo Jami and Mo Diha” scheme in 2007 is aimed to physically verify the actual possession of ceiling surplus land and waste land distributed among beneficiaries because many of the beneficiaries have only Patta without physical possession. Out of the total beneficiaries of the scheme, 2, 84,564 were STs, 1,53,029 were SCs and 1,83,452 were others.
Similarly Bhoodan Yagyna Samiti has distributed 5,79,984 acres out of total land of 6,38,706 acres among 1,52,852 land less persons. The quantum of land distributed is very less. However, land distribution has been an incomplete agenda. Therefore, agricultural land distribution should be fully reviewed by setting a commission. The land distribution programme needs to be changed in the context by broadening its scope and land size, considering integrated farming.
Odisha has advantage of ten agro climatic zones and abundant inland water having much scope for integrated farming. Strategies of land distribution should be local specific considering the availability of land and the geo-climatic situation. The water clad and swamp areas in coastal blocks can be distributed for pisciculture, seacoast for betel vines, river beds water bodies and canal banks for seasonal vegetable cultivation, hilly and forest areas for fruit orchard and agro-forestry, etc. The utilisation of waste land and reclamation of land for agriculture will positively contribute to boost production, employment and bring improvement in environment.
The agricultural land settlement and distribution has been getting delayed. The farmers are facing problem in getting RoR of the land in possession since long. The 12th plan document of the Planning Commission has proposed to distribute surplus land to disadvantaged and women farmers. It suggested for a comprehensive assessment of all land available with the Government including ceiling surplus land, uncultivable waste land and so on and its distribution in groups. The land can be registered in group’s name or under very long-term lease arrangement. It is also proposed to have a loan-cum-grant scheme with 50 per cent as grant and 50 per cent as low interest loan to purchase land.
The States like Andhra Pradesh and Kerala have exhibited success in such initiatives. The Kudumbashree project in Kerala and AP Mahila Samatha Society have brought substantial uncultivated land under farming, revived agriculture and created employment. The group model can be replicated in pisiculture, fishery, poultry, and livestock and integrated with schemes like MGNREGA for land development. It is also proposed to have public land bank at panchayat level by mobilizing deposits of land from land owners and making land available for the landless farmers.
The State Government can learn from the experience of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh and creatively implement this programme in Odisha. There is enough scope to make plan within budgetary provisions like Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) and Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) to develop waste land and purchase private land for distribution.
The Right to Fair Compensation, Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Transparency in land Acquisition Act 2013 has provisions to give land to the displaced, in case of irrigation projects and also to acquire land for project affected people. The Revenue, Agriculture, ST and SC Development, labour and Employment Department and institutions like NABARD and the National Waste land Development Board should collectively work out strategies to integrate programmes of land distribution and integrated farming.
(The writer is a rights activist who can be reached at ojaabbsr@gmail.com)