Tenancy Reforms in Odisha-An Analysis in Retrospect

Land especially arable land is a crucial asset for rural families in India. In fact, it is the main livelihood sustaining asset for majority of rural household depending on agriculture and the most valuable source of security against poverty. Therefore, reform in the land system carries much importance in agrarian economies. Odisha, a predominantly agrarian state in Eastern India, at the time of Independence inherited a highly iniquitous agrarian structure that favoured a class of landlords. The irrational land distribution pattern coupled with the existence of a class of intermediary interest between the tiller and the state in turn encouraged tenancy cultivation as landowners possessing more land than they could cultivate provided land in terms of tenancy to others. Under the system the actual cultivator was subjected to rack renting and exploitation, consequently the cultivator lacked both incentive and ability to improve productivity of land. Hence reform in the tenancy system was sought so as to remove some of the bottlenecks that hampered the growth of agrarian economy and to infuse efficiency and equity in the agrarian set up. Thus measures were adopted in the state for regulating rent, providing security of tenure to the tenants and conferring the right of ownership on tenants. The article intends to review the measures adopted in this regard and the effect of the measures in the tenancy system of the state.