Under the Land Ceiling Acts, the state was first to identify the surplus land held by each household and last to redistribute it to landless families. Which step came in between?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Take possession of the surplus land
Option (1) Remove the intermediaries holding the surplus land — Incorrect. Removing the layer of intermediaries between cultivators and the state was the work of zamindari abolition, the first land reform law. That law took away the superior rights of the zamindars over the land.
Option (2) Regulate the rent charged on the surplus land — Incorrect. Regulating rents belongs to the tenancy abolition and regulation acts, which tried to give tenants some security. The ceiling acts deal with how much land one family may own.
Option (3) Fix a lower ceiling for the surplus land — Incorrect. The ceiling acts fixed an upper limit on land, and that limit changes with the kind of land and its productivity. Fixing a lower ceiling plays no part in handling surplus land.
Option (4) Take possession of the surplus land — Correct. Under the Land Ceiling Acts the state first identifies land above the ceiling limit and then takes possession of it. Only after that can it redistribute the land to landless families and groups such as SCs and STs.
NCERT (2026-27): “Independent India … |