5. Land Reforms in India

After Independence, attempts had been made to alter the pattern of distribution of land holdings on the basis of four types of experiments, namely:

a) Land reforms "from above" through legislation on the lines broadly indicated by the Central Government, enacted by the State legislators, and finally implemented by the agencies of the State Government.

b) Land reforms "from above" as in the case of Telengana and the naxalite movement also to some extent in the case of the "Land Grab" movement.

c) Land reforms through legislative enactments "from above" combined with peasant mobilisation "from below" as in the case of controlled land seizure in West Bengal and protection of poor peasants in Kerala.

d) Land reforms "from below" through permission of landlords and peaceful processions by peasants as in the case of Bhoodan and Gramdan.