5.1. Legal Framework for Land Reforms

While recognizing the need to bring about land reforms in the country, the Constitution of India provided under Article 39 that:

1) The ownership and control of the material resources of the country should be so distributed as best to serve the common good; and

2) The operation of the economic system should not result in a concentration of wealth or a means to production to the common detriment.

However, under the Indian Constitution, land reform is the responsibility of individual states so while the federal government provides broad policy guidelines, the nature of land reform legislation, the level of political will and institutional support for land reform and the degree of success in implementing land reform have varied considerably from state to state with the agenda remaining unfinished in most states.