4. Ceiling of Landholdings

Under the land reforms programme, it was envisaged that beyond a certain specified limit, all lands belonging to the landlords would be taken over by the state and allotted to small proprietors to make their holdings economic or to landless labourers to meet their demand for land. Ceiling on landholdings is, therefore, an effective measure for redistribution of land and achieving the goal of social justice. The land ceiling limits, both in the irrigated and dry lands, vary from state to state have been given in Table 9.7:

Table 9.7 India—Ceiling Limits on Land Holdings in Hectares

State	Irrigated with two crops	Irrigated with one crop	Dryland
As Suggested in National Guidelines of 1972	5.05-7.28	10.93	21.85
Actual Ceiling Andhra Pradesh	4.05-7.28	6.07-10.93	14.16-21.85
Assam	6.74	6.74	6.74
Bihar	6.07-7.28	10.12	12.14-18.21
Gujarat	4.05-7.28	6.07-10.93	8.09-21.85
Haryana	7.25	10.90	21.80
Himachal Pradesh	4.05	6.07	12.14-28.33
Jammu & Kashmir	3.6-5.06		21.85
Karnataka	7.28	10.93	21.85
Kerala	4.86-6.07	4.86-6.07	4.86-6.07
Madhya Pradesh	7.28	10.93	21.85
Maharashtra	7.28	10.93-14.57	21.85
Manipur	5.00	5.00	6.00
Odish a	4.05	6.07	12.14-18.21

(Contd.')

(Contd.)

Punjab	7.28	10.93	21.85-70.82
Rajasthan	4.86	12.14	24.28
Tamil Nadu	5.06		20.23
Sikkim	5.06		20.23
Tripura	4.00	4.00	12.00
Uttar Pradesh	7.30	10.95	18.25
West Bengal	5.00		7.00

Source: Agricultural Statistics at a Glance—Ministry of Agriculture.

It may be observed from Table 9.7 that in J&K and Kerala, only 3.6 and 4.86 hectares respectively arc the ceiling limits of irrigated agricultural land, while in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana it is about 7.30 hectares. The unirrigated agricultural land ceiling limit is over 24 hectares in Rajasthan, over 20 hectares in Tamil Nadu, about 22 hectares in Jammu and Kashmir state and over 21 to about 71 hectares in Haryana and Punjab, respectively.