With reference to land reforms in independent India, which one of the following statements is correct?
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Answer: B. After independence, land reforms (abolishing intermediaries, tenancy reform and ceilings on holdings) were meant above all to take surplus land from big holders and give it to the landless and small cultivators. In practice the goal was only partly met, but it was the central aim.
Watch for: Option A sounds technical and partly true (the 1972 guidelines used the family as the unit), which pulls students away from the broad aim.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because early ceiling laws mostly applied to individual holdings; the family became the unit only after the 1972 national guidelines.
- C. Wrong because land reforms did not make cash crops the main form of cultivation; food crops stayed dominant.
- D. Wrong because ceiling laws allowed many exemptions, such as for plantations, orchards and religious trusts.
Source to check: NCERT Class 12 Indian Economic Development, Chapter 1 'Indian Economy on the Eve of Independence' and Chapter 2 'Indian Economy 1950-1990' (Land Reforms)
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.