Land Reforms in Bengal A success established by surveys too

Distribution of land among the landless, as per the Left Front Government's land Reforms Programmes has been more or less successful in providing the necessary thrust for rural development in West Bengal. A survey conducted by the State Government's the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, among 1.33 lakh of a total of 2.5 million recipients of patta (titlehold) land reveals that 87.29% holders of patta have retained the land given to them. 85% of the patta-holders were landless farmers before the government, Mr. Surya Kanta Mishra, the State's Panchayat and Rural Development Minister told the State Assembly on 30 June, distributed vested land among them. Obviously the Left Front's Land Reforms policy has been moving on, by and large, on satisfactory lines. There is no gainsaying that many more improvements will have to be made. Around 95.68% patta holders belong to the first generation owners of land, with the remaining 4.32% owning land from their forefathers, according to the process of inheritance. Around 64% of the patta holders were offered these pattas after 1981. As many as 85% of them were landless before being offered vested land with patta by the Front government. Only 14% of them owned some land beforehand. The Minister dispelled doubt of the Congress opposition whether the landless at all retained control of land given to them.

In West Bengal the majority 70% of patta owners were small and marginal farmers. They have retained their hold on their land despite the onslaught of globalisation and reforms in Indian economy starting with 1992. There was fear that the farmers would be forced to sell off their land. This has not happened.