SOCIAL INEQUALITY IN LAND
OWNERSHIP IN INDIA
A STUDY WITH PARTICULAR
REFERENCE TO WEST BENGAL
Aparajita Bakshi
Junior Research Fellow
Indian Statistical Institute
Kolkata, India
Objectives

Assess the inequalities in access to land between
the different social groups, especially Dalits and
Adivasis in rural India

A case study of the impact of land reforms in
West Bengal, a State in Eastern India on the land
holding among Dalit and Adivasi households
Secondary data sources on land holdings in
India
National Sample Survey Land and Livestock
Holdings Surveys
48th round (1992)

National Sample Survey Employment
Unemployment Surveys
50th round (1993-94)
61st round (2004-05)

Definitions of land holdings
•
Land and Livestock Holding surveys
Ownership holdings of agricultural land
• Employment Unemployment Surveys
Land cultivated by households
Households that do not cultivate land, India and States, 1993-94 and 2004-05 per
thousand rural households
States
1993-94
2004-05
Dalit
All
Dalit
All
Andhra Pradesh
604
495
747
607
Assam
444
294
272
243
Bihar
676
375
679
464
Gujarat
713
463
745
506
Haryana
886
515
945
593
Himachal Pradesh
140
133
225
189
Karnataka
516
383
622
461
Kerala
811
694
550
364
Madhya Pradesh
385
249
464
335
Maharashtra
597
430
676
480
Orissa
515
354
534
415
Punjab
949
615
941
683
Rajasthan
279
189
451
260
Tamil Nadu
770
634
845
718
Tripura
567
521
566
541
Uttar Pradesh
296
229
364
282
West Bengal
471
416
486
474
India
528
387
574
428
Index of Access
Index of Access for the social group j, denoted as
Aj can be represented as;
Aj = Percentage of total extent of
ownership/operational holdings
owned/operated by group j ÷ Percentage of
households in group j in total households
Relative access index A = Ai/Aj
Index of access to agricultural land by social groups, 1992
States
Ownership holdings
ST
SC
Others
Andhra Pradesh
1.0
0.4
1.2
Assam
1.3
0.8
1.0
Bihar
1.7
0.2
1.1
Gujarat
0.5
0.5
1.2
Haryana
0.0
0.2
1.3
Himachal Pradesh
1.2
0.6
1.1
Jammu & Kashmir
0.4
0.7
1.1
Karnataka
0.8
0.6
1.1
Kerala
1.2
0.2
1.1
Madhya Pradesh
0.8
0.7
1.2
Maharashtra
0.7
0.5
1.2
Orissa
1.3
0.5
1.0
Punjab
0.0
0.1
1.6
Rajasthan
0.6
0.6
1.2
Tamil Nadu
0.7
0.4
1.3
Tripura
1.4
0.9
0.9
Uttar Pradesh
0.8
0.5
1.2
West Bengal
1.0
0.8
1.1
India
1.1
0.5
1.2
Relative Index of Access to agricultural land, 1992
State
Ownership holdings
ND/Dalit
ND/Adivasi
Andhra Pradesh
3.0
1.2
Assam
1.3
0.8
Bihar
5.3
0.6
Gujarat
2.5
2.2
Haryana
6.0
Himachal Pradesh
1.8
1.0
Jammu & Kashmir
1.7
2.9
Karnataka
1.8
1.4
Kerala
6.4
0.9
Madhya Pradesh
1.7
1.5
Maharashtra
2.2
1.6
Orissa
2.1
0.8
Punjab
13.0
Rajasthan
2.1
2.1
Tamil Nadu
3.4
2.0
Tripura
1.0
0.6
Uttar Pradesh
2.6
1.5
West Bengal
1.3
1.1
India
2.5
1.1
KALMANDASGURI
THUTHIPAKAR
AMARSINGHI
KALINAGAR &
BIDYANIDHI
TENTULTALA
DALKATI
Social composition in the study villages, May June
2005
Village
District
As percentage of total households
Muslim
Non-Dalit
Dalit
Adivasi
North 24
Parganas
59.4
1.2
39.0
0.4
Amarsinghi
Malda
0.0
66.4
32.7
0.9
Thuthipakar
Uttar
Dinajpur
0.0
7.9
36.2
55.9
Kalmandasguri
Koch Bihar
39.8
8.6
46.1
5.5
Bidyanidhi
Barddhaman
18.3
33.8
47.9
0.0
Kalinagar
Barddhaman
0.0
28.4
32.8
38.8
Tentultala
Dalkati
Source: Survey data
West
Medinipur
30.73
69.27
Land reform benefits - Share of different social groups in agricultural land
distributed in the study villages, May June 2005
Village
Muslim
Non-Dalit
Dalit
Adivasi
Total land
distributed (in
acres)
29
0.0
71
0
6.5
Amarsinghi
95
5
0
11.64
Thuthipakar
46
8
45
9.72
25
19.01
Tentultala
Percentage of total agricultural land distributed
Kalmandasguri
40
17
19
Bidyanidhi
18
0.0
82
Kalinagar
11
39
Dalkati
27
Source: Survey data
2.8
50
4.52
73
476
Index of access to agricultural land in study villages, by social groups, May June
2005
Village
Access Index - ownership holdings
Muslim
Non-Dalit
Dalit
ST
0.6
2.3
1.5
5.8
Amarsinghi
1.3
0.5
0.0
Thuthipakar
1.4
1.3
0.8
1.2
Tentultala
Kalmandasguri
0.5
1.1
1.4
Bidyanidhi
0.4
2.4
0.2
Kalinagar
2.8
0.3
Dalkati
1.8
Source: Survey data
0.3
0.6
Land reform benefits – Share of different social groups in homestead land
distributed in the study villages, May June 2005
Social group
Number of
As percentage
households
of all
that gained
household
homestead
s
Extent of
land
acquired
(in
acres)
As percentage
of total
land
acquired
Muslim
50
23.8
5.1
21.5
Non-Dalit
20
9.5
2.28
9.6
Dalit
44
21.0
3.93
16.6
Adivasi
96
45.7
12.38
52.3
All
210
100.0
23.69
100.0
Source: Survey data
Net purchase of land in the last 15 years (1990 – 2005) in the survey villages, by
social groups, in acres
Caste
Tentult
ala
Amarsin
ghi
Thuthipa
kar
Kalmandas
guri
Bidyani
dhi
Kalinag
ar
Muslim
6.3
0.0
0.0
15.8
2.6
0.0
Non Dalits
1.0
-9.6
-3.4
-1.8
-0.8
-2.5
Dalit
11.0
-0.6
14.9
14.3
8.6
0.2
Adivasi
-0.5
0.0
-20.9
0.0
0.0
0.9
5.8
All
17.7
-10.2
-9.3
28.3
10.3
-1.5
10.0
Source: Survey data
Dalkati
4.2

Dalits in rural India have far less access to land than any other social group. There is
an increase in landlessness among Dalits in India in the previous decade.

Secondary data show the Dalits in West Bengal have better access to land compared to
other Indian States. This is indicated by the fact that the proportion of landless Dalit
households is lower in West Bengal than the national average and the Index of Access
is higher.

The increase in the incidence of landlessness among Dalits in West Bengal in the
previous decade is lower than that in India. Also, the increase in the incidence of
landlessness in West Bengal is higher for non-Dalits than Dalits.

Village level data show that Dalit, Adivasi and Muslim households have been major
beneficiaries of land reforms in West Bengal. These social groups have gained access
to agricultural and homestead land through the process of land reforms. The direct
policy of land reform implemented by the Government of West Bengal, though in a
limited way, have contributed to lowering inequalities among the deprived social
groups in the State and that is also reflected in the secondary data.

Increased purchasing power among the poor in Bengal facilitated by land distribution
has increased the participation of Dalit and Muslim households in land markets.