Orissa at a Glance

 

Land & Livelihood

 

Agrarian legislation for protection of and promotion of land rights of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes

 

legislative measures : Orissa scheduled areas transfer of immovable property (by scheduled tribes) regulation, 1956 amended in 1963.

 

description : prohibits transfer of land from members of scheduled tribes to non-scheduled tribes in the scheduled areas.

 

legislative measures :  Orissa land reforms act 1960 (amended in 1973).

 

description : restricts scheduled tribes and scheduled castes to sell their land to non-scheduled castes and non-scheduled tribes unless permitted by the state sub-divisional officer.

 

legislative measures : executive measure (there is no legislation relating to the allotment of land to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes)

 

description : the government has issued notifications for settlement and lease of waste and encroached lands in the state in which scheduled caste and scheduled tribes have been given first and second priority respectively. They are requested to file applications before the local tehsildars for the allotment of such lands.

 

Source: The Commissioner for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes

 

 

Alienation and restoration of tribal lands (as of November 1999) 

 

Number of cases filed in courts                                                          1431

Areas under filed cases (acres)                                                         1712   

Percentage of cases rejected                                                            10.62  

Area (acres)                                                                                        11.92

Percentage of cases decided in favour of tribes                                30.89

Area (acres)                                                                            35.75

Percentage of cases pending in courts                                              58.49

Areas (acres)                                                                          52.34

 

Source: Annual Report 1999-2000, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.

 

 

Ceiling limits on land holdings

 

 Irrigated with two crops (hectares)                                                    4.05

 Irrigated with one crops (hectares)                                                    6.07

 Dry land (hectares)                                                                            18.21

 

Source: Agriculture Statistics at a Glance, 1993, Government of India

 

Progress in Implementation of Ceiling Laws (as of March 1996)

 

Area declared surplus (acres)                                                       176569

Percentage of area taken possession                                              93.57

Percentage of area distributed to

area declared surplus possession                                                   87.11

Percentage of beneficiaries- scheduled caste                                 33.93

Percentage of area to scheduled caste                                           31.80

Percentage of beneficiaries- scheduled tribes                                 37.25

Percentage of area to scheduled tribes                                           41.92

Percentage of beneficiaries- others                                                 28.82

Percentage of area to others                                                            26.27

 

Source: Rural Development Statistics 1999, National Institute of Rural Development

 

Area not available for distribution (as of march 1996)

 

         (Percent)

Area involved in litigation                                                                     58.57

Area reserved for public purposes                                                     13.03

Area unit for cultivation                                                                          8.02

Area not available for miscellaneous reasons                                    14.55

 

Source: Rural Development Statistics 1999, National Institute of Rural Development

 

 Allotment of Bhoodan Land (as of March 31, 1981)

 

 

Total land received (acres)                                                                 1346966

Percentage of land allotted                                                                 12.39

Percentage of beneficiaries- scheduled caste                                   21.77

Percentage of area to scheduled caste                                             22.56

Percentage of beneficiaries- scheduled tribes                                   45.63

Percentage of area to scheduled tribes                                            58.01

Percentage of beneficiaries- others                                                   32.60

Percentage of area to others                                                            19.44

 

Source: The Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, April 1980-March 1981.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distribution of operational holdings among scheduled castes and scheduled tribes

 

 

                                        Number (percent)                    Area (percent)

                                   

 1980-81          1990-91          1980-81          1990-91

           

Scheduled Caste            12.17               13.70              7.86                8.60

 

Scheduled Tribes           27.58               26.60            29.90               28.70

 

Source: Agricultural Census Reports, figures for 1990-91 taken from 'The Agricultural Situation in India'.

 

Distribution of encroachers by the size of class of existing land holding

 

(Percent)

Landless                                                                                     10

Marginal (0-1 hectares)                                                                10

Small (1-2 hectares)                                                                    70

Semi medium (2-4 hectares)                                                        5

Medium & large (> 4 hectares)                                                      5

 

Source: Social Exclusion and Land Administration in Orissa, 1999.                                  

 

Land use patterns

 

Land use Category                                                      Share of Total Area (Percent)

 

Agricultural Land                                                                                 59

            Net area sown                                                                        41

            Tree crops                                                                                 6

            Grazing land                                                                   4

            Cultivable wasteland                                                                  3

            Uncultivable wasteland                                                              3

            Fallow land                                                                                 2

 

Forest Land                                                                                          36

            Reserved forest                                                          17

            Protected forest                                                                      10

            Other (community land, village forest)                                     9

 

Non Agricultural Land                                                                 5

 

Source: Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Bhubaneshwar, 2000.