The Status of Land Revenue Administration in Modern India – A Key Indicator of Misgovernance!

The Issue

If anyone could check the personal record sheet of an IAS Officer, he/she can find that the very initial stage of a civil servants career starts with Land Revenue Administration – because Land is everything from Production, Capital Formation, Food Security and Territorial Sovereignty as well. But how far the system has turned into a pell-mell situation is a matter of great concern and grief. The complete collapse of Land Revenue System in India apparently is a clear indicator that Governance is getting out of control. If my hunch is correct, Land Grabbing is the mother of all scandals! In the following paras, let me try to give you a picture of the wonder that was in vogue earlier. A System of Administration that was well connected and integrated.

History of Land Revenue Administration

When we observe history, we can perceptively find that certain practices are universal across time and space among Governments. Just like mothers are called ‘Ma’ ,’Mom’, ‘Amma’ universally, Just like the first day of the week is Monday, associated with moon, the same in German, French, Greek and almost all other languages, we find that “taxation” is one of the oldest function of Governments. Taxation in ancient times literally meant “What a citizen/subject owed to the sovereign by virtue of his deriving of benefits from the land”. Much before Plato factorised Territory as an element of State, men and women were aware of it and were remitting taxes in the form of Land Revenue to the Sovereign(King). 

In India, from times immemorial, the Land Administration (Revenue Administration) rsted solely upon on collection of taxes/land revenue, which was the main source of revenue to Rulers?

 The village was the basic unit of administration and has remained so throughout the centuries.  Land and its people define basic frame work of any civilization. The resources, their ownership and accessibility of land are some of the fundamental constituents of any system which is considered an essential aspect of human societies over the centuries.        

            This cardinal function of State’s Administration across the World has been vividly documented in the various religious texts as well:-

What the Quran Says about Taxation:

The Qur'an justifies the concept of tax(khums) by saying,"...so that (the wealth) may not become a monopoly of the rich among you." (59:7)

According to the verse of khums, this Islamic tax is for (1) Allah, (2) the Messenger of Allah, (3) the near relative of the Messenger, (4) the orphans, (5) needy, and (6) stranded traveler.

Torah – The Book of Jews on Taxation :

And Yosef imposed a twenty percent tax on the land of Egypt, which is still prevailing today... (Bereshith 47:26)

Jesus – A Point Blank Answer to remittance of Tax to the King

 “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s (Luke 20:20-26)

Economic History of India Incomplete without Land Revenue

            The readers of Economic History of India would find that a huge number of eminent historians have literally enjoyed reading and recording the Land Revenue System of Ancient, Medieval and Modern India – not merely because it was a principal sovereign function, but because of the linkages Land Revenue management had with Sustainable Livelihood Strategy.

The Outline of Land Revenue System

            Water is the elixir of life and hence Water is the source of Land Revenue Fixation. Fertility of the soil and its productivity is greatly influenced by availability of water. Those land rain fed are called as “Dry Land” and those land, with an assured supply of water from Government sources were called as “Wet Land”, with a higher degree of Land Revenue Assessment. Agricultural Income Tax was the first income Tax and is the mother of our modern day Income Tax. Up keeping Water sources were given utmost priority by the Kings and the water course (the pathway of flowing water as river, brook or canal), were also equally considered sacred. The water flowed without hindrance and because of this intact inbuilt system; the Green Revolution was a fair show in India.

That’s the reason why Land Revenue was the major source of Revenue in Colonial India and even upto 1960’s.

Situation of Land Revenue today – The Tamil Nadu Situation

            My heart bleeds and eyes get wet in tears to see the great institution that is directly linked to the “Food Security” of the Nation is completely devastated. Today, almost all water bodies are encroached and literally every tank has become pucca habitation. Without access to water, how long can we suck water from the earth? The rising salinity and the lower of ground water table have also resulted in the limitation of drawing underground water for agricultural practices. The paddy fields, the “ milk filled breasts of mother earth”, is systematically mutilated and in a mad conversion for real estates.

            Today, Land Revenue has become a romantic symbol in the State’s Revenue and the entire team of Revenue Officers, from Village Administrative Officers (VAO) to the Tehsildars/mamlatdars/Talukdars are solely responsible for  this “Rape of Land Revenue System”, sponsored by the Good Party men of the blessed political parties of Tamil Nadu.

Land Classification and Related Impacts

            The classification of land as “banned” and “unbanned” categories, the very need of demarcating “Rice Lands”, “ Lands for Paddy Cultivation”, land earmarked as “Threshing Ground”, did mean the support system of Food Security, which is not completely obliterated due to efflux of time.

MGR – The First to spell the Doom of the System

            The two decisions of Mr.M.G.Ramachandran introducing a structural change in the Land Revenue Administration of Tamil Nadu, nearly severed the head of the system that survived three centuries. They were: The Abolition of the Board of Revenue and (2) The Abolition of Traditional Village Munsiffs and Karnams.( December 1980)

            No doubt the Chief Minister’s motive in good faith. The Board of Revenue was functioning as a super cabinet and the traditional Village Munisffs were acting like Feudal Lords. But the way the system was replaced spelled the doom of the system. ( The main difference between the bureaucrats of Tamil Nadu and the rest of the country is that, here the Officers can exercise their powers within the system very precisely than elsewhere  because of the strength of administrative institutions that dates back to Madras Presidency, that was the fulcrum of Colonial Bureaucracy. That’s the reason why TN was and is considered to be the best Cadre for IAS). Obviously the ICS Officers like Gaiwar, Qutwal and IAS Officers like C.K.Badrinath, Ram Chander, G.M.White were stalwarts and certainly were par excellence and the populist MGR could do nothing but to strap of the bureaucratic powers in the name of decentralisation.

            With this, the system of Land Reevnue Administration started collapsing as a pack of cards and now we find the VAO’s as Real Estate Promoters. I remember Mr.U.Sahayam mentioning during his tenure as a District Revenue Officer  ( DRO) in Kancheepuram in late 1997-1998, that the cars VAO’s use and the mobile phones they use, the political clout they enjoyed literally was threatening all the supervisory staff. Today, the VAO’s by and large are a parallel power structures in Tamil Nadu Administration, because of the control of Land Records of the Villages. I am afraid they would declare independence from India soon!

Land Revenue – Is it a finished Concept?

Certainly not. Land Revenue would continue to be a live subject, at least for the maintenance of Land Records, the only record of the “Territorial Component” of the Element of State. With the advent of “Conclusive Land Titling Bill”, the bill that would aim the liquidation of land, we still would need a closer study of Land Revenue System – to be identified as “Land Registry System”.

My Fervent Appeal as an Academic:

            The Government should encourage academics to take up administrative researches. Satellite Imageries should be invariably used at Village Record Offices and the encroachments on water courses need to be cleared more effectively. There should be a specific land use policy, which has never existed in India. 

The funding institutions like the University Grants Commission, Indian Council of Social Science Research, and the various ministries that fund researches should have a focus on this vital issue of Land management. Rural Asset Management, Urban Asset management, Social Forestry are crucial topics for Academic Researches. In addition, young Officers allotted to IAS should develop a passion towards learning Land Revenue Management. They should not shirk this cardinal responsibility of the Collector/District Magistrate. Apart from this, every school, college must impart special attention to the students towards preserving Land – What is called CPR or Common Property Resources!

Let us remember that “Land undoubtedly a source of political power and political consolidation and hence the access to land, control of land and optimally utilizing land as a factor of production are invariably linked to public policies, state sponsored action-plan and also the participation of people”. In this context, every administrator and the members of Civil Society need to revisit Indian land revenue System.

           

Map  Courtesy :http://www.bankresearch.org/economicpolicyblog/2006/04/the_lasting_leg.html