The proposed amendments to the Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961, will create a “new class of landlords” in the villages and further marginalise the peasantry who are already in deep distress, said the former West Bengal Minister Suryakanth Mishra.
Speaking at a convention on the proposed amendments, organised by the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) here on Saturday, he said the proposed amendments were a continuation of a series of measures taken in the post-1990s era of economic liberalisation to undo the spirit of land reforms.
Spate of suicides
Mr. Mishra said that land reform laws in force in Karnataka and elsewhere were “limited”, and even those in Left-led States were “not radical”.
However, the changes in policies and laws brought about in recent years have undermined even the limited good that these laws ensured, and had pushed agriculture into a crisis, which is indicated by 2.7 lakh farmer suicides reported in the country since the late 1990s.
The former Minister said that Karnataka was one of the “forerunners” in bringing about these “draconian” changes in laws related to farmers and agriculture. He said that the amendments would only facilitate corporate capital and international capital at the cost of real peasantry.
The proposed amendment Bill — expected to be tabled during the legislature session starting from July 16 — will change the land ceiling from the existing 54 acres to 108 acres.
It also proposes to change the nomenclature and meaning of farming activities. The Bill will henceforth bring agriculture-based industries, farming research institutes, post-harvest agriculture-based companies and infrastructure for farming under the bracket of agricultural activities. The Bill allows for agriculture-based companies to take land on lease with a few riders.
