Question

Briefly describe the institutional reforms introduced in Indian agriculture.

Answer 1

Hint: Government of India mainly emphasized land reforms, the Green Revolution, the issuing of KCC and PAIS, the establishment of Grameen banks, and cooperative societies on account of institutional reforms in agriculture.

Complete answer:
To bring institutional reforms in the country after independence, a few land reforms were prioritized. Land reform was the primary focus of the First Five Year Plan. The Government of India started to actively introduce other agricultural reforms in order to improve agriculture in India during the 1960s and ‘70s. Consolidation of hoardings of land, the abolition of zamindari, collectivization, etc were important steps towards this goal, which made the lands economically viable to all and sundry. The Green Revolution and the White Revolution were some of the strategies embarked on. Provision for crop insurance against flood, drought, cyclone, fire, and diseases was introduced on account of land development programs. Grameen banks, cooperative societies, and banks were established with an aim to provide loan facilities to the farmers at lower rates of interest. Kisan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS), are some other schemes introduced by the government of India for the benefit of farmers. Special bulletins about weather and agricultural programs for farmers were telecasted weekly on radio and TV. The benefits diffused widely among farmers all across the country and gradually trickled down to landless agricultural workers in the form of higher wage rates.

Note: The institutional agricultural reforms not only benefited the farmers but also provided higher wage rates to the landless agricultural workers throughout the country.