Land reforms in five states of North - East India

The main components of the land reform policy are the detection of ceiling surplus land and the distribution of the existing surplus land, besides tenancy reform, consolidation of holdings, providing access to the poor on common lands and wastelands, preventing the alienation of tribal lands and providing land rights to women. However, for the successful implementation of land reforms, updating of the land records, both by traditional methods and through computerization, is an essential prerequisite. Let us elaborate." (9th Five-Year Plan Document)

The economy of the North Eastern states is mainly rural and agrarian. The region offers scope for cultivation of a wide variety of agricultural crops because of its diversity in topography, altitude and climatic conditions. Land is a critical resource in many of the NE States, and availability and management of land for agricultural activities are essential for raising the region's overall agricultural production and productivity. In the North-Eastern region there are two types of Land such as Hill Land and Plain Land. The extent of cultivable land in the NE region varies from state to state. In the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram there is a dearth of sufficient plain land suitable for permanent cultivation. Whatever plain land is available is too little for the requirement of the people for wholesome subsistence Hence in these states shifting cultivation is being practiced. The total gross cropped areas under cultivation, (74.7 percent) is in Assam alone leaving the rest for other six states. The percentage of cultivable area over the geographical area in most of the NE State (24.69%) is less than the national average (59.22%). The percentage of cultivable area over the geographical area is highest in Meghalaya (47.88%) and lowest in Arunachal Pradesh (3.50%). The percentage utilisation of cultivable area in the NE regions (62.04%) is less than the national average (73.05%) and mono cropping is the predominant method of cultivation. In the absence of multi-cropping, little or no surplus is generated in the agricultural sector. The utilisation is lowest in Meghalaya (19.18 %) and highest in Tripura (89.35%). Among all the NE States, Assam takes the highest position both in terms of available cultivable area and net sown area.