Land Tenure refers to the system of land ownership and management. The features that distinguish a land tenure system from the others relate to the following:
- Who owns the land
- Who cultivates the land.
- Who is responsible for paying the land revenue to the government.
Based on these questions, three different types of land tenure existed in India before Independence. They were:
- Zamindari System or the Landlord-Tenant System.
- Mahalwari System or Communal System of Farming.
- Ryotwari System or the Owner-Cultivator System.
Zamindari System or the Land lord Tenant System:
- This system was created by the British East India Company, when in 1793, Lord Cornwallis introduced ‘Permanent Settlement Act’.
- Under this system the landlord or the Zamindars were declared as the owners of the land and they were responsible to pay the land revenue to the government.
- The share of the government in total rent collected was fixed as 10/11th, the balance going to the Zamindars as remuneration.
Mahalwari System or Communal System of Farming:
- After introduction of this system, it was later extended to Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.
- The ownership of the land was maintained by the collective body usually the villagers which served as a unit of management.
- They distributed land among the peasants and collected revenue from them and pay it to the state.
Ryotwari System (or) the Owner-Cultivator System:
- This system was initially introduced in Tamil Nadu and later extended to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam, Coorg, East Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.
- Under this system the ownership rights of use and control of land were held by the tiller himself.
- There was the direct relationship between owners and tillers. This system was the least oppressive system before Independence.
