The demand for land reforms recently reached fever pitch in
October 2012, when the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) entered
into a 10-point agreement on land reforms with members of Jan
Satyagraha, a non-violent march organized by Ekta
Parishad. MoRD had inter-alia agreed to initiate a
dialogue with States for establishing Fast Track Land Tribunals and
Courts and introduction of a National Land Reforms Policy. This
once again brought to light the compelling economic and political
arguments for enacting land reforms – primarily to tackle the
scarcity and unequal distribution of land on one hand and growing
demand of housing and industrial development on the other. Since
land forms the basis of economic activity, land serves as an
essential asset for a country to accomplish economic growth and
social equity. During the last few decades, various land reforms
have been enacted and numerous proposed amendments to existing
laws, new legislations and policies are in the
