Rural Share 44%, Urban 37%: Survey
Mahendra Kumar Singh | TNN
New Delhi: As further proof of their rising political and economic profile,
a recent study has found that OBCs are the major land-owning group in the
country, with control over 37% of land in urban areas and 44% in rural
areas.
The share of land owned by different social groups, according to the
latest NSSO survey, was 11.2% for STs, 9% for SCs, 43.5% for OBCs and 36%
for others in rural areas.
Also, the per household land owned by OBCs, at 0.758 hectare, was higher
than the national average of 0.725 hectare. According to the survey, land
owned per household was 0.767 hectare for STs, 0.304 hectare for SCs, 0.758
hectare for OBCs and 1.003 hectare for others.
In urban areas, OBCs control over 36.8% of the land. The percentage of
land owned by STs was 3.3%, SCs was 4.8% and others contolled 55.2%.
The per household land ownership was about 0.145 hectare for STs, 0.041
hectare for SCs, 0.139 hectare for OBCs and 0.151 hectare for other groups,
while it was 0.130 hectare for all households in urban areas.
Despite the emphasis on land reforms, the survey found that about 10% of
rural households were landless-owning either no land or less than 0.002
hectare. The corresponding urban share was 49%. The percentage of landless
households, as estimated by the latest survey (2003), was not very different
from 1971-72-9.6%. When it comes to maximum number of landless households in
rural areas, Maharashtra is among the leading states, following Sikkim and
Arunanchal Pradesh.
The percentage of landless households in the rural sector was highest in
Sikkim (31%), followed by Arunachal Pradesh (22%), Maharashtra (18%), Tamil
Nadu (17%) and Himachal Pradesh (15%).
The estimated total area owned by households in the rural sector during
2003 was 107.23 million hectare. The corresponding area in the urban sector
was 7.21 million hectare.
The per household average land owned in the rural sector in 2003 came to
0.725 hectare, about 27% less than the corresponding figure in 1992.