Land Reforms in Karnataka

Land Reforms in Karnataka

Land Reforms programmes undertaken all over the country in the wake of Independence had three specific objects: (1) Abolition of intermediaries like Zamindars, Inamdars and such other absentee landlords (2) Regulation and subsequent abolition of tenancy, and (3) Putting a ceiling on the ownership of land by cultivating households. The Jatti Committee submitted its report in September 1957, and these recommendations finally resulted in the enactment of the Karnataka Land Reform Act in 1961. However a more egalitarian legislation was enacted in 1971 which is still in operation. The land revenue system throughout the state is the ryotwari system wherein

each landowner deals directly with the Government. Revenue records show the extent of land held and the revenue payable for such land every year. Systematic collection is possible only if such records are available. Records are maintained for each village separately. These records though prepared originally for facilitating collection of revenue in course of time have come to be regarded as indicating title to the land also, as all changes in ownership were being incorporated in these accounts. These gradually came to be known as record of rights. Village Accountants were appointed displacing the hereditary Kulkarnis as in Bombay state in 1950, and the new officials were then called Talatis, and in the whole of Karnataka in 1962 displacing hereditary Shanbhogues, and they are in-charge of revenue records of their respective
villages and are responsible for collecting revenue. They are a transferable adre. The state had its land survyed and settlement made in 1964.The district is the principal unit for administrative purposes. The head of the district, or the Deputy Commissioner passes orders on most of the matters relating to the collection of land revenue and administration of land. The important unit between the district and the village is the taluk or tahsil. In between the villages and the taluk office there is an executive official known as the Revenue Inspector who supervises the work of the village officers of a group of villages placed under his charge. His unit of jurisdiction is called a hobli or revenue circle. In between the Taluk and the Village Office is the Nad Kacheri for a circle. They were introduced on an experimental basis in one hobli each in totally 175 taluks in 1986. One more circle in each taluk had a kacheri opened in 1987. Nad kacheri is headed by Deputy Tahsildar
Shereshtedar who supervises the work of village officers in his jurisdiction. Similarly for a group of taluks there is a sub-divisional officer or an Assistant Commissioner who is the appelate authority as well as supervisory officer in respect of the taluks placed under him. The Chief controlling officer for matters connected with land revenue is the Divisional Commissioner. As the five different regions of the pre-unification days were accustomed to different office procedure a new Secretariat Manual was prepared and enforced in 1958. This established a uniform office procedure at the Secretariat and at the district level. The areas which comprised the new State had their own heritage of administrative organisation, their own laws, rules and regulations, methods or work, development schemes etc. Taxation laws which were different for different areas were formulated on the basis of the recommendation made by the Mysore Finance Enquiry Committee and made them uniform throughout
the State. In addition, It also streamlined various other Acts and Rules in force and introduced uniformity in administration.

The district administration is evolved into a fairly clear establishment, conforming to the purpose and apparatus of Government in the district. The purpose is three-fold, i.e., maintenance of law and order, revenue administration, and the development activities for the economic and social advancement of the people of the district. Under Article 154 of the Constitution of India, the executive power of the State vests with the Governor. He is the constitutional head of the State and the Government is carried on in his name and is appointed for a period of five years. Although in theory the Governor is the repository of all executive authority, he seldom exercises his authority directly except under extraordinary circumstances. In practice the council of ministers exercises all the executive powers of the state. The council is assisted by the Secretariat in running the administration efficiently. Likewise, there is a separate Secretariat to the Governor headed by a secretary. The State legislature consists of two Houses viz. the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. The Legislative Assembly consists of 224 members with one member nominated by the Governor to represent the Anglo-Indian community. The term of office of the members is five years and they are elected by adult franchise. The term of a member elected to the council is six years. The council has 75 members of which 25 are elected from the Legislative Assembly, 25 by Local Bodies, 7 by Registered Graduates, 7 by Registered Teachers and 11 nominated by the Governor. The Assembly sessions are presided over by a Speaker who is elected by the Assembly, while the Council elects the Chairman. The Chief Minister is generally the leader of the legislative assembly.

The Constitution also provides for a council of ministers with a Chief Minister as the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his functions. The Chief Minister who is the leader of the majority party is appointed by the Governor and the other ministers are appointed on his advice. The Council of Ministers which is collectively called the Cabinet, consists of Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers. The Chief Minister will exercise powers in guiding, directing, controlling and co-ordinating the activities of other ministers. He combines in himself the roles of the leader of the party, the leader of the House and the leader of

the Government. The Chief Secretary is the head of the administrative services.

He, together with the Chief Minister will equally share and also assist him in effectively discharging the administrative responsibilities. The three major branches of the State Government are: 1. the Minister 2. the Secretary 3. the Executive Head of the department. The Minister will decide the policy, the Secretary provides advice, and the Executive head will implement the decisions. Two major functionaries – the Minister and the Secretary are served by the Secretariat Organisation.

At the head of the Secretariat is the Chief secretary to Government who is responsible for the proper and efficient functioning of the administrative set up. He is assisted by Additional Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary or Secretaries to Government who in turn have under them Additional Secretary/ Joint Secretary, Deputy and Under Secretaries to Government. The present set-up of the Secretariat Departments are: 1. Agriculture and Horticulture, 2. Animal Husbandry, Veterinary Services and Fisheries, 3. Cooperation, 4. DPAR 5. Education, 6. Energy, 7. Finance, 8. Food and Civil Supplies, 9. Forest, Ecology and Environment, 10. Health and Family Welfare,

11. Home and Transport, 12. Urban Development, 13. Housing, 14. Industries and Commerce, 15. Infrastructure Development, 16. Information Technology, 17, Information, Tourism and Youth Services, 18. Irrigation, 19. Kannada and Culture, 20. Labour, 21. Law 22. Parliamentary Affairs and legislation, 23. Public Works, 24. Revenue, 25. Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, 26. Social Welfare and 27. Women and Child Welfare. Government has established Training Institutes in all the districts of the

state, under the Administrative Training Institute at Mysore. There is also the Karnataka Government Secretariat Training Institute at Bangalore, which imparts training to the staff of different categories and levels. Kannada is the official language of the State and Kannada alone should be used in correspondence in all the Government offices except in correspondence with the Central Government, other State Government offices and courts. Several Steps have also been taken to modernise the administrative system by the introduction of computers in some departments in technical consultation with the Karnataka Government Computer Centre and the National Informatics Centre, Bangalore. The State Government has appointed Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission in 2000 with former minister Haranahalli Ramaswamy as its

Chairman. The Committee has already submitted its Interim Report in January 2001.

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