The document analyzes social inequalities in land ownership in India, with a case study focusing on the state of West Bengal. It finds that Dalits have significantly less access to land than other social groups across India. However, in West Bengal, Dalits have better relative access to land compared to other states, as shown by land ownership and cultivation data from national surveys. Village-level surveys also show that land reform policies in West Bengal have benefited Dalit, Adivasi and Muslim households by granting them agricultural and homestead lands.

1. SOCIAL INEQUALITY IN LAND OWNERSHIP IN INDIA A STUDY WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO WEST BENGAL Aparajita Bakshi Junior Research Fellow Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata, India

5. Households that do not cultivate land, India and States, 1993-94 and 2004-05 per thousand rural households 428 574 387 528 India 474 486 416 471 West Bengal 282 364 229 296 Uttar Pradesh 541 566 521 567 Tripura 718 845 634 770 Tamil Nadu 260 451 189 279 Rajasthan 683 941 615 949 Punjab 415 534 354 515 Orissa 480 676 430 597 Maharashtra 335 464 249 385 Madhya Pradesh 364 550 694 811 Kerala 461 622 383 516 Karnataka 189 225 133 140 Himachal Pradesh 593 945 515 886 Haryana 506 745 463 713 Gujarat 464 679 375 676 Bihar 243 272 294 444 Assam 607 747 495 604 Andhra Pradesh All Dalit All Dalit 2004-05 1993-94 States

7. Index of access to agricultural land by social groups, 1992 1.2 0.5 1.1 India 1.1 0.8 1.0 West Bengal 1.2 0.5 0.8 Uttar Pradesh 0.9 0.9 1.4 Tripura 1.3 0.4 0.7 Tamil Nadu 1.2 0.6 0.6 Rajasthan 1.6 0.1 0.0 Punjab 1.0 0.5 1.3 Orissa 1.2 0.5 0.7 Maharashtra 1.2 0.7 0.8 Madhya Pradesh 1.1 0.2 1.2 Kerala 1.1 0.6 0.8 Karnataka 1.1 0.7 0.4 Jammu & Kashmir 1.1 0.6 1.2 Himachal Pradesh 1.3 0.2 0.0 Haryana 1.2 0.5 0.5 Gujarat 1.1 0.2 1.7 Bihar 1.0 0.8 1.3 Assam 1.2 0.4 1.0 Andhra Pradesh Others SC ST Ownership holdings States

8. Relative Index of Access to agricultural land, 1992 1.1 2.5 India 1.1 1.3 West Bengal 1.5 2.6 Uttar Pradesh 0.6 1.0 Tripura 2.0 3.4 Tamil Nadu 2.1 2.1 Rajasthan 13.0 Punjab 0.8 2.1 Orissa 1.6 2.2 Maharashtra 1.5 1.7 Madhya Pradesh 0.9 6.4 Kerala 1.4 1.8 Karnataka 2.9 1.7 Jammu & Kashmir 1.0 1.8 Himachal Pradesh 6.0 Haryana 2.2 2.5 Gujarat 0.6 5.3 Bihar 0.8 1.3 Assam 1.2 3.0 Andhra Pradesh ND/Adivasi ND/Dalit Ownership holdings State

9. TENTULTALA DALKATI KALINAGAR & BIDYANIDHI AMARSINGHI THUTHIPAKAR KALMANDASGURI

10. Social composition in the study villages, May June 2005 Source: Survey data 69.27 30.73 West Medinipur Dalkati 38.8 32.8 28.4 0.0 Barddhaman Kalinagar 0.0 47.9 33.8 18.3 Barddhaman Bidyanidhi 5.5 46.1 8.6 39.8 Koch Bihar Kalmandasguri 55.9 36.2 7.9 0.0 Uttar Dinajpur Thuthipakar 0.9 32.7 66.4 0.0 Malda Amarsinghi 0.4 39.0 1.2 59.4 North 24 Parganas Tentultala Adivasi Dalit Non-Dalit Muslim As percentage of total households District Village

11. Land reform benefits - Share of different social groups in agricultural land distributed in the study villages, May June 2005 Source: Survey data 476 73 27 Dalkati 4.52 50 39 11 Kalinagar 2.8 82 0.0 18 Bidyanidhi 19.01 25 19 17 40 Kalmandasguri 9.72 45 8 46 Thuthipakar 11.64 0 5 95 Amarsinghi 6.5 0 71 0.0 29 Tentultala Adivasi Dalit Non-Dalit Muslim Total land distributed (in acres) Percentage of total agricultural land distributed Village

12. Index of access to agricultural land in study villages, by social groups, May June 2005 Source: Survey data 0.6 1.8 Dalkati 0.3 0.3 2.8 Kalinagar 0.2 2.4 0.4 Bidyanidhi 1.2 1.4 1.1 0.5 Kalmandasguri 0.8 1.3 1.4 Thuthipakar 0.0 0.5 1.3 Amarsinghi 5.8 1.5 2.3 0.6 Tentultala ST Dalit Non-Dalit Muslim Access Index - ownership holdings Village

13. Land reform benefits – Share of different social groups in homestead land distributed in the study villages, May June 2005 Source: Survey data 100.0 23.69 100.0 210 All 52.3 12.38 45.7 96 Adivasi 16.6 3.93 21.0 44 Dalit 9.6 2.28 9.5 20 Non-Dalit 21.5 5.1 23.8 50 Muslim As percentage of total land acquired Extent of land acquired (in acres) As percentage of all households Number of households that gained homestead Social group

14. Net purchase of land in the last 15 years (1990 – 2005) in the survey villages, by social groups, in acres Source: Survey data 10.0 -1.5 10.3 28.3 -9.3 -10.2 17.7 All 5.8 0.9 0.0 0.0 -20.9 0.0 -0.5 Adivasi 0.2 8.6 14.3 14.9 -0.6 11.0 Dalit 4.2 -2.5 -0.8 -1.8 -3.4 -9.6 1.0 Non Dalits 0.0 2.6 15.8 0.0 0.0 6.3 Muslim Dalkati Kalinagar Bidyanidhi Kalmandasguri Thuthipakar Amarsinghi Tentultala Caste