Bhoodan and Gramdan Movements

The Bhoodan and Gramdan movements, initiated by Vinoba Bhave, aimed to bring about a “non-violent revolution” in India’s land reforms programme. These integrated movements attempted to implement land reforms by urging the landed classes to voluntarily surrender a part of their land to the landless.

The Birth of Bhoodan Movement

The Bhoodan movement began in 1951 after Vinoba Bhave was presented with the problems faced by the landless harijans in Pochampalli, Telangana. In response to his appeal, some land-owning classes agreed to voluntarily donate a part of their land. The Central and State governments provided the necessary assistance to Vinoba Bhave to carry out the Bhoodan movement.

Gramdan Movement: The Next Step

Later, the Bhoodan movement gave way to the Gramdan movement which started in 1952. The objective of the Gramdan movement was to persuade landowners and leaseholders in each village to renounce their land rights. All lands would become the property of a village association for egalitarian redistribution and joint cultivation. A village is declared as Gramdan when at least 75 per cent of its residents, with 51 per cent of the land, signify their approval in writing for Gramdan. The first village to come under Gramdan was Magroth, Haripur, Uttar Pradesh.

Political Patronage and Laws

The movement received widespread political patronage, and several state governments passed laws aimed at Gramdan and Bhoodan. The movements reached their peak around 1969. However, after 1969, Gramdan and Bhoodan lost their importance due to the shift from being purely voluntary movements to government-supported programmes.

Decline of the Movements

In 1967, after the withdrawal of Vinoba Bhave from the movement, it lost its mass base. In the later period, landlords mostly donated land under dispute or unfit for cultivation. The whole movement was treated as something different from the general scheme of development rather than combining with the existing institutional means. This separation from the mainstream scheme seriously affected its continuation as a policy.

Significance

The Bhoodan and Gramdan movements led by Vinoba Bhave attempted to implement land reforms through voluntary surrender of land by the landed classes. While the movements received widespread political patronage and several state governments passed laws to support them, they lost their importance after the shift from purely voluntary movements to government-supported programmes. The movements also suffered due to their separation from the mainstream scheme of development, affecting their continuation as a policy.