Agrarian legislation in Jharkhand region of Bihar: A historical perspective

Abstract

Since time immemorial, Jharkhand region of Bihar happens to be the homeland of large number of people primarily tribals. Although the history of the area is obscure, it seems that various tribal groups came in the area, cleared the forest and settled in the valleys. They developed their own set of traditions and customs determining ownership, use and succession of land and common property resources. However, after living in relative isolation, the area has witnessed outside impositions since Mughal period. Each phase of history has brought new challenges and threats over the resources of these people, both individual and common property resources. The tribals in Jharkhand have a long history, both violent and non-violent protests in the area. The history of formal agrarian legislation bagan in the British period and each protest led to a new set of legislation in the area. The process continues till date. The present paper makes a modest attempt to discuss briefly the Agrarian legislation in the Jharkhand region of Bihar in a historical perspective namely in pre-British, British and post-Independence period.