Discuss why the colonial Government in India brought in the following laws. In each case explain how the law changed the lives of the pastoralists.
Wasteland rules
Answers
Wasteland rules: The colonial government considered all uncultivated lands or wastelands as unproductive as it neither generated revenue or agricultural produce. In order to bring these ‘wasteland’ under cultivation, the Waste Land Rules were enacted throughout India from the mid-nineteenth century. These lands were given to select individuals with various concessions and encouraged to settle them. Most of these lands were earlier used by pastoralists for grazing. So the expansion of cultivation meant that there was a decline in the number of pastures and a problem for pastoralists.
In each case explain how the law changed the lives of the pastoralists. (a) Waste Land Rules (b) Forest Acts (c) Criminal Tribes Act (d) Grazing Tax. Answer: ... The colonial government wanted to bring the grazing lands under cultivation so that they could get revenue and agriculture goods form this land.