Review of Agriculture September 1973 fully develops the land before its distribution. The cost of development could be collected in easy instalments later. In addition, credit facilities for cultivation should be provided by co-opera- tive or commercial banks against the security of lands distributed to them. A more fundamental doubt, however, still remains. Even if all the available government lands arc scrupulously and equitably distributed amongst the landless households alone, the share of each would work out to be about an acre and a half. This is too inadequate a base to improve the economic conditions of the landless class. The contribution made would be only marginal. In such a situation one is led to think seriously in terms of co-operative management of government lands by the landless, instead of its distribution to individual households. It would perhaps be more useful and effective, though more demanding in terms of organisation. We think that in the present circumstances a perpetual public works programme under which the landless workers get not only wages but also their share of profit would bring some relief to the poverty-stricken class of landless labourers.
