What was the Land Ceiling Act, and why was it necessary?

Land Ceiling Acts limited how much land one person could own to reduce inequality and redistribute surplus land to landless farmers.

• Idea: Set a legal “ceiling” per family or holder.
• Goals: Break large estates, prevent exploitation, improve productivity with owner-cultivators, and support social justice.
• Context: Post-independence India, 1950s–1970s agrarian reform wave.
• Why needed: Concentrated land ownership, tenancy insecurity, rural poverty, and low bargaining power for labourers.