Question

Discuss why the colonial government in India brought the following laws. In each case, explain how the law changed the lives of pastoralists :
1.Waste Land rules
2.Forest Acts
3.Criminal Tribes Act
4.Grazing Tax

Answer 1

Hint: Colonial government in India came with a motive of flourishing its economy and was successful in doing so but on the cost of India’s exploitation they made certain laws which were regressive and harmful for Indians.

Complete answer: The colonial government in India brought these laws to gain huge profits and wealth, to a certain level they were successful in doing so.
1. Waste Land rules: To every British official, the lands which were not meant for cultivation were viewed as unproductive, because it neither produced revenue nor it yielded any agricultural crop, thus the lands were termed as wastelands, and from the mid-19th-century wasteland rules were made in which these lands were taken over and were provided to selected individuals who were granted concessions as well and they were encouraged to settle. The pastoralists suffered extremely because the increase in conversion of wasteland into cultivated lands would mean fewer pastures and loss of livelihood for them.
2. Forest Acts: The Forest Act converted forests into 2 categories: reserved and protected. Reserved forests were used for commercial reasons and pastoralists were denied entry to these regions whereas in protected forests pastoralists access was limited. It was done to protect the lands so that they could be used for long term purposes.
3. Criminal Tribes Act: This Act was introduced in 1870 and ruined the lives of pastoralists who were forced to live in notified areas and were not permitted to move out. This was done to stop the continuous movement of the nomadic people.
4. Grazing Tax: It was introduced in 1850 to increase the revenue of the colonial government. The pastoralists were highly affected because of the high taxes and they were unable to pay the tax and they were denied permission to the grazing tract without payment thus deteriorating the conditions of the farmers.

Note: The imposition of these laws led to severe restrictions on cattle, pastoral areas also reduced nomadic cultivation got replaced by commercial cultivation. All these aforesaid laws had a drastic effect on the pastoralists and exploited them.