Explain the need to enact the Andhra Pradesh Land Licensed Cultivators Act, 2011 and discuss the problems faced in meeting the objective of enacting the Act.
In short
The Land Licensed Cultivators Act 2011 was needed because Andhra Pradesh's many informal tenants were shut out of institutional credit, insurance and subsidies, so it issued Loan Eligibility Cards through gram sabhas. Implementation fell short: only about 30% of 1.74 million tenants initially received cards, falling later to 24%.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 265 words
High Tenancy and Exclusion
With 1.74 million tenant farmers, informal tenancy barred access to institutional credit and schemes; the Act introduced Loan Eligibility Cards (LECs) to licensed tenants to enable benefits like crop loans, input subsidies and crop insurance.
Balancing Interests
The Act aimed to protect landowners’ ownership while extending benefits to tenants, following recommendations from the Jayati Ghosh Committee (2005) and Koneru Ranga Rao Land Committee (constituted in 2004).
Low Coverage and Administrative Issues
Only 24-30% of tenants received LECs due to bureaucratic inertia and inefficient gram sabha3 identification, with corruption allegations weakening trust.
Tenant Rights Undermined
The deletion of tenant purchase rights and minimum lease duration protections disempowered tenants, discouraging long-term land investment.
Informal Tenancy Persists
Sub-leasing and intermediaries remain common, complicating tenant identification and benefit distribution in Andhra Pradesh.
Strengthen Identification and Registration
Involve gram sabhas and Sub-Divisional Land Advisory Committees (SDLAC) for transparent LEC issuance and incentivise formal lease registration.
Restore Tenant Protections
Amend laws to reinstate minimum lease duration and purchase rights to secure tenants’ interests.
Awareness and Capacity Building
Educate stakeholders on the Act’s provisions to foster cooperative tenancy relations.
This model answer is indicative and the model can make mistakes; please verify key facts independently.
Practise this question
1Get the answer sheet
Sized for this question.
2Write your answer
Timed, by hand.
3Get it marked
Your score and what to fix.
This chapter in the exam
Agriculture Development in Andhra Pradesh31 questions
Asked in 8 of 8 sittings since 2008
Most tested: Agriculture’s structure, performance, and state policy interventions in Andhra Pradesh.
- 2025Discuss the role of agriculture in the economic development of Andhra Pradesh. How has agriculture contributed to the State Gross Domestic Product (SGDP) in recent years? Identify the key drivers influencing its performance.
- 2025What are the key drivers for the growth of the fisheries sector? What are the schemes undertaken by the fisheries department for the growth of this sector?
All 31 questions, sorted by sub-topic, with model answers and practice.
Question from the official APPSC Group-I Mains 2016 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.