Kandyan Peasantry Commission
The Kandyan Peasantry Commission (KPC) was a Commission of Inquiry established by the Government of Ceylon in 1949 to investigate the socio-economic conditions of the Kandyan peasantry and to recommend measures to facilitate their socio-economic development in the aftermath of prolonged neglect and displacement during British colonial rule, which was pulished in it's report in 1951.
Background
The Kandyan Kingdom was ceded to the British Empire by the Kandyan Convention in 1815; this peasantry passed on British administration. The British enacted a series land policies, including the Crown Lands Ordinance of 1840 and the Waste Lands Ordinance, which facilitated the seizure of vast swathes of communal and shifting cultivation lands for the expansion of the plantation economy dominated by European planters[1]. By the mid-20th century, Kandyan areas were comparatively underdeveloped in terms of education, health services, infrastructure, and economic prospects.[2]
Establishment
The Kandyan Peasantry Commission was appointed on 13 January 1949, by the Governor-General of Ceylon, on the advice of Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake, who recognized the long-term effects of colonial dispossession and the need to address regional disparities. The commission's purpose was to investigate and report on the social and economic conditions of the Kandyan peasantry in the Central and Uva provinces, with a specific focus on areas like education, land, medical facilities, and agriculture, and operated under the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands.[3]
Objectives
The commission was tasked with:
- Assessing the economic and social conditions of the Kandyan peasantry.
- Investigating the historical causes of landlessness and poverty.
- Recommending measures for land redistribution, resettlement, and infrastructure development.
- Proposing strategies to integrate the Kandyan regions into national development plans[4]
Members
- S. D. S. Somaratne - Chairmen
- H. R. U. Premachandra
- C. E. Attygalle
- Theodore Braybrooke Panabokke
- Victor Tennekoon - Secretary
Legacy
The KPC’s findings influenced subsequent land reforms, such as the Land Reform Laws of 1972 and 1975, which aimed to redistribute lands to landless peasants by means of capping land ownership.[5].
References
- ↑ Moore, M. (1985). The State and Peasant Politics in Sri Lanka. Cambridge University Press. p. 40. Search this book on
- ↑ Peiris, G. H. (1996). Development and Change in Sri Lanka: Geographical Perspectives'. Kandy: ICES. pp. 123–126. Search this book on
- ↑ Kearney, R. N. (1973). The Politics of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Cornell University Press. p. 91. Search this book on
- ↑ Kandyan Peasantry Commission Interim Report. Colombo: Government Press. 1951. pp. 7–10. Search this book on
- ↑ Samaraweera, V. (1982). "Land Reform in Sri Lanka". Third World Legal Studies. 1.
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