( 62A ) 



The writers are convinced that similar schemes might be pre- 

 pared in the Jhansi, Hamirpur, and Jalaun districts, in each of 

 which Government at present owns small areas, which cannot be 

 managed economically in themselves. 



22. Reclamation by means of taqavi loans. During the course 

 of his tour Mr. Fremantle met a considerable number of land- 

 holders who, although they were not prepared to give up control 

 over any part of their ravine tracts, expressed their readiness to take 

 steps to check the erosion of the cultivation by reclaiming and 

 afforesting an adjoining strip of ravines by means of taqavi 

 advances. Both Mr. Fremantle and Mr. Courthope are agreed 

 that, while zamindars could construct field embankments by means 

 of taqavi loans and should be encouraged to do so, and might also 

 construct ravine bandhs as aided works in times of famine, it 

 would be impossible for landholders to carry out the full work of 

 reclamation, which includes afforestation, on taqavi loans, partly 

 because they have not the requisite knowledge, and partly because 

 it is unlikely that they would personally devote the time and care 

 necessary for the supervision of afforestation work. As the present 

 afforestation staff is not large enough to supervise a number of 

 small works scattered about the districts, the writers do not advise 

 that taqavi loans should be given for such work as a general 

 principle until the staff is very much increased, but they think 

 that a few such loans might be given as an experimental measure, 

 in localities situated close to works now being undertaken depart- 

 mentally on a larger scale, on condition that the work is carried 

 out by the zamindars on lines laid down by afforestation officers. 



23- In this connection Mr. Fremantle suggests an entirely 

 new scheme. Hitherto the idea has been that operations in each 

 estate, whether carried out by Government or by the landholders 

 themselves, should be spread over a period of about 20 years, so 

 that not only should the expenditure be distributed over a number 

 of years, but that when the whole tract has been worked over, the 

 receipts should constitute a regular income. Mr. Fremantle 

 suggests that the Afforestation department should also work more 

 on the lines of a firm of contractors, that is, they should reclaim 

 and afforest a given block of ravines for a landholder as a single 

 operation, and that, after the completion of the work, that is, 

 perhaps, after two years, the responsibility of the department 

 should cease. The expenditure incurred by Government would not 

 be repaid by the landholder, unless he desired to do so, but- he 

 would pay a fixed annual rate per acre of land reclaimed, sufficient 

 to cover the interest on the expenditure involved, including the 

 cost of the establishment employed, which would probably amount 



