(i) Waste Land rules: All grazing lands were considered waste
lands by the colonial rulers as they brought no revenue to
them. If this land could be transformed into cultivated farmland,
it would result in an increase in land revenue and production of
crops such as jute, cotton and wheat. This is why the Waste
Land rules were formulated. However, they sounded the death
knell for pastoralists because increase in cultivated land meant
an obvious decline in pastures, and a consequent loss of a
means of livelihood for them.
(ii) Forests Acts:These were enacted to protect and preserve
forests for timber which was of commercial importance. These acts changed the life of
pastoralists. They were now prevented from entering many
forests that had earlier provided valuable forage for their cattle.
They were issued permits which monitored their entry and exit
into forests. They could not stay in the forests as much as they
liked because the permit specified the number of days and
hours they could spend in the forests.
(iii) Criminal Tribes Act: The British government eyed nomadic
people with suspicion and disregard on account of their
continuous movement. They could not be tracked down or
placed in one particular place, unlike rural people in villages who
were easy to identify and control. Hence, the colonial power
viewed nomadic tribes as criminal. The Criminal Tribes Act was
passed in 1871 and it further ruined the lives of the pastoralists
who were now forced to live in notified settlements, and were
disallowed from moving out without a government permit.
(iv) Grazing Tax: It was imposed by the colonial government to
expand its revenue income. Pastoralists had to pay a tax on
every animal they grazed on the pastures. This right was now
auctioned out to contractors. They extracted as high a tax as
they could, to recover the money they had paid to the state and
earn as much profit as they could. Later the government itself
started collecting taxes. This created problems for the
pastoralists who were harassed by tax collectors. It also became
an economic burden on them.
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