Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act 1908
Also called: CNT Act · Topic: Peasant and Tribal Resistance under Company Rule · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act, 1908 (CNT Act) was a land law for the Chota Nagpur region. It was passed after Birsa Munda's rising of 1899–1900. It limited the sale and transfer of tribal land to non-tribals. It also recognised khuntkatti rights, which were the joint rights of the families who first cleared the land. It matters because it shows that tribal revolts forced the colonial state into special land laws. The Act still governs land in Jharkhand today.
Example
Under the CNT Act, Munda khuntkatti land in Ranchi district could not be freely bought by outside moneylenders or landlords. This blocked the kind of land loss that had sparked the Munda rising.
Don't confuse with
- Santhal Pargana: a separate area of 5,500 square miles with its own special laws. It was carved out of Bhagalpur and Birbhum after the Santhal Hul of 1855–56, long before the CNT Act.
Related concepts
- Kol uprising
- Bhil uprisings
- Ramosi uprising
- Chuar uprisings
- U Tirot Sing
- Khond uprisings
- Koya rebellion
- Rampa rebellion 1879
- Birsa Munda movement