Friday, Jul 24, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ ↗
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HISTORY

The Claim

Marginal holdings (below 1 hectare) constituted 58.2 percent of total operational holdings in Himachal Pradesh in 1970–1971 and rose to over 71.4 percent by 2015–2016, according to Agriculture Census data.

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The Short Version

The specific percentages cited — 58.2% for 1970-71 and "over 71.4%" for 2015-16 — cannot be verified from any official Agriculture Census source in the available evidence. While the broader trend of increasing marginal holdings in Himachal Pradesh is directionally supported, the most authoritative source reports 87.95% for combined small-and-marginal holdings (below 2 hectares), not marginal-only. The claim presents unverified precise figures as established Census data, overstating its evidentiary foundation.

Caveats

  • No official Agriculture Census table in the evidence directly provides either 58.2% or 71.4% for marginal-only (below 1 hectare) holdings in Himachal Pradesh — these exact figures remain unverified.
  • The most authoritative government source reports 87.95% for combined small-and-marginal holdings (below 2 hectares) in 2015-16, which is a different category than the marginal-only figure claimed.
  • The proponent's arithmetic derivation of 71.4% relies on adding an ambiguously defined '19.87 per cent increase' from a secondary source to an unverified baseline — this inference is not logically sound.

The Receipts

  1. हिमाचल प्रदेश भू - जोत अधिकतम सीमा अधिनियम, 1972

    India Code

  2. HIMACHAL PRADESH

    Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (Government of India)

  3. National Sample Survey - Twenty Sixth Round

    MOSPI

  4. National Sample Survey - Twenty Sixth Round Himachal Pradesh

    MOSPI

  5. Farm Holdings in Himachal Pradesh by Size Class and Social Group

    Dataful (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare)

  6. Structural Transformation of Agriculture in Himachal Pradesh

    AgEcon Search

  7. Size and Distribution of Land Holdings in Himachal Pradesh

    ProQuest

  8. Inequality in the Distribution of Land Holdings in Himachal Pradesh

    AgEcon Search

  9. Highlights of Agriculture Census 2015-16

    Scribd

  10. Green Growth and Agriculture in Himachal Pradesh

    TERI

+ 13 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Agriculture CensusHimachal Pradesh

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