Section 34 in Rajasthan Tenancy (Government) Rules, 1955
34. The "normal area".
- If the nature of the calamity in such that it has reduced the sown area, as happens in the case of a shortage in the late monsoon rainfall, allowance must be made for this reduction in area in calculating the loss suffered by the cultivator. The general principle is that area which has not been sown, but which would have been sown but for the calamity is treated as if it had suffered a loss of 16 annas. It is obviously extremely difficult to decide which of the fields that have not been sown in a particular year would have been sown if the circumstances had been different. The most direct method of approach would be to compare the sown area of each holding with the sown area of the holding in a normal year. This necessitates a detailed comparison of the khatauni of the year. In which the calamity occurs with the khatauni of a normal year which is a laborious process and takes time. Difficulties too arise in areas of shifting cultivation. A less laborious and quicker method is to determine by comparison with a normal year the percentage of the holdings area which is normally sown and to assume that this percentage of each holding would have been sown in the year of the calamity if the season had been normal.(2)It is the business of the Collector to determine whether allowance should be made for shortage of sown area and, if such allowance is to be made, to determine which year should be taken as normal. If the nature of the calamity was such as not to affect the sown area, or if the effect was small, says less than 10 or 15 per cent, no allowance will be made.
