Having identified a common yearning in the country for land and livelihoods, Mrs Bandaranaike appointed Land Reform Commission. Tasked with the re-distribution of land, the regulations which were introduced limited an adult to possessing 50 acres and also introduced a restriction on the number of houses a family could own. Through this mechanism 400, 000 acres belonging to 5, 500 landlords became available for distribution. Mrs Bandaranaike herself forfeited 2, 500 acres of land belonging to the Ratwatte and Bandaranaike families.