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Difficulty: MediumBritish Colonial Expansion, Economic Policies, and Administrative Systems

Consider the following statements regarding the Ryotwari System of land revenue introduced under British colonial administration in India:

1. It was first introduced on an experimental basis in the Baramahal region by Captain Alexander Read after the Third Mysore War.
2. Under this system, the revenue demand was fixed permanently with individual peasants without any provision for future revision.
3. Sir Thomas Munro subsequently extended and standardized this system across the Madras Presidency during his tenure as Governor.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A
    1 and 2 only
  2. 1 and 3 onlyAnswer
  3. C
    2 and 3 only
  4. D
    1, 2 and 3

Answer

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Ryotwari system was initially tried by Captain Alexander Read in Baramahal (1792) and later established across the Madras Presidency by Sir Thomas Munro. Unlike the Permanent Settlement of Bengal, the revenue demand in the Ryotwari system was temporary and subject to periodic re-assessment every 20 to 30 years.
Statements 1 and 3 are historically factual. The Ryotwari system directly recognized the cultivator (ryot) as the proprietor paying revenue directly to the state. It began with Captain Alexander Read in Baramahal and was brought to full scale by Sir Thomas Munro in Madras. Statement 2 is false because permanent revenue fixation was a feature of the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, whereas Ryotwari rates were periodically revised after land survey reassessments.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Statement 1
Statement 1 is correct. Captain Alexander Read introduced the Ryotwari system on a trial basis in the Baramahal district ceded by Tipu Sultan after the Third Anglo-Mysore War (1792).
Establishes historical origin of the system.
2
Analyze Statement 2
Statement 2 is incorrect. The permanent fixing of land revenue was the key feature of Cornwallis's Permanent Settlement in Bengal (1793). In the Ryotwari system, the state retained the right to revise revenue assessments periodically (typically every 20-30 years) based on soil survey and crop yield estimations.
Distinguishes between Ryotwari and Permanent Settlement revenue mechanisms.
3
Analyze Statement 3
Statement 3 is correct. Sir Thomas Munro championed the system and systematically extended it across most of the Madras Presidency during his governorship (1820–1827).
Verifies administrative expansion of the system.

Key Concept

Features and historical evolution of colonial British land revenue administration (Ryotwari System)
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Topics

British Colonial Expansion, Economic Policies, and Administrative Systems