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

With reference to the Ryotwari System of land revenue introduced during British colonial rule in India, consider the following statements:

1. The revenue settlement was made directly between the British government and the actual cultivators (ryots).
2. Land revenue demand was permanently fixed and could not be revised by the government in the future.
3. The revenue rates were determined after detailed survey and assessment of soil quality and field productivity.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Answer

Statements 1 and 3 are correct.
The Ryotwari system was instituted directly with peasant cultivators (ryots), granting them proprietary rights subject to direct tax payments to the colonial state. Unlike the Permanent Settlement, revenue demands under Ryotwari were not fixed in perpetuity; instead, they were revised periodically (typically every 20 to 30 years) following detailed land measurements and assessments of soil productivity.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Statement 1 regarding the contracting parties of the land settlement.
The Ryotwari system recognized the peasant (ryot) as the proprietor of the land, establishing a direct relationship with the state without intermediaries.
Devised by Alexander Read and Thomas Munro, this system aimed to eliminate zamindars and collect revenue directly from actual cultivators.
2
Analyze Statement 2 regarding the nature and duration of the revenue demand.
Revenue demand was temporary and subject to revision every 20 to 30 years.
Permanent fixing of revenue was exclusive to the Permanent Settlement of 1793 in Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha.
3
Analyze Statement 3 regarding the basis of land revenue assessment.
Assessment was carried out through systematic soil classification and measurement of plot yields.
Unlike earlier systems, revenue rates were derived from official field surveys and soil fertility evaluations.

Key Concept

Key features and mechanisms of the colonial Ryotwari Land Revenue System
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Topics

British Colonial Expansion, Economic Policies, and Administrative Systems