Question

The Permanent Settlement was one of the land revenue policies introduced by the British in India. Who introduced the Permanent Settlement ?

• A. Lord Macaulay
• B. Warren Hastings
• C. Lord Cornwallis
• D. Lord Curzon

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Lord Cornwallis

The Permanent Settlement

• The Permanent Settlement (also known as the Zamindari System), a land revenue system in British India, was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793 in Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha.

• It was a landmark policy that fundamentally changed the land revenue and social structure of colonial India.

Key Features of the Permanent Settlement:

• Fixed Revenue: The amount of land revenue to be paid to the British East India Company was fixed permanently. It could not be increased in the future, regardless of the land's productivity.

• Zamindars as Owners: Local tax collectors (Zamindars) were recognized as the owners of the land. They had the right to sell or mortgage the land as long as they paid the fixed revenue to the government.

• Sunset Law: If a Zamindar failed to pay the revenue by sunset on a specified date, their estate could be confiscated and auctioned by the British.

• Revenue Split: The revenue was divided into 11 parts: 10/11th went to the Company, and 1/11th was kept by the Zamindar as their share.

• Lord Macaulay - Known for the Macaulay Minute (1835), which introduced Western education and the English language to India.

• Warren Hastings - The first Governor-General of Bengal; he introduced the Izaredari System (bidding for land revenue) before Cornwallis.

• Lord Curzon - Known for the controversial Partition of Bengal in 1905.