Test: The Structure of Government and the Economic Policies of the British Empire in India(1757-1857) - 2 - UPSC MCQ

The British rulers realized that a cheap and easy system of transport was a necessity if British manufactures were to flow into India on a large scale and her raw materials secured for British industries. They introduced steamships on the rivers and set about improving the roads.

The first railway line running from Bombay to Thana was opened to traffic in 1853. This marked the beginning of the railway system in India, which was primarily aimed at linking India's raw material producing areas with the ports of export.

John Shore was the man who planned the Permanent Settlement, which was introduced in Bengal and Bihar in 1793. This settlement system aimed at converting zamindars and revenue collectors into landlords and making their right of ownership hereditary and transferable.

The British officials realized that as they were foreigners in India, their rule would be unstable unless they acquired local supporters who could act as a buffer between them and the Indian people. So they brought into existence a wealthy and privileged class of zamindars that would support British rule.

Under the Ryotwari Settlement, the cultivator was recognized as the owner of his plot of land, subject to the payment of land revenue. This system was introduced in parts of the Madras and Bombay Presidencies in the beginning of the 19th century.

Thomas Munro was the governor of Madras (1819-26) and was the main advocate of the Ryotwari Settlement. He believed that this system would be more efficient and fair to the cultivators as it recognized their ownership of the land and directly connected them with the government for revenue collection.

The main difference between the Permanent Settlement and the Ryotwari Settlement was the class of people they targeted. The Permanent Settlement aimed at creating a class of zamindars, who would act as a buffer between the British rulers and the Indian people, while the Ryotwari Settlement recognized the cultivators as the owners of their land and directly connected them with the government for revenue collection.

The Mahalwari System was a modified version of the zamindari settlement, introduced in the Ganga valley, the North-West provinces, parts of Central India, and the Punjab. The revenue settlement was to be made village by village or estate (mahal) by estate with landlords or heads of families who collectively claimed to be the landlords of the village or the estate.

The British, by making land a commodity that could be freely bought and sold, introduced a fundamental change in the existing land systems of the country. This change disrupted the traditional social and economic structures and allowed the British to exert more control over the Indian population and resources.

In the Punjab, a modified Mahalwari System known as the village system was introduced. This system aimed at collecting land revenue through a group of landlords or heads of families who collectively claimed to be the landlords of the village or the estate.