Ryotwari settlement was introduced in the southern part of India and gradually it extended all over South India . Geographically Madras is in southern part of India and Bombay is in South-Western part of India.

Ryotwari Settlement System

The settlement system introduced in the Madras and Bombay presidencies to increase land revenue was the Ryotwari Settlement System. This system was implemented by the British East India Company during the colonial period in India.

Overview of the Ryotwari Settlement System:
1. Definition: The Ryotwari System was a type of land revenue settlement that directly involved the individual cultivators or ryots as the revenue-paying units.
2. Individual Ownership: Under this system, each individual cultivator was recognized as the owner of the land and was responsible for paying the land revenue to the government.
3. Assessment of Land Revenue: The land revenue was assessed based on the nature of the land, the crops grown, and the quality of the soil. The revenue was fixed for a specific period, usually 30 years, and was subject to revision after that period.
4. Role of Revenue Officers: Revenue officers were appointed by the British administration to collect revenue and maintain land records. They were responsible for conducting surveys, assessing the land, and determining the amount of revenue to be paid by each cultivator.
5. Direct Relationship: The Ryotwari System established a direct relationship between the government and the cultivators. This eliminated the intermediaries such as zamindars or landlords, who were prevalent in other settlement systems.
6. Abolition of Intermediaries: The system aimed to eliminate the exploitation and oppression faced by the cultivators under the zamindari system, where the intermediaries often charged high rents and extracted surplus from the peasants.
7. Advantages: The Ryotwari System provided security of tenure to the cultivators, as they were recognized as the rightful owners of the land. It also allowed for individual enterprise and encouraged agricultural productivity.
8. Limitations: However, the Ryotwari System had its limitations. The revenue assessment was often arbitrary and led to high land taxes, which burdened the cultivators. Additionally, the system did not take into account the socio-economic conditions of the cultivators, resulting in hardships for the poorer sections of society.
9. Later Modifications: Over time, the Ryotwari System underwent certain modifications to address its shortcomings, such as the introduction of the Rayatwari System in some regions, where groups of cultivators were recognized as joint holders of land.

In conclusion, the Ryotwari Settlement System introduced in the Madras and Bombay presidencies during British colonial rule aimed to increase land revenue by directly involving individual cultivators as revenue-paying units. The system recognized the cultivators as landowners and provided security of tenure, but it also had its limitations in terms of arbitrary revenue assessment and high land taxes.