Land Revenue Systems Under British | History(Prelims) by UPSC Toppers PDF Download

Land revenue systems under British

• It was introduced in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, and districts of Benaras and Northern districts of Madras by Lord Cornwallis in 1793.
• John Shore planned the Permanent Settlement.
• It declared zamindars as the owners of the land. Hence, they could keep 1/11^th of the revenue collected, while the British got a fixed share of 10/11^th of the revenue collected.
• The zamindars were given great powers to ensure that revenue collection happen with ease.
• The zamindars were free to fix the rents as a result at times they demanded exorbitant rates from the peasants
• The zamindars were assured the ownership of the land till they collected the revenue; many zamindars stayed in towns (absentee landlordism) and exploited their tenants.

Ryotwari System   

• It was introduced in Bombay and Madras.
• Munro (Viceroy) and Charles Reed recommended this system in India.
• In this, a direct settlement was made between the government and the ryot (cultivator).
• There was no intermediaries in between the government and cultivators
• The system was based on the scientific rent theory of Ricardo.
• The position of the cultivator became more secure but the rigid system of revenue collection often forced him into the clutches of the moneylender.
• The rates demanded were exorbitant from the cultivators.
• The government itself became a big zamindar and replaced the smaller ones.
• The government retained the right to enhance revenue at will while the cultivator was left at the mercy of its officers.

Mahalwari System

• It is a modified version of zamindari settlement introduced in the Ganges valley, NWFP, parts of Central India and Punjab.
• In this system the rights of the traditional local communities were recognized.
• Revenue settlement was made by village or estates with Mahals or landlords. In Western Uttar Pradesh, a settlement was made with the village communities, which maintained a form of common ownership known as Bhaichare, or with Mahals, which were groups of villages.
• Revenue was periodically revised.

Colonial Impact of Land Revenue Systems

• The land revenue system undermined the rights of the cultivators
• The land settlements introduced market economy and did away with customary rights.
• The cruel methods were adopted by the state officials and intermediaries to extract the land revenue. The poor peasants lacked any kind of protection and access to the court of laws.
• The cultivators and peasants often found themselves in the clutches of moneylenders to pay the exorbitant revenue
• It sharpened social differentiation.
• Forcible growing of commercial crops led the peasants to buy food grains at high prices and sell crops at low prices.
• The stability of the Indian villages was shaken and the entire set up of the rural society began to break up.