Cornwallis & Revenue Collection
Question
With reference to revenue collection by Cornwallis, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1.
Under the Ryotwari Settlement of revenue collection, the peasants were exempted from revenue payment in case of bad harvests or natural calamities.
- 2.
Under the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, if the Zamindar failed to pay his revenues to the state, on or before the fixed date, he would be removed from his Zamindari.
Options
1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect; the Ryotwari system (introduced later by Munro, not Cornwallis, though the premise stands) demanded rigid cash payments, and peasants received no automatic exemptions for bad harvests. Statement 2 is correct; under Cornwallis's Permanent Settlement, the strict "Sunset Clause" meant Zamindars failing to pay by sunset on the due date had their estates auctioned off.
Answer: (b).
Question details
Year
2024
Paper
GS Paper 1
Question
Q57
Subject
History
Sub-topic
Modern: Colonial & Constitutional
Type
Statement-based
Difficulty
Medium
Nature
Static
Source hint
NCERT History Cl.12 Ch.10
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