UPSC Prelims 2001 Q76: Modern History – British Administration & Economic Policies
- (a) the zamindars were trusted by the farmers
- (b) there was no official check upon the zamindars
- (c) it was the responsibility of the British Government
- (d) the farmers were not interested in getting pattas
Answer: (b) there was no official check upon the zamindars
Explanation
Why many zamindars did not issue pattas under the Permanent Settlement, 1793
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Permanent Settlement (1793) | Lord Cornwallis; land revenue fixed for ever; zamindars made owners of land |
| Pattas | Written documents the zamindars were supposed to give to ryots, stating the rent |
| Why they were not issued | No official check — the Government watched only that revenue reached it on time |
| Result | Ryots became tenants-at-will, open to rack-renting and eviction |
The Settlement guarded the Company's revenue but did little for the cultivator. The zamindars were told to give pattas, yet there was no official check to make them do it, so many simply did not. Later laws such as the Bengal Rent Act of 1859 and the Bengal Tenancy Act of 1885 tried to protect tenants.
Answer: (b) there was no official check upon the zamindars.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Farmers did not trust zamindars; they suffered from rack-renting.
- (b) CORRECT. Nothing forced the zamindars to issue pattas.
- (c) Incorrect. Issuing pattas was the zamindars' duty, not the Government's.
- (d) Incorrect. Pattas protected farmers, who would have wanted them.
Key point
Sunset Law: a zamindar who failed to pay revenue by sunset on the due date lost his estate, which was auctioned.
Remember
Permanent Settlement: pattas not issued because there was no check on zamindars.
Common mistakes
- Thinking the farmers did not want pattas.
- Blaming the British Government for not issuing pattas itself.
- Forgetting the Settlement focused only on revenue.
Exam tip
Colonial revenue systems protected the State's income first; look for the missing safeguard.
Sources
- Bipan Chandra — History of Modern India, chapter on land revenue settlements
- NCERT Class XII — Themes in Indian History Part III, chapter 'Colonialism and the Countryside'