In the given question, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of Reason (R). Choose the correct answer.
Assertion (A): As British rule expanded from Bengal to other parts of India, the Permanent Settlement was rarely extended to any region beyond Bengal.
Reason (R): Since the revenue demand was fixed under the Permanent Settlement, the colonial state could not claim any share of the income enhanced by rising agricultural prices.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Both the Assertion and the Reason are correct and the Reason is the correct explanation of the Assertion.
Assertion (A): As British rule expanded from Bengal to other parts of India, the Permanent Settlement was rarely extended to any region beyond Bengal. — True. As British rule spread beyond Bengal, new revenue systems were imposed, and the Permanent Settlement was rarely extended to any other region.
Reason (R): Since the revenue demand was fixed under the Permanent Settlement, the colonial state could not claim any share of the income enhanced by rising agricultural prices. — True. The revenue demand under the Permanent Settlement was fixed. So when agricultural prices rose after 1810 and the Bengal zamindars earned more, the state got no share of that larger income.
Why R explains A? A is about the Permanent Settlement not being carried to new regions; R is about the fixed demand in Bengal. Because the demand was fixed, the state lost the extra income from rising prices. The government was keen to maximise its land revenue, so in territories annexed in the nineteenth century it made temporary settlements instead. R thus gives the cause of A.
NCERT (2026-27): “3.2 A new revenue system “Why was this so? One reason was that after 1810, agricultural prices rose, increasing the value of harvest produce, and enlarging the income of the Bengal zamindars. Since the revenue demand was fixed under the Permanent Settlement, the colonial state could not claim any share of this enhanced income. Keen on expanding its financial resources, the colonial government had to think of ways to maximise its land revenue. So in territories annexed in the nineteenth century, temporary revenue settlements were made.” |