What was the main aim of economic policies pursued by the colonial government in India?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Protection and promotion of the economic interests of their home country i.e. Britain
The economic policies of the colonial government were concerned more with the protection and promotion of the economic interests of Britain. The development of the Indian economy came second.
These policies made India a supplier of raw materials to British industries and a market for their finished products. India’s handicraft industries declined as a result.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.1 Introduction … The economic policies pursued by the colonial government in India were concerned more with the protection and promotion of the economic interests of their home country than with the development of the Indian economy. Such policies brought about a fundamental change in the structure of the Indian economy — transforming the country into supplier of raw materials and consumer of finished industrial products from Britain.… 1.4 Industrial Sector … Even as the country’s world famous handicraft industries declined, no corresponding modern industrial base was allowed to come up to take pride of place so long enjoyed by the former. The primary motive of the colonial government behind this policy of systematically de-industrialising India was two-fold. The intention was, first, to reduce India to the status of a mere exporter of important raw materials for the upcoming modern industries in Britain and, second, to turn India into a sprawling market for the finished products of those industries so that their continued expansion could be ensured to the maximum advantage of their home country — Britain.…” |