Why did the zamindars regularly fail to pay the revenue demand in the early decades after the 'Permanent Settlement'? Choose the correct statements from below:
(A) The initial demands were very high.
(B) This high demand was imposed in the 1790s, a time when the prices of agricultural produce were depressed, making it difficult for the ryots to pay their dues to the zamindar.
(C) The revenue was invariable, regardless of the harvest, and had to be paid punctually.
(D) The 'Permanent Settlement' initially limited the power of the zamindar to collect rent from the ryot and manage his zamindari.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A), (B), (C) and (D)
(A) The initial demands were very high. Correct. Since the demand was fixed for all time, the Company feared it could never claim a share of a larger income later, so it pegged the revenue demand high from the start.
(B) This high demand was imposed in the 1790s, a time when the prices of agricultural produce were depressed, making it difficult for the ryots to pay their dues to the zamindar. Correct. If the zamindar could not collect the rent from the ryots, he could not pay the Company either.
(C) The revenue was invariable, regardless of the harvest, and had to be paid punctually. Correct. Under the Sunset Law, if payment did not come in by sunset of the specified date, the zamindari was liable to be auctioned.
(D) The ‘Permanent Settlement’ initially limited the power of the zamindar to collect rent from the ryot and manage his zamindari. Correct. This is the fourth reason for the zamindars’ failure to pay.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.3 Why zamindars defaulted on payments … In the early decades after the Permanent Settlement, however, zamindars regularly failed to pay the revenue demand and unpaid balances accumulated. The reasons for this failure were various. First: the initial demands were very high.… …Second: this high demand was imposed in the 1790s, a time when the prices of agricultural produce were depressed, making it difficult for the ryots to pay their dues to the zamindar. If the zamindar could not collect the rent, how could he pay the Company?… …Third: the revenue was invariable, regardless of the harvest, and had to be paid punctually.… …Fourth: the Permanent Settlement initially limited the power of the zamindar to collect rent from the ryot and manage his zamindari.…” |