A historian in Kolkata is studying the papers of a Bengal zamindari for the years after 1793, when the Permanent Settlement was introduced. The papers show that the zamindar had agreed to pay revenue to the East India Company. Each season his officer went round the villages to collect what the ryots owed. Yet the dues came in late and short, and the zamindar fell behind in his payments to the Company. Within a few years, parts of his estate had been put up for auction. The historian wants to explain why this happened.
Which of the following conditions of the 1790s helps the historian explain the zamindar's failure?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The high revenue demand was imposed when prices of agricultural produce were depressed.
Option (1) The high revenue demand was imposed when prices of agricultural produce were depressed. — Correct. The Company fixed a <strong>high demand in the 1790s</strong>, when <strong>prices of farm produce were low</strong>. Ryots could not pay the zamindar, so the zamindar could not pay the Company.
Option (2) The revenue demand rose year by year as cultivation expanded and prices went up. — Incorrect. Under the Permanent Settlement the demand was <strong>fixed for all time</strong>. The Company pegged it high at the start and expected the burden to fall as prices rose.
Option (3) Zamindars had to maintain larger troops at their own cost to collect rent. — Incorrect. The reverse happened. The Company wanted to restrict the zamindars' power, so <strong>their troops were disbanded</strong>.
Option (4) Zamindars were given charge of the local police, which added to their costs. — Incorrect. The reverse happened. Zamindars <strong>lost their power over local police</strong> and justice, and the Collector became a rival centre of authority.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.3 Why zamindars defaulted on payments … |