Consider the following statements about the thinking behind the early…

Consider the following statements about the thinking behind the early revenue settlement in Maharashtra:

(A) By the 1820s, the economist David Ricardo was a celebrated figure in England.
(B) Colonial officials had learnt Ricardian ideas during their college years.
(C) British officials formulated the terms of the early settlement in Maharashtra in the 1790s.
(D) While framing the early settlement in Maharashtra, British officials worked with some Ricardian ideas.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → A, B and D only

(A) By the 1820s, the economist David Ricardo was a celebrated figure in England. — Correct. By the 1820s Ricardo was a well-known economist in England, and his theory shaped how officials thought about land revenue.

(B) Colonial officials had learnt Ricardian ideas during their college years. — Correct. Officials had picked up Ricardian ideas in their college years, before they came to India.

(C) British officials formulated the terms of the early settlement in Maharashtra in the 1790s. — Incorrect. The early settlement in Maharashtra was framed in the 1820s. The 1790s belong to the Permanent Settlement in Bengal.

(D) While framing the early settlement in Maharashtra, British officials worked with some Ricardian ideas. — Correct. When officials set the terms of the early settlement in the 1820s, they worked with some of Ricardo's ideas.

NCERT (2026-27): “3.2 A new revenue system …
There were other reasons too. When officials devise policies, their thinking is deeply shaped by economic theories they are familiar with. By the 1820s, the economist David Ricardo was a celebrated figure in England. Colonial officials had learnt Ricardian ideas during their college years. In Maharashtra when British officials set about formulating the terms of the early settlement in the 1820s, they operated with some of these ideas.”