Given below are some statements. Read them carefully and choose the correct statement (s) from the given options.

Statement 1: The infant mortality rate during British period was quite alarming—about 318 per thousand.

Statement 2:  Life expectancy was also very low—35 years in contrast to the present 69 years.   

None of the given statement is correct.

The various social development indicators during the colonial rules were not quite encouraging. The overall literacy level was less than 16 per cent. Out of this, the female literacy level was at a negligible low of about seven per cent. Public health facilities were either unavailable to large chunks of population or, when available, were highly inadequate. Consequently, water and air-borne diseases were rampant and took a huge toll on life. No wonder, the overall mortality rate was very high and in that, particularly, the infant mortality rate was quite alarming—about 218 per thousand in contrast to the present infant mortality rate of 33 per thousand. Life expectancy was also very low—32 years in contrast to the present 69 years. In the absence of reliable data, it is difficult to specify the extent of poverty at that time but there is no doubt that extensive poverty prevailed in India during the colonial period which contributed to the worsening profile of India’s population of the time.