SociologySocial Change and Development in India: Structural Change

In the tea industry, colonial administrators were clear that harsh me…

In the tea industry, colonial administrators were clear that harsh measures were taken against the labourers to make sure they benefited whom?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → The planters

Option (1) The planters — Correct. Harsh measures against the labourers were meant to make sure the planters benefited. The planters ran the tea gardens, so cheap and tied labour served them.

Option (2) The Indian merchants — Incorrect. Indian merchants had no stake in the labour of the tea gardens. The measures kept labour on the plantations, which the planters ran.

Option (3) The local zamindars — Incorrect. Local zamindars were landlords who collected rent from cultivators. They had no part in running the tea gardens, so the harsh measures did nothing for them.

Option (4) The British mill owners — Incorrect. British mill owners ran factories in Britain, far from the tea gardens of India. The administrators linked the harsh measures to the planters' gain.

NCERT (2026-27): “The Tea Plantations …
Significantly the colonial administrators were clear that harsh measures were taken against the labourers to make sure they benefited the planters. They were also fully aware that the laws of a colonised country did not have to stick to the democratic norms that the British back home had to follow in Britain.”