Consider the following statements:
Statement I: In areas of assured irrigation such as the Kaveri basin in Tamil Nadu, more labour was needed for intensive cultivation.
Statement II: The agrarian structure of these regions was characterised by a large proportion of owner-cultivators from the middle castes.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect
Statement I: In areas of assured irrigation such as the Kaveri basin in Tamil Nadu, more labour was needed for intensive cultivation. — Correct. Areas of assured irrigation, such as the rice-growing Kaveri basin, needed more labour because farming there was intensive. That is why the most unequal agrarian structures grew up in these regions.
Statement II: The agrarian structure of these regions was characterised by a large proportion of owner-cultivators from the middle castes. — Incorrect. These regions had a large proportion of landless labourers, often bonded workers from the lowest castes. Middle-caste owner-cultivators did not make up the bulk of their agrarian structure.
NCERT (2026-27): “The Colonial Period … |