HistoryModern India: Colonialism and the Countryside

After the first revenue settlement in the Bombay Deccan in the 1820s,…

After the first revenue settlement in the Bombay Deccan in the 1820s, what happened when a peasant failed to pay the revenue?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → His crops were seized and the whole village was fined

Option (1) His dues were remitted until the next good harvest — Incorrect. There was no relief of this kind. Even when rains failed, collectors pressed hard for payment.

Option (2) His land was auctioned and sold to the moneylender — Incorrect. Auction of land for unpaid revenue is linked with Bengal zamindars under the Permanent Settlement. In the Deccan the penalty fell on crops and the village.

Option (3) His crops were seized and the whole village was fined — Correct. Collectors wanted to show their efficiency, so they collected with utmost severity. A defaulter's crops were seized and a fine was imposed on the whole village.

Option (4) His land was taken away and settled with another ryot — Incorrect. The penalty fell on the crops and on the village as a whole. The ryot was not replaced by another cultivator.

NCERT (2026-27): “3.3 Revenue demand and peasant debt
The first revenue settlement in the Bombay Deccan was made in the 1820s. The revenue that was demanded was so high that in many places peasants deserted their villages and migrated to new regions. In areas of poor soil and fluctuating rainfall the problem was particularly acute. When rains failed and harvests were poor, peasants found it impossible to pay the revenue. However, the collectors in charge of revenue collection were keen on demonstrating their efficiency and pleasing their superiors. So they went about extracting payment with utmost severity. When someone failed to pay, his crops were seized and a fine was imposed on the whole village.”