The Permanent Settlement of 1793, introduced in Bengal, was mainly intended to:
- AAbolish land revenue completely and make all peasants the owners of their holdings
- BNationalise all agricultural land and make the Company the only landlord
- CFix the land revenue permanently, so that the Company could get a regular surplus and the landlords would be encouraged to improve their lands
- DGive British officials the power to change the land revenue every year according to the harvest
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: (c) Fix the land revenue permanently, so that the Company could get a regular surplus and the landlords would be encouraged to improve their lands
Explanation
Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement (1793) in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa to:
- give the Company a fixed and regular income, since the revenue was fixed for ever;
- create a class of loyal zamindars, who became owners of the land and, the British hoped, would invest in improving it, since any increase in income would be theirs.
In practice many zamindars became absentee landlords, the peasants had no protection from high rents, and the sunset law led to the sale of many estates.