Identify the major long-term consequence of the permanent settlement for the Indian peasantry from the following :
Identify the major long-term consequence of the permanent settlement for the Indian peasantry from the following :
Options
The correct option is (C) Increased exploitation and indebtness.
Why:
- The Permanent Settlement (1793) fixed revenue on the zamindars, who in turn extracted high rents from the actual cultivators (ryots).
- The long-term result for the peasantry was greater exploitation and mounting indebtedness, as they fell into the grip of landlords and moneylenders.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark for selecting option (C) increased exploitation and indebtedness.
- 2Key point: benefits went to zamindars while cultivators suffered heavy rents and debt.
Hint
Ask who actually benefited — the zamindars or the cultivators? The tillers were left worse off.
Quick Oral Answer
For the peasantry, the Permanent Settlement of 1793 meant deeper exploitation and indebtedness, since zamindars extracted heavy rents and the tillers had few rights and turned to moneylenders.
Analysis & Explanation
This question asks for the outcome of the Permanent Settlement for cultivators, not for zamindars.
Concept:
- Under the 1793 settlement, zamindars were made proprietors responsible for a fixed revenue; the peasants who tilled the land had few protections and bore the burden of high rents and dues.
Why (C) is correct:
- Squeezed by both zamindars' demands and moneylenders' loans, ryots slid into deepening exploitation and chronic indebtedness.
Why the distractors are wrong:
- (A) Ownership passed to zamindars, not to ordinary farmers, so peasant land ownership did not increase.
- (B) The system encouraged rent extraction rather than any real investment in agricultural improvement or technology.
- (D) It entrenched, rather than abolished, landlordism (the zamindari system).
Common Mistakes
- 1Selecting increased land ownership for farmers — under the Permanent Settlement it was the zamindars, not cultivators, who were made proprietors.
- 2Assuming the system abolished landlordism, when in fact it firmly established the zamindari system.
Interesting Facts
The Permanent Settlement was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793 in Bengal, fixing the revenue demand in perpetuity.
Because the revenue was fixed even as prices rose, the state's share fell over time while cultivators still bore rising rents.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who introduced the Permanent Settlement and when?
Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement in Bengal in 1793, fixing the land revenue demand permanently on the zamindars.
Why did peasants suffer under the Permanent Settlement?
Zamindars extracted high rents to meet their fixed revenue, cultivators had few legal protections, and they increasingly fell into debt to moneylenders.