Ruling the Countryside Test - 5

Permanent land revenue system secured a fixed and stable income for the East India Company.

Under permanent land revenue settlement Zamindars became the master of the land.

The Permanent Settlement was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793. It was an agreement between the British East India Company and the Landlords of Bengal to settle the Land Revenue to be raised. Lord Cornwallis came to India as the Governor General.

Due to permanent land revenue settlement, Zamindars became loyal to the East India Company. The Permanent Settlement of Bengal was brought into effect by the East India Company headed by the Governor-General Lord Cornwallis in 1793. This was basically an agreement between the company and the Zamindars to fix the land revenue. In this system Zamindars  were the permanent masters of their holdings and they collected revenue from the peasants and looked after their interests.

Permanent Settlement

• This was introduced during the tenure of Corwallis in a bid to appropriate more revenue from agriculture.
• Under this settlement rajas and taluqdars were recognized as zamindars tasked with collecting revenues from peasants and paying to the company.
• This amount to be paid was fixed permanently, hence the name “permanent settlement”.
• This was to ensure a regular flow of revenue for the company.

Permanent settlement of Bengal was introduced in 1793 by Lord Cornwallis. The Zamindars needed to pay a fixed amount of land revenue on a fixed date every year. This amount could not be increased later, however, if the Zamindar failed to pay the amount on fixed date, the Company could sell their land via public auction. The worst affected were the farmers as the continued to be victims of the harassments of the zamindars who exploited them for their own selfish motives.

The landlords were also given the right to transfer their land. Since, the tax burden on land was fixed, investment in land became an attraction for zamindars and landlords.

The Permanent Settlement was one of the most famous measures of Lord Cornwallis. The landlords were also given the right to transfer their land. Since, the tax burden on land was fixed, investment in land became an attraction for zamindars and landlords.

Mahal means village or estate. The land tax was fixed for the entire Mahal. The local Zamindar was responsible for the tax collection of all the farmers in that Mahal. This system was implemented in Uttar Pradesh and parts of Madhya pradesh and Punjab.

Demerits of Permanent Land Revenue Settlement introduced by Lord Cornwallis:-

• The Company avoided its duty by giving landlords the responsibility of revenue collection.
• The landlords formed the upper airstocracy in the society.
• Permanent Land revenue Settlement helped British to keep landlords loyal to them.
• The land revenues were fixed in a random way.