Question

3. Many peasants became landless after the introduction of the Permanent Settlement.​

Answer 1

Answer:

The Permanent Settlement, also known as the Permanent Settlement of Bengal, was an agreement between the East India Company and Bengali landlords to fix revenues to be raised from land that had far-reaching consequences for both agricultural methods and productivity in the entire British Empire and the political realities of the Indian countryside.

Answer 2

Answer:

• In order to generate a stable income, most East India Company officials believed that investment in land should be encouraged and agriculture should be improved. Debates over how this should be done led to the introduction of the Permanent Settlement in 1793.
• The purpose of this agreement was to ensure a regular flow of income for the company. According to the agreement, rajas and taluqdars were recognized as zamindars. They had to collect rent/tax from the peasants and pay to society. The amount to be paid was permanently fixed and would never be increased in the future.
• The company believed that with the level of revenue fixed, the Zamindars would benefit from investment in soil improvement, which in turn would lead to increased production. If the zamindars did not pay the income, which they used to do since the fixed income was very high, they would lose their zamindari.
• Zamindars were given the power to collect revenue, leading them to exploit peasants and farmers, as a result peasants became landless. It was also noted that the zamindars had difficulty paying the fixed income as the amount was large and they were replaced without a second thought.

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