E. Read the following passage, make notes and summarise the information in two or three paragraphs. (10 marks) When Bentinck assumed as the Governor-General in 1828, the financial position of the company was poor. The exchequer was very weak, and the State budget showed a deficit of one million rupees. It became necessary on the part of the GovernorGeneral to take effective steps to improve the financial condition. To achieve this he adopted the following measures: he reduced the salaries and allowances of all officers and removed additional staff. In the military department, he abolished the system of double batta. Batta was an extra allowance given to an English officer serving in India. By these financial reforms at the time of his departure, he left the treasury with a surplus of Rs.1.5 millions. Bentinck’s administrative reforms speak of his political maturity and wisdom. In the judicial department, he abolished the provincial courts of appeal established by Cornwallis, as they were largely responsible for the huge arrears of cases. This step was readily accepted by the Directors since it cut down their expenditure. Another good measure of Bentinck was the introduction of local languages in the lower courts and English instead of Persian in the higher courts. The practice of Sati, an age-old custom of burning widows alive on the funeral pyre of their husbands was prevalent in India. This inhuman social custom was very common in northern India more particularly in Bengal. Bentinck was greatly distressed when he received a report of 800 cases of sati in a single year from Bengal. He determined to abolish this practice which he considered an offence against natural justice. Therefore, he became a crusader against it and promulgated his Regulation XVII on 4 December1829 prohibiting the practice of sati. Those who practiced sati were made liable for punishment by law courts as accessories to the crime. The Regulation was extended to the Madras and Bombay presidencies in 1830. Female infanticide was one of the horrible and heartless deeds committed by people. This practice of killing female infants was very much prevalent in places like Rajputana, Punjab, Malwa and Cutch. Bentinck took effective steps to prevent the ritual of child sacrifice at Saugar Island in Bengal. He not only prohibited female infanticide but declared it a punishable crime. The introduction of English Education was a significant event in Lord William Bentinck’s administration. He appointed a committee headed by Lord Macaulay to make recommendations for the promotion of education. In his report, Macaulay emphasized the promotion of European literature and science through English medium among the people of India. This recommendation was whole-heartedly accepted by William Bentinck. The Government Resolution in 1835 made English the official and literary language of India. In the same year, William Bentinck laid foundation of the Calcutta Medical College. Bentinck was locked upon as a “straightforward, honest, upright, benevolent, sensible man”. His social reforms such as abolition of sati and prevention of child sacrifice eradicated age-old evils from Hindu society. It is gratifying to note that. Bentinck acted on things which others had only talked about. To enforce the regulations regarding the prohibition of sati, he was prepared to risk his own position. He was admired for his courage and straight forwardness which were seldom found among the administrators of those days. His educational reforms heralded a new age in India
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Lord William Bentinck assumed the office of the Governor- General in 1828. Born in 1774 he commenced his career as a soldier and later at the young age of twenty two he became a Member of Parliament. He was appointed the Governor of Madras in 1803. He supported Sir Thomas Munroe on revenue administration. The Vellore Mutiny of 1806 had resulted in Bentinck’s recall.
However, his appointment again to the higher office as Governor-General shows his real greatness. As Governor-General, Bentinck had initiated an era of progress and reforms. He was undoubtedly the first Governor-General of British India who acted on the dictum that “the welfare of the subject peoples was a main, perhaps the primary, duty of the British in India.
William Bentinck adopted a policy of non-intervention and non-aggression with Indian states. If at all he interfered in the affairs of the Indian states, it was only to end any form of misgovernment and never to annex any territory.