Mention three reactionary police's of Lord Lytton.
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Mention three reactionary police's of Lord Lytton ?
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Lytton passed the Vernacular Press Act in 1878 which curbed the freedom to speech. During his period he lowered the age of civil service examination from 21 to 19. He held the Delhi durbar when the south India was suffering from famine.
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Answer:
Lord Lytton’s reactionary Policies
Financial
In 1870, Lord Mayo took the initiative of separating central and provincial finances. The provincial governments. were granted fixed sums out of central revenues for administering certain services like Police, Jails, Education etc., as they liked. Lytton took further steps in the direction of this policy of financial devolution. The provincial governments were authorised to meet out the expenditure on certain heads like land revenue, excise, stamps, law and justice etc., as suited them. For this purpose, the provinces were assigned certain sources of revenue like excise, licence fee, etc. It was also decided that the surplus above the estimated income would be shared equally between the centre and the provinces and, in case of deficit, the centre would meet half the deficit of a province. It was expected that the new system would induce the provincial governments to develop their revenue resources.
Famine
A serious famine occurred in India in the period 1876 to 1878. The worst affected areas were Madras, Mumbai, Mysore, Hyderabad and parts of Central Madhya Bharat and Punjab. The government failed to provide adequate relief to the famine-stricken people which added further to their miseries. In 1878, therefore, the government appointed a Famine Commission. The Commission recommended that Railways should be constructed and canals dug up in different parts of the country which would minimise the chances of famine. If suggested that a Famine Fund should be created in every province. It also urged that able-bodied persons should be provided employment by the government during the period of famine and only incapacitated ones should be given free help. Thus, the Commission laid down the principles which formed the basis of the subsequent famine policy of the government of India.
The Royal Titles Act, 1876
The British Government passed the Royal Titles Act. Queen Victoria was invested with the title of Queen Empress of India. Lord Lytton held a Darbar at Delhi on January 1, 1877 to proclaim the title of Queen. He spent huge amount of money on pomp and show of the Darbar. At that time, India was in the grip of famine. Therefore, the Indians felt very bitter about it.
Free Trade
The House of Commons passed a resolution in July, 1877 which recommended abolition or reduction of import and export duties to the government of India because it suited British economic interests. Lord Lytton accepted the spirit of the resolution and, in spite of poor financial condition of India caused by the famine, abolished import duties on twenty-nine articles. But it failed to satisfy the British cloth manufacturers. Therefore, Indian economic interest was further sacrificed and, in 1879, the duties on the coarser kinds of imported cotton were removed. Thus, Lytton became an easy instrument of intensifying economic exploitation of India by Britain.
The Vernacular Press Act, 1878
Newspapers were published in India in several local languages by that time. Most of them expressed the grievances of the people against the British rule and particularly against the measures taken by Lytton. Lytton, therefore, restricted the liberty of the Indian Press by the Vernacular Press Act. By it, magistrates were empowered to secure undertaking, not to publish anything likely to create feeling of disaffection against the government or create differences among the people from the publishers of vernacular newspapers. They could ask the publishers to deposit money as security which could be forfeited in case of contravention of the regulations. The measure, thus, curbed the liberty of the Indian Press which was helpful in forming public opinion against the British rule. The Indians, therefore, resented it.
The Arms Act, 1878
Another repressive measure of Lord Lytton was the Indian Arms Act. By it, the Indians were asked to seek licence or permission to keep, sell or purchase arms. The offenders were to be punished both with fine and imprisonment for a maximum period of seven years. The Act itself and the discrimination which it made between the Indians and Englishmen on the basis of race, was bitterly resented by the Indian people.