Colonialism And Rural Society

The task is to identify the statements that are historically accurate from the given options:

• (A) English East India Company acquired Diwani of Bengal in 1765
• (B) Regulating Act was passed by The British Parliament in 1773
• (C) Permanent Settlement was introduced by Lord Dalhousie
• (D) Land of Santhals was demarcated as Damin-i-koh
• (E) Permanent Settlement was introduced in Bombay

Let's analyze each option:

(A) This statement is correct. The English East India Company acquired Diwani rights for Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa from the Mughal Emperor in 1765, which granted them the right to collect revenue.

(B) This statement is correct. The Regulating Act of 1773 was indeed an act passed by the British Parliament to regulate the governance of the East India Company, marking the first step towards parliamentary control over the company.

(C) This statement is incorrect. The Permanent Settlement was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793, not by Lord Dalhousie, and it mainly applied to Bengal.

(D) This statement is correct. The land of the Santhals was demarcated as Damin-i-koh in the 19th century to settle the Santhal people separately to prevent encroachments by British revenue demands.

(E) This statement is incorrect. The Permanent Settlement was not introduced in Bombay. It was primarily applicable in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa.

Therefore, the correct statements are (A), (B), and (D).

The Subsidiary Alliance system was introduced by Lord Wellesley. This was a strategic measure used by the British during their expansion in India. The system worked as follows:

• Objective: To establish and reinforce British influence without direct intervention.
• Method: Indian rulers were coerced into a treaty where they would agree to:
  • Discard their own armies and accept a British force stationed in their region.
  • Pay for the maintenance of the British troops or cede territory for that purpose.
  • Consult the British in case of conflict with other states.
• Outcome: Gradually, this system allowed the British to control the princely states indirectly, without the need for outright warfare or annexation.

The Sunset Law stated that if payment did not come in by sunset of the specified date, the zamindari was liable to be auctioned. Under this law, failure to pay land revenue by the end of the day would result in the loss of the land. This was a measure designed to enforce strict compliance with tax payments among zamindars. The main aim was to ensure timely collection of taxes which were crucial for the colonial administration's revenue system. In contrast to the other options mentioned: Regulating Act, Pitt’s India Act, and Martial Law, none specifically dealt with the auctioning of zamindari due to non-payment by sunset. The Regulating Act was related to administration and regulation of British territories in India, Pitt's India Act aimed at providing a better governance structure for India under British rule, and Martial Law refers to the imposition of direct military control over normal civilian functions of government.

Thus, Sunset Law is the correct answer.

In the history of North Bengal, the district surveyed by Francis Buchanan was Dinajpur. Francis Buchanan's survey provided a vivid and detailed description of the socio-economic conditions, including the rich peasants known as jotedars in this region during that period.