Question 64 from UPSC CSE 2017 - Modern
History

Question

Who among the following was/were associated with the introduction of Ryotwari Settlement in India during the British Rule?
1. Lord Cornwallis
2. Alexander Read
3. Thomas Munro
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. 2 and 3 only

Strategy: The key here is to identify the personality most famously associated with a different land revenue system. Lord Cornwallis is inextricably linked with the Permanent Settlement. Recognizing this allows you to immediately eliminate any option that includes his name. By removing statement 1, options A, B, and D are all invalidated, leaving only option C. This confirms that Alexander Read and Thomas Munro were the architects of the Ryotwari system.

Key Info: ## Ryotwari Settlement
The Ryotwari system was a land revenue system in British India, where the government entered into a direct settlement with the cultivators (ryots). The ryot was recognized as the proprietor of the land and was responsible for paying the revenue directly to the state.

- **Pioneers**: The system was first introduced by Captain Alexander Read in the Baramahal district (now in Tamil Nadu) in 1792. It was later developed and extended across the Madras Presidency by Thomas Munro, who served as its Governor from 1820 to 1827.
- **Features**:
  - Direct settlement between the state and the ryot.
  - Ownership rights of the land were vested in the peasants.
  - Land revenue was fixed for a specific period (typically 20 to 30 years) and was subject to periodic revision.
  - The revenue rates were often very high, frequently amounting to 50% in drylands and 60% in irrigated lands.
- **Areas of Implementation**: It was the primary system in the Madras and Bombay Presidencies, as well as in Assam and Coorg provinces.

**Thomas Munro**
Sir Thomas Munro (1761–1827) was a Scottish soldier and colonial administrator. A major figure in the East India Company, he is regarded as the father of the Ryotwari System. As the Governor of Madras, he institutionalized this system, believing it was best suited to Indian conditions as it minimized intermediaries and was based on traditional land tenure practices.

**Alexander Read**
Captain Alexander Read was a British officer who, along with Thomas Munro, played a crucial role in the initial design and implementation of the Ryotwari system. Following the Third Anglo-Mysore War, he was tasked with administering the newly acquired Baramahal and Salem districts, where he first experimented with this revenue settlement model in 1792.

**Lord Cornwallis**
Lord Charles Cornwallis (1738–1805) served as the Governor-General of Bengal from 1786 to 1793. He is most famously associated with the introduction of the Permanent Settlement (or Zamindari System) in 1793 in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa.

- **Permanent Settlement**: Under this system, the land revenue was fixed in perpetuity with the zamindars, who were recognized as the owners of the land. The zamindars were responsible for collecting revenue from the peasants and paying a fixed share to the British government. This system was fundamentally different from the Ryotwari system.
- **Other Reforms**: Cornwallis is also known for the Cornwallis Code of 1793, which systematized administrative, judicial, and police reforms, including the separation of revenue and civil jurisdiction.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: 1 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: 1 and 3 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: 1, 2, and 3

Who among the following was/were associated with the introduction of Ryotwari Settlement in India during the British Rule? Lord Cornwallis Alexander Read Thomas Munro Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Who among the following was/were associated with the introduction of Ryotwari Settlement in India during the British Rule?

Lord Cornwallis

Alexander Read

Thomas Munro
Select the correct answer using the code given below: