Question

When did Lord Cornwallis introduced the permanent Land Revenue Settlement of Bengal?
A.1786
B. 1788
C. 1790
D. 1793

Answer 1

Hint: The permanent land revenue settlement of Bengal was an agreement between the East India Company and Bengali landlords to fix revenues by the Governor-General Lord Cornwallis. It was prevalent in 19% of British India.

Complete answer:
It was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793. The estate of the landlord was to be treated as his property and was divided among his dependents on his death.

Features of Permanent Settlement:
(i) Due to fixed income from revenue, the government would be able to decide their expenditure.
(ii) Land revenue was fixed for zamindars which would not change in the future.
(iii) They were given hereditary rights of succession of the lands under them.
(iv) Because of the permanent nature of the system, there was a sense of security among the landlords.

Defects of Permanent Settlement:
(i) Most of the zamindars had their focus on the collection of maximum revenue rather than focussing on the settlement on the betterment of agricultural land.
(ii) Zamindars started shifting to the cities which gave rise to a term called “Absentee Landlordism”.
(iii) This system strengthened feudalism in upper sections and slavery in lower sections of society.
(iv) A new crop of middlemen also grew between the Zamindars and Peasants.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D).

Note: The Permanent Settlement of Cornwallis was criticized on the point that it was adopted with ‘undue taste’. In the end, it did help some zamindars, severely affected the farmers, and the economy of the state took a hit due to the permanent nature of the revenue.