**The theory of economic drain of India during British imperialism was propounded by?**
Verified**Explanation:**
Dadabhai Naoroji, fondly known as the "Grand Old Man of India," was the visionary who first systematically presented the theory of economic drain during British colonial rule. Born in 1825, this Parsi intellectual and politician became one of the first Indians to articulate how Britain was systematically extracting wealth from India, leaving the subcontinent impoverished.
Naoroji's groundbreaking work culminated in his famous book "Poverty and Un-British Rule in India" published in 1901. In this seminal work, he presented detailed economic analysis showing how British policies were designed to benefit Britain at India's expense. He argued that India's wealth was being systematically transferred to Britain through various mechanisms, leaving Indians in perpetual poverty despite their country's natural richness.
The drain theory identified several key mechanisms through which this wealth transfer occurred:
• **Home charges** - payments made to Britain for administrative expenses, military costs, and interest on loans • **Profits from British-owned businesses** in India that were repatriated to Britain • **Salaries and pensions** of British officials serving in India • **Procurement policies** that favored British goods over Indian products
What made Naoroji's theory particularly powerful was his use of official British government statistics and documents to prove his arguments. He calculated that millions of pounds were being drained from India annually, money that could have been used for India's development, education, and infrastructure. This scientific approach gave credibility to his claims and made them difficult for British authorities to dismiss.
Naoroji's drain theory became a cornerstone of Indian nationalist thought and significantly influenced the independence movement. Leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and later Mahatma Gandhi drew upon his economic analysis to build their arguments for self-rule. The theory provided intellectual ammunition for the growing demand for political and economic independence.
Beyond his theoretical contributions, Naoroji was also a practical politician who became the first Indian to be elected to the British House of Commons in 1892. This platform allowed him to present India's case directly to British parliamentarians and bring international attention to colonial exploitation. His dual role as both scholar and politician made him uniquely positioned to challenge British imperialism on multiple fronts.
