Question

Which products had short supply in Britain?
A) Indigo
B) Tea
C) Food grains
D) All above

Answer 1

Hint: Cars, gold, turbo-jets, pharmaceutical mixtures in dosage, and crude oil were Britain's top export items by value in 2020. In total, those significant exports account for 25.5 percent of the United Kingdom's total export sales. Those commodities point to a wide variety of exporting goods.

Complete answer:
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major, but ultimately unsuccessful, uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which acted as the British Crown's sovereign power.
The British East India Company had been present in India since 1612, and had previously administered the factory areas set up for trading purposes, but its victory at the Battle of Plassey in 1757 marked the beginning of its firm foothold in eastern India. The victory was solidified in 1764, when the East India Company army defeated Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II at the Battle of Buxar. Following his defeat, the emperor granted the Company the right to "collect revenue" in the Bengal provinces (modern-day Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha), dubbed "Diwani" by the Company.

The Company quickly expanded its territory around its bases in Bombay and Madras, and the Anglo-Mysore Wars (1766–1799) and the Anglo-Maratha Wars (1772–1818) allowed it to control even more of India. New uniform regulations sparked the Vellore Mutiny in 1806, causing resentment among both Hindu and Muslim sepoys.

India was forced to export raw materials to Britain, such as raw silk and raw cotton. Plantation products, such as indigo, tea, and food grains, were in short supply in the United Kingdom. Governor-General Wellesley began a two-decade accelerated expansion of Company territories after the turn of the century. This was accomplished either through subsidiary alliances with local rulers or through direct military annexation.

Thus, the correct answer is option ‘D’.

Note: During 2017, India exported over USD 7 billion to the United Kingdom and imported approximately USD 3.4 billion. India's exports to the United Kingdom increased from USD 2.2 billion in 2001 to USD 6.7 billion in 2017, while imports from the United Kingdom increased from USD 2.8 billion to USD 3.4 billion over the same time.