Question

The Ryotwari settlement was introduced by the British in the ____________.
A) Madras Presidency
B) Bengal Presidency
C) Central Presidency
D) Assam Presidency

Answer 1

Hint: Ryotwari System was one of the land revenue systems that existed during British rule in India. The system was devised by Captain Alexander Read and Sir Thomas Munro but was introduced by the latter during his presidency from 1819-26.

Complete answer:
One of the major sources of income for Britishers in India was Land revenue. During the British rule in India, there were broadly three types of land revenue policies that existed, namely Zamindari system, Mahalwari System and Ryotwari System. The basic difference among these systems was regarding the payment mode of land revenue.

The Ryotwari System:
Captain Alexander Read and Sir Thomas Munro devised the Ryotwari System at the end of the eighteenth century. However, it was introduced by Sir Thomas Munro when he was governor of the Madras Presidency (1819-26).

Under the Ryotwari system, the farmers used to pay the land revenue directly to the state. In this system, the Individual cultivator referred to as “Ryot” possessed complete rights regarding sale, transfer, and leasing of the land. They could not be evicted from their land as long as they were able to pay the rent. The system was prevalent in most of southern India, initially introduced in Tamil Nadu. Afterwards, it extended to Bombay, and parts of Assam and Coorg provinces of British India. The advantage of this system was that it eliminated the middlemen, who often oppressed villagers. The Ryotwari settlement was introduced by the British in the Madras Presidency.

Thus the correct answer is option ‘C’.

Note: The Ryotwari system also had disadvantages which are as follows:
i) This system provided much power to subordinate revenue officials, but their activities were not supervised adequately.
ii) Mahajans and moneylenders who granted loans to cultivators by mortgaging their land dominated the system. In case of a loan default, the moneylenders exploited the cultivators and evicted them from their land.