Question

Compare and contrast the Permanent Settlement, Ryotwari System and the Mahalwari System introduced by the British Government.

Answer 1

Instructions:
Categorise your answer under 4 different heads: Ownership of land, collection of revenue, amount of revenue, and the condition of the peasants. Write this for each of these revenue settlements.

Solution:
Permanent Settlement, Ryotwari System and the Mahalwari System were the different revenue collection system introduced by the British government in India.

Ownership of Land: In the permanent settlement system, the zamindars were the owners of land. The Ryotwari system handed over the ownership of land to the peasants. The land was owned by the village community under the Mahalwari system.

Revenue Collection: The Zamindars collected the revenue under the permanent settlement system. Under the Ryotwari System, the revenue was directly collected from the peasants. In the Mahalwari system, the Company collected the revenue from the Lambardar or the village headman.

Amount of Revenue: The amount of revenue was fixed and was not to be raised in the permanent settlement system, whereas under the Ryotwari System and the Mahalwari system, the amount was revised periodically.

Condition of Peasants: The peasants were exploited under all three revenue collection systems (permanent settlement system, Mahalwari and Ryotwari System).