Why did
the Indian iron smelting industry decline in the nineteenth century?
Why did the Indian iron smelting industry decline in the nineteenth century?
The Indian
iron smelting industry declined in the nineteenth century for the
following reasons.
(a) The
forest laws implemented by the colonial administration prevented the
free movement of people in reserved forests. Charcoal—an
essential ingredient in the iron smelting process—could
therefore not be obtained easily.
(b) When in some areas the
government did grant access to the forests, the iron smelters were in
return required to pay a very high amount in tax to the forest
department for every furnace they used. This reduced their income.
(c) By the
late nineteenth century, iron and steel was being imported from
Britain. Ironsmiths began using the imported iron to manufacture
utensils and implements. This reduced the demand for iron produced by
local smelters.
(d)
In the late nineteenth century, a series of
famines devastated the dry tracts of India. As a result, many of the
local smelters stopped work, deserted their villages, and migrated,
looking for some other work to survive the hard times.
The Indian iron smelting industry declined in the nineteenth century for the following reasons.
(a) The
forest laws implemented by the colonial administration prevented the
free movement of people in reserved forests. Charcoal—an
essential ingredient in the iron smelting process—could
therefore not be obtained easily.
(b) When in some areas the
government did grant access to the forests, the iron smelters were in
return required to pay a very high amount in tax to the forest
department for every furnace they used. This reduced their income.
(c) By the late nineteenth century, iron and steel was being imported from Britain. Ironsmiths began using the imported iron to manufacture utensils and implements. This reduced the demand for iron produced by local smelters.
(d) In the late nineteenth century, a series of famines devastated the dry tracts of India. As a result, many of the local smelters stopped work, deserted their villages, and migrated, looking for some other work to survive the hard times.
