PERMANENT SETTLEMENT ( HISTORY)

 

PERMANENT SETTLEMENT

The system permanent settlement was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793. This was implemented over the territories of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha which were under the Diwani system. 

According to this system Rajas and Talukdars were recognised as the Zamindars and they acted as the agents of the company for the collection of revenue from the peasants.

Features of permanent settlement system:

1) Zamindar was required to pay a fixed amount of revenue of the company every year.

2) The amount fixed was permanent in nature and not subject to agriculture output which was dependent on rain and affected by floods and famines . 

3) Zamindar could collect revenue as per his own estimates and could retain the surplus collections from peasants as his own profit.

4)  The idea of zamindari was based on the thought of lord cornwallis that a by having a lure of our profit , the Zamindar would take interest in development of the land and increase agricultural produce.

5) The company retained the right to confiscate the land in case the Zamindar failed to pay the fixed revenue.

6) This clause helped them acquire land as there were many defaulters due to natural calamities affecting the agricultural output.

Advantages for the company: 

1) It created a loyal class of  zamindars for the company.

2) The company was assured of certain amount of revenue from the land even under the adverse conditions.

3) The company was not required to waste much time and human resource for the purpose of revenue collection.

Effects on the peasants:

1) The system overlooked the interests  of the cultivators Who cultivated the land . Cultivators were left at the mercy  of the zamindars.

2) The zamindars used  all sorts of  oppressive  methods to collect as much revenue as possible.

3) The zamindars in several cases left the cultivators in the hands of middleman Who exploited them and extorted revenue according to their whims.

4) The land revenue demanded by the zamindars was very high and they were forced to take loan from the money lenders and in case of non- payment of loan they had to sell their land.

5) Zamindars did not take any interest in improving the land but instead were keen  to confiscate the land by creating situations that forced  farmers to default in payments.

6) With time  the company realised that fixed  revenue demand was not very good for them and company officials were convinced that revenue system was required to be changed to meet the increasing expenses of the administration.