Land Revenue Systems in British India :
The system of land tenure was impossible to separate with the land revenue system. There were various systems in existence, the most important being the zamindari, ryotwari and mahalwari
Zamindari System 1793
•Zamindari System was introduced by Cornwallis in 1793 through Permanent Settlement Act.
•It was introduced in provinces of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Varanasi.
•Also known as Permanent Settlement System. Zamindars were recognized as owner of the lands. Zamindars were given the rights to collect the rent from the peasants.
•The realized amount would be divided into 11 parts. 1/11 of the share belongs to Zamindars and 10/11 of the share belongs to East India Company.
Ryotwari System 1820
•Ryotwari System was introduced by Thomas Munro in 1820.
•Major areas of introduction include Madras, Bombay, parts of Assam and Coorgh provinces of British India. In Ryotwari System the ownership rights were handed over to the peasants. British Government collected taxes directly from the peasants.
•The revenue rates of Ryotwari System were 50% where the lands were dry and 60% in irrigated land.
Mahalwari System 1833
•Mahalwari system was introduced in 1833 during the period of William Bentick.
•It was introduced in Central Province, North-West Frontier, Agra, Punjab, Gangetic Valley, etc of British India.
•The Mahalwari system had many provisions of both the Zamindari System and Ryotwari System.
•In this system, the land was divided into Mahals. Each Mahal comprises one or more villages.
•Ownership rights were vested with the peasants.
•The villages committee was held responsible for collection of the taxes.
Though we have discussed the above three main systems of land tenure, there was lot of intermixing of characteristics of these systems. It is said that these three systems gravitated towards the tendencies of the Zamindari system. The Mahalwari system in states like Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh subletting and rock renting became common. It became common even in the Rayatwari areas. There was no proper revenue record. This was the situation which prevailed at the time of independence.
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