Question

Who amongst the following British Governor Generals introduced the Permanent Settlement in Bengal ?

• A. Charles Cornwallis
• B. Warren Hastings
• C. William Bentinck
• D. George Barlow

Hint:

Associate Lord Cornwallis with the year 1793, the implementation of the Permanent Settlement, and the Cornwallis Code, which separated revenue administration from judicial duties.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Concept: To secure a stable source of revenue, the British East India Company experimented with various agrarian systems. The earliest major land revenue framework implemented in eastern India was the Permanent Settlement, which fundamentally transformed socio-economic relations in the countryside.

Step 1: Examining the historical background of the policy The Permanent Settlement (also known as the Zamindari System) was officially ected in Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha in the year 1793. Under this system, local zamindars were recognized as absolute owners of the land, and the revenue demand due to the state was permanently fixed.

Step 2: Identifying the author of the policy This extensive socio-economic system was conceptualized and implemented under the administration of Lord Charles Cornwallis, who served as the Governor-General of Bengal from 1786 to 1793. His objective was to create a loyal class of aristocratic landlords while guaranteeing a fixed, predictable annual revenue income for the Company.

Step 3: Checking the altertive options
• Warren Hastings experimented with temporary revenue leases like the Five-Year and Annual Farming Systems (Ijaradari).
• William Bentinck is celebrated for social reforms like abolishing Sati in 1829.
• George Barlow served later (1805–1807) and focused primarily on non-intervention policies. Thus, Charles Cornwallis is the correct administrator.