Land Revenue Administration in Modern India (1740-1947)

The land revenue administration in India between 1740 and 1947 played a pivotal role in shaping the socioeconomic landscape of the subcontinent. This research paper examines the evolution of revenue policies under successive regimes, from the late Mughal period to British colonial rule, analysing their impact on agrarian society, state power, and economic structures. The late Mughal administration relied on a decentralized revenue system, characterized by intermediary zamindars and regional revenue collectors. However, as British rule expanded, the colonial administration introduced systematic revenue settlements, such as the Permanent Settlement of 1793, the Ryotwari Settlement, and the Mahalwari Settlement. Each of these reforms aimed to stabilize revenue collection but often led to economic exploitation and agrarian distress. The study explores how these systems altered land tenure rights and increased peasant vulnerability. By the early 20th century, growing discontent with exploitative revenue policies became a crucial point of nationalist movements, ending in agrarian agitation and policy reforms. Through a historical analysis of scholarly interpretations, this research provides a refined understanding of the administrative, economic, and political consequences of land revenue policies. It argues that colonial revenue strategies, while efficient in safeguarding state finances, ultimately rooted rural inequality and shaped post-independence land.