Ryotwari System
The Ryotwari system refers to a system of land revenue instituted in late 18th century by Sir Thomas Munro, who was the Governor of Madras in 1820. This was practised mostly in Madras and Bombay areas as well as Assam and Coorg provinces. The peasants or the cultivators are regarded as the owners of land and had ownership rights, could sell as well as mortgage or gift land.
In the Ryotwari system, the taxes were directly collected by the government from peasants and the rates were 50 % in dry lands and 60 % in wetlands. The rates are high and unlike Permanent system, they were open to being increased. If they failed in payment of the taxes and were evicted by the government. As in zamindari system, in this system there is no middlemen, and since high taxes had to be paid in cash only, the problem of moneylenders came to be shown and this further came to burden the ryots with high interests.
Ryotwari and Mahalwari Systems
Mahalwari and Ryotwari systems are two important land revenue systems in modern India. Mahalwari system is one of the three fundamental income frameworks of land residency in British India, the other two being the Zamindar and Ryotwari frameworks.
The word Mahalwari is derived from the Hindi Mahal, meaning a house or, likewise, a region. For income purposes, the name was applied to any reduced region containing at least one town, which was classified as “bequests.” The income settlement was made with the domain — subsequently the term mahalwari — and there were unmistakable sorts of appraisals. If a zamindar (landowner) held the entire domain, the settlement was with the zamindar; in any case, the installment was claimed from individual cultivators or ryots.
Land Revenue system during British India
Table of Content
- Ryotwari System
- What is Mahalwari System?
- Characteristics of the Mahalwari System
- Importance of the Mahalwari system
- Impacts of the Mahalwari System
- Consequences of British Land Revenue Systems