NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science Chapter 3 – Ruling the Countryside

1. Indigo- In Europe, woad growers saw indigo as a crop that would threaten their livelihood.

2. Cotton production increased as a result of industrialisation, resulting in a huge need for fabric dyes.

3. Synthetic dyes- The discovery of synthetic dyes had an impact on the global market for indigo.

4. Indigo planters- The visit of Mahatma Gandhi in 1917 sparked the Champaran agitation against indigo planters.

To ensure a steady revenue stream, most East India Company officials believed that land investment should be encouraged and agriculture should be enhanced. In 1793, permanent settlement was established as a result of this.

1. Rajas and taluqdars were recognised as zamindars under the conditions of the settlement.

2. They were given the task of collecting rent from the peasants and remitting profits to the company.

3. The amount that had to be paid was fixed permanently.

4. This was thought to assure a steady stream of revenue to the company's officers. Simultaneously, the zamindars were told to put money into renovating the land.

5. If the zamindars failed to pay the revenue, which was typically the case due to the high fixed revenue, they lost their zamindari claim to the land.

Two issues developed as a result of the new Munro revenue-fixing system are:

1. Revenue officials set an unrealistically high revenue requirement, motivated by a desire to boost land revenues.

2. As the crop failed in the countryside, peasants were unable to pay the revenue, and settlements in many areas went desolate.

The ryots were hesitant to cultivate indigo for several reasons:

1. Indigo was purchased for a very low price by the planters.

2. The ryots couldn't even cover their costs, so making a profit was a pipe dream. This meant that the ryot was perpetually in debt.

3. The landowners urged that the peasants farm indigo on the most fertile areas of their land, but following an indigo harvest, the peasants chose to grow rice on the richest soils. The ryots were hesitant to cultivate indigo because the land could not be used for cultivating rice.

The ryots began to resist indigo cultivation. In their conflict, the village  headmen and some zamindars backed them up. The protests were so large that the government had no choice but to interfere. The Indigo Commission was formed to look into the issues. The planters' flaws were accepted by the Commission, and the ryots were free to grow anything they wanted. Bengal's indigo manufacturing eventually came to a halt as a result.