Land Revenue Systems: Permanent Settlement, Ryotwari and Mahalwari
BPSC demand
First identify who settled revenue with whom, then region and year. Do not say any system was uniformly applied across India. Bihar is especially relevant to Permanent Settlement.
Three systems compared
System
Revenue settlement
Key region/clue
Permanent Settlement
Company with zamindars; government demand fixed permanently.
1793, Cornwallis; Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
Ryotwari
Company directly with individual cultivator (ryot).
Madras and Bombay presidencies; Alexander Read and Thomas Munro.
Mahalwari
Settlement with village/estate (mahal), often collectively.
North-Western Provinces and parts of Punjab/Central India; Holt Mackenzie, 1822.