Himalayan Times (1954)

April U, 1954

;JME ZAMmDAWl abolition act

■ xamd to if nit if iraii.il jt

ONE of-the greatest achievements of of the system was exposi d by Dr. Roy,

the West Bengal Government in who in course of the debate observed:

•.the economic sphere is the legislation "A body of peaceful farmers and ag'ri-

on Estates acquisition, which ends the culturists was created, who not only

Permanent Settlement 'in West Bengal.' would give a permanent revenue to the

The removal of a 160-year old landmark, (East India) Company based on future

which profoundly affected the economic prospects, but incidentally drew the peo-

and social life of the Bengalees, consti- pie'away more and more from indigenous

tuted a change of such vital nature that trade, commerce and industry and thus

Prime Minister Nehru, during his visit ' leave these spheres to manufactured im-

' to .Calcutta last December, characterised poits from abroad."

"the changes contemplated in the Bill „„ „ , c ,
:a-s . falling in, the category of a rcvol,.-' c , 1 he ma,n off?;'ts,?1f1 ,e P°r'»a»e(n

t-ionary change". He congratulated ihe Settlement were: (1) blight of capital

West 'Bengal -Government on this piece irom,Indl^ "nd \\,rn">- the attfcUo"

of legislation. ot the people of the Province away^from

manutacture and induslry and harnessing
Earlier, winding up the debate in the people to peaceful agriculture,
.the Assembly on the third reading of As a result, money was invested
the Bill on the subject, the Chief Minister, solely on land, which,' people thought,
Dr. B._ C. Roy, also spoke to the same was a safe investment, and they were
effeet. lie observed: "In the modern unwilling to take risks in life. So corn-
context the Permanent Settlement and merce and industry were neglected .and
those who are nuclei' j: aegis have no it is not surprising that Bengal lagged
place. It is time we «id away with tho behind the other provinctsin the matter
Permanent SettlelemVnt. If Uio land is of investment in industrial concerns,
to be saved, if the cultivator is to bo „. . . . ,
'saved, the middle-class must be taken Shortage of Lands
■ away from the land and put to some .In working out details of legislation

other avocation in life .....It is bv deli- for the abolition of za.nimlaris it was

berately ehosing the path of industry however, observed that in West Bengal

and manufacture that West Bengal's if a ceiling on khas land that may be

agriculture can be saved from ruin....... retained by the owners bo fixed at 25

1 hope this (Bill) will lead to the est ah- acres per family and the remaining area

lishment of what w'ft so earnestly desire, distributed at the rate of five acres per

namely, a Welfare State in Bengal." family (below this area, agriculture in

„„ : ■-. ' ," ' • , West Bengal cannot bo e nsidered as

Effects of Permanent Settlement economic and profitable), there will be

The Permanent Settlement, i e., per- a shortage to the extent of 25 per cent

mauent fixation of land revenue, was of the available cultivable lands. In

introduced by the then Oovernor.-General other words, a rational system of ogri-

of India, Lord Corwallis, ifTTilay 1703. cultural economy will throw out ofem-

The real motive.behind the introduction ployment at least 25 per cent, of the

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