(a) To maintain a large standing army at others expense
(b) To keep India safe from Napoleonic danger
(c) To secure a fixed income for the Company
(d) To establish British paramountcy over the Indian States
12. Answer: (c)
Option (c) is correct: The Ryotwari System was devised by Captain Alexander Read and Sir Thomas Munro at the end of the 18th century and was introduced by Munro when he was the Governor of Madras Presidency (1819–26). In this system, the ownership rights were handed over to the peasants, and the British Government collected taxes directly from them. The Individual cultivator called Ryot had full rights regarding the sale, transfer, and leasing of the land. The Ryots could not be evicted from their land as long as they paid the rent. It was prevalent in most of southern India, first introduced in Tamil Nadu. It was later extended to Maharashtra, Berar, East Punjab, Coorg, and Assam. The advantages of this system were the elimination of middlemen, who often oppressed villagers.
