(a) Increase in the export of Indian handicrafts
(b) Growth in the number of Indian owned factories
(c) Commercialization of Indian agriculture
(d) Rapid increase in the urban population
- Answer: (c)
Option (c) is correct: Commercialization of Indian agriculture was the result of British rule in India in the 19th century. Farmers were forced to grow Indigo and other cash crops which were exported to Great Britain as raw materials of the English factories. In the 19th century, agriculture became commercial due to the use of modern agricultural equipment and Indians started producing crops for commercial use and on a large scale basis. Commercialisation of agriculture further enhanced the speed of transfer of ownership of land thereby increasing the number of landless labourers. It also brought in many merchants, traders and middlemen who further exploited the situation; There was an enormous drain of wealth from India to Britain due to the various economic policies. Additional financial burden was placed on India due to expenditures on salaries, pensions, and training of military and civilian staff employed by the British to rule India
