Consider the following:

1. Assessment of land revenue on the basis of the nature of the soil and the quality of crops

2. Use of mobile cannons in warfare

3. Cultivation of tobacco and red chilies

Which of the above was/were introduced into India by the British?   

The correct answer is None of the above.

Key Points

• Land Revenue Systems in British India:
  • British got Diwani's rights of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa in 1765.
  • The major aim of the British East India Company was to increase their land revenue collection.
    • So its policies were aimed at getting maximum income from the land without caring about its consequences on cultivators and peasants. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
  • Three major systems of land revenue collection existed in India. They were – Zamindari, Ryotwari, and Mahalwari.
• It was the first battle of Panipat, 1526, that the Mughal Emperor Babur first used the artillery in North India - when he decisively defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the Afghan kings of Delhi.
  • Although the Moghul Emperor Babur is popularly credited with the introduction of the artillery in land warfare in India, evidence is now available that it was the Bahmani Kings who first used artillery-in the Deccan in their wars against the Vijaynagar kingdom. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
  • (Source - https://indianarmy.nic.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTempSimple.aspx?MnId=SVu9j/vASBFSg3JIo9xw9w==&ParentID=ZzJ7hm/pcoFzVFwo4tBlEQ==)

Additional Information

• Tobacco cultivation in India was introduced by the Portuguese in 1605.
  • Red chilies were also introduced by the Portuguese in India. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
  • (Source - https://ctri.icar.gov.in/for_origin.php)
  • During the seventeenth century, several new crops from different parts of the world reached the Indian subcontinent.
    • Maize (makka), for example, was introduced into India via Africa and Spain and by the seventeenth century, it was being listed as one of the major crops of western India.
    • Vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes and chilies were introduced from the New World at this time, as were fruits like the pineapple and the papaya.