The Permanent Settlement was made with the:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:

The Permanent Settlement, introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793 in the provinces of Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha, was a significant land revenue system established by the British East India Company. This system was fundamentally made with the local **Zamindars**. Under this arrangement, the Zamindars were recognized as the permanent owners of the land, provided they paid a fixed, permanent amount of land revenue to the British government by a specific date. This system aimed to stabilize the revenue collection for the Company and create a loyal class of landholders (the Zamindars) who would support the British rule. This move transformed the Zamindars from traditional tax collectors into landed proprietors, thus dramatically changing the agrarian structure of the region.

The incorrect option is 2 (Peasants): Peasants (or ryots) were the cultivators of the land, but they were not the party with whom the Permanent Settlement was made. Instead, they became tenants of the Zamindars, losing their traditional occupancy rights and often suffering under high rents demanded by the new landlords.

The incorrect option is 3 (Village Communities): The Permanent Settlement bypassed the concept of the village community as a revenue-collecting unit. Later land revenue systems, such as the Mahalwari Settlement in North-West Provinces, were made with the village community or headman (Mahal), but this was not the case for the Permanent Settlement.

The incorrect option is 4 (Muqaddams): Muqaddams were historically village headmen or leaders, particularly under the Mughal administration. While they held influence, they were not the class with whom the Permanent Settlement was concluded; the arrangement was explicitly made with the higher echelon of landholders known as the Zamindars.