Correct Option
The correct option isThe revenue demand was to be revised periodically.
Explanation
The Mahalwari system was a land revenue settlement introduced by the British primarily in the North-Western Provinces, parts of Central India, and the Punjab. The term is derived from the word "Mahal," referring to an estate or a village, which served as the fiscal unit for revenue assessment.
Option Analysis
- The revenue demand was fixed permanently. is incorrect: Unlike the Permanent Settlement (Zamindari system) introduced in Bengal, the revenue demand in the Mahalwari system was not fixed permanently. The government retained the right to revise the assessment.
- The revenue demand was to be revised periodically. is correct: A defining feature of the Mahalwari system was that the revenue demand was revised periodically. The settlement was typically made for a period of 20 to 30 years, after which the tax could be reassessed based on agricultural output and land value.
- The settlement was made directly with the ryots. is incorrect: The settlement was not made directly with individual ryots (cultivators). Instead, the settlement was made with the village community as a whole. The village headman (often called the Lambardar) was responsible for collecting revenue and paying it to the government. Direct settlement with cultivators was the hallmark of the Ryotwari system.
- It was introduced by Thomas Munro. is incorrect: The Mahalwari system was conceptualized by Holt Mackenzie (1822) and formalized under the administration of William Bentinck (Regulation IX of 1833). Thomas Munro is associated with the introduction of the Ryotwari system in the Madras Presidency.
Key Takeaway: The Mahalwari system operated on the principle of joint responsibility of the village community for revenue payment, with the village (Mahal) as the unit of assessment and revenue rates subject to periodic revision.