Correct Option
The correct option is (c).
Explanation
The Permanent Settlement, also known as the Zamindari System, was a major land revenue policy introduced in British India. It fundamentally altered the agrarian structure in Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha by creating a class of landlords with proprietary rights over land, subject to the payment of a fixed revenue to the state.
Statement-wise Analysis
- Statement 1 is Incorrect: The Permanent Settlement was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793. Warren Hastings had previously introduced the system of revenue farming (Ijaredari system) based on annual or five-year leases, but he was not the architect of the Permanent Settlement.
- Statement 2 is Correct: Under this settlement, the existing rajas and taluqdars were recognized as zamindars. They were not merely revenue collectors but were legally constituted as the owners of the land, provided they paid the fixed revenue to the East India Company.
- Statement 3 is Correct: The defining feature of this system was that the revenue demand was fixed permanently. The state promised that the demand would not be increased in the future, even if the zamindars expanded cultivation or if the value of the land increased.
Key Takeaway: The Permanent Settlement (1793) was introduced by Lord Cornwallis. Its core features were the recognition of Zamindars as land owners and the fixing of the land revenue demand in perpetuity.