UPSC Prelims 2020 · Question 41 of 100
UPSC Prelims 2020 question on Aurang Banian Terms
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2020
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectModern History
- TopicEconomic Policies of British
- DifficultyHard
- TypeMatch
With reference to the history of India, consider the following pairs:
1. Aurang — In-charge of treasury of the State
2. Banian — Indian agent of the East India Company
3. Mirasidar — Designated revenue payer to the State
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Show answer
Answer: B. 2 and 3 only
Verdict
Correctly matched pairs: 2 and 3 → Option (b).
Statement by statement
Pair 1 – NOT CORRECTLY MATCHED: Aurang is a Persian term for a warehouse — a place where goods are collected before being sold; it also refers to a workshop. It is NOT the in-charge of treasury of the State.
Pair 2 – CORRECTLY MATCHED: In the 18th and 19th centuries, European merchants opened trade routes throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Owing to linguistic and cultural barriers, they relied on intermediaries with expertise in local markets and languages. In South-East Asia, this was known as the 'comprador' system; in Anglo-Indian trade, individuals carrying out these functions were known as 'banians'. A contemporary described the banian as the individual by whom the English gentlemen in general conducted all their business — interpreter, head book-keeper, head secretary, head broker, supplier of cash, cash-keeper, and secret-keeper.
Pair 3 – CORRECTLY MATCHED: Under the ryotwari settlement system, the government recognized mirasidars as the sole proprietors of land, dismissing tenants' rights. Mirasdars were hereditary peasant proprietors who cultivated their own fields and paid land tax at fixed rates to the State.
Extra UPSC info
Three main land revenue systems under the British were Zamindari (Permanent Settlement, 1793 — Lord Cornwallis), Ryotwari (Madras Presidency — Thomas Munro), and Mahalwari (North-Western Provinces — Holt Mackenzie). The 'Aurang' system was central to procurement of textiles for East India Company during the 17th–18th centuries.