Q.61 Why was there a sudden spurt in famines in colonial India since the mid- eighteenth century? Give reasons. GS-I: HISTORY (UPSC CSE 2022) (150 words/10 marks)

Answer:

INTRODUCTION:

Famine is defined as “a state of intense hunger experienced by a region’s population as a result of a lack of regular food supply.” Since the middle of the 18th century, there have been numerous famines such as the Bengal Famine (1770) and the Great Famine (1876). Many of the social, political, economic and environmental factors contributed to the abrupt increase in famines.

BODY:

Reasons behind sudden spurt in famines:

• • Drought: Famine was directly caused by a dramatic increase in food prices, which also led real wages to decline and result in epidemics, starvation, and malnutrition, mostly among agricultural labourers groups. Lack of infrastructure, inappropriate farming methods, made natural disasters like droughts more destructive.
  • British Economic policies: The British policy of exploitation and oppression of the Indian population was the primary cause of the famines that occurred throughout the colonial era. British sent mass agricultural products to England, which caused a food scarcity in India that finally resulted in a catastrophic famine.
  • Land Revenue Policies: Land revenue policies imposed by the British colonial government, frequently imposed high taxes on agricultural output. Farmers were under extreme financial strain which reduced their ability to invest in agricultural advancements and increased their vulnerability to crop failures.
  • Commercialization of Agriculture: The commercialization of agriculture was promoted by British colonial The supply of staple foods for local consumption decreased as a result of this move away from food crops, increasing the dependence of communities on monocultures that were vulnerable to crop failures.
  • Loss of Traditional Safety Nets: Traditional Indian agrarian societies had mechanisms in place to deal with regional food shortages, including customs, grain stores, and support systems within the community. However, these systems were disrupted by colonial policy, increasing the vulnerability of populations to food shortages.
  • Increased pressure on agriculture: As a result of colonial economic policies that caused the decline of indigenous craft industries, there were fewer job possibilities, which pushed more people into agriculture and increased land pressure.
  • Rural Indebtedness: In India, debt has traditionally played a significant role in the rural economy. Peasants were deeply indebted as a result of the British Government’s unlawful taxing and excessive This indebtedness was further compounded by the arrival of severe drought-like conditions, which ultimately led to the start of famines.
  • Lack of Infrastructure: Transportation and infrastructure development were not given priority by the British colonial authorities, which made it more difficult to transfer food from areas of abundance to areas of deficit during times of scarcity.
  • Inadequate response by British: The colonial authorities frequently did not act appropriately when there was a famine and made it worse by inadequacy of relief attempts. There was no strategy on food storage, nor was there any relief from tax payments or famines.

CONCLUSION:

Ultimately, a variety of interrelated factors, such as exploitative colonial practices, economic upheavals, environmental concerns, and disturbances to established systems, contributed to the spike in famines in colonial India since the mid-18^th century. Famines that occurred during the colonial era had a tremendous negative influence on the economy, culture, population growth. It further slowed down the economic development.