Land Revenue Settlements: The Magnitudes of Economic Development in the State of Bahawalpur (1866–1947)

Abstract

With the advent of the British in India, the colonial institutions were introduced throughout the country. In the Bahawalpur State, the Agency government stimulated the fiscal patterns of British India particularly its settlement policy, which brought amelioration in the native revenue system. This paper traces the historical process of land settlement for revenue generation and their impact over the agrarian economy of the State. These settlements became the major contributing factor towards the economic advancement. The different phases of settlement of land, along with the extent of government demand are established in this research. The third phase of land settlement resulted by the beginning of weir control water system, brought some revolutionary changes in the land pattern and revenue structure therefore, it has been particularly focused in this paper. The data for this study is mainly based on unpublished archival documents and unpublished assessment reports.