‘The expansion of cultivation is a sign of progress’. Do you agree with the statement? Justify your answer with arguments. OR Explain reasons for the expansion of cultivation by the colonial rulers in India.

‘The expansion of cultivation is a sign of progress’. Do you agree with the statement? Justify your answer with arguments. 

OR 

Explain reasons for the expansion of cultivation by the colonial rulers in India.

Ans.

In the colonial period, cultivation expanded for a variety of reasons. These are :

(i) In Europe, foodgrains were needed to feed the growing urban population the demand for which increased largely in the 19th century.

(ii) The colonial rulers considered the expansion of cultivation as a sign of progress.

(iii) The British government directly encouraged the production of commercial crops like jute, sugar, wheat and cotton to get more profit.

(iv) Europe needed raw materials for industrial production.

(v) In the early 19th century, the colonial state thought that forests were unproductive. So forests had to be brought under cultivation and land could yield agricultural products and revenue. In this way the income of the state enhanced.