HPAS 2025 Mains GS-1 Question 12
Examine critically the major Famine Commissions during British Rule in India (1860-1945 AD).
Solution:
The history of British India is marred by recurring famines, resulting from a combination of natural disasters and colonial economic policies. To address the administrative failures, several Famine Commissions were established to formulate relief strategies.
1. Campbell Commission (1866)
Formed after the Orissa Famine, it was the first significant attempt to investigate famine management.
- Focus: It highlighted the failure of the local administration and urged the government to take responsibility for relief work.
- Outcome: It marked a shift away from total laissez-faire, though implementation remained weak.
2. Strachey Commission (1880)
Headed by Richard Strachey after the Great Famine (1876-78), this was the most influential commission.
- The Famine Code: It recommended the creation of a Famine Code, providing a systematic guide for provincial governments to follow during food shortages.
- Relief Measures: It emphasized providing work for the able-bodied and gratuitous relief for the infirm.
3. MacDonnell Commission (1901)
Appointed by Lord Curzon after the devastating famine of 1899-1900.
- “Moral Strategy”: It advocated for a proactive approach, including early distribution of advances (takavi loans) and the establishment of agricultural banks.
- Decentralization: It suggested shifting relief focus to village-level works rather than massive public projects.
4. Woodhead Commission (1944)
Investigated the Bengal Famine of 1943, which killed nearly 3 million people.
- Critical View: While it acknowledged administrative failures in price control, it was criticized for largely exonerating the British government of the man-made causes of the crisis.
“The British famine policy was essentially an exercise in disaster management aimed at minimizing the cost to the treasury, rather than addressing the structural causes of rural poverty.”
Concise Model Answer (150-Word Limit)
The Famine Commissions (1860-1945) represented the institutionalization of colonial disaster response. The Strachey Commission (1880) was a turning point, leading to the Famine Code (1883) which established systematic relief protocols. Later, the MacDonnell Commission (1901) introduced a proactive “moral strategy,” focusing on agricultural credit and village-level relief to prevent total societal collapse.
Critical Examination:
- Relief vs. Prevention: These commissions focused on administrative mitigation (saving lives at minimum cost) rather than addressing root causes like high land revenue and food exports.
- Fiscal Conservatism: Relief was often delayed or made conditional on grueling manual labor to ensure “only the truly destitute” applied.
- Woodhead Report (1944): Exposed the limitations of these systems, as it failed to prevent the man-made Bengal Famine despite decades of “Famine Codes.”
While these commissions created a template for modern disaster management, they ultimately served to manage the symptoms of a colonial economy that prioritized revenue over peasant welfare.