Question: Who wrote it?
“If the producers are crippled, the farmers are burdened with taxes and a huge amount of the revenue is sent out of the country, then any country in the world will become permanently poor and will have to face famine again and again.”
Show Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (A)
Explanation:
This quote is attributed to Dadabhai Naoroji. It perfectly encapsulates his “Drain of Wealth” theory, linking the export of India’s revenue (the drain) directly to the impoverishment of the peasantry and recurring famines.
📚 Additional Info: Economic Critique of British Rule
1. Dadabhai Naoroji (“The Grand Old Man of India”)
- The Drain Theory: He was the first to articulate that Britain was “draining” India of its wealth. He described it as a “bleeding” process where resources were taken from India with no equivalent return.
- Key Work: “Poverty and Un-British Rule in India” (1901).
- Impact: His work shattered the myth of the “benevolent” British rule and shifted the nationalist focus to economic exploitation.
2. Romesh Chandra Dutt (R.C. Dutt)
- Key Work: “The Economic History of India”.
- Focus: He extensively analyzed the land revenue systems (Permanent Settlement, Ryotwari, etc.) and argued that excessive land tax was the primary cause of poverty and famines in India. He also criticized the “de-industrialization” of India (crippling of handicrafts).
3. Other Economic Critics
- G.K. Gokhale: Exposed British spending policies in the Imperial Legislative Council, particularly the high military expenditure.
- G.V. Joshi & G. Subramaniya Iyer: Also played key roles in propagating the economic critique through newspapers like The Hindu.