Correct Option
The correct option is 2 and 3 only.
[as per provisional answerkey]
Explanation
The British annexation of Awadh in 1856 was followed by significant land and administrative reforms aimed at dismantling the traditional power structures of the region, specifically targeting the taluqdars (landed aristocracy).
- Statement 1 is Incorrect: Following the annexation, the British disarmed the taluqdars and destroyed their forts. The British administration viewed the taluqdars as potential threats to their authority and sought to eliminate their military power. Approximately 12,000 forts were destroyed and the taluqdars were prohibited from maintaining private armies.
- Statement 2 is Correct: The Summary Settlement of 1856 was based on the premise that taluqdars were interlopers or "outsiders" who had acquired land through force or fraud. The British aimed to restore the land to its "rightful" owners, whom they believed to be the primary cultivators or village communities.
- Statement 3 is Correct: The British revenue policy was driven by the "Physiocratic" school of thought, which advocated for direct settlements with the actual tillers of the soil. By removing the taluqdars, whom they viewed as mere middlemen and "parasites," the British expected to increase the revenue flow to the state while simultaneously improving the condition of the peasantry.
Key Takeaway: The Summary Settlement of 1856 in Awadh sought to eliminate the taluqdars as intermediaries by disarming them and settling revenue directly with the village-level cultivators, based on the ideological belief that taluqdars lacked legitimate proprietary rights.