Q. What was the Ijaradari or contractor system of collection of land revenue ?

Ans.


 In 1765, the Company got the right of collection of land revenue (DEWANI) in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. In the beginning, the Company continued the old system of collection of land revenue through the Zamindars. But in 1772 A.D. Warren Hastings began the system of revenue collection through the higher bidder for one year. This system was not successful because the annual collections of land revenue differed from year to year. The income of the Company was not certain. The Zamindars did not care to improve the condition of the peasants because they did not know who would be the collector of land revenue next year.