NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Famine in India

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"In the past, droughts have periodically led to major Indian famines" ^[1] . "The prospect of a devastating famine every few years was inherent in India's ecology" ^[2] Image File history File links Information. ...

From the earliest endeavours of the British East India Company on the Subcontinent but especially since 1857—the year of the first major Indian rebellion against British rule—the British Raj, as the British governing body was known after 1857, had instituted a widespread series of mercantilist economic rules intended to foster a favourable balance of trade for Britain relative to the Subcontinent as well as other colonies, which had a dramatic impact on the economic milieu within India. Because of these effects and the Raj's role as the supreme governing body within India, contemporary scholars such as Romesh Dutt in 1900—who had himself witnessed the famines first-hand—and present-day scholars such as Amartya Sen agree, that the famines were a product both of uneven rainfall and British economic and administrative policies. These policies had, since 1857, led to the seizure and conversion of local farmland to foreign-owned plantations, restrictions on internal trade, heavy taxation of Indians to support unsuccessful British expeditions in Afghanistan like the Second Anglo-Afghan War, inflationary measures that increased the price of food, and substantial exports of staple crops from India to Britain. (Dutt, 1900 and 1902; Srivastava, 1968; Sen, 1982; Bhatia, 1985.) In the century preceding, the first Bengal famine of 1770 is estimated to have taken nearly one-third of the population. In 1865-66, severe drought struck Orissa and was met by British official inaction. Secretary of State for India Lord Salisbury later regretted, The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was the first joint-stock company (the Dutch East India Company was the first to issue public stock). ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir) A subcontinent is a large part of a continent. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants Indian Patriots, Rebellious East India Company Sepoys, 7 Indian princely states, deposed rulers of Oudh and Jhansi, Indian civilians in some areas. ... The flag of British India British India, circa 1860 The British Raj (Raj in Hindi meaning Rule; from Sanskrit Rajya) was the British rule between 1858 and 1947 of the Indian Subcontinent, which included the present-day India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Burma (Myanmar), whereby these lands were under the colonial... A painting of a French seaport from 1638, at the height of mercantilism. ... Romesh Chunder Dutt (1848-1909) Romesh Chunder Dutt, CIE (Calcutta August 13, 1848 â€” Baroda November 30, 1909), or R. C. Dutt, was a Bengali writer, civil servant, economic historian, and translator of Ramayana and Mahabharata. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In meteorology, precipitation is any kind of water that falls from the sky as part of the weather. ... Economics (deriving from the Greek words Î¿Î¯ÎºÏ‰ [okos], house, and Î½ÎÎ¼Ï‰ [nemo], rules hence household management) is the social science that studies the allocation of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box: Public administration can be broadly described as the study and implementation of policy. ... A policy is a plan of action for tackling political issues. ... Modern arable agriculture typically uses large fields like this one in Dorset, England. ... // This article is about crop plantations. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... // It was not until 1826 that the energetic Dost Mohammad was able to exert sufficient control over his brothers to take over the throne in Kabul, where he proclaimed himself amir. ... Inflation rates around the world. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A crop is any plant that is grown in significant quantities to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, or for another economic purpose. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... , Orissa (Oriya: à¬“à¬¡à¬¼à¬¿à¬¶à¬¾), is a state situated on the east coast of India. ... The best-known Lord Salisbury was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (1830–1903). ...

I did nothing for two months. Before that time the monsoon had closed the ports of Orissa—help was impossible—and—it is said—a million people died. The Governments of India and Bengal had taken in effect no precautions whatever.… I never could feel that I was free from all blame for the result. (quoted in Davis 2001:32)

Some British citizens such as William Digby agitated for policy reforms and famine relief, but Lord Lytton, the governing British viceroy in India, opposed such changes in the belief that they would stimulate shirking by Indian workers. Reacting against calls for relief during the 1877-79 famine, Lytton replied, "Let the British public foot the bill for its 'cheap sentiment,' if it wished to save life at a cost that would bankrupt India," substantively ordering "there is to be no interference of any kind on the part of Government with the object of reducing the price of food," and instructing district officers to "discourage relief works in every possible way.... Mere distress is not a sufficient reason for opening a relief work." (quoted in Davis 2001:31, 52) The Famine Commission of 1880 observed that each province in British India, including Burma, had a surplus of foodgrains, and the annual surplus amounted to 5.16 million tons (Bhatia, 1970). At that time, annual export of rice and other grains from India was approximately one million tons. At about the same time the British devised the first ever famine scales and engaged themselves in a series of canal building and irrigation improvements. The results were that the mortality rate decreased rapidly. There was the threat of famine but after 1902 there was no major famine in India until 1943. In 1907 and in 1874 the response from the British was better: in both cases rice was imported abroad and famine was averted. William Digby was a British author and humanitarian. ... Look up reform in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Rt Hon. ... A viceroy is a royal official who governs a country or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. ... Anthem God Save The Queen/King British India, circa 1860 Capital Calcutta (1858-1912), New Delhi (1912-1947) Language(s) Hindi, Urdu, English and many others Government Monarchy Emperor of India - 1877-1901 Victoria - 1901-1910 Edward VII - 1910-1936 George V - January-December 1936 Edward VIII - 1936-1947 George... Famine scales are the ways in which degrees of food security are measured, from situations in which an entire population has adequate food to full-scale famine. ...

The famines continued until Independence in 1948, with the Bengal famine of 1943-44 being among the most devastating, killing 3-4 million during World War II. 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... The Bengal famine of 1943 occurred in undivided Bengal (now independent Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal) in 1943. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

In 1966, there was a 'near miss' in Bihar, when the USA allocated 900,000 tons of grain to fight the famine. Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... , Bihar (Hindi: à¤¬à¤¿à¤¹à¤¾à¤°, Urdu: Ø¨ÛØ§Ø±, IPA: , ) is a state of the Indian union situated in the eastern part of the country. ...

1 British Response
2 Chronology
3 See also
4 References
5 Notes
6 Further reading

British Response

The British record on famines in India is a mixed one. The first major famine that took place under British rule was the Bengal Famine of 1770. About a quarter to a third of the population of Bengal starved to death in about a ten month period. East India Company's raising of taxes disastrous coincided with this famine ^[3] and exacerbated it even if the famine was not caused by the British regime ^[4].

Following this famine ‘’Successive British governments were anxious not to add to the burden of taxation” ^[5].

In 1866 the rains failed again in Bengal and Orissa. Food was rushed into the famine stricken zones. The result of which was that the famine was alleviated in Bengal although a Monsoon in Orissa forced the closure of the harbour. As a result food could not be imported into Orissa as easily as Bengal ^[6]

In 1874 the response from the British authorities was better. Famine was completely averted.

Then in 1876 a huge famine broke out in Madras. Lord Lytton's administration believed that 'market forces alone would suffice to feed the starving Indians' ^[7]. Beatty Balfour wrote in her book, Lord Lytton's Indian Administration that:

In the despatch addressed to the Duke of Buckingham, in which the Viceroy announced his intention of visiting the famine districts of Madras and Mysores, the general principles for the management of famine affairs were once more laid down. After stating that the Government of India, with approval of Her Majesty’s Government, were resolved to avert death by starvation by the employment of all means available, the Viceroy first expressed his conviction that ‘absolute non-interference with the operations of private commercial enterprise must be the foundation of their present famine policy.’ This on the ground that ‘free and abundant trade cannot co-exist with Government importation’ and that more food will reach the famine stricken districts if private enterprise is left to itself (beyond receiving every possible facility and information from the government) than if it were paralysed by Government competition.^[8]

The results of such thinking proved fatal (some 5.5 million starved ^[9]) and so such a policy was abandoned. Lord Lytton established the Famine Insurance Grant, a system in which, in times of financial surplus, Rs. 1,500,000 would be applied to famine relief works. The results of this were that the British prematurely assumed that the problem of famine had been solved forever which made future British viceroy's complacent (which proved disastrous in 1896) ^[10]. Lord Curzon tried to alliveate the famine, he spent Rs. 68,000,000 (about £10,000,000) to try and reduce the effects of the famine ^[11] and, at its peak, 4.5 million people were on famine relief. The number of people who died during the famine of 1896-1902 was 4.5 million ^[12].

Chronology

650: Famine throughout India
1022,1033: Great famines, entire provinces were depopulated
1344-1345: Great famine
1396-1407: The Durga Devi famine
1630-1631: there was a famine in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
1661: famine, when not a drop of rain fell for two years
1702-1704: 2 million died of famine in Deccan
1770: territory ruled by the British East India Company experienced the first Bengal famine of 1770. An estimated 10 million people died.
1780-1790s: millions died of famine in Bengal, Benares, Jammu, Bombay and Madras.
1800-1825: 1 million Indians died of famine
1850-1875: 5 millions died of famine in Bengal, Orissa, Rajastan and Bihar
1875-1902: 26 million Indians died of famine (1876-1878: 10 millions)
1905-1906: famine raged in areas with the population of 3,3 million.
1906-1907: famine captured areas with the population of 13 million
1907-1908: famine captured areas populated by 49,6 million Indians.
In 1943, India experienced the second Bengal famine of 1943. Over 3 million people died.
In 1966, there was a 'near miss' in Bihar. The USA allocated 900,000 tons of grain to fight the famine. A further 'near miss' food crisis occurred due to drought in Maharashtra in 1970-1973.
1974-1975: A famine in Bangladesh, formerly part of India and the area primarily affected by the above Bengal famines, caused more than 1 million deaths. (Dyson 1991, 7)

Events February 22 - Native American Quadequine introduces Popcorn to English colonists. ... // Events February 5 - Roger Williams emigrates to Boston. ... , Ahmedabad (Gujarati: , Hindi: à¤…à¤¹à¤®à¤¦à¤¾à¤¬à¤¾à¤¦ ) is the largest city in the state of Gujarat and the seventh-largest urban agglomeration in India, with a population of almost 51 lakhs (5. ... , Gujarat (Gujarati: , IPA: ) is a state in the Republic of India. ... The Deccan Plateau is a vast plateau in India, encompassing most of Central and Southern India. ... Battle of Chesma, by Ivan Aivazovsky. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Bengal famine of 1943 occurred in undivided Bengal (now independent Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal) in 1943. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... , Bihar (Hindi: à¤¬à¤¿à¤¹à¤¾à¤°, Urdu: Ø¨ÛØ§Ø±, IPA: , ) is a state of the Indian union situated in the eastern part of the country. ... , Maharashtra (Marathi: à¤®à¤¹à¤¾à¤°à¤¾à¤·à¥à¤Ÿà¥à¤° , IPA: , English: ) is Indias third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ...

References

Bhatia, B.M. (1985) Famines in India: A study in Some Aspects of the Economic History of India with Special Reference to Food Problem, Delhi: Konark Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
Bhattaharyya B. 1973. A History of Bangla Desh. Dacca.
Dutt, Romesh C. Open Letters to Lord Curzon on Famines and Land Assessments in India, first published 1900, 2005 edition by Adamant Media Corporation, Elibron Classics Series, ISBN 1-4021-5115-2.
Dutt, Romesh C. The Economic History of India under early British Rule, first published 1902, 2001 edition by Routledge, ISBN 0-415-24493-5
Dyson, Tim, "On the Demography of South Asian Famines: Part I," Population Studies, Vol. 45, No. 1. (Mar., 1991), pp. 5-25.
Sen, Amartya, Poverty and Famines : An Essay on Entitlements and Deprivation, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1982
Srivastava, H.C., The History of Indian Famines from 1858-1918, Sri Ram Mehra and Co., Agra, 1968.
Roy, Tirthankar The Economic History of India, 1857-1947

Routledge is an imprint for books in the humanities part of the Taylor & Francis Group, which also has Brunner-Routledge, RoutledgeCurzon and RoutledgeFalmer divisions. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Notes

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drought_in_India

[2]Niall Ferguson, British Imperialism Revised: The Costs and Benefits of 'Anglobalization'

[3]Empire by Niall Ferguson

[4]A History of Britain volume two by Simon Schama

[5]Robert Johnson, British Imperialism, page 30

[6]http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/f/fiske/john/f54u/chapter9.html

[7]Niall Ferguson, Empire

[8]Lady Beatty Balfour, Lord Lytton's Indian Administration, p. 204

[9]John Keay, India: A Concise History

[10]"The Ruling Caste: Imperial Lives in the Victorian Raj" by David Gilmour, page 116

[11]Lawrence James, Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India

[12]JM Nash, 'El Niño: Unlocking the Secrets of the Master Weather Maker

Contents

British Response GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Chronology

See also

References

Notes

Further reading

British Response