Administrative System of the Marathas c18.s23: 8. Waste Lands
Administrative System of the Marathas c18.s23
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8. Waste Lands
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We have already seen how specially lenient assessment was made for bringing waste lands into cultivation. During the administration of the second Madhava Rao, the government went further. It seems that the rocky parts of Talukas Anjanvel and Suvarnadurg were specially unsuitable for farming purposes. The documents say that even trees and grass did not grow there. The Maratha peasants and the Peshwa's government were not, however, daunted by the niggardliness of nature, and the peasants offered to level the hill tops and fill up the *nalas* with newly-brought earth and thereby convert nature's wilderness into teeming fields if suitable terms were offered them. The Peshwa's government was equally prompt in coming forward, and the following well acceptable terms were offered:
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1. Should any person bring an entirely rocky ground under cultivation by covering it with earth, and by providing embankments around it, half the land shall be given him as Inam, and the remaining half shall be continued rent-free for twenty years, and at reduced rates for five years more, and shall, after that period, be subjected to full assessment.
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2. Should any person reclaim cultivable land on the seacoast by providing embankments, one-fourth of the land shall be given to him as Inam and the remaining portion shall be continued rent-free and at reduced rates, for such periods as, upon a consideration of the money and labour spent, may seem fit." ²³
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²³ P. D., Vol. VI, pp. 242-247.
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Naro Anant Parchure, Mahajan of Kasba Guhagar, came to the Huzur at the Mukkam of fort Purandhar, and represented that, formerly, there were bagayat lands in the Taluka Anjanvel. Lately, however, the crop did not grow so well, and the government tax, therefore, was felt to be heavy; the Rayats, therefore, became disheartened, and every year the cultivation of bagayat lands became less. If the Swami, however, granted a kaul of remission and a rate of cash payment, the Rayats will regain hope and will renew cultivation. The Rayats expected to convert rocky places, where trees and grass did not grow at all, into new fields by spreading earth (brought from elsewhere) over the area and to level the rocks by breaking stone, and to convert them into new fields by filling nalas and odhas with earth. Therefore, if half the land, so reclaimed, was allowed rent-free for twenty years, and at reduced rent for five years more to the cultivator who might reclaim it, cultivation of these lands would be undertaken. Therefore taking the question of the improvement (literally abundance) of cultivation into consideration, a kaul of remission (mafi) and an istawa rate (gradual increase) to the following purport is granted to those who will undertake bagayat cultivation and reclamation of land in the aforesaid manner.
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1. The Rayats expect to convert the rocky soil of the Taluka into new fields by bringing earth from elsewhere and by breaking the stones of the rocks and filling the natural ditches and depressions (*nala* and *odha*) with earth. He who will do so, will get as Inam half the land reclaimed by him, and will be permitted to enjoy the other half rent-free for twenty years, at a reduced rate for five years more, and at the usual rate afterwards.
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2. Rayats expect to reclaim cultivable lands, in the aforesaid Taluka, now engrossed in the sea water, by constructing dams. If any one does so, he will get as Inam one-fourth of the land reclaimed, and the terms and periods of remission of rent and Istawa for the remaining three-fourths will be settled according to the amount of labour and money spent for the reclamation.
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9. *Remission of Rent:*
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Though the Peshwas tried so much to encourage reclamation of waste lands, they did not neglect the lands already under cultivation or the cultivators who worked them. Whenever any famine raged, or the village was plundered, or rain fell short, or the crops failed for some other reason, the Peshwa's government never hesitated to grant a remission of rent, either partial or full, and sometimes for two years or more. When the village of Kanu in Tarf Nane was burnt in the year 1745-46, land revenue to the extent of one khandi and twelve maunds was remitted.²⁴
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²⁴ P. D., Vol. III, p. 224.
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In the year 1747-48, Ramchandra Ballal, officer in charge of the Parganas Bakvada and Jalalabad in Sarkar Bijyagad, represented that his districts were visited by a terrible famine, and in spite of his attempts at relief made in the shape of tagai advancement, several people had already succumbed to the effects of the scarcity of food. He therefore requested a reduction of the assessment for four years and his prayer was granted.²⁵
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²⁵ P. D., Vol. III, pp. 226-227.
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In the year 1750-51, the villagers of Pachora, Pargana Wan, went to Poona and prayed for a remission of rent for the failure of crops and a remission of Rs. 1,313 out of Rs. 2,613 was granted. The Rayats were further permitted to pay off the remaining Rs. 1,300 in four annual instalments.²⁶
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²⁶ P. D., Vol. III, p. 231.
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During the administration of the First Madhava Rao, the village of Alandi in Tarf Chakan of Prant Junnar had been plundered in the year 1770-71, and on the representations of the Deshpande of the Tarf, the Peshwa granted full remission of rent for two years.²⁷
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²⁷ P. D., Vol. VII, pp. 18-19.
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One thing, in these kauls, is worth noticing as it leaves no doubt about the motive of the Peshwa in granting such remissions. It is always clearly stated that the kaul is granted in view of the improvement of cultivation. Although the Peshwa's government was always ready to help the Rayat in his distress, it did not forget the common prudence of enquiring into the genuineness of the alleged cases of difficulty and their extent. The following case may be cited as typical.²⁸
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²⁸ P. D., Vol. VII, pp. 19-20. (Joshi's translation)
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"In 1763-64, Bhikaji Vishwanath, Havaldar of Tarf Khed Chakan and the Deshmukh and the Deshpande of Sarkar Junnar represented that the villages of Prant Junnar had been plundered and burnt by the Mughals; that it was therefore necessary that the Subhedar should offer some concessions to the cultivators, that the Subhedar, however, had not come and the sowing season was passing away. They asked permission to issue kauls to the Rayats. The following concession were consequently granted:
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1. Villages which had been totally burnt down and robbed of cattle, forage and grain to be exempt from assessment for one year.
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2. Villages partially burnt and partially plundered, to be subject to half the assessment for one year.
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3. Villages which had been plundered but not burnt, to be subject to one-third assessment for one year.
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4. Villages which saved themselves by paying a subsidy to be subject to half the assessment for one year.
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5. Villages which have received no harm, to be subject to full assessment.
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6. The assessment for the following year to be fixed afterwards according to the circumstances of each village."
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*10. Policy of Taxation:*
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The last sentence in the above document strikes the keynote of the Maratha policy of taxation. Every man was to be taxed in proportion to his resources; not a pie more, not a pie less; this was the instruction that the Peshwas gave to revenue officers and this was the prayer that the Rayat made when he applied for a revision of assessment.
c18.s23.28
We have, in the foregoing pages, tried to show the measures adopted in connection with cases of general distress which affected villages and sometimes Tarfs and Parganas, but there were instances of individual distress. These arose specially from the misconduct of the Peshwa's own soldiers. We find in several documents, complaints of plunder and consequent loss, because the Peshwa or some of his high officers had encamped in the neighbourhood. In such cases the amount of loss was ascertained generally in the presence of the District Officer, and the affected parties were duly compensated. In the year 1768-69, the Peshwa Madhava Rao I had encamped at Garpir, Kasba Puna. The damage in this case was done in pitching the Peshwa's tent in some cultivated fields and also in erecting a temporary stable for his elephants. The villagers got Rs. 162 as compensation.²⁹ In the year 1773-74, some crops were injured in Kasba Supe in course of the Peshwa Madhava Rao II's state tour. Ananda Rao Trimbak, Subhedar of the Pargana, enquired into the amount of loss and the Rayats got a suitable compensation.³⁰
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²⁹ P. D., Vol. VII, pp. 21-22.
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³⁰ P. D., Vol. VI, p. 253.