Administrative Reforms Study Material

2018-12-17

Administrative Reforms Study Material

City Improvement Acts

The English suffered huge monetary losses during the mutiny of 1857. During that time the Royal Army Sanitary Commission made certain recommendations towards public health. It was not economically feasible to act on these recommendations by the central authority. So, decentralization became inevitable, and in this environment, the importance of local bodies, which would collect local taxes to meet the expenses of public services, grew. Therefore, the City Improvement Acts were passed for Chennai, Punjab and other centrally administered provinces.

Mayo’s Resolution (1870)

In 1870, decentralized local governments acquired powers in the spheres of education, public health and financial matters alter the resolution passed by Lord Mayo. In 1882, the Municipality Act was issued to organize municipalities and to entrust them with looking after local funds.

Ripon’s Resolution (1882)

Lord Ripon made an important resolution in 1882 for local self-governing bodies by entrusting the responsibility of managing their affairs in the hands of Indians. The Government now controlled the new municipalities and corporations and externally and internally they were administered by the elected Indians. Only control over sanction of funds and execution of work was in the hands of the Government. Ripon’s resolution did not bring the desired fruits and it was opposed by the English officials. Lord Curzon had a special dislike for this style of local self-governance. Various moves were made by him to decrease the importance of local self-governing bodies.

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Recommendations of Decentralization Commission (1907)

In 1907, the Decentralization Commission1 recommended the reduction of government control over local self- governing bodies. It also suggested various programmes for the revival of village panchayats and increasing the income of local self-governing bodies. All the recommendations were accepted by the’ government but they were not accomplished.

Harding Resolution (1915)

In 1915, Lord Harding passed a resolution that entrusted the panchayat with civil and judicial powers. It also asked for greater representation of elected members and election for the post of chairman for each governing body. The number of nap-official members in district and local bodies were also increased. This resolution paved the way for the 1917 resolution made by the Secretary of State according to which the jurisdiction of local-governing bodies and the government were finally separated and the local bodies received ample freedom in collection and imposition of local taxes, within rules. Minority groups were now given adequate reservation in the governing body set-up and the chairman was elected. Earlier, it was the District Magistrate who acted as the chairman of the local governing bodies.

The Indigo Revolt (1859-1860)

The Indigo Revolt of 1859-1860 was the most militant and the Widespread of the peasant movements. The indigo planter nearly all Europeans, compelled their tenants, to grow indigo which they processed in factories set up in rural areas. Peasants were forced to grow indigo on the best of their land even if they wanted to devote it to other cosh, crops. The system involved great loss to the cultivators who were deceived with fraudulent contracts, low prices and other enforcements from the government.

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Discontent among the indigo growers of Bengal boiled over in the autumn of 1859, with the kar proclamation on this matter. In protest against the enforced cultivation of indigo, the tenants of the Govindpur village ofNadia district (Bengal), under the leadership of Digamber Biswas and Vishnu Biswas, resisted the physical pressure of the planters. Peasant disturbances and indigo strikes spread-rapidly to other areas and, by 1860, encompassed all Indigo-growing districts of Bengal. Ultimately, the planters had to, bow but of the indigo business and they gradually herein to close their factories. By the end of 1860, the cultivation of indigo was virtually wiped out from Bengal.

The major reason for the success of the Indigo Revolt was the tremendousinitiative, cooperation, organization and discipline of the peasants, along with the complete unify of Hindu and Muslimpeasants. The leadership also played a vital role as it was provided by the well-off peasants, zamindars, money lendors and ex-employees of the planters. Also outstanding in this respect was the role of Harish Chandra Mukherjee (editor of the newspaper, Hindoo Patriot) Dina Bandhu Mitra (writer of the play, Neel Darpan) and Michael Madhusudan Dutta, the eminent Bengali poet-cum-playwright, who translated Neel Darpan into English.

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