9/18/2015

LordDalhousieandHisReforms

LordDalhousieandHisReforms
by:S.Priyadarshini|category:HistoryofIndia

TheaccessionofLordDalhousieinauguratedanewchapterinthehistoryofBritishIndia.He
functionedastheGovernorGeneralofIndiafrom18481856.
HebelongedtoanaristocraticfamilyofScotland.EarlierhehadservedasthePresidentoftheBoardof
Trade.HeisregardedasoneofthegreatestGovernorGeneralofIndia.
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Hiseightyearsrulesarefullofimportanteventsineverysphere.

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LordDalhousieandHisReforms

ImageSource:scanopia.com/johnsingersargent/lorddalhousie.jpg

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Hewasgreatbothinwarandpeace.Heintroducedanumberofreformswhichpavedthewayforthe
modernisationofIndiaandalsoearnedthetitle,MakeroftheModernIndia.Hebelievedthat,the
promotionofcivilizationmeantthepromotionofwesternreforms,thatwesternadministrationand
westerninstitutionswereassuperiortoIndianasWesternarmshadprovedmorepotent.

AdministrativeReforms:
DalhousieschiefaimwastheconsolidationofBritishruleinIndia.Soheadoptedtheprincipleof
centralization.ForthenewlyacquiredterritorieshedevisedtheNonRegulationSystemunderwhich
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commissionerswereappointedtodealwiththeadministrativeproblems.
TheyweremaderesponsibletotheGovernorGeneralintheCouncil.Hehandedoverallotherpowers
relatingtojustice,police,andlandrevenuetotheDistrictMagistrates.Dalhousiealsomadeprovision
fortheappointmentofaLieutenantGovernorofBengal.BytheParliamentaryActof1853,the
GovernorGeneralwasrelievedofhisfunctionsasthegovernorofBengal.

MilitaryReforms:
AftertheconquestofPunjab,SindhandAvadh,thefrontiersofthecompanywereextendedandthe
militaryinterestofIndiawastransferredtotheNorth.ThusDalhousieshiftedtheheadquartersofthe
BengalArtilleryfromCalcuttatoMeerut.ThearmyheadquarterwasalsotransferredtoShimlasothat
thearmycouldremainistouchwithGovernorGeneralwhoresidedisShimla.

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DalhousiealsoorderedforthegeneralmovementoftroopsfromaroundCalcuttaandfromthelower
provincesofBengaltowardsthewest.HecouldclearlyforeseethatthefuturesafetyofIndiadepended
uponthenumericalstrengthofthearmyandonthemaintenanceofbalancebetweenBritishand
Indianforces.
AftersomereductioninthestrengthoftheIndianelementthearmystoodat2,23,000menin1856,as
against45,000Europeans.AshehadnoconfidenceintheIndians,anewGurkharegimentwas
created.AnewIrregularForcewasalsoformedandpostedinPunjab.Theseregimentsprovedtobe
ofgreatassistancetotheBritishduringtherevoltof185758.

RailwayReforms:
DalhousieintroducedanewsystemofinternalcommunicationinIndia.HewasthefatherofIndian
Railways.DalhousiesfamousRailwayMinuteof1853convincedthehomeauthoritiesoftheneedof
therailwaysandlaiddownthemainlinesoftheirdevelopment.
Heenvisagedanetworkofrailwaysconnectingthemainplaceswiththeportsandprovidingbothfor
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strategicallyneedsandcommercialdevelopment.ThefirstrailwaylineconnectingBombaywithThane
waslaiddownin1853.Itcoveredadistanceoftwentysixmiles.
ThefollowingyeararailwaylinewasconstructedfromCalcuttatoRaniganjcoalfields.Graduallyall
importantcitiesandtownswerelinkedupwithrailwaylines.Therailwaylineswerenotbuiltoutofthe
IndianExchequerbutbyprivateEnglishCompaniesunderasystemofGovernmentGuarantee.
Besidesfacilitatingtradeandcommerce,minimizingdistancestherailwayshavegonealongwayin
unitingIndia.

TheElectricTelegraph:
In1852DalhousieintroducedtheElectricTelegraphSysteminIndia.Thefirsttelegraphlinefrom
CalcuttatoAgrawasopenedin1854,coveringadistanceof800miles.By1857,itwasextendedto
LahoreandPeshawar.InBurmaalinewaslaiddownfromRangoontoMandalay.Peoplecouldsend
messagefromoneplacetoanotherplaceveryeasilybythistelegraphsystem.
PostalReforms:
ThecreditofestablishingPostalDepartmentalsogoestoLordDalhousie.In1854anewPostOffice
Actwaspassed.Underthissystem,aDirectorGeneralwasappointedtosupervisetheworkofPost
OfficesinallthePresidenciesauniformrateofhalfannaperletterwasintroducedandforthefirst
timepostagestampswereissued.
ApostalDepartmentwasestablishedforthewholecountry.Asaresultofthesereformsthepostoffices
becamethesourcesofrevenueofthegovernment.Thepeoplewerebenefitedbythemodernpostal
system.

PublicWorksDepartment:
BeforeLordDalhousie,militaryboardswereinchargeoftheconstructionofPublicWorks.Hence
Civilianworkswerecompletelyneglectedbythemilitaryboard.AseparatePublicWorksDepartment
wasestablishedbyLordDalhousie.TheChiefWorksofthisdepartmentwastoconstructroads,bridges
andgovernmentbuildings.ThechiefEngineer,otherhighlytrainedengineerswerebroughtfrom
Englandtosupervisetheworkofconstruction.Irrigationalworkswereundertakenonanextensive
scale.
TheconstructionofGangesCanalwascompletedandwasinauguratedonApril8,1854.Manybridges
andcanalswereconstructedandalsotheconstructionofGrandTrunkRoadwastakenup.Dalhousies
specialcontributionwastheconstructionofanengineeringcollegeatRoorkeeandinother
presidencies.Hethusranksasthefatheroftechnicaleducationasdistinctfromprofessionaleducation
inIndia.

SocialReforms:
DalhousieabolishedfemaleinfanticidewhichwasprevalentamongtheRajputsofhighercastes.He
alsoabolishedthepracticeofhumansacrificepracticedbythekhondsofOrissa,MadrasandCentral
Provinceswhohadblindbeliefthatthefertilityofthesoilwouldbeincreasedbysacrificinghuman
beings.Bythattimeitwasinpracticethatifanypersonbecameaconvert,hewasdeprivedofhis
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ancestralproperty.
ThissystemcheckedthespeedofconversionsinIndia.ButDalhousiepassedtheReligiousDisability
Actin1850whichenabledtheHinduconverttoinherithisancestralproperty.Moreover,healso
passedtheWidowRemarriageActin1855whichlegalizedthemarriageofHinduwidows.However,
thesereformsannoyedthepeopleofIndiaandbecameoneofthereasonsoftherevoltof1857.

CommercialReforms:
Dalhousiefollowedthepolicyoffreetrade.Dr.IshwariPrasadwrites,Dalhousiescommercial
reformsweredesignedtothrowopentheproduceandmarketofIndiatotheexploitationofEnglish
Capital.AllportsofIndiaweredeclaredfree.TheharboursofKarachi,BombayandCalcuttawere
developedandlighthouseswerealsoconstructed.AlltheseatradewascapturedbytheEnglish
merchantswhohadpowerandresources.ThecommercialreformsofDalhousiespoiledtheIndian
tradeandeconomicconditionsofIndiansbecamemiserable.

EducationalReforms:
LordDalhousiehadintroducedanumberofreformsinthefieldofeducation.TheGovernmentdidnot
takeanystepforthepromotionofvernaculareducation.In1854SirCharlesWood,thePresidentof
theBoardofControlsenthisrecommendationsknownasWoodsDespatchof1854toIndia
reorganizingthewholestructureofeducation.
Thewoodsdispatchlaidthefoundationsofmoderneducationsystem.ItrecommendedAnglo
VernacularSchoolsthroughoutthedistricts,GovernmentCollegesinimportanttownsandaUniversity
ineachofthethreePresidenciesinIndia.
Ineachprovinceaseparatedepartmentofeducationwastobeestablishedanditwastobeplaced
underaDirectorGeneralofPublicInstruction.Thegovernmentshouldencourageprivateenterprise
byprovidinggrantsinaidtotheeducationalinstitutionsopenedbyprivatebodies.Dalhousie
completelyreorganizedthedepartmentofeducationonthebasisofWoodsrecommendations.
In1857examininguniversitiesonthemodelofLondonUniversitywereestablishedatCalcutta,
BombayandMadras.Theseuniversitiesweretoholdexaminationsandawarddegrees.Vernacular
Schoolswereopenedinthevillagesandeducationwasimpartedtothechildrenthroughvernacularor
regionallanguageoftheprovinceintheLowerClasses.
LordDalhousiehadintroducedseveralreformstouchingallmosteverydepartment.Unfortunately
afteroneyearofthedepartureofDalhousiefromIndia,therevoltof1857brokeout.SomeoftheSocial
reformsofDalhousiewereresponsibletosomeextentfortheoutbreakoftherevolt.Butmostofthe
reformsofDalhousietookIndiatothepathofmodernization.

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