With reference to revenue collection by Cornwallis, consider the following statements:

1. Under the Ryotwari Settlement of revenue collection, the peasants were exempted from revenue payment in case of bad harvests or natural calamities.

2. Under the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, if the Zamindar failed to pay his revenues to the state, on or before the fixed date, he would be removed from his Zamindari.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct option is 2 only.

Let us analyze the statements step-by-step to understand why statement 2 is correct and statement 1 is incorrect:

Analysis of Statement 1:
Under the Ryotwari Settlement (primarily introduced by Thomas Munro and Alexander Reed in southern and western India, not Cornwallis), revenue was settled directly with the cultivators (ryots). However, the land revenue rates were extremely high, and the state demand was rigid. The revenue had to be paid in cash, and no exemptions or concessions were granted to the peasants even in cases of crop failure, bad harvests, or natural calamities. Therefore, Statement 1 is incorrect.

Analysis of Statement 2:
The Permanent Settlement, introduced by Lord Cornwallis in Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha in 1793, made the Zamindars the owners of the land. They were required to pay a fixed amount of revenue to the state by a specific date. According to the "Sunset Law" associated with this settlement, if a Zamindar failed to pay the fixed revenue to the state by sunset of the specified date, their Zamindari rights were liable to be auctioned off, effectively removing them from their Zamindari. Therefore, Statement 2 is correct.