Introduction
The Land Revenue administration is the oldest arm of the Government’s existing institutions in the country. The axis of the Revenue Administration was the collection of Taxes/Land Revenue, which was the main source of revenue to the rulers. The village was the basic unit of administration and has remained so throughout centuries.
The present day process of Land Revenue Administration was started by Sher Shah Suri (1540-45). It was continued and improved upon under the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (1556-1605). Todar Mal, his finance minister is remembered for evolving the present day system of revenue assessment and survey, a system which drew a balance between the demands of the state and needs of the subjects.
The Revenue administration was scientifically systemized by introducing “Permanent Settlement” by Lord Cornwallis (1793) and “Ryotwari System” by Sir Thomas Munro (1802). The Britishers, out of its interest to administer the country effectively, did not make any substantial changes in the land revenue systems but promoted the class of non-cultivating intermediaries. They inherited the institutional form of Agrarian system from the Mughals. Later, they superimposed a system over the existing pattern in tune with the British customs and laws relating to the land.