Famines in Ancient and Medieval India

1. Even during the Hindu period of her history, India did not enjoy absolute immunity from famines. But judging from the
infrequency of allusions to these calamities in the ancient Sanskrit works and from the testimony of foreign travellers, it
would not be incorrect to say that famines were an exceptional occurrence in ancient India. When they did occur,
adequate relief measures were undertaken by the state. Kautilya in his Arthasastra mentions among other relief measures
the revision of taxes, emigration, the granting of money and grain from state funds, construction of artificial lakes, tanks,
wells etc. and the importation of grain from other places. Page |
2. During the Mohammendan period there were several famines and scarcities, the most severe occurring in the reigns of 1
Mohammad Tughlak, Akbar, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. In spite of vigorous measures adopted by the emperors the
famines took a heavy toll of life.
Famines Under the Company’s Rule
1. During the rule of the East India Company India suffered in one part or another from twelve famines and four severe
scarcities.
2. Bengal famine of 1769-70
(1) The first of these was the dreadful Bengal famine of 1769-70 which claimed a third of the population of the
province.
(2) No relief measures worth the name were undertaken by the state.
(3) Rather, the Company servants made large profits by buying up rice and retailing it at high prices.
3. The years 1781 and 1782 were years of scarcity in Madras; in 1784 a severe famine afflicted the whole of Northern India.
4. During the Madras famine of 1792 the state opened relief works for the famine-stricken.
5. The Famine Commission of 1880 noted that “till the end of the 18th century the position of the British in India was not such
as either to create any sense of general obligation to give relief or to supply sufficient means of affording it”.
6. During the 1803 famine in North-Western Provinces and Oudh (now Uttar Pradesh ) the state granted remissions of the
revenue gave loans and advances to landowners, offered a bounty on all grain imported into Benares, Allahabad, Kanpur
and Fatehgarh.
7. The Guntur Famine of 1833 took away a heavy toll of life; in that 2 lakh persons died out of a total population of 5 lakhs.
8. In 1837, there was a severe famine in Upper India. Public works were opened at several centres. However, the work of
relieving the helpless and the infirm was left in the hands of the charitable public.
9. Under the East India Company, no attempt was made to formulate any general system of famine relief or prevention.
However, the provincial governments and district officers tried various experiments to afford relief to famine-stricken areas
such as the storage of grain by the Government, penalties on hoarding, bounties on imports, advancing loans for sinking of
wells etc.
Famines Under the Crown Administration, 1858 to 1947
1. The transfer of power from the Company to the Crown and the economic developments of the latter half of the 19th century
like the extension of railways and other means of communications and transport, growth of overseas trade changed the
complexion of the problem.
2. The state also realised its responsibility for expansion of irrigation facilities, enactment of agrarian legislation and adoption
of preventive measures as well as formulation of famine relief policy to meet possible famines.
3. Under the Crown, there were ten severe famines besides a large number of scarcities.
4. The first famine occurred in 1860-61 in the area between Delhi and Agra. This was the first occasion on which poor-houses
were used as a means of affording relief and it was the first time when the authorities thought fit to enquire into the causes,
area and intensity of the famine as well as took measures to cope with the distress. Colonel Baird Smith was deputed for
this purpose but his report did not lead to any formulation of general principles of relief.
5. The Orissa Famine, 1866.
6. The drought of 1865 followed by a famine the following year affected Orissa, Madras, Northern Bengal and Bihar. The
calamity was most severe in Orissa, hence the name the ‘Orissa Famine.” The Government officers though forewarned took
no steps to meet the approach of the calamity and when it came looked helpless. The Government adhered to the principles
of free trade and the law of demand and supply. The Government did provide employment to the able- bodied, leaving the
work of charitable relief to voluntary agency. Since voluntary agency did very little, the famine took a heavy toll of life. It was
estimated that 13 lakh persons died in Orissa alone.
7. The Orissa calamity proved a turning point in the history of Indian famines for it was followed by the appointment of a
Committee under the chairmanship of Sir George Campbell to report on the matter. The Committee made
recommendations which in some measure anticipated those of the Royal Commission of 1880. The old doctrine that the
Public was responsible for the relief of the helpless was abandoned. The Government was expected to borrow money in
order to afford finance for building of railways and canals. Further, the district officers were made responsible for saving all
preventable deaths.
8. In 1868, a severe famine visited Northern and Central India. The worst affected areas were Rajputana and Central India. The
Government took action to relieve distress but the relief given was not commensurate with the magnitude of the distress
and there was considerable loss of life.
Lord Lytton (1876 – 80): The Great Famine of 1876 - 78
1. The great famine of 1876-78 had resulted from the failure of two monsoons in 1876 and 1877.
2. It covered an area of 2.5 lakh square miles and perished almost 25 lakh people.
(1) R.C. Dutt has estimated that 5 million persons perished in a single year. Page |
3. The worst affected areas were Madras, Mysore, Hyderabad, Bombay, some parts of Central India and the Punjab. 2
(1) It affected Madras, Bombay, Uttar Pradesh and the Punjab.
4. The outbreak of cholera and fever added to the misery of the suffering population
5. [More than famine], Govt behavior and response of state authorities during this period shocked nationalists.
(1) Delhi Darbar of 1877
i. In 1877, a huge ceremony known as Delhi Darbar of 1877 was held in Delhi. It was held to proclaim the
Queen Victoria as Empress of India.
1. Note: Mahatma Gandhi was also awrded the same title when he was in South Africa.
ii. Huge money was wasted when million of people are suffering from famine.
(2) The government's famine relief measures were inadequate
(3) The Government made half- hearted efforts to help the famine-stricken.
6. The first Famine Commission (1878-80) under Sir Richard Strachey was appointed and it made many recommendations.
7. The Famine Code came into existence in 1883 during Lord Ripon.
Lord Ripon (1880 – 84): The Famine Code 1883
1. In view of the great famine of 1876 – 78, the first Famine Commission (1878-80) under chairmanship of Sir Richard
Strachey was appointed during Lord Lytton to enquire into the whole question of famines and grant of famine relief and it
submitted recommendations in 1880.
2. Based on the recommendations, the Famine Code was drafted during days of Lord Lytton. However, the Famine Code came
into existence in 1883 during days of Lord Ripon.
3. Recommendations of Strachey Commission || Famine Code of 1883
(1) The Commission made suggestions in regard to suspensions and remissions of land revenue and rents.
i. No tax in famine affected areas where crop failture is 50 % or more??
(2) Govt would provide ………..in the famine affected areas
i. raw grain or money or cooked food.
ii. food to the people
iii. work/employment to the people
iv. fodder for the animals
1. In times of excessive drought, facilities should be provided for migration of cattle to grassy forest
areas where abundant pasturage was available.
(3) For the distribution of gratuitous relief the distressed tracts should be divided into circles and each circle placed
under a competent officer.
(4) Prohibit export of grain in certain conditions {only if a became reasonably certain that action was necessary to
conserve the resources of India as a whole}
(5) The cost of famine relief should be borne by the provincial governments. However, Central assistance was to be
made available whenever necessary.
(6) As a part of the preventive programme, the Commission recommended the construction of railway and irrigation
works.
(7) Creation of a Famine Fund in every province {to meet extraordinary charges}
i. a famine fund with amount Rs 1 crore was set up
(8) Famine Code of 1833
i. The first chapter of these codes prescribed precautions to be taken in ordinary times. The second gave
instructions to be followed when a relief campaign seemed imminent. Districts might be declared by
provincial governments either scarcity or famine areas. The remaining chapters described the duties of all
concerned when the famine actually began. The droughts in different provinces between 1883 and 1896
afforded opportunities of testing and revising the provincial codes.
ii. This code has 4 parts.
1. The first part of the code dealt with the government measures during the normal times.
2. The second part dealt with relief campaign.
3. The third part dealt with the duties of officials during relief measures.
4. The fourth part dealt with the division of famine-affected areas.
4. as
Note
1. In spite of the formulation of famine policy and its implementation a number of famines struck India repeatedly.
2. A severe famine occurred in 1896-97 and another famine occurred in 1899-1900.
3. The government of Lord Curzon appointed Anthony McDonald Committee in 1900 to suggest measures to counter the
famine effectively.
The Famine of 1896-97
(1) Between 1880 and 1896 there were two famines and five scarcities, all of them of a more or less local character. Page |
(2) The great famine of 1896-97 affected almost every province, though in varying degrees of intensity, the total 3
population affected was estimated at 34 millions.
(3) The relief operations were conducted with a fair measure of success except in the Central Provinces where the
death rate rose very high.
(4) Extensive relief operations were undertaken and in many parts of the country people were relieved in their own
homes.
(5) The total cost of relief was estimated at 7.27 crores.
(6) A commission presided over by Sir James Lyall, ex-Lt. Governor of the Panjab, adhered largely to the views
expressed by their predecessors in 1880 suggesting some alterations which were designed to impart greater
flexibility to the maxims then adopted.
9. The Famine of 1899-1900.
(1) Closely following the calamity came the famine of 1899-1900.
(2) It affected an area of 189,000 sq miles and a population of 28 millions. The authorities failed and in some cases
refused to open relief works in the early stages of the famine, and when they were opened such vast numbers came
on them that the system almost completely broke down in many cases.
(3) The relief expenditure came to Rs. 10 crores.
10. Recommendations of MacDonnell Commission
(1) Lord Curzon appointed a Commission under the presidency of Sir Anthony MacDonnell. It submitted its report in
1901 in which it summarised accepted principles of relief, suggesting variations wherever necessary. The
Commission emphasised the benefits of a policy of “moral strategy”, early distribution of advances for purchase of
seed and cattle and sinking of temporary wells. It also advocated the appointment of a Famine Commissioner in a
province where relief operations were expected to be extensive. It also emphasised enlistment of non-official
assistance on a larger scale and preference in particular circumstances of village works to the large public works
which had hitherto been the backbone of relief schemes. The Commission also stressed the desirability of better
transport facilities, opening of agricultural banks, improvement of irrigation facilities and vigorous measures to
foster improved methods of agriculture.
(2) Most of the recommendations of the Commission were accepted and before Curzon left India he had taken various
measures to prevent and combat famine.
11. Between 1901 and 1941 a large number of famines and scarcities of a local character occurred, those of 1906-07 and 1907-
08 being the more serious.
12. Bengal Famine of 1942-43
(1) The Great Bengal Famine of 1942-43 took a heavy toll of life. The root cause of the famine lay in a series of crop
failures that Bengal experienced from 1938 and in the conditions created by the Second World War. The normal
import of rice from Burma stopped and trade and movement of foodgrains was dislocated because of controls and
nearness of Bengal to the theatre of war in the East.
(2) This famine might be called “more man-made than an act of God”.
(3) Man exploited the situation created by Nature and War. Relief measures were belated and inadequate. The dealy in
facing the problem of relief and the non-declaration of the famine were bound up with the unfortunate war
propaganda policy of “no shortage”.
(4) Relief expenditure was at one stage limited on financial grounds. Above all, the Central Government showed a
callous disregard for the misfortunes of Bengal and wanted the Provincial Government of Bengal to undertake and
organise famine relief.
13. The Self-Sufficiency Target.
(1) It is evident that famines in India are frequently occurring calamities. The present food situation in the country is a
mere extension of the famine problem that has been with us for long. The complexion of the problem has changed
as a result of the momentous changes in the political and economic field since 1947, but the basic issue—the failure
of supply to keep pace with the growing demand for food—remains the same. Increasing population coupled with
improved standard of consumption of foodgrains among the poor classes have added to the complexity of the
problem. The National Government put ‘self-sufficiency” in foodgrains as the immediate goal of our agricultural
policy. But the country even after the successful completion of five Five-Year Plans finds itself more distant from
that goal today than it was at the beginning of the First Five-Year Plan. Now the emphasis has shifted from meeting
a famine when it occurs to avoiding its visitation. The “Green Revolution” propped under the leadership of Smt.
Indira Gandhi has somewhat lessened the complexity of food problem and the target of self-sufficiency is nearly
achieved.

Page |
4