History - Rulers of British India (Part - 7)

Lord Elgin-II (1894-1899)

1. The Santhal Uprising of 1889.

2. Famine in part of Rajasthan (1896-97). Lyall Commission appointed to look into the cause of famines.

3. Chapekar brothers assassinated two British officials in 1897.

4. Convention delimiting the frontier between China and India was ratified.

Lord Curzon (1899-1905)

1. Creation of a new province called the North West Frontier Province (now in Pakistan).

2. Appointed a Famine Commission headed by Sir Macdonnel to investigate the causes of famines and suggest remedies.The report of the Commission (1901) suggested increase in railways and establishment of agricultural banks and irrigation works. The Viceroy tried to implement most of the suggestions.

3. Agricultural banks and co-operative societies were established to save farmers from money lenders.

4. The Punjab Land Alienation Act (1900) prescribed that agricultural land could not be bought by non - agriculturists without approval of the government.

5. Appointed an Inspector General of Agriculture.

6. Established Agricultural Research Institute in Pusa (Bengal).

7. Appointed an Irrigation Commission under Sir Colvin Scott Moncrieff which recommended an increased spending on irrigation projects and and an increase in acreage of irrigation.

8. Appointment of the Police Commission under Andrew Frazer in 1902. It recommended systematic training in police organisation.

9. Land Resolution of 1902: reduced the rates of land revenue and introduced more scientific as well as lenient methods of assessment.

10. Created a new Department of Commerce and Industry.

11. Separated railways from the Public Works Department and placed it under a newly created Railways Board, as per the recommendations of Sir Thomas Robertson.

12. Held a conference of educationalists at Shimla and appointed a University Commission under Sir Thomas Releigh, the Law Member of the Viceroy’s Council. Passed Indian Universities Act, 1904 which provided for the increase in the official control over universities by enhancing nominated members over the elected ones. Introduced residential system in universities. The opposition to the Act helped the growth of nationalism.

13. Passing of Ancient Monuments Protection Act in 1904 for the preservation of India's cultural heritage. This was followed by the foundation of Archaeological Survey of India.

14. Established the Imperial Library in Calcutta.

15. Appointed for a second term in 1904.

16. Young Husband’s Mission to Tibet, 1904. A Sino - British Convention was held to demarcate the line of control between India and China.

17. Partition of Bengal was announced on 19th July 1905. A new province called “East Bengal and Assam” was created by merging Assam and Chittagong with the carved out districts of Bengal. It came in to effect on 16th October, 1905. The declared intention was administrative convenience. But the nationalists felt it was a design to break Hindu - Muslim unity. The Swadeshi Movement was launched against the partition. It became strong day by day in Bengal and the other parts of India. The Congress also supported the movement. It was the first political agitation in India. Also, boycott of foreign goods was used as a way of protest in India.

18. Lord Kitchner, the Commander - in - Chief, demanded more powers for himself on the Military Department. When the Secretary of State for India in the British Government supported Kitchner, Curzon resigned his post in 1905.

19. His biography has been written by Ranaldshay- The life of Lord Curzon.

20. The Montague’s Declaration of 1917, aimed at appeasing the nationalists, was drafted by Curzon.

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