Which among the following is a term that emerged during the 18th century in connection with the Agrarian system which basically meant a contract by which the revenue of an area was farmed out to the highest bidder?

Ijaradari system

• Ijara was a land revenue collection system introduced by Jahandar Shah in Bengal.
• Instead of collecting land revenue at a fixed rate as under Todar Mal’s land revenue settlement ,the Government began to contract with revenue farmers and middlemen to pay the Government a fixed amount of money.
• These “revenue farmers” were known as Ijaradars who agreed to pay the state a fixed sum of money.
• In the Ijaradari system, the right to collect tax was sold out to the highest bidders. Hence the option D is correct.
• In turn, the revenue farmers were given considerable freedom in the assessment and collection of taxes.
• An Ijaradar had no proprietary right on land and thus differed from the zamindar as an intermediary.

Additional information

Patta

• A Patta is a legal document that serves as proof of ownership or possession of land.
• It is issued by the government or the local authority to the rightful owner or occupant of the land.
• The Patta contains details about the property, including the owner’s name, survey number, extent of land, and the classification of the land.

Qaul

• The term "Qaul" refers to an agreement, promise, or commitment.
• It is often used in the historical context of Mughal administration and Islamic jurisprudence, where "Qaul" can signify a formal agreement or an authoritative statement or decree.

Tashkhis

• Tashkhis literally means "assessment" or "evaluation."
• In the context of Mughal land revenue administration, Tashkhis referred to the assessment of land for determining the amount of revenue that could be collected from a particular piece of land.