RAS question
Akbar's revenue system was reformed by:
Correct answer: (A) Todar Mal (Zabt/Dahsala system).
Akbar's revenue system was reformed by Raja Todar Mal through the Zabt, or Dahsala, land-revenue settlement.
Explanation
Raja Todar Mal is the relevant figure because the system in the question is the Zabt or Dahsala assessment associated with Akbar's revenue administration. The NCERT chapter states that Akbar's revenue minister, Todar Mal, made a careful 10-year survey of crop yields, prices and cultivated area. On that basis, each province was divided into revenue circles, with crop-specific schedules of rates. The system used standardised measurement, classified land by productivity, fixed demand around one-third of produce, and allowed payment in cash or kind. Its limit was administrative: NCERT notes that Zabt worked only where officials could survey land and keep careful accounts, so it could not be applied everywhere.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Abul Fazl is wrong because NCERT identifies him as the author of the Akbar Nama and Ain-i Akbari, while the revenue survey and Zabt system are attributed to Todar Mal.
- (C) Birbal is wrong because the revenue survey, rate schedule and Zabt reform are attributed to Todar Mal, not Birbal.
- (D) Tansen is wrong because Akbar's revenue reform is linked to Todar Mal's revenue-minister role and gives no revenue-administration basis for choosing Tansen.
Concept
This tests Mughal land-revenue administration, especially Akbar's Zabt/Dahsala system and the officials associated with it. RAS repeats this because medieval administration questions often hinge on matching a reform, office or text to the correct Mughal-era figure.