RAS question
Firoz Shah Tughlaq is known for which of the following welfare measures?
Correct answer: (D) Construction of canals for irrigation.
Firoz Shah Tughlaq is known for constructing canals for irrigation, especially large-scale canals that carried Yamuna water towards the Hissar region.
Explanation
Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351-1388) is associated with canal construction as a welfare measure because these works addressed irrigation and water scarcity rather than only royal display. Artificial irrigation promoted agricultural expansion, and Firoz Shah Tughlaq built canals on a large scale, including Rajabwah and Ulug Khani canals drawing water from the Yamuna to the Hissar region. Hissar-e-Firoza had been an arid zone with acute water scarcity, and canals made it possible to grow both rabi and kharif crops. He built five canals, including the long Yamuna-to-Hissar canal, along with other welfare works such as hospitals, an employment bureau, city-building, and repair of the Qutub Minar.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Abolition of Jizya is not the welfare measure associated with Firoz Shah Tughlaq here; he imposed Jizya on Brahmins.
- (B) Din-i-Ilahi belongs to Akbar, so it cannot identify a welfare measure of Firoz Shah Tughlaq.
- (C) Market price controls are associated with Alauddin Khalji, not with Firoz Shah Tughlaq's welfare programme.
Concept
This tests Delhi Sultanate administration, especially how medieval rulers used public works and water management to strengthen agrarian production. It recurs in RAS because Sultanate questions often ask candidates to distinguish rulers by their specific reforms, taxes, and welfare measures.