Answer the following questions by selecting the correct/most appropriate option.


Read the following statement and choose the correct option:
Assertion A: As the indigo trade grew. Commercial agents and officials of the Company began investing in indigo production.
Reason R: Attracted by the prospect of high profits, numerous Scotsmen and Englishmen came to India and became planters.

Correct option is B

“Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A” is the correct answer.

Assertion (A) states that as the indigo trade grew, commercial agents and officials of the Company began investing in indigo production, which is true. The indigo trade became lucrative in colonial India, and many officials and agents of the British East India Company saw it as a profitable opportunity.

Reason (R) explains that Scotsmen and Englishmen came to India, attracted by the potential for high profits, and became planters, which is also true. The prospect of earning substantial profits from indigo, due to its high demand in European markets, encouraged many Europeans to become planters.

R is the correct explanation of A because the growth in indigo production and investment by Company officials was driven by the involvement of European planters who were seeking high profits.

Information Booster:

·       Indigo production became a highly profitable business in colonial India due to the demand for indigo dye in European textile industries.

·       The British East India Company officials and agents saw opportunities to invest in this trade, leading to a surge in indigo cultivation.

·       Scotsmen and Englishmen came to India specifically to engage in this trade, often becoming planters and managing large indigo plantations.

·       The indigo trade contributed significantly to the colonial economy, but it also led to exploitation of Indian farmers, who were often coerced into growing indigo under harsh conditions.

·       The Indigo Rebellion (1859–1860) in Bengal was a significant resistance movement by Indian farmers against the oppressive practices of indigo planters.