Famine of Bengal 1770

Famine of Bengal 1770

There was one more result of the Battle of Plassey and Battle of Buxar.

After winning the Battle of Plassey, the 35 year young man Clive returned to England in 1760 with a fortune of 3 Lakh Pounds and a rent of 27 thousand Pounds per year. Further, the treasure of Nawab Sirajuddaula was looted in such a way that 20% was appropriated to the Zamindars and the corrupt company officials.

In 1770, there was a catastrophic famine in Bengal. This famine was so ruinous that every 1 out of 3 people in Bengal (Plus Bihar & Orissa) died and the population of 30 million was reduced to 10 million.

• The immediate reason of this famine was that the rains were no good and the company which was now Diwan of the region increased the land tax by 10% in April 1770.
• One partial reason was that Opium cultivation was something the corrupt British wanted from the peasants of India, which could maximize their trade profits.

The Indians and the British were collectively responsible for this disaster.