Britain ruled India for about 200 years, a period that was marred with extreme poverty and famine. India's wealth depleted in these two centuries. Renowned economist Utsa Patnaik, who has done a research on the fiscal relations between Colonial India and Britain, has tried to answer a question many Indians are likely to be interested to know -- how much money did Britishers take away from India?
Patnaik, in her essay published in Columbia University Press recently, said Britain drained out over $45 trillion from India, which to date has hampered the country's ability to come out of poverty.Patnaik said the scars of colonisation remain despite Britain leaving India over 70 years ago. "Between 1765 and 1938, the drain amounted to 9.2 trillion pounds ($45 trillion),
taking India's export surplus earnings as the measure, and compounding it at a 5 per cent rate of interest," Patnaik said during an interview with Mint.
She added Indians were never given due credit for their precious resources like gold and forex earnings, which all went to feed the people of the British country.
As per Utsa's research, the country's per capita income was almost steady during the period from 1900 to 1945-46. In 1900-02, India's per capita income was Rs 196.1, while it was just Rs 201.9 in 1945-46, a year before India got its independence. During this period, the per capita income rose to maximum Rs 223.8 in 1930-32. All this happened when "India registered the second largest export surplus earnings in the world for three decades before 1929," she told the daily.
As per Utsa, every year the Britishers siphoned off resources equivalent to 26-36 per cent of the Central government's budget. This would have made a huge difference in India's journey towards being a 'developed' nation. The economist believes if these international earnings had remained in India, the country would have been much ahead in terms of proper healthcare and social welfare indicators.
Putting forward some shocking figures, Patnaik said while people of India died due to malnutrition and several other diseases just like "flies", the Britishers kept taking away hard-earned money of poor Indians. "...Indian expectation of life at birth was just 22 years in 1911," said Utsa.
She said Britain exported foodgrains and imposed high taxes, which spread famine in India and reduced its purchasing power. As per the economist, per capita annual consumption of food, which was 200 kg in 1900, went down to 137kg during World War II in 1946. She said India's position at the time of independence was dismal on all social factors.
Before Utsa, Congress leader and writer Shashi Tharoor, in his book Inglorious Empire, had also called British prime minister Winston Churchill, who is considered as a great wartime leader and protector of freedom of speech, one of "the worst genocidal dictators". "This is a man the British would have us hail as an apostle of freedom and democracy when he has as much blood on his hands as some of the worst genocidal dictators of the 20th century," he said during an interview broadcast with ABC.
Reader Comments
after the the initial bit of thievery, then follows enslavement and derivatives of same.
Shalom
You've traveled 'several times' to both Scotland and Ireland and you've seen what on T-shirts? That is a lie. At least, as far as Scotland is concerned, it is a disgraceful lie. I would also doubt you'd ever see that in Ireland. I'm an independence-supporting Scot, voted Yes in our Referendum of 2014 and have been pro-Home Rule the whole of my life. I'm 62 now, have traveled extensively throughout Scotland and have never - not once - seen a T-shirt with what you describe.
Our country has been robbed-blind by Westminster, and by successive London-based political parties, and we have very good reason to resent what they stand for; but walk-around denigrating the people of England in such a manner? No. Never. You should be utterly ashamed to imply such a thing. We have many nationalities among us in Scotland, all are welcome, all contribute to the greater good of our country, including people from England. Scotland is NOT about hating any national but about striving to be the very best we can be, and about sharing and learning about other people, we are a friendly and progressive country.
We're well-aware that England have a growing racism issue - thanks to the messages being promoted by the Tories, the BBC and the right-wing press - but that is very much England's problem and one of the many, many reasons Scotland want to govern ourselves. However, you're childish suggestion that the good people of Scotland would behave in such a manner is a disgrace. In fact, that you should post such a comment tells me that you've most definitely NOT been to Scotland. You really ought to delete that post.
The British were invited into India to save them from the tyranny of The Otterman Empire.
Apparently, British christian missionaries were very nice to untouchables, a situation which also begs the question "whose tyranny was worse?"
What have The Romans ever done for us? Whether you describe a state of affairs as a 'civilisation' or a 'tyranny' is largely dependent on who you are and whatever point you want to prove at the moment.
From a Philip K. Dick point of view, none of us would be here if it weren't for The British Empire.
The british empire destroyed the economy, education system, brought "engineered" famine, used desi soldiers as cannon fodder, stole cultural treasures, and then left us with unnatural and incomplete border disputes. but yes thankyou very much for introducing railway in india ....great job.
and when on earth, Philip K. Dick said this for British empire???
Its national wealth that underwrites national leadership under the financial / economic system Britain entrenched on the world after Napoleon. There is a wealth of detail on British efforts on my webpage - www.houghton.hk
Today we see the same addiction in controlling the world's energy sources by force. Its is also apparent in the attempts of technology companies to monopolise the digital realm by inventiveness. This is an area where businessmen have fallen behind due to ignorance and involve themselves at great expense only by buying the fruits of clever peoples' work.
Organized crime, aka empire building, or the establishment of powerful, law-making, all-encompassing political hierarchy, is the greatest thing that has ever happened to mankind.
With it, the world is governed and ordered and kept from falling apart.
Domination is essential.
A never ending supply of victims must be assured.
This is done through technological innovation and a highly effective breeding and education program.
The victims are taught that they too, can become victimizers and that this is the way out of victimhood. I call these people, the kapos. They are highly specialized and highly trained. They all love the money they get and the status they achieve in the hierarchy.
Most importantly the kapos raise their children and relate to all the creatures of the world with this in mind: One loses one's victimhood by becoming a successful victimizer. The hierarchy is kept firm, it must be kept firm.
Domination is essential. So is deceit and 'craft' or guile.
Rules and regulations must be adhered to. NO EXCEPTIONS. Truth is not allowed.
And this, my friends, is the greatest thing that has ever happened to mankind.
'Man does not do, what would be his best interest, he instead chooses the life of crime.'
Indeed.
ned,
OUT