Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of Industrial Revolution on India during the first half of the nineteenth century

Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of Industrial Revolution on India during the first half of the nineteenth century?

(a)

Indian handicrafts were ruined.

(b)

Machines were introduced in the Indian textile industry in large numbers.

(c)

Railway lines were laid in many parts of the country.

(d)

Heavy duties were imposed on the imports of British manufactures.

Answer:

(a)

Core Books/NCERT

Explanation

Deindustrialisation of Indian traditional cottage and handicraft industry was a direct consequence of industrial revolution in England along with colonization of India. Thus, statement (a) is correct. Only after the first world war that Indian industrialization started taking fast steps. Thus, statement (b) is not correct. The first railway line in India was laid between Bombay and Thane in 1853. Railway expansion was relatively slow even till mid-1860. Only in the latter half of the 19th century that Railway expansion gathered space in India. Thus, statement (c) is not correct. Colonial economic policy was of one-way free trade in which British manufacture was dumped at a very cheap rate in India. Thus, statement (d) is not correct. Therefore, the correct answer is (a).