Write a note on the famine policy followed by Lord Lytton.
The famine of 1876 - 78 had resulted from the failure of two monsoons. It covered an area of two lakh fifty thousand square miles and affected fifty eight million people. The worst affected areas were Madras, Mysore, Hyderabad, Bombay, Central India and the Punjab. It took a toll of five million lives in a single year. The outbreak of cholera and fever added to the misery of the suffering population.
Lylton’s government failed miserably to tackle the situation. The government’s relief measures seemed to the inadequate… The first famine commission (1878 - 80) under Sir Richard Strachey was appointed and it made many commendable recommendations. They include provision of funds for famine relief and construction work in the annual budget. The Famine Code came into existence in 1883.