Consider the following events in the history of modern Punjab: 1. The enactment of the Punjab Land Alienation Act in 1900 to restrict the transfer of agricultural land from agriculturists to non-agriculturist moneylenders. 2. The foundation of the Central Sikh League in 1919 to articulate independent political aspirations of the Sikh community. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Punjab Land Alienation Act of 1900 introduced by the British administration aimed to protect rural agricultural tribes from losing their lands to urban moneylenders thereby mitigating rural agrarian unrest in Punjab. The Central Sikh League established in 1919 worked closely with the Indian National Congress and provided political leadership during the non-cooperation and gurdwara reform movements. Both measures profoundly shaped the political economy of colonial Punjab.