target2019

The famine of 1876-78 had resulted from the failure of two monsoons. 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. Lytton’s Government failed miserably to tackle the situation. The government’s relief measures seemed to be inadequate. The first Famine Commission (1878-80) under Sir Richard Strachey was appointed. In 1878, the  Vernacular Press Act  was passed. This Act empowered a Magistrate to secure an undertaking from the editor, publisher and printer of a vernacular newspaper that nothing would be published against the English Government. In the same year, the  Arms Act  was passed. This Act prevented the Indians to keep arms without appropriate license. Lord Lytton was Viceroy of India from 1876 to 1880 Lord Lytton introduced uniform salt tax throughout British India. Th...