Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of Industrial Revolution on India during the first half of the nineteenth century?
Explanation
Statement A is correct. Deindustrialisation of Indian traditional cottage and handicraft industry was a direct consequence of the industrial revolution in England along with colonization of India.
Statement B is incorrect. Machines were not introduced in the Indian textile industry in large numbers in the first half of the 19th century. Rather, the modern textile mills with imported machinery started taking baby steps in the 1850s in Bombay, Ahmedabad, and Calcutta. It was only after the first world war that Indian industrialization started taking fast steps.
Statement C is incorrect. The first railway line in India was laid between Bombay and Thane in 1853. Railway expansion was relatively slow even till mid-1860. It was only in the latter half of the 19th century that Railway expansion gathered pace in India.
Statement D is incorrect. Heavy duties were not imposed on the imports of British manufactures. In fact, the British goods were given duty-free trade permits, which further disadvantaged the Indian industries.