21. The Deccan Agriculturalists’ Relief Act of 1879 was enacted with which

The Deccan Agriculturalists’ Relief Act of 1879 was enacted with which one of the following objectives?

Restore lands to the dispossessed peasants
Ensure financial assistance to peasants during social and religious occasions
Restrict the sale of land for indebtedness to outsiders
Give legal aid to insolvent peasants
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CDS-1 – 2019
The Deccan Agriculturalists’ Relief Act of 1879 was passed by the British colonial government in response to the Deccan Riots of 1875, which were primarily caused by the exploitation of indebted peasants by moneylenders. The Act aimed to protect the peasants by restricting the alienation (sale or transfer) of their land to non-agriculturist moneylenders and placing limitations on the recovery of debts.
The Deccan Agriculturalists’ Relief Act of 1879 aimed to protect peasants from moneylenders by restricting land sales for debt.
While the Act aimed to provide relief from debt, its primary mechanism was to control the relationship between farmers and moneylenders and prevent the transfer of land. It did not focus on restoring previously dispossessed lands, providing financial assistance for social/religious occasions, or giving general legal aid to all insolvent peasants, though it provided specific legal procedures regarding debt and land alienation.