Here is Question No. 10 a part of our series on UPSC Prelims 2019
Q10. With reference to forced labor (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?
(a) It was considered a source of income for the State, a sort of tax paid by the people.
(b) It was totally absent in the Madhya Pradesh and Kathiawar regions of the Gupta Empire.
(c) The forced labourer was entitled to weekly wages.
(d) The eldest son of the labourer was sent as the forced labourer.
Answer: A
- Vishti was considered as a source of income for the state, a sort of tax by the people. It is also mentioned in Gupta-era copper inscriptions that enlist a variety of other taxes. The Junagarh inscription mentions Vishti as one form of tax, which suggests it was extracted from Gujarat and the Malwa region. It was not wage labour as it was forced labour in lieu of tax.
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