Modern Indian Historical Figures

Lord Dalhousie, who served as Governor General from 1848 to 1856, introduced the first postage stamps in India, known as the Scinde Dawk, in 1852. He is also credited with the development of the Indian Railways and the telegraph system.

Lord Mountbatten served as the last Viceroy of British India from February to August 1947. Following independence, he also served as the first Governor-General of the Dominion of India.

The Vernacular Press Act was passed in 1878 by Lord Lytton, the then Viceroy of India, to curtail the freedom of the Indian-language press. It was designed to prevent the expression of criticism against British policies. Lord Ripon later repealed this controversial act in 1882.

Lord Canning served as the Governor-General of India during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He later became the first Viceroy of India after the British Crown took direct control.

During the legal proceedings of the Bofors scandal, the Hinduja brothers suggested that the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, who was assassinated in 1986, might have been involved in the deal's commissions. This was part of their defense strategy to distance themselves from the allegations of receiving illegal kickbacks. The Bofors case was a major political scandal in India involving the purchase of howitzers.

Lord Lytton (Viceroy 1876-1880) organized the 1877 Delhi Durbar where Queen Victoria was proclaimed 'Kaiser-i-Hind' (Empress of India). This grand ceremony was held to formally announce her new imperial title.

Sir Osborne Smith served as the first Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1935-1937. Sir C.D. Deshmukh was a later governor (1943-1949), while James Taylor was never RBI Governor.

Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha in 1793. This system fixed the land revenue to be paid by zamindars to the British East India Company in perpetuity.

The Tashkent Declaration was a peace agreement signed in January 1966 by Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Pakistani President Ayub Khan. It was mediated by the Soviet Union to resolve the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

The Zabt (or Zapti) system was introduced by Akbar as part of his administrative reforms, implemented by his finance minister Todar Mal. Under this system, land was surveyed and categorized based on soil fertility and crops cultivated, with fixed revenue demand in cash. This system brought predictability and stability to revenue collection, enhancing agricultural productivity and state revenue.

K.M. Cariappa was the second person to be conferred the rank of Field Marshal in the Indian Army in 1986. Sam Manekshaw was the first to receive this rank in 1973. Cariappa was also the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is often called the Bismarck of India because he played a crucial role in the political integration of India. This is similar to Otto von Bismarck, who unified the various German states into a single empire.

The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed on March 5, 1931, between Mahatma Gandhi and the Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin. As part of the agreement, the British government agreed to release political prisoners who had not been convicted of violence. This pact also led to the suspension of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

In the Interim Government of 1946, Baldev Singh was appointed as the Defence Member. Vallabhbhai Patel held the Home portfolio, and Jagjivan Ram held the Labour portfolio.

Correct Answer: Sikander Hayat Khan