Charter Act 1813: Features, Importance, Clause 43 of Charter Act 1813

What is Charter Act 1813?

Go through the highlights of Charter Act 1813 for easy and quick revision.

Features of Charter Act 1813

The Charter Act of 1813 explicitly defined the constitutional position of the British territories in India and asserted the Crown’s sovereignty. The features of the Charter Act 1813 are:

Charter Act 1813 UPSC

• It ended the East India Company’s monopoly in India. But the East India Company retained its monopoly on the trade in tea, opium, and with China.
• The company’s rule was extended to another 20 years.
• The Charter Act 1813 asserted the Crown’s sovereignty over British possessions in India.
• The Act granted permission to Christian Missionaries who wished to come to India to promote moral improvements and religious proselytization.
• The Act also empowered the local governments to tax people, subject to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. It gave more powers to the courts in India over European British subjects.
• Those who did not pay taxes were punished under the Charter Act of 1813.
• It regulated the company’s territorial revenues and commercial profits. The company’s dividend was fixed at 10.5%.
• The provision was to keep the territorial and commercial accounts separate.
• Clause 43 of the Charter Act 1813 stated that the Company should invest ₹1 Lakh every year in the education of Indians. The act provided for a financial grant for the revival of Indian literature and the promotion of science.

Significance of Charter Act 1813

The importance of the Charter Act 1813 must be understood in a detailed manner. The significance of the Charter Act 1813 is as follows:

• It asserted the Crown’s sovereignty over British possessions in India. 
• It ended the East India Company’s monopoly in India.
• The Act also empowered the local governments to tax people, subject to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

Charter Act 1813 UPSC

The Charter Act 1813 is an important topic in Modern Indian History. Over the years, several questions have been asked about this topic in both UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains GS Paper- 1. To cover this topic, a candidate needs to be well versed with the Indian History Notes for UPSC and readings of the NCERT Books for UPSC.

The importance of the Charter Act 1813 must be understood in a detailed manner, along with the comparison between several other charter acts.

Also Check:

• Charter Act 1833
• Charter Act 1853
• Regulating Act 1773
• Pitt’s India Act 1784

Charter Act 1813 UPSC Question

One of the sample UPSC Prelims Questions on Charter Act 1813 can be,

Which of the following is one of the reasons for considering the Charter Act 1813 important for India?

1. It banned propaganda by Christian missionaries in India.
2. It emphasized industrialization in India.
3. It made the Financial allocation for the education of the Indian people.
4. It approved the development of the railway system in India.

It is good to practice UPSC Previous Year Question Papers and try writing answers for any Mains questions asked related to the topic.