UPSC CSE Prelims
Question 86
With reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?
View correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Correct Option: A
Explanation:
Vishti was corvée or compulsory labour demanded by rulers, commonly regarded as a kind of tax in labour rather than in money or produce during the Gupta period.
Option-wise Analysis:
A (Correct): Forced labour was treated as a source of state revenue or service tax.
B (Incorrect): Inscriptions and records show vishti in several regions; it was not entirely absent in MP/Kathiawar.
C (Incorrect): Corvée labour was compulsory and not defined by weekly wages.
D (Incorrect): There was no general rule requiring only the worker’s eldest son to perform it.