Question

UPSC Prelims 2020 Question:

Wellesley established the Fort William College at Calcutta because

1. he was asked by the Board of Directors at London to do so
2. he wanted to revive interest in oriental learning in India
3. he wanted to provide William Carey and his associates with employment
4. he wanted to train British civilians for administrative purpose in India

Answer (Detailed Solution Below)

Option 4: he wanted to train British civilians for administrative purpose in India

Detailed Solution

Explanation:

Fort William College is an orientalist training centre set up by Governor General Lord Richard Wellesley in 1800 within the Fort William complex. Its objective was to foster Indian languages and effect the moral and intellectual improvement of the newly recruited European civil servants and military officers.
Wellesley felt that both academic and moral training were necessary to make the new bureaucrats to become capable at facing the challenge of governing an alien people.
Its expenses were designed to have been met by contributions from civilians in India and an uncertain allocation that was to come from the operation of the Government Printing Press.

Therefore, option (4) is the correct answer.

Subject: History | The British Administrative reforms

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