Nasaq
Topic: Mughal Agrarian Society and Economy · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Nasaq was a rough way of fixing land revenue in Mughal India. Officials did not measure the fields again. Instead, they worked out the tax from what a village or peasant had paid in past years. It was simpler and cheaper than full measurement. That is why it was used where measuring every field was hard.
Example
Under Akbar in the late 16th century, the heartland provinces were measured field by field. In some other regions, such as Bengal, revenue was often fixed by nasaq, using the old records of past payments.
Don't confuse with
- Zabt: here fields were measured and the tax was set at a cash rate for each crop. Nasaq skipped fresh measurement.
- Kankut: here the grain (kan) in the standing crop was estimated (kut) each season. Nasaq relied on past payments.
Related concepts
- Mughal land revenue system
- Jama
- Hasil
- Amalguzar
- Kankut
- Batai
- Khet-batai
- Lang batai
- Classification of lands under Akbar
- Polaj