Question: Who among the following was the President of the Board of Control at the time of Charter renewal in 1793 in
India?
A) Thomas Townshend
B) Henry Dundas
C) William Grenville
D) George Legge
Answer: B) Henry Dundas
Henry Dundas served as the President of the Board of Control from June 1793 until 25 April 1801. Lord Cornwallis was Bengal’s Governor General in the year 1793.
The Board of Control was established under Pitt's India Act 1784 to oversee the affairs of the East India Company.
During Dundas's tenure, the Charter Act of 1793 was enacted, which renewed the Company's trade monopoly in India for another 20 years till 1813.
Charter Act of 1793
The Charter Act 1793 clarified that the East India Company operated on behalf of the British government.
The East India Company was required to remit an annual sum of five lakh pounds to the British government.
The Governor General now had superior authority over the governors of Madras and Bombay.
In the absence of the Governor General from Bengal, they could appoint a Vice President from among the civilian members of the Council.
The act separated revenue administration from judicial functions, leading to the discontinuation of the Maal Adalats, or revenue courts.
Senior company officials were prohibited from leaving India without prior permission.
