Q. In the context of medieval India, ‘Khuts’ and ‘Muqaddams’ refer to which of the following?
Answer: Local landlords
Notes: Allauddin Khilji took keen interest in the land revenue administration. He ordered that land revenue in the Doab area would be assessed on the basis of measuring the land under cultivation. Allauddin wanted that the landlords of the area- called ‘Khuts’ and ‘Muqaddams’, should pay the same tax as the others. He also divested them of the authority to collect land revenue from their area on behalf of the state. Allauddin dictated that the state officials would take over the assessment and collection related functions. This implied that the rich and powerful in the villages who had more land could not pass on their burden to the poor. This must have undermined these local land magnets. But, most of these changes were rolled back up to the Tughlaq period. So, correct answer is option b.