In the beginning of the 19^th century cotton mills in India were mostly located in which of the following states?

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

SSC CGL 2022 Tier-I Official Paper (Held On : 03 Dec 2022 Shift 3)

Answer 1

The correct answer is Maharashtra.

Key Points

India held a global monopoly over the manufacturing of cotton textiles for about 3,000 years - from 1500 B.C. to 1500 A.D.
India's first cotton mill was set up in Bombay.
The first Cotton mill was The British Spinning and Weaving Company.
Sir William Fairbairn designed this company and production started in the year 1856.
The real expansion of the cotton textile industry in India took place in the 1870s. During this period, the number of mills rose to 47 - of which over 60 % were in Mumbai.
The First and Second World Wars, the Swadeshi Movement, and the grant of fiscal protection rapidly propelled the growth of this industry.

Additional Information

The first cotton mill in India was established in 1818 at Fort Gloster near Kolkata but was a commercial failure.
The second cotton mill in India was established by KGN Daber in 1854 and was named Bombay Spinning and Weaving Company. This mill is said to mark the true foundation of the modern cotton industry in India.
In Ahmedabad - also referred to as the ‘Manchester of India’ - the opening of Shahpur mill in 1861
The cotton textile mills were concentrated in the western parts of the country like Maharashtra and Gujrat, while the Jute Industries were concentrated in Bengal.