| Bihar and Orissa Province | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Province ofBritish India | |||||||||||
| 1912–1936 | |||||||||||
 Bihar and Orissa in a 1912 map of British India | |||||||||||
| Capital | Patna (summer) Cuttack (winter) | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
• Separation fromBengal | 1912 | ||||||||||
• Bifurcation ofBihar andOrissa Province | 1936 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Today part of | |||||||||||
Bihar and Orissa was a province ofBritish India,[1] which included the present-day Indian states ofBihar,Jharkhand, and parts ofOdisha. The territories were conquered by the British in the 18th and 19th centuries, and were governed by the thenIndian Civil Service of theBengal Presidency, the largestadministrative subdivision in British India.
On 22 March 1912, both Bihar and Orissa divisions were separated from the Bengal Presidency as Bihar and Orissa Province. On 1 April 1936, the province waspartitioned intoBihar and theOrissa Province.
In 1756, Bihar was part of theBengal Subah and while Orissa was part of theNagpur kingdom within theMaratha Confederacy.
TheTreaty of Allahabad was signed on 16 August 1765, between the Mughal EmperorShah Alam II, son of the late EmperorAlamgir II, and Robert, Lord Clive, of the East India Company,[1] as a result of theBattle of Buxar of 22 October 1764. The Treaty marks the political and constitutional involvement and the beginning of British rule in India. Based on the terms of the agreement, Alam granted the East India Company Diwani rights, or the right to collect taxes on behalf of the Emperor from the eastern province of Bengal-Bihar-Orissa. Bihar was acquired through annexation ofBengal Subah, while Orissa was annexed by the British following the defeat of the Marathas in theAnglo-Maratha Wars.
Bihar and Orissa was separated fromBengal on 1 April 1912, withPatna as capital.[2] A number ofprincely states, including theOrissa Tributary States, were under the authority of the provincial governor.
TheMontagu–Chelmsford Reforms enacted through theGovernment of India Act 1919 expanded the Bihar & Orissa Legislative Council from 43 to 103 members. The Legislative Council now consisted of 2 ex-officio Executive Councillors, 25 nominated members (12 official, 13 non-official) and 76 elected members (48 Non-Muslim, 18 Muslim, 1 European, 3 Commerce & Industry, 5 Landholders and 1 University constituencies).[3] The reforms also introduced the principle ofdyarchy, whereby certain responsibilities such as agriculture, health, education, and local government, were transferred to elected ministers.
| Name | Period | Department |
|---|---|---|
| Khan Bahadur Syed Muhammad Fakhruddin | January 1921 to 6 May 1933 | Education, Agriculture, Cooperative Credit Industries, Religious Endowment, Excise |
| Madhusudan Das | January 1921 to 9 March 1923 | Local Self-Government, Medical Public Health, Public Works |
| Ganesh Dutt | March 1923 till end of dyarchy | Local Self-Government, Medical Public Health, Public Works |
| Khan Bahadur Syed Muhammad Hussain | 6 May 1933 to 24 December 1933 | Education, Agriculture, Cooperative Credit Industries, Religious Endowment, Registration |
| Syed Muhammad Abdul Aziz | 20 January 1934 till end of dyarchy | Education, Agriculture, Cooperative Credit Industries, Religious Endowment, Registration |
On 1 April 1936, the province was divided intoBihar Province (which included present-dayBihar andJharkhand states) andOrissa Province, and theOdia speaking princely states placed under the authority of theEastern States Agency.
From 1912 to 1920, the province had a lieutenant governor heading the provincial government. This post was upgraded to governor in 1920, whenSatyendra Prasanna Sinha, 1st Baron Sinha was appointed to fill it.[4]
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