UPPCS (Pre) 2020

Central Mughal Administration

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

Match list-I with list-II and select the correct answer: | List-I (Officer) | List-II (Duty) | | :--- | :--- | | A. Diwan-i-Tan | 1. Look after the office | | B. Mustarfi | 2. Maintained a proper list of main events and Firmans | | C. Mushrif | 3. Look after the Jagir and Salaries | | D. Vakianvis | 4. Examine the income expenditure of State |

Solution & Analysis

Answer: B

Concept The Mughal central bureaucracy was highly specialized. Separate departments managed land assignments (Jagirs), state auditing, accounting, and official record-keeping to ensure absolute imperial control over the nobility.

Explanation
Diwan-i-Tan: Focused on 'Tan' (salaries) and 'Jagir' (land assignments).
Mustarfi: Acted as the chief auditor to examine state income and expenses.
Mushrif: Functioned as the chief accountant looking after the daily office operations.
Vakianvis: The news-writer who recorded imperial firmans and significant events.

Logical Breakup
Logic 1: The Diwan-i-Tan was a subsidiary of the main Diwan, specifically handling the complex pay scales of Mansabdars.
Logic 2: The Mustarfi and Mushrif worked as checks and balances against each other—one recording (accountant) and the other auditing.

Active Recall

Question

Why was the role of the Vakianvis so important for the Emperor?

Answer

The Vakianvis acted as the Emperor's 'eyes and ears' by reporting on provincial events and ensuring official orders were properly recorded.

Core Insight

The specialization of these roles shows that the Mughal state was an 'information-driven empire' with sophisticated financial auditing.