Madad-i-Maash in the Mughal administration referred to revenue-free land grants given to learned men (ulema), scholars, religious figures and poor or needy persons. These grants were essentially state endowments to support the class of learned or charitable individuals and were inheritable, ensuring the financial security of educated families. The correct answer is (A) Revenue-free land grants given to scholars.
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The term Madad-i-Maash literally means “assistance for subsistence” and referred to revenue-free land grants given by the Mughal state. These grants were a form of charity or patronage, primarily extended to religious scholars, judges (qazis), poets and destitute persons who possessed no other means of livelihood. The land was exempt from the usual land revenue taxes. This practice was vital for maintaining the intellectual and religious elite, fostering goodwill and lending legitimacy to the emperor’s rule among the learned segments of the population.