Question

Who tried to calculate national income before independence?

• A. M. S. Swaminathan
• B. K. C. Pant
• C. Dadabhai Naoroji
• D. Prof. Keynes

Hint:

Dadabhai Naoroji estimated the per capita income of India to be ₹20 per year in his 1867–68 study.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Before India gained independence, several individual attempts were made to estimate the country's national income to highlight the economic condition of the people under colonial rule.

Step 1: Analyze the options.
(A) M. S. Swaminathan: Known as the "Father of the Green Revolution in India," his work focused on agriculture and food security in the post-independence era.
(B) K. C. Pant: A prominent Indian politician and former minister who served in various capacities much later in independent India.
(C) Dadabhai Naoroji: Known as the "Grand Old Man of India," he was the first to attempt an estimation of national income in 1867–68. He famously authored "Poverty and Un-British Rule in India," where he put forward the "Drain of Wealth" theory.
(D) Prof. Keynes: John Maynard Keynes was a British economist whose theories (Keynesian economics) changed the practice of macroeconomics globally, but he did not calculate India's national income before independence.

Step 2: Conclusion.
Dadabhai Naoroji is the pioneering figure who first calculated India's national income to demonstrate the economic exploitation by the British.
Final Answer: \[ \boxed{(C) \, \text{Dadabhai Naoroji}} \]