Consider the following statements about the Mauryan State and the forest people: 1. The forest people were subjected to new forms of political and economic dominance and the necessity to subordinate and assimilate them led to a change in the earlier attitude of excluding these people from imperial territory. 2. The State recognised that the forest produce was the sole monopoly of the forest people. 3. The State was concerned with the conservation of forests and to this end the burning of forests was prohibited. 4. The forest people could be harnessed to serve the State and could be used as troops, spies and assassins. How many of the above statements is/are correct?

The Mauryan state sought to subordinate and assimilate forest dwellers, moving away from earlier attitudes of exclusion to bring tribal economies under imperial control [2]. Statement 1 is correct as the state integrated these regions for resources. Statement 2 is incorrect; forest produce was considered a state monopoly, not the sole monopoly of forest people. Statement 3 is correct; the state was concerned with conservation, and Kautilya's Arthashastra mentions prohibitions on burning forests to protect wildlife and resources. Statement 4 is correct; forest tribes (atavikas) were harnessed as a significant military force (atavibala) and utilized as spies and assassins to serve imperial interests. Thus, three statements (1, 3, and 4) are correct.

Sources

1. [1] https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/22363/1/Unit-3.pdf
2. [2] https://fmuniversity.nic.in/getdata?dir=deptnotice&rid=notice2002_29520251748500495861.pdf