With reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?

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Q: 60 (IAS/2019)
With reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?

question_subject: 

History

question_exam: 

IAS

stats: 

0,103,58,103,11,26,21

keywords: 

{'forced labourer': [0, 0, 0, 1], 'gupta period': [5, 2, 1, 2], 'labour': [6, 0, 8, 23], 'gupta empire': [0, 0, 0, 3], 'labourer': [0, 0, 0, 1], 'weekly wages': [0, 0, 0, 1], 'vishti': [0, 0, 0, 2], 'income': [0, 3, 0, 0], 'madhya pradesh': [16, 0, 16, 28], 'india': [8, 1, 7, 13], 'tax': [0, 0, 0, 1], 'kathiawar regions': [0, 0, 0, 1]}

The following statement is correct with reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period:

It was considered a source of income for the State, a sort of tax paid by the people.

Forced labour (Vishti) was a practice prevalent in ancient India, particularly during the Mauryan and Gupta periods. It was a form of corvée labor, where the state could force people to work for a certain period of time without pay, for various purposes such as the construction of public works, maintenance of roads, and other state projects. This was considered a source of income for the state, a sort of tax paid by the people.