3. CHARTER ACT OF 1793

3. CHARTER ACT OF 1793

Key Provisions

• Renewed the Company's charter and trade monopoly in India for a further 20 years.
• Governor-General's/Governors' salaries to be paid from Indian revenues.
• All laws made by Governor-General-in-Council to be codified and clearly defined.
• Continued the Board of Control system.

Significance/Impact

• Largely a routine extension of Company's monopoly/charter — minimal structural change compared to 1784 and 1813.
• Strengthened centralization under the Governor-General by requiring uniform codification of regulations, which improved administrative predictability.
• Passed at a time when British parliamentary opinion (led by Edmund Burke's impeachment campaign against Warren Hastings) was closely scrutinizing Company misgovernance, though the Act itself introduced few new checks.

Key Facts / Quick Revision Points

• Year: 1793 — charter renewed for 20 years
• Sometimes called a "housekeeping" Act — no major structural innovation, unlike the Acts of 1773, 1784, 1813, 1833, and 1853