Which of the following statements about the first Indian Factory Act passed in 1881 is/are correct? 1. The Act dealt primarily with the problem of child labour. 2. The Act laid down that children between 7 years and 12 years of age would not work for more than 9 hours a day. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- (a)1 only
- (b)2 only
- (c)Both 1 and 2
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2
Correct — C, both 1 and 2. The first Indian Factory Act of 1881, passed under Viceroy Lord Ripon, was concerned mainly with the condition of child workers in factories, so statement 1 is right. It prohibited the employment of children below 7 years and provided that children between 7 and 12 years of age would not work for more than 9 hours a day, and it also required dangerous machinery to be fenced — so statement 2 is right as well. Both statements are therefore correct.
- (a)1 only — Statement 2 is also correct: the Act did cap the working day of children aged 7–12 at 9 hours.
- (b)2 only — Statement 1 is also correct: the 1881 Act's chief concern was the regulation of child labour.
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2 — Both statements are correct, so 'neither' cannot be the answer.
The Indian Factory Act of 1881 was British India's first factory legislation. It applied to factories using mechanical power and employing 100 or more workers, and its focus was the protection of children: it barred children under 7 from employment, limited those aged 7–12 to 9 hours a day, and required hazardous machinery to be fenced.
Keep the two early Factory Acts apart: the 1881 Act protected CHILDREN, while the later 1891 Act extended regulation to the working hours of WOMEN. A statement about child labour and a 9-hour cap for the young therefore points to 1881.
- The first Indian Factory Act was passed in 1881 under Viceroy Lord Ripon.
- It applied to factories using power with 100 or more workers.
- It banned the employment of children below 7 years of age.
- Children aged 7–12 could not be worked more than 9 hours a day; dangerous machinery had to be fenced.
- Attributing the regulation of women's working hours to the 1881 Act — that came with the 1891 Act.
- Assuming the Act abolished child labour outright, rather than restricting it.
Asked on the scope of the 1881 Factory Act — its focus on child labour and the 9-hour limit for children aged 7–12.
The first Factory Act restricting the working hours of women and children and authorizing local governments to make necessary rules was adopted during whose time?
- (a) Lord Lytton
- (b) Lord Bentinck
- (c) Lord Ripon
- (d) Lord Canning
Answer(c) Lord Ripon
Same first Factory Act of 1881, here pinned to the Viceroy who passed it — Lord Ripon. The NDA item tests what the Act did (child labour, 9-hour cap); the UPSC item tests when and under whom it was enacted.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The first Indian Factory Act (1881) was passed during the Viceroyalty of
- (a)Lord Lytton
- (b)Lord Ripon
- (c)Lord Curzon
- (d)Lord Canning
Answer(b) Lord Ripon — the 1881 Act was enacted under his administration.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The regulation of the working hours of women in Indian factories was first introduced by the Factory Act of
- (a)1881
- (b)1891
- (c)1911
- (d)1922
Answer(b) 1891 — the 1891 Act extended protection to women's working hours, unlike the 1881 Act.