Write the causes of decline of traditional cottage industries in India.

Causes of the Decline of Traditional Cottage Industries in India (De-Industrialization):

The destruction of India's world-renowned traditional handloom, handicraft, and metallurgical cottage industries under British colonial rule was driven by deliberate structural policies:

• 1. Influx of Cheap Machine-Made British Factory Goods:
  • The British Industrial Revolution flooded Indian markets with cheap, mass-produced Manchester cotton textiles, rendering labor-intensive Indian handlooms uncompetitive.
• 2. Discriminatory One-Way Free Trade Tariff Policy:
  • British goods entered India with near-zero import duty, whereas exorbitant tariffs ($70 ext{–}80$) were imposed on Indian handlooms entering Britain.
• 3. Collapse of Native Princely Courts:
  • British annexation of princely states (Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse) eliminated royal court patronage for luxury handicrafts (e.g., Dacca Muslin, Kashmir Pashmina, Chanderi silks, Bidri metalware).
• 4. Exploitation of Raw Materials via Railways: Extensive railway expansion transformed India into a supplier of raw cotton and agricultural commodities for British factories and a captive market for finished foreign goods.