The Indian subcontinent witnessed recurring famines during the second half of the nineteenth century. The British colonial state refused to intervene in grain trade, as per its famine relief policy while doing so in the labour market. This article examines popular action on relief works by famine labourers, comprising mostly marginalised castes. It contends that the state's utilitarian response to famines, which guaranteed neither wages nor food, led to popular action after state relief provisions were put into place. Moreover, the article reveals how popular action uncovered tensions between different levels of administration, particularly for local officials. In doing so, the article contributes to historiographies on famine relief in India by examining the response of labourers on relief works to the famine relief policy and the administrative complexities involved in its management. It explores the moral economy of the labouring poor and the limits of the colonial state's relief response in alleviating distress.
