Answer:
The statement is true because:
- Maharaja Sayajirao Gaikwad III made primary education free and compulsory in Baroda state in 1906, the first such step in India; he started schools for girls and for the depressed classes.
- He passed laws to prevent child marriage and to allow widow remarriage and inter-caste marriage, and worked against untouchability.
- He opened public libraries in villages, set up the Bank of Baroda and encouraged industries.
- He gave scholarships to deserving students, including Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar for higher studies abroad, and helped reformers like Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde.
So his reforms are a model of progressive rule.
