Concept:The idea of using food-for-work programmes as a famine relief measure was first proposed by the ancient Indian thinker Kautilya in his treatise on statecraft.
Explanation:Kautilya’s work, written over two thousand years ago, is one of the earliest known treatises on government and public administration.
He advised that when a famine threatens, the king should undertake public works such as building forts and water systems, and provide food to the people in exchange for their labour.
These measures served as an early form of food-for-work programmes.
Other Indian rulers later adopted similar methods of famine relief, including free grain distribution, opening of free kitchens, remission of taxes, and construction of canals, embankments, and wells.
None of the other thinkers listed (Aryabhatta, Chandragomin, or Prabhakara) are associated with this specific concept.
Aryabhatta was a mathematician-astronomer, Chandragomin a Buddhist scholar, and Prabhakara a Mimamsa ritual theorist.
Answer:The correct answer is Kautilya.