Q1.Mention the important features of Hill Area Development Programmes. Answer:
Hill Area Development Programmes were initiated during Fifth Year Plan.
It covered 15 districts comprising all the hilly districts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
The hill areas in the country having height above 600 metres and not covered under tribal subplan be treated as Backward Hill Areas.
These programmes aimed at harnessing the indigenous resources of the hill areas through development of horticulture, plantation agriculture, animal husbandry, poultry, forestry and small-scale and village industry.
Q2.Name those Five Year Plans of India which could not complete its duration. Answer: India has centralised planning and the task of planning in India has been entrusted to the Planning Commission. It is a statutory body headed by the Prime Minister and has a Deputy Chairman and members. The planning in the country is largely carried out through Five Year Plans by the Planning Commission.
Two successive droughts during mid¬sixties (1965-66 and 1966-67) and war with Pakistan in 1965 forced plan holiday in 1966-67 and 1968-69. This period was covered by annual plans. It was called rolling plans. The Fifth Five Year Plan began in 1974-75 but it was terminated by the then government one year earlier, i.e. in 1977-78. Once again due to the political instability and initiation of liberalization policy, the Eighth Five Year Plan got delayed.
Q3.Explain the need and importance of Target Area Planning. Answer: Need of Target Area Planning:
The planning process has to take special care of those areas which have remained economically backward.
The economic development of a region depends upon its resource base. But resources are not equally distributed. Economic development also requires technological investments besides resource. Therefore, sometimes resource- rich regions also remain backward. It demands Target Area Planning for balanced regional development.
Importance of Target Area Planning:
With the planning experience of about one and half decades, it was realised that regional imbalances in economic development were getting accentuated. In order to arrest the accentuation of regional and social disparties, the Planning Commission introduced the ‘target area’ and ‘target group’ approaches to planning.
It will help in bringing balanced regional development which in turn has multiple benefits.
Q4.Mention the important features of Drought Prone Area Programmes. Answer:
This programme was initiated during the Fourth Five Year Plan.
Irrigation Commission (1972) introduced the criterion of 30 per cent irrigated area and demarcated the drought prone areas.
The objectives of providing employment to the people in drought-prone areas and creating productive assets.
This programmes laid emphasis on the construction of labour intensive civil works. Irrigation projects, land development programmes, afforestation, grassland development and creation of basic rural infrastructure such as electricity, roads, market, credit and services.
Other strategies include adoption of integrated watershed development approach at micro level.
The restoration of ecological balance between water, soil, plants and human population.
Q5.What are the positive and negative influences of Indira Gandhi Canal Command Area Development Programme on the environment of the region? Answer: The positive and negative, influences of Indira Gandhi Canal Command Area Development Programme are as follows: Positive:
The availability of soil moisture for a longer period of time and various afforestation and pasture development programmes under CAD have resulted in transformation in agricultural economy.
Spread of canal irrigation has led to increase in cultivated area and intensity of cropping.
It has also helped in reducing wind erosion and siltation of canal systems.
Traditional crops such as gram, bajra and jowar have been replaced by wheat, cotton, groundnut and rice.
Intensive irrigation led to an increase in agricultural and livestock productivity.
Negative:
The intensive irrigation and excessive use of water has led to the emergence of twin environmental problems of waterlogging and soil salinity.
Soils are getting infertile and thus in the long run agriculture would be affected.
It has degraded the environment of the region hampering sustainability of agriculture.
Q6.Indian lifestyle was quite environment friendly but globalization has brought a change in lifestyle which is not environment friendly. Do you agree? Justify your answer. Answer: It is quite right that Indian lifestyle is environment friendly. People use local materials to build houses, natural cycle is followed in agriculture so that soil is replenished. They are habitual of working during day hours and hence electricity consumption is less. But due to globalization, we have come in contact with western nations. It has affected our old ways and our lifestyles are no more environment friendly with increase use of resources.
Long Answer Type Questions:
Q1.How did the concept of sustainable development originate? Answer: Development is a multi-dimensional concept and signifies the positive, irreversible transformation of the economy, society and environment. The concept of development is dynamic and has evolved during the second half of twentieth century.
Phase I: Development and Economic Growth are synonyms: In the post World War II era, the concept of development was synonymous to economic growth. Economic growth is measured in terms of temporal increase in gross national product (GNP) and per capita income or per capita consumption.
Phase II: Development is growth with equity: But, even the countries having high economic growth, experienced speedy rise in poverty because of unequal distribution of income and wealth. So, in 1970s, the phrases such as redistribution with growth and growth and equity were incorporated in the definition of development.
Phase III: Development is economic as well as social: When discussions continued regarding redistribution and equity, it was realized that the concept of development cannot be restricted to the economic sphere alone. It also includes the issues such as improving the well-being and living standard of people, availing of the health, education and equality of opportunity and ensuring political and civil rights. By 1980’s, development emerged as a concept encapsulating widespread improvement in social as well as material well-being of all in a society. The notion of sustainable development merged with the awareness of environmental issue in 1960’s with the undesirable effects of industries on environment.
Concerned with the growing opinion of world community on the environmental issues, the United Nations established a World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). It was headed by the Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. The Commission gave its report in 1987. It is called Brundtland Report and was entitled ‘Our Common Future’. According to this report, sustainable development is a “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Q2.Which socio-economic benefits are being experienced by implementation of Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur? Answer: Two tehsils of Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, namely Bharmaur and Holi were notified as a tribal area since 21 November, 1975. Bharmaur is inhabited by ‘Gaddi’, a tribal community who have maintained a distinct identity in the Himalayan region as they practise transhumance and conversed through Gaddiali dialect. It is one of the economically and socially backward areas of Himachal Pradesh. Due to implementation of Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP), there have been tremendous socio-economic benefits, Social Benefits:
The most significant contribution of tribal subplan in Bharmaur region is the development of infrastructure in terms of schools, health care facilities, potable water, roads, communications and electricity.
Tremendous increase in literacy rate (female literacy increase from 1.9% to 65%)
Improvement in sex ratio.
Decline in child marriage.
Difference between males and females in literacy rate, i.e. gender inequality, has also declined.
Economic Benefits:
The cultivation of pulses and other cash crops has increased in Bharmaur region.
Now a few people practise transhumance because the importance of pastoralism is gradually declining. (About 1/10 household practises pastoralism).
Q3.What measures for promotion of sustainable development have been taken under Indira Gandhi Canal Command Area? Answer: The following measures for promotion of sustainable development have been taken under Indira Gandhi Canal Command Area:
The first requirement is strict implemen¬tation of water management policy. It envisages protective irrigation in Stage-I and extensive irrigation of crops and pasture development in Stage-II.
The cropping pattern shall not include water-intensive crops. It shall be adhered to and people shall be encouraged to grow plantation crops such as citrus fruits.
The CAD programmes such as lining of water courses, land development and levelling and warabandi system shall be effectively implemented to reduce the conveyance loss of water.
The areas affected by water logging and soil salinity shall be reclaimed.
The eco-development through afforestation, shelterbelt plantation and pasture development is necessary particularly in the fragile environment of Stage II.
The social sustainability in the region can be achieved only if the land allottees having poor economic background are provided adequate financial and institutional support for cultivation of land.
The agricultural and allied activities have to develop along with other sectors of economy. It leads to diversification of economic base and establishment of functional linkages between basic villages, agro-services centres and market centres.
Q1.List the significance of the secondary sector. Answer: Secondary sector processes primary products into finished goods of higher value. It provides employment to a large number of people and contributes to national income.
Q2.Why are synthetic fibres gaining importance? Name some locations where they are located. Answer: Synthetic fibres are widely used in the manufacturing of fabrics because of their inherent strength, durability, washability, and resistance to shrinkage. Industries manufacturing nylon and polyester yarns are located at Kota, Pimpri, Mumbai, Modinagar, Pune, Ujjain, Nagpur and Udhna. Acrylic staple fibre is manufactured at Kota and Vadodara.
Q3.What is knowledge based industry? Why is it gaining importance? ‘ Answer: The advancement in information technology has had a profound influence on the country’s economy. The Information Technology (IT) revolution opened up new possibilities of economic and social transformation. The IT and IT enabled business process outsourcing (ITES-BPO) services continue to be on a robust growth path. Indian software industry has emerged as one of the fastest growing sectors in the economy.
Q4.What is the impact of globalisation in India? OR What do you mean by globalisation in Indian context? Answer: The impact of globalization in India are:
Opening of the economy to foreign direct investment by providing facilities to foreign companies to invest in different fields of economic activity in India.
Removing restrictions and obstacles to the entry of multinational companies in India.
Allowing Indian companies to enter into foreign collaboration in India and also encouraging them to set up joint venture’s abroad.
Carrying out massive import liberalization programmes by switching over from quantitative restrictions to tariffs in the first place, and then bringing down the level of import duties considerably.
Instead of a set of export incentives, opting for exchange rate adjustments for promoting export.
Q5.Why there is spatial variation in FDI in India? Answer: Major share of both domestic investment as well as foreign direct investment went to already developed states. For example, out of the total proposed investment by the industrial entrepreneurs during 1991-2000 nearly one fourth (23 per cent) was for industrially developed Maharashtra, 17 per cent for Gujarat, 7 per cent for Andhra Pradesh, and about 6 per cent for Tamil Nadu while Uttar Pradesh, the state with the largest population has only 8 per cent. In spite of several concessions, seven north-eastern states could get less than 1 per cent of the proposed investment. In fact, economically weaker states could not compete with the developed states in open market in attracting industrial investment proposals and hence they are likely to suffer from these processes.
Q6.How are industrial regions distributed in our country? List the indices used to identity them. Answer: Industries are not evenly distributed in the country. They tend to concentrate on certain locations because of the favourable locational factors. Several indices are used to identify the clustering of industries, important among them are:
The number of industrial units
Number of industrial workers
Quantum of power used for industrial purposes
Total industrial output, and
Value added by manufacturing, etc.
Q7.Give a brief description of IISCO. Answer: IISCO stands for The Indian Iron and Steel Company.
Factories under it: It sets up its first factory at Hirapur and later on another at Kulti. In 1937, the Steel Corporation of Bengal was constituted in association with IISCO and set up another iron and steel producing unit at Burnpur (West Bengal).
Present Location: All the three plants under IISCO are located very close to Damodar valley coal fields (Raniganj, Jharia, and Ramgarh).
Material: Iron ore comes from Singhbhum in Jharkhand. Water is obtained from the Barakar river, a tributary of the Damodar.
Ownership: Steel production from IISCO fell considerably in 1972-73 and the plants were taken over by the government.
Q8.Why are most of sugar mills established in sugarcane producing areas? OR Why are the sugarcane industries located within the cane producing areas? Answer: Most of sugar mills are established in sugarcane producing areas because:
Sugarcane is a weight-losing crop. The ratio of sugar’to sugarcane varies between 9 to 12 per cent depending on its variety. Its sucrose content begins to dry during haulage after it has been harvested from the field.
Better recovery of sugar is dependent upon its being crushed within 24 hours of its harvesting.
Q9.Why iron and steel industry is located in peninsular plateau? Answer: Iron and steel plant requires raw materials which are weight losing, heavy & bulky therefore its location is influenced by: ‘
Raw Materials: Iron ore, coal, limestone, dolomite, manganese are weight losing and therefore, industries should be located near the source of raw materials.
Cost: Industry should be located at place where the cost of assembling and the raw material and distribution of finished product is the lowest. Some steel plants are located near coal fields and iron ore producing areas.
Transport: All ’ the plants are located on the trunk rail routes which connects them to large urban market.All these conditions are favorable as peninsular India and hence iron and steel is locked there.
Q10.What are the factors affecting cotton textile industry? OR What favorable conditions are present in India for development of cotton industry? OR Give reasons for the development of cotton textile industries in India. Answer: The following favorable conditions are present in India for development of cotton industry:
It is a tropical country and cotton is the most comfortable fabric for a hot and humid climate. So demand is high.
Large quantity of cotton is grown in India.
Abundant skilled labour required for this industry is available in this country.
In some areas the people are producing cotton textiles for generations find transferred the skill from one generation to the other and in the process perfected their skills.
Q11.Why did the development of cotton textile industries occur in and around Mumbai? Answer: It was very close to the cotton producing areas of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Raw cotton used to be brought to Mumbai port to be transported to England. Therefore, cotton was available in Mumabi city itself. Mumbai was the financial centre and the capital needed to start an industry was available there. Employment opportunities attracted labour in large numbers. The machinery required for a cotton textile mill could be directly imported from England.
Q12.Give a brief account of cotton textile industry in India. Answer:
Tamil Nadu has the largest number of cotton mills.
Coimbatore is the most important centre as approximately half the mills are located there.
In Karnataka, the cotton textile industry has developed in the cotton producing areas in the north-eastern part of the state.
In Andhra Pradesh, it is located in Telangana region where most of the mills are spinning mills producing yarn. Most important centres are Hyderabad, Secunderbad, Warangal and Guntur.
In U.P., Kanpur is the largest centre. The important centres are Modinagar, Hathras, Saharanpur, Lucknow and Agra.
West Bengal has centres like Howrah, Serampur, Kolkata and Shyarri nagar.
Q13.Cotton textile has been facing problem. Discuss. Answer: Cotton textiles has been facing tough competition from synthetic cloth due to the following reasons:
Synthetic fibres’ inherent strength, durability, washability and resistance to shrinkage.
Old and obsolete machinery are still operating leading to lesser output.
Irregular power supply.
Good quality growing areas went to West Pakistan.
Per unit production is less.
Q14.State the importance of sugar industry in India. Answer:
It is the second most important agro-based industry in the country.
It is the largest producer of sugarcane and contributes about 8 per cent of the total sugar production in the world.
Beside khandsari and gur are also prepared from sugarcane.
Industry provides employment for more than 4 lakhs persons directly and a large number of farmers indirectly.
Q15.What are petrochemical industries? OR Define petrochemical industries. Name four sub-groups of the products of these industries. Answer: Many items are derived from crude petroleum, which provide materials for many new industries, these are known as petrochemical industries. Some groups of these industries:
Polymers
Synthetic fibres
Elastomers
Surfactant intermediate.
Q16.Name the three organisations working in petrochemical under the administration control of the department of chemical and petrochemicals. Answer:
Indian Petrochemical Corporation Limited (IPCL): It is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of the various petrochemicals like polymers, chemicals, fibres and fibre intermediates.
The Petrofils Cooperative Limited (PCL): A joint venture of government of India and Weaver’s Cooperative Society. It produces polyester filament yarn and nylon chips at its two plants located at Vadodara and Naldhari in Gujarat.
Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET) imparts training in petrochemical industries.
Q17.What is the major impact of IT revolution in India? Answer: The information technology revolution opened up new possibilities of economic and social transformation.
The IT and IT enabled business process outsourcing (ITES-BPO) services continue to be on a robust growth path.
Indian software industry has emerged as one of the fastest growing sectors.
Exports of the Indian software service sector which is approx 30.32% increase from previous year.
The software industry has surpassed electronic hardware production.
It provides international quality products.
A majority of MNC’s operating in the area of information technology have either software development centres or
A major impact of this growth has been on employment creation, which is almost doubled each year.
Many software and technology parks have emerged which are training centres for various professions.
Q18.Compare between the textile and steel industries. Answer: Points of comparison:
Both act as basic industries.
Both cater to other industries. Cotton textile caters to hand loom, power loom whereas Iron and steel caters to mini plants, small scale, large scale, medium – and light industries.
Both export their produces.
Initially both started in private sector.
Both are dependent on primary products.
Q19.What role do manufacturing industries play in development of an economy? Answer: Manufacturing industries provide employment to labour force. By the sale of their output, economy gets momentum. It provides base for the development of primary and tertiary sectors. Therefore, they act as barometer of economic development of a country.
Q20.Classify industries on the basis of the nature of manufactured products. Answer: On the basis of the nature of the manufactured products industries are of following types:
Metallurgical industries
Mechanical engineering industries
Chemical and allied industries
Textile industries
Food processing industries
Electricity generation
Electronics
Communication industries
Q21.What do you mean by Foot Loose industries? Give its features. Answer: Foot Loose Industries are those industries which are not dependent on any specific raw materials, for example, weight losing and other such thing. They depend on specific component parts which can be obtained anywhere.
Such industries are generally non polluting.
They produce in small quantity with small labour force.
The important factor in their location is accessibility by road network.
They can be located in a wide variety of places.
Q22.Name some integrated steel plants of India. Answer: Some of the integrated steel plants in India are:
Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO)
Indian Iron and Steel Company (IISCO)
Visvesvaraiya Iron and Steel Works Ltd. (VISW)
Rourkela Steel Plant
Bhilai Steel Plant
Durgapur Steel Plant
Bokaro Steel Plant
Q23.Name some other steel plants of India other than integrated steel plants. Answer: Other steel plants:
The Vizag Steel Plant, situated in Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh is the first port-based plant which started operating in 1992.
The Vijaynagar Steel Plant at Hospet in Karnataka was developed using indigenous technology.
The Salem Steel Plant in Tamil Nadu was commissioned in 1982.
Q24.Name the steel plants of India established in collaboration with a foreign country. Answer: The Rourkela Steel Plant was set up in 1959 in the Sundargarh district of Odisha in collaboration with Germany. The Bhilai Steel Plant was established with Russian collaboration in Durg District of Chhattisgarh and started production in 1959. Durgapur Steel Plant, in West Bengal, was set up in collaboration with the government of the United Kingdom and started production in 1962. Bokaro Steel Plant was set up in 1964 at Bokaro with Russian collaboration
Long Answer Type Questions:
Q1.Why most of the iron and steel industries are located in the Chhotanagpur plateau? Answer: This region extends over Jharkhand, northern Odisha and western West Bengal and is known for the heavy metallurgical industries. This region owes its development to the discovery of coal in the Damodar Valley and metallic and non-metallic minerals in Jharkhand and northern Odisha. Proximity of coal, iron ore and other minerals facilitated the location of heavy industries in this region. Six large integrated iron and steel plants at Jamshedpur, Burnpur- Kulti, Durgapur, Bokaro and Rourkela are located within this region.
To meet the power requirement, thermal and hydroelectric plants have been constructed in the Damodar Valley. This region is well connected to the transportation network between the metros of Mumbai and Kolkata and water ways. Water for the plants is easily available from Subarnarekha and it’s tributary. Kolkata port is nearby. Densely populated surrounding regions provide cheap labour and Hugli region provides vast market for its industries. Heavy engineering, machine tools, fertilisers, cement, paper, locomotives and heavy electricals are some of the important industries in this region. Important centres are Ranchi, Dhanbad, Chaibasa, Sindri, Hazaribag, Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Rourkela, Durgapur, Asansol and Dalmianagar.
Q2.Explain different phases of development of cotton industry in India. Answer: The cotton textile industry is one of the traditional industries of India. In the ancient and the medieval times, it used to be only a cottage industry. India was famous worldwide for the production of muslin, a very fine variety of cotton cloth, calicos, chintz and other different varieties of fine cotton cloth.
Initially, the British did not encourage the development of the indigenous cotton textile industry. They exported raw cotton to their mills in Manchester and Liverpool and brought back instead the finished products to be sold in India. In 1854, the first modern cotton mill was established in Mumbai. Subsequently, two more mills, the Shahpur Mill and the Calico Mill were established in Ahmedabad. By 1947, the number of mills in India went up to 423 but the scenario changed after partition, and this industry suffered a major recession.
After independence India was left with 409 mills and only 29 per cent of the cotton producing areas. After Independence, this industry gradually recovered and eventually flourished. After 1921, with the development of the railway network other cotton textile centres expanded rapidly. In southern India, mills were set up at Coimbatore, Madurai and Bangalore. In Central India, Nagpur, Indore, Solapur and Vadodara became cotton textile centres. Cotton textile mills were set up at Kanpur based on local investment.
Tamil Nadu has the largest number of mills and most of them produce yarn rather than cloth. Coimbatore has emerged as the most important centre with nearly half the mills located there. Chennai, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Thanjavur, Ramanathapuram and Salem are the other important centres. In Karnataka, the cotton textile industry has developed in the cotton producing areas in the north-eastern part of the state. Davangere, Hubli, Bellary, Mysore and Bangalore are important centres. In Andhra Pradesh, the cotton textile industry is located in the cotton producing Telangana region, where most of the mills are spinning mills producing yarn. The important centres are Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Warangal and Guntur. In Uttar Pradesh, Kanpur is the largest centre. Some of the other important centres are Modinagar, Hathras, Saharanpur, Agra and Lucknow. In West Bengal, the cotton mills are located in the Hugli region.
Q3.Explain different phases of development of petrochemical industry in India. Answer: Many items are derived from crude petroleum, which provide raw materials for many new industries, these are collectively known as petrochemical industries. This group of industries is divided into four sub-groups:
Polymers
Synthetic fibres
Elastomers
Surfactant intermediate
Three organisations are working in the petrochemical sector under the administrative control of the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals.
Indian Petrochemical Corporation Limited (IPCL) is a public sector undertaking. It is responsible for the manufacture and distribution of various petrochemicals like polymers, chemicals, fibres and fibre intermediates.
Petrofils Cooperative Limited (PCL) is a joint venture of the Government of India and Weaver’s Cooperative Societies.
Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET), involved in imparting training in petrochemical industry.
Polymers are made from ethylene and propylene. These materials are obtained in the process of refining crude oil. Polymers are used as raw materials in the plastic industry. The National Organic Chemicals Industries Limited (NOCIL), established in private sector in 1961, started the first naphtha based chemical industry in Mumbai. The plants located at Mumbai, Barauni, Mettur, Pimpri and Rishra are the major producers of plastic materials. Synthetic fibres are widely used in the manufacturing of fabrics because of their inherent’ strength, durability, washability, and resistance to shrinkage. Industries manufacturing nylon and polyester yarns are located at Kota, Pimpri, Mumbai, Modinagar, Pune, Ujjain, Nagpur and Udhna. Acrylic staple fibre is manufactured at Kota and Vadodara.
Q4.Write a detailed note on Hugli industrial area. Answer: It is located along the Hugli river. Extension: This region extends from Bansberia in the north to Birlanagar in the south for a distance of about 100 km. Industries also have developed in Mednipur in the West Kolkata-Howrah from the nucleus of this industrial region.
Development: Historical, geographical, economic and political factors have contributed much to its development. It developed with the opening of river port on Hugli. Kolkata emerged as a leading centre of the country. Later, Kolkata was connected with interior parts by railway lines and road routes. Development of tea plantations in Assam and northern hills of West Bengal, the processing of indigo earlier and jute later coupled with the opening of coalfields of the Damodar Valley and iron ore deposits of the Chotanagpur plateau, contributed to the industrial development of the region.
Labour: Cheap labour available from thickly populated part of Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Odisha also contributed to its development. Kolkata, being the capital city of British India (1773-1911), attracted the British capital. The establishment of first jute mill at Rishra in 1855 ushered in the era of modern industrial clustering in this region. The major concentration of jute industry is at Haora and Bhatapara. The partition of the country in 1947 adversely affected this industrial region. Cotton textile industry also grew along with jute industry, paper, engineering, textile machinery, electrical, chemical, pharmaceuticals, fertiliser and petrochemical industries have also developed within this region. Factory of the Hindustan Motors Limited at Konnagar and diesel engine factory at Chittaranjan are landmarks of this region. Location of petroleum refinery at Haldia has facilitated the development of a variety of industries.
Important industrial centres of this region: Kolkata, Haora, Haldia, Serampur, Rishra, Shibpur, Naihati, Kakinara, Shamnagar, Titagarh, Sodepur, Birlanagar, Bansberia, Belgurriah, Triveni, Hugli, Belur, etc.
Q5.What were the policies adopted under New Industrial Policy 1991? What were its objectives? OR Explain the objectives and measures initiated under new industrial policy announced in 1991. Answer: The new Industrial Policy was announced in 1991. Following measures were initiated under this policy:
Abolition of industrial licensing,
Free entry to foreign technology,
Foreign investment policy,
Access to capital market,
Open trade,
Abolition of phased manufacturing programme, and
Liberalized industrial location progra¬mme.
The major objectives of this policy were as follows:
Building on the gains already made,
Correcting the distortions or weaknesses that have crept in,
Maintaining a sustained growth in productivity and gainful employment and
Last but not the least attaining inter¬national competitiveness.
Q6.Name the major areas where sugar industries are located? OR Name the major leading producing areas of sugar in India. Answer: Maharashtra has emerged as a leading sugar producing state in the country and produces more than one-third of the total production of the sugar in the country. Uttar Pradesh is the second largest producer of sugar. The sugar factories are concentrated in two belts – the Ganga- Yamuna doab and the Tarai region. The major sugar-producing centres in the Ganga-Yamuna doab are Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Baghpat and Bulandshahr districts; while Kheri Lakhimpur, Basti, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Bahraich are important sugar producing districts in the Tarai region. In Tamil Nadu, sugar factories are located in Coimbatore, Vellore, Tiruvanamalai, Villupuram and Tiruchchirappalli districts. Belgaum, Bellary, Mandya, Shimoga, Bijapur, and Chitradurg districts are the major producers in Karnataka.
The industry is distributed in the coastal regions, i.e. East Godavari, West Godavari, Vishakhapatnam districts and Nizamabad, and Medak districts of Telangana alongwith Chittoor district of Rayalseema.
The other states which produce sugar are Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Saran, Champaran, Muzaffarnagar, Siwan, Darbhanga, and Gaya are the important sugarcane producing districts in Bihar.
Q7.Distinguish between textile industry & Steel industry. Answer:
Textile Industry
Steel Industry
(i) It is an agro based industry
(i) It is mineral based industry.
(ii) It employs larger number of people.
(ii) It employs lesser number of people.
(iii) The capital investment is comparatively less. Most of them are under private sector.
(iii) The capital investment is very heavy and the dividends come late. Therefore majority of them are under public sector.
(iv) They are highly decentralized.
(iv) They are mostly centralized and integrated, though mini steel plants are coming up.
Q1.Give an account of the distribution of bauxite in India. . Answer: Bauxite is used in manufacturing of aluminium. It is found mainly in tertiary deposits and is associated with laterite rocks occurring extensively either on the plateau or hill ranges of peninsular India and also in the coastal tracts of the country.
Odisha happens to be the largest producer of Bauxite. Ralahandi and Sambalpur are the leading producers. The other two areas which have been increasing their production are Bolangir and Koraput. The patlands of Jharkhand in Lohardaga have rich deposits.
Bhavanagar, Jamnagar in Gujarat have the major deposits. Chhattisgarh has bauxite deposits in Amarkantak plateau while Katni-Jabalpur area and Balaghat in M.P. have important deposits of bauxite.
Kolaba, Thane, Ratnagiri, Satara, Pune and Kolhapur in Maharashtra are important producers. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Goa are minor producers of bauxite.
Q2.What are the uses of coal? Where is it found in India? Answer: Coal is one of the important minerals which is mainly used in the generation of thermal power and smelting of iron ore. Coal occurs in rock sequences mainly of two geological ages, namely Gondwana and tertiary deposits. About 80 per cent of the coal deposits in India is of bituminous type and is of non-coking grade. The most important Gondwana coal fields of India are located in Damodar Valley.
They lie in Jharkhand-Bengal coal belt and the important coal fields in this region are Raniganj, Jharia, Bokaro, Giridih, Karanpura. Jharia is the largest coal field followed by Raniganj. Godavari, Mahanadi and Sone river valleys also have coal deposits.
The most important coal mining centres are Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh, Korba in Chhattisgarh, Talcher and Rampur in Odisha, Chanda-Wardha, Kamptee and Bander in Maharashtra and Singareni in Telangana and Pandur in Andhra Pradesh.
Tertiary coals occur in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland. It is extracted from Darangiri, Cherrapunji, Mewlong and Langrin (Meghalaya); Makum, Jaipur and Nazira in upper Assam, Namchik – Namphuk (Arunachal Pradesh) ai d Kalakot (Jammu and Kashmir). Besides, the brown coal or lignite occur in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir.
Q3.Which are the prospective areas of natural gases in India? Answer: Natural gas is obtained alongwith oil in all the oil fields but exclusive reserves have been located along the eastern coast as well as (Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh), Tripura, Rajasthan and off¬shore wells in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Q4.List the major nuclear power stations along with the states. Answer: The important nuclear power projects are Tarapur (Maharashtra), Rawatbhata near Kota (Rajasthan), Kalpakkam(Tamil Nadu), Narora (Uttar Pradesh), Kaiga (Karnataka) and Kakarapara (Gujarat).
Q5.What are the advantages of solar energy? Answer: Solar thermal technology has some relative advantages over all other non¬renewable energy sources. It is cost competitive, environment friendly and easy to construct. Solar energy is 7 per cent more effective than coal or oil based plants and 10 per cent more effective than nuclear plants. It is generally used more in appliances like heaters, crop dryers, cookers, etc. The western part of India has greater potential for the development of solar energy in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Q6.How is geothermal energy tapped? OR What is the source of geothermal energy? Answer: When the magma from the interior of earth, comes out on the surface, tremendous heat is released. This heat energy can successfully be tapped and converted to electrical energy. Apart from this, the hot water that gushes out through the geyser wells is also used in the generation of thermal energy. It is popularly known as Geothermal energy. This energy is now considered to be one of the key energy sources which can be developed as an alternate source. The hot springs and geysers are being used since medieval period.
Q7.Name the agencies involved in exploration of minerals. Answer: Geological Survey of India (GSI), Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC), Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd. (MECL), National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), Bharat Gold Mines Ltd. (BGML), Hindustan Copper Ltd. (HCL), National Aluminium Company Ltd. (NALCO) and the Departments of Mining and Geology undertake systematic surveying, prospecting and exploration for minerals in various states.
Q8.Where are majority of petroleum reserves found? Answer: Petroleum reserves are located in the sedimentary basins of Assam, Gujarat and Mumbai High, i.e. off-shore region in the Arabian Sea. New reserves have been located in the Krishna-Godavari and Kaveri basins.
Q9.Write the uses of petroleum. Answer: Uses of petroleum are as follows:
Essential source of energy for all internal combustion engines in automobiles, railways and aircrafts.
By-products are processed in petro chemical industries such as fertilisers, synthetic rubber, synthetic fibre, medicines, vaseline, lubricants wax, soap and cosmeti.
Q10.Give the distribution of petroleum reserves in India. Answer:
Crude petroleum occurs in sedimentary rocks of the tertiary period.
Before 1956, Digboi in Assam was the only oil producing region. But now in Assam, Digboi, Naharkatiya and Moran are important. Oilfields of Gujarat are Ankleshwar, Mehsana, etc.
Mumbai High which lies 160 km off Mumbai was discovered in 1973.
Natural gas have been found in exploratory wells in Krishna-Godavari a!nd Kaveri basin on the east coast.
Q11.Name the important belts of mineral reserves in India. Answer:. Minerals are generally concentrated in three broad belts in India.
The North-Eastern Plateau Region: Chotanagpur (Jharkhand), Odisha Plateau, West Bengal and parts of Chhattisgarh.
The South-Western Plateau Region: Karnataka, Goa and contiguous Tamil Nadu uplands and Kerala.
The North-Western Region: Aravali in Rajasthan and part of Gujarat
Q12.Name the minerals which are found in South-Western plateau region belt of India. Answer: This belt extends over Karnataka, Goa and contiguous Tamil Nadu uplands and Kerala. This belt is rich in ferrous metals and bauxite. It also contains high grade iron ore, manganese and limestone. This belt packs in coal deposits except Neyveli lignite. Kerala has deposits of monazite and thorium, bauxite clay. Goa has iron ore deposits.
Q13.Write the uses and distribution of mica. Answer: Uses:
Di-electric property
Voltage resistant distribution Distribution: Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan followed by Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, M.P. and Nellore district have the best quality mica.
Q14.What are the features of minerals? Answer: Minerals have certain features:
They are either organic like fossil fuels or inorganic like mica, limestone, etc.
There is an inverse relationship iri quality and quantity of minerals i.e., good quality minerals are less in quantity as compared to low quality minerals.
They contain either iron like iron ore or don’t have iron content like copper, bauxite, etc.
These minerals take long time to develop geologically and they cannot be replenished immediately at the time of need.
All minerals are exhaustible over time. None of the minerals is a renewable source but many of them can be recycled and re-used.
Q15.Mention the uses of manganese and its producing states. Answer: Uses:
Manganese is an important raw material for smelting of iron ore.
It is also used for manufacturing ferro alloys.
Manganese Producing states:
Manganese deposits are found in almost all geological formations, however, it is mainly associated with Dharwar system.
Odisha is the leading producer of manganese. Here major mines are located in the cefttral part of the iron ore belt of India, particularly in Bonai, Kendujhar, Sundergarh, Gangpur, Koraput, Kalahandi and Bolangir.
Karnataka is an another major producer and here the mines are located in Dharwar, Bellary, Belgaum, North Canara, Chikmagalur, Shimoga, Chitradurg and Tumkur.
Maharashtra is also an important producer of manganese which is mined in Nagpur, Bhandara and Ratnagiri districts.
Andhra Pradesh, Goa, and Jharkhand are other minor producers of manganese.
Q16.Why is it necessary to develop bio-energy in India? Answer: Bio-energy is a potential source of energy conversion. It can be converted into electrical energy, heat energy or gas for cooking. Necessity for India:
It will also process the waste and garbage and produce energy.
This will improve economic life of rural areas in developing countries.
It will reduce environmental pollution.
It will enhance self-reliance.
It will reduce pressure on fuel wood.
Q17.Classify minerals based on chemical and physical properties. Explain them. Answer: On the basis of chemical and physical properties, minerals may be grouped under two main categories of metallics and non-metallics. Metallic minerals are the sources of metals. Iron ore, copper, gold produce metal and are included in this category. Non-metallic minerals are either organic in origin such as fossil fuels also known as mineral fuels which are derived from the buried animal and plant life such as coal and petroleum. Other type of non-metallic minerals are inorganic in origin such as mica, limestone and graphite, etc.
Long Answer Type Questions:
Q1.Why is conservation of resources essential? Suggest steps to conserve minerals. Answer: In order to achieve economic development with least environmental impact, the goals of sustainable development must be kept in mind in order to protect the future generations. There is an urgent need to conserve the resources.
The alternative energy sources like solar power, wind, wave, geothermal energy are inexhaustible resource. These should be developed to replace the exhaustible resources.
In case of metallic minerals, use of scrap metals will enable recycling of metals. Use of scrap is specially significant in metals like copper, lead and zinc in which India’s reserves are meagre.
Use of substitutes for scarce metals may also reduce their consumption.
Export of strategic and scarce minerals must be reduced, so that the existing reserve may be used for a longer period.
Q2.Describe the development of nuclear energy in India and challenges in its growth. Answer: Nuclear energy has emerged as a viable source in recent times.
Important minerals used for the generation of nuclear energy are uranium and thorium.
Uranium deposits occur in the Dharwar rocks. These are known to occur in several locations along the Singbhum Copper belt. It is also found in Udaipur, Alwar and Jhunjhunu districts of Rajasthan, Durg district of Chhattisgarh, Bhandara district of Maharashtra and Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh.
Thorium is mainly obtained from monazite and lignite in the sands of beach along the coasts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
World’s richest monazite deposits occur in Palakkad and Kollam districts ofKerala, near Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Mahanadi river delta in Odisha.
Q3.Write a note on the three belts of mineral distribution. Answer: Minerals are generally concentrated in three broad belts in India. These belts are:
The North-Eastern Plateau Region: This belt covers Chhotanagpur (Jharkhand), Odisha Plateau, West Bengal and parts of Chhattisgarh. It has variety of minerals—iron ore, coal, manganese, bauxite, mica.
The South-Western Plateau Region: This belt extends from Karnataka, Goa and contiguous Tamil Nadu uplands and Kerala. It is rich in ferrous metals and bauxite. It also contains high grade iron ore, manganese and limestone. This belt lacks in coal deposits except Neyveli lignite. Kerala has deposits of monazite and thorium, bauxite clay. Goa has iron ore deposits.
The North-Western Region: This belt extends along Aravali in Rajasthan and part of Gujarat and minerals are associated with Dharwar system of rocks. Copper, zinc have been major minerals. Rajasthan is rich in building stones i.e. sandstone, granite, marble. Gypsum and Fuller’s earth deposits are also extensive. Dolomite and limestone provide raw materials for cement industiy. Gujarat is known for its petroleum deposits. Gujarat and Rajasthan have rich sources of salt. The Himalayan belt: It is another mineral belt where copper, lead, zinc, cobalt and tungsten are known to occur. Assam valley has mineral oil deposits.Oil resources are also found in off-shore- areas near Mumbai Coast (Mumbai High).
Q4.Where does India stand as far as iron resource is concerned? Write a note on its distribution. Answer: India is endowed with fairly abundant resources of iron ore. It has the largest reserve of iron ore in Asia. About 95 per cent of total reserves of iron ore is located in the States of Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Goa, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. In Odisha, iron ore occurs in a series of hill ranges in Sundergarh, Mayurbhanj and Jhar. The important mines are Gurumahisani, Sulaipet, Badampahar (Mayurbhaj), Kiruburu (Kendujhar) and Bonai (Sundergarh).
Jharkhand has some of the oldest iron ore mines and most of the iron and steel plants are located around them. Most of the important mines such as Noamundi and Gua are located in Poorbi and Pashchimi Singhbhum districts. This belt further extends to Durg, Dantewara and Bailadila. Dalli, and Rajhara in Durg are the important mines of iron ore in the country. In Karnataka, iron ore deposits occur in Sandur-Hospet area of Ballari district, Baba Budan hills and Kudremukh in Chikkamagaluru district and parts of Shivamogga, Chitradurg and Tumakuru districts.
The districts of Chandrapur, Bhandara and Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, Karimnagar and Warangal district of Telangana, Kurnool, Cuddapah and Anantapur districts of Andhra Pradesh, Salem and Nilgiris districts of Tamil Nadu are other iron mining regions. Goa has also emerged as an important producer of iron ore.
Q1.What are the three things essential for water resource development? Answer: A very small proportion of fresh water is available for human use. The availability of fresh water varies over space and time. The tensions and disputes on sharing and control of this scare resource have become serious problems. So assessment, efficient use and Conservation of water, have become necessary to ensure development.
Q2.Why does the use of groundwater vary from state to state? Answer: The rate of groundwater utilization is very high in the river basins of north west India and parts of south India, where the rain water percolates down easily through the soft soils and recharge underground water table. It is also easy to construct wells and tube wells here. Surface water is more utilized in the crystalline rocks of south India.
Q3.What are the emerging water problems facing India? Answer: The over-use of groundwater resources has led to decline in ground water table in the states of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh. In fact, over withdrawals in some states like Rajasthan and Maharashtra has increased fluoride concentration in groundwater, and this practice has led to increase in concentration of arsenic in parts of West Bengal and Bihar. The per capita availability of water is dwindling day by day due to increase in population. The available water resources are also getting polluted with industrial, agricultural and domestic effluents, and this, in turn, is further limiting the availability of usable water resources.
Q4.When was National Water Policy undertaken? Give its key features. Answer: The National Water Policy was undertaken in 2002, to prioritized the ‘ water allocation in the different sectors in the following order: Drinking water, Irrigation, Hydro power, Navigation, Industrial and Other uses. Highlights:
Providing drinking water is the first priority.
Irrigation and multi-purpose projects should include drinking water in areas where it is not available.
Regulate and limit groundwater exploitation.
Regular monitoring of water sources for quality.
Awareness and conservation consciousness should be promoted.
Q5.What do you mean by degradation of water resources? Answer: Water quality refers to the purity of water, or water without unwanted foreign substances. Water gets polluted by foreign matters such as micro-organisms, chemicals, industrial and other wastes. Such matters deteriorate the quality of water and render it unfit for human use. When toxic substances enter lakes, steams, rivers, ocean and other water bodies, they get dissolved or lie suspended in water. This results in pollution of water whereby the quality of water deteriorates affecting aquatic systems.
Q6.Why is the level of groundwater utilization relatively high in the river basins lying in north-western region and parts of South India? Answer:
Water percolates easily in alluvial soil construction is easy.
Northern states are mostly the agricultural states where the water is used for irrigation.
South India is hard in rocky terrain, percolation of the water becomes difficult, moreover, canal construction is costly because of topography.
Q7.Name the three states which have larger area under irrigation and why? Answer: The three states are:
Punjab
Haiyana
Western Uttar Pradesh
It is because:
Wheat and rice are grown mainly with the help of irrigation in these states.
Net irrigated area of Punjab and Haryana are irrigated through wells and tube wells.
These states utilize large proportion of their groundwater potential.
Canal irrigation is the biggest source of irrigation in North India.
In peninsular India, tank irrigation is mostly done.
Q8.What are the implications of using groundwater in drought-prone areas of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu? Answer:
The over-use of groundwater resources has led to decline in its level.
Rajasthan and Maharashtra have increased fluoride concentration in groundwater.
This practice has led to increase in concentration of arsenic in West Bengal and Bihar.
This practice has increased salinity in the soil of Punjab and Haryana.
Q9.What are the four major problems in the development of water resources in India? Answer: Water resources in India faced many problems such as availability, quality, usage and management.
Availability: Water resources are excess in some regions such as West Bengal whereas it is deficient in other parts of the country like Rajasthan and peninsular India.
Quality: Water pollution is caused by domestic waste, industrial waste and chemical use in agriculture.
Usage: Underground water resources could be used in Northern India whereas in Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, it increases the concentration of arsenic, fluoride and salinity in the soil.
Management: The availability of fresh water is less and is also declining whereas the demand of water is getting rapid due to industrialization and urbanization, moreover inter-state water disputes are increasing. There are seepage losses and lack of improved irrigation facilities.
Q10.Why there is a need to conserve water resources? Answer:
Increasing demand for agricultural sector, domestic use due to urbanisation and industrialisation & rise in population.
Sustainable development.
High cost of desalinisation.
Due to above reasons, we need to conserve water resources.
Q11.Give a few examples where water can be recycled and reused to improve the availability of fresh water. Answer:
Use of water of lesser quality such as reclaimed waste-water would be an attractive option for industries.
Fire fighting and industrialization cooling to reduce their water cost.
Urban areas water after bathing and washing utensils can be used for gardening.
Water used for washing vehicle can also be used for gardening.
Long Answer Type Questions:
Q1.What are the major sources of surface water? Answer: There are four major sources of surface water. These are rivers, lakes, ponds, and tanks. In the country, there are about 10,360 rivers and their tributaries longer than 1.6 km each. The mean annual flow in all the river basins in India is estimated to be 1,869 cubic km. rate. Due to topographical, hydrological and other constraints, only about 690 cubic km (32 per cent) of the available surface water can be utilised. Water flow in a river depends on size of its catchment area or river basin and rainfall within its catchment area.
Precipitation in India has spatio temporal variation, and it is mainly concentrated in Monsoon season. Some of the rivers in the country like the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and the Indus have huge catchment areas. Precipitation is high in the catchment areas of the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and the Barak rivers, these rivers, although account for only about one-third of the total area in the country, have 60 per cent of the total surface water resources. A good percentage of water flow in south Indian rivers like the Godavari, the Krishna, and the Kaveri has been harnessed. The other sources of surface water like lakes, ponds and tanks are utilized. In south India, tank irrigation is common.
Q2.With the example of ‘Ralegan Siddhi’ show how watershed development projects are imperative for development. Answer: Ralegan Siddhi’ is a village in Maharashtra, which was under abject poverty. Transformation started with the initiative of an army personnel, who took up watershed development. Voluntary work by the villagers along with their monetary contribution changed the village from a poverty stricken village to a role model for others to emulate. Work began with a percolation tank. A youth group called Tarun Mandal was formed which worked to ban the dowry system, caste discrimination and other social evils.Cultivation of water intensive crops and practice of open grazing were banned. Crops with low water requirements were encouraged. Nyay Panchayat was set up to look in to the local problems. Utilising local resources, a school was contructed. The villagers want to buy land from adjoining villages for developmental purposes. The village transformed to a self reliant and sufficient village.
Q3.Give some possible solutions to water problem in India. Answer: In order to solve water problem in India constructive holistic approach should be adopted and implemented.
There is a wide scope to use rainwater harvesting technique to conserve precious water resource. It can be done by harvesting rainwater on rooftops and open spaces. Harvesting rainwater also decreases the community dependence on groundwater for domestic use.
Besides bridging the demand supply gap, it can also save energy to pump groundwater as recharge leads to rise in groundwater table. Urban areas can specially benefit from rainwater harvesting as water demand has already outstripped supply in most of the cities and towns.
Desalinization of water particularly in coastal areas and brackish water in arid and semi-arid areas.
Transfer of water from water surplus areas to water deficit areas through inter linking of rivers can be important remedies for solving water problem in India.
Pricing of water for households and communities should be considered more seriously.
Q4.Describe the features of surface water and the groundwater distribution in India. Answer:
Surface water:
Major sources of surface water are rivers, lakes, ponds and tanks. In the country there are about 10,360 rivers and their tributaries are averagely longer than 1.6 km each.
The mean annual flow in all the river basins in India is estimated to be 1869 cubic kms.
Due to topographical, hydrological and other constraints only 32% of available surface water can be utilised.
The Ganga, the Brahmaputra and the Indus river account for 60% of the total water resources in India. The expanse of these rivers are broader and larger and receive heavy rainfall.
Groundwater resources:
Groundwater resources in our country are about 432 cubic kms.
The Ganga and the Brahmaputra have larger replenishable groundwater resources.
The level of groundwater utilization is high in river basins relatively lying in north western region and in parts of south India.
The groundwater utilization is very high in states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
The states like Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Kerala utilize only small proportion of ground water.
The states like Kerala, Odisha and West Bengal have vast surface water resources in legumes and lake also. Although water is generally brackish in these water bodies they are used for fishing, irrigating certain amount of paddy and crops like coconut, etc.
The states like Gujarat, U.P, Bihar, Tripura and Maharashtra, are utilizing groundwater resources at a moderate rate.
Q5.Explain important features of National Water Policy, 2002. Answer: The following points are the salient features of National Water Policy, 2002.
Emphasis on the need for a national water framework law, comprehensive legislation for optimum development of inter-state rivers and river valleys, amendment of Irrigation Acts, Indian Easements Act, 1882, etc.
Water, after meeting the pre-emptive needs for safe drinking water and sanitation, achieving food security, supporting poor people dependent on agriculture for their livelihood and high priority allocation for minimum ecosystem needs, be treated as economic good so as to promote its conservation and efficient use.
Ecological needs of the river should be determined recognizing that river flows are characterized by low or no flows, small floods (freshets), large floods and flow variability should accommodate development needs. A portion of river flows should be kept aside to meet ecological needs ensuring that the proportional low and high flow releases correspond in time closely to the natural flow regime.
Adaptation strategies in view of climate change for designing and management of water resource structures, review of acceptability criteria and increasing water storage have been emphasized.
A system to evolve the benchmarks for water uses for different purposes, i.e., water footprints, and water auditing be developed to ensure efficient use
Q1.Which four categories witnessed a decline in land use? Why? Answer: The four categories that have registered a decline are barren and wasteland, culturable wasteland, area under pastures and tree crops and fallow lands. The following explanations can be given for the declining trends:
As the pressure on land increased, both from the agricultural and non agricultural sectors, the wastelands and culturable wastelands have witnessed decline over time.
The decline in land under pastures and grazing lands can be explained by pressure from agricultural land. Illegal encroachment due to expansion of cultivation on common pasture lands is largely responsible for this decline.
Q2.What are the varieties of rice in India? Answer: Rice is a tropical crop and has about 3,000 varieties that are grown in different agro-climatic regions from sea level to about 2,000 m altitude and from humid areas in eastern India to dry but irrigated areas of the west. In southern states and West Bengal two to three crops of rice in an agricultural year. In West Bengal farmers grow three crops of rice called ‘aus’, ‘aman’ and ‘boro’. In Himalayas and northwestern parts of the country, it is grown as a kharif crop during southwest Monsoon season.
Q3.What is the importance of pulses in India? Answer: Pulses are a very important as part of vegetarian food as a source of protein. Since these are legume crops they help in restoring the natural fertility of soils through the nitrogen fixing bacteria rhizobium in their roots. Since they do not much care, they can be grown in drier parts of the country, where the fine cereals cannot be grown.
Q4.What problems are faced by the fibre crops in India? Answer: India lost a big cotton growing area to Pakistan during partition and jute growing area to East Pakistan that is Bangladesh. Also these fibres are facing stiff competition from synthetic fibre as they are cheap, durable and easy to work with.
Q5.Write a note on tea cultivation in India. Answer: Tea is a plantation crop used as beverage. Black tea leaves are fermented whereas green tea leaves are unfermented. In India, tea plantation started in 1840’s in Brahmaputra valley of Assam which still is a major tea growing area in the country. Later, it was introduced in the sub-Himalayan region of West Bengal. It is also grown in Nilgiri and Cardamom hills. India accounts for about 28 per cent of total production in the world. Presently, it ranks third among tea exporting countries in the world after Sri Lanka and China. Assam accounts for about 53.2 per cent of the total cropped area and contributes more than half of total production of tea in the country. West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are the other leading producers of tea.
Q6.What is the importance of coarse cereals in India? Answer: Coarse cereals like Jowar, Bajra, ragi and maize occupy about 17% of the total cropped area. These crops are sometimes grown as part of mixed cropping and are grown almost all over dry and semi arid parts of India since they do not require much care, fertilizer, etc. So, the areas where rice and wheat are not grown, these are grown by farmers who cannot afford to grow fine cereals. Coarse cereals also have a very high nutritious value. For a developing country like India, they are highly suitable for poor farmers to grow them on inferior quality, drier lands.
Q7.Why does India need irrigation? Answer: In India irrigation is needed for the spatio-temporal variation in rainfall. The water intensive crops makes irrigation necessary. Irrigation also makes multiple cropping possible. HYV varieties of crops require assured water supply at the right time to give the maximum production.
Q8.What are the advantages of common property resources? Answer:
CPR’s provide fodder for the livestock and fuel for the households.
It provides products like fruits, nuts, fibre, medical plants, etc.
It provides livelihood of the landless and marginal farmers and other weaker sections. They depend on income from their livestock due to limited access to land.
CPR’s are also important for women to collect most of the fodder and fuel in rural areas.
Q9.Explain the conditions for the growth of wheat. Answer: Wheat is the second most important cereal crop in India after rice. Conditions:
It is primarily a crop of temperate zone. It is cultivated in India during winter, i.e. rabi season.
It requires fertile soil, therefore about 85 per cent of total area under this crop is concentrated in north and central regions of the country, i.e. Indo Gangetic Plain, Malwa Plateau and Himalayas up to 2,700 m altitude.
Being a rabi crop, it is mostly grown under irrigated conditions. But it is a rained crop in Himalayan highlands and parts of Malwa plateau in Madhya Pradesh.
Q10.Explain the conditions for the growth of rice. Answer: Rice is a staple food for the overwhelming majority of population in India. Conditions:
Though, it is considered to be a crop of tropical humid areas, it has about 3,000 varieties which are grown in different agro-climatic regions.
These are successfully grown from sea level to about 2,000 m altitude and from humid areas in eastern India to diy but irrigated areas of Punjab, Haiyana, western U.P. and northern Rajasthan.
In southern states and West Bengal the climatic conditions allow the cultivation of two or three crops of rice in an agricultural year. But in Himalayas and northwestern parts of the country, it is grown as a kharif crop during southwest Monsoon season.
West Bengal, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh were the leading rice producing states in the country in 2009-10.
Q11.Which crops are included in oil seeds? Give a brief account of their production. Answer: Oil seeds include:
Groundnut
Rapeseed and mustard
Soyabean and
Sunflower
The oil seeds are produced for extracting edible oils. Drylands of Malwa plateau, Marathwada, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana and Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka plateau are oil seeds growing regions of India. These crops together occupy about 14 per cent of total cropped area in the country.
Q12.Give the desired conditions for the growth of cotton. Answer: Desired Conditions:
Cotton is a tropical crop grown in kharif season in semi-arid areas of the country.
Cotton requires clear sly during flowering stage.
Black soil is most suitable for production of cotton.
Leading producers of this crop are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. Per hectare output of
cotton is high under irrigated conditions in north western region of the country. Its yield is very low in Maharashtra where it is grown under rained conditions.
Q13.Give the desired conditions for the growth of sugarcane. Answer: Desired Conditions:
Sugarcane is a crop of tropical areas. Under rained conditions, it is cultivated in sub-humid and humid climates.
It is largely an irrigated crop in India.
In Indo-Gangetic plain, its cultivation is largely concentrated in Uttar Pradesh. Sugarcane growing area in western India is spread over Maharashtra and Gujarat.
In Southern India, it is cultivated in irrigated tracts of Karnataka.
Q14.What is package technology? Answer: New seed varieties of wheat (Mexico) and rice (Philippines) known as high yielding varieties (HYVs) were available for cultivation by mid-1960s. India also introduced package technology comprising HYVs, along with chemical fertilisers in irrigated, areas of Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. Its basic need was assured supply of soil moisture through irrigation. This strategy of agricultural development paid dividends instantly and increased the foodgrains production at very fast rate. This spurt of agricultural growth came to be known as ‘Green Revolution’ which is a result of package technology.
Q15.Explain the land-use categories as maintained in the Land Revenue Records? Answer: The land-use categories as maintained in the Land Revenue Records are as follows:
Forests
Land put to non-agricultural Uses
Barren and Wastelands
Area under Permanent Pastures and Grazing Lands
Area under Miscellaneous Tree Crops and Groves (Not included is Net sown Area)
Culturable Wasteland
Current Fallow
Fallow other than Current Fallow
Net Area Sown
Long Answer Type Questions:
Q1.Give the land-use categories based on Land revenue records. Answer: The land-use categories as maintained in the Land Revenue Records are as follows: (zj Forests: It is important to note that area under actual forest cover is different from area classified as forest. The latter is the area which the Government has identified and demarcated for forest growth.
Land put to Non-agricultural Uses: Land under settlements (rural and urban), infrastructure (roads, canals, etc.), industries, shops, etc. are included in this category.
Barren and Wastelands: The land which may be classified as a wasteland such as barren hilly terrains, desert lands, ravines, etc. normally cannot be brought under cultivation with the available technology.
Area under Permanent Pastures and Grazing Lands: Most of this type land is owned by the village ‘Panchayat’ or the Government. Only a small proportion of this land is privately owned. The land owned by the village panchayat comes under ‘Common Property Resources’.
Area under Miscellaneous Tree Crops and Groves (Not included is Net sown Area): The land under orchards and fruit trees are included in this categoiy. Much of this land is privately owned.
Culturable Waste-Land: Any land which is left fallow (uncultivated) for more than five years is included in this categoiy. It can be brought under cultivation after improving it through reclamation practices.
Current Fallow: This is the land which is left without cultivation for one or less than one agricultural year. Fallowing is a cultural practice adopted for giving the land rest. The land recoups the lost fertility through natural processes.
Fallow other than Current Fallow: This is also a cultivable land which is left uncultivatedfor more than a year but less than five years. If the land is left uncultivated for more than five years, it would be categorised as culturable wasteland.
Net Area Sown: The physical extent of land on which crops are sown and harvested is known as net sown area.
Q2.How is land significant/valuable in the livelihood of people? Answer: Land resource is more crucial to the livelihood of the people depending on agriculture:
Agriculture is a purely land based activity unlike secondary and tertiary activities. In other words, contribution of land in agricultural output is more compared to its contribution in the outputs in the other sectors. Thus, lack of access to land is directly correlated with incidence of poverty in rural areas.
Quality of land has a direct bearing on the productivity of agriculture, which is not true for other activities.
In rural areas, aside from its value as a productive factor, land ownership has a social value and serves as a security for credit, natural hazards or life contingencies, and also adds to the social status.
Q3.What is the staple crop of our country? How many varieties are there? What is India’s contribution to the world? Where is it grown in India? Answer: Rice is the staple crop of the country. Rice is a tropical crop and has about 3,000 varieties that are grown in different agro-climatic regions from sea level to about 2,000 m altitude and from humid areas in eastern India to dry but irrigated areas of the west. In southern states and West Bengal two to three crops of rice in an agricultural year. In West Bengal farmers grow three crops of rice called ‘aus’, ‘aman’ and ‘boro’.
India contributes 21.6 per cent of rice production in the world and ranked second after China (2008-09). West Bengal, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh were the leading rice producing states in the country in 2009-10. The yield level of rice is high in Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Kerala. The yield of this crop is very low in rainfed areas of M.P., Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
Q4.Show with example the development of agricultural with technology. Answer: There has been a significant increase in agricultural output and improvement in technology during the last fifty years.
Production and yield of many crops such as rice and wheat has increased at an impressive rate. The production of sugarcane, oil seeds and cotton has also increased appreciably. India ranked first in the production of pulses and jute in 2008-09. It is the second largest producer of rice, wheat, groundnut, sugarcane and vegetables.
Expansion of irrigation has played a very crucial role in enhancing agricultural output in the country and helped in the introduction of modern agricultural society such as high yielding varieties of seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and farm machinery. The net irrigated area in the country has increased from 20.85 to 54.66 million ha over the period 1950-51 to 2000-01. Over these 50 years, area irrigated more than once in an agricultural year has increased from 1.71 to 20.46 million ha.
In various areas of the country modern agricultural technology has spread very fast. Consumption of chemical fertilizers has increased by 15 times since mid-sixties. In 2001-02, per hectare consumption of chemical fertilizers in India was 91 kg which was at par with average consumption in the world (90 kg). Punjab and Haryana uses three to four times of this. Since the high yielding varieties are highly susceptible to pests and diseases, the use of pesticides has increased significantly since 1960’s.
Q5.Write a note on the problems of Indian agriculture. Answer:
The nature of problems faced by •Indian agriculture varies according to agro-ecological and historical experiences of its different regions. But there are some problems which are common and range from physical constraints to institutional hindrances. Some problems are:
Dependence on Erratic Monsoon: Irrigation covers only about 33 per cent of the cultivated area in India. The crop production in rest of the cultivated land directly depends on rainfall. Spatio- temporal variations in rainfall causes fluctuations in steady supply of water and makes them vulnerable to both drought and floods.
Low productivity: The yield of the crops in the country is low in comparison to the international level. Because of the very high pressure on the land resources, the labour productivity in Indian agriculture is also very low in comparison to international level.
Constraints of Financial Resources and Indebtedness: The inputs of modem agriculture are very expensive for marginal and small farmers for them to invest in agriculture. Crop failures and low returns from agriculture have forced them to fall in the trap of indebtedness.
Lack of Land Reforms: In India there had been unequal distribution of land over the years. Though land reforms were made after independence, they were not implemented affectively due to lack of strong political will. Lack of implementation of land reforms resulted in unequal distribution of cultivable land.
Small Farm Size and Fragmentation of Landholdings: There are a large number of marginal and small farmers in the country. The average size of land holding is shrinking due to law of inheritance. The land holdings are mostly fragmented. Even the states where consolidation of land holdings was carried out once, second consolidation is required. The small size fragmented landholdings are uneconomic.
Lack of Commercialization: A large number of farmers produce crops for self-consumption. These farmers do not have enough land resources to produce more than their requirement. Most of the small and marginal farmers grow food grains, which are meant for their own family consumption.
Vast Under-employment: There is a massive under-employment in the agricultural sector in India, particularly in the un-irrigated tracts. The people engaged in agriculture do not have the opportunity to work round the year.
Degradation of Cultivable Land: Degradation of land resources is a serious problem caused due to faulty strategy of irrigation and agricultural development which leads to depletion of soil fertility.Excessive use of chemicals such as insecticides and pesticides has made the soil toxic. Absence of leguminous plants and decrease in duration of fallow land has reducd natural fertilization of soil.
Q6.Define common property resources. Answer: Land, according to its ownership can broadly be classified under two broad heads – private land and common property resources (CPR’s). While the former is owned by an individual or a group of individuals, the latter is owned by the state meant for the use of the community, fodder form a degraded area of CPR. CPR’s can be defined as community’s natural resource, where every member has the right of access and usage with specified obligations, without anybody having property rights over them. Community forests, pasture lands, village water bodies and other public space are examples of CPR’s which are used and managed by households.
CPR’s provide fodder for the livestock and fuel for the households along with other minor forest products like fruits, nuts, fibre, medicinal plants, etc. In rural areas, such land is of particular relevance for the livelihood of the landless and marginal farmers and other weaker sections since many of them depend on income from their livestock due to the fact that they have limited access to land. CPR’s also are important for women as most of the fodder and fuel collection is done by them in rural areas. They have to devote long hours in collecting fuel and fodder from a degraded area of CPR.
Q7.Classify farming based on the ‘source of moisture’. Answer: On the basis of main source of moisture for crops, the farming can be classified as irrigated and rainfed (barani). There is difference in the nature of irrigated farming as well based on objective of irrigation, i.e. protective or productive. The objective of protective irrigation is to protect the crops from adverse effects of soil moisture deficiency which often means that irrigation acts as a supplementary source of water over and above the rainfall. The strategy of this kind of irrigation is to provide soil moisture to maximum possible area. Productive irrigation is meant to provide sufficient soil moisture in the cropping season to achieve high productivity. In such irrigation the water input per unit area of cultivated land is higher than protective irrigatioh. Rainfed farming is further classified on the basis of adequacy of soil moisture during cropping season into dryland and wetland farming. In India, the dryland farming is largely confined to the regions having annual rainfall less than 75 cm.
These regions grow hardy and drought resistant crops such as ragi, bajra, moong, gram and guar (fodder crops) and practise various measures of soil moisture conservation and rain water harvesting. In wetland farming, the rainfall is in excess of soil moisture requirement of plants during rainy season. Such regions may face flood and soil erosion hazards. These areas grow various water intensive crops such as rice, jute and sugarcane and practise aquaculture in the fresh water bodies.
Q8.What are the three economic factors that affect land-use? OR Describe the three types of changes that of changes that an economy undergoes which affect its land use pattern. Answer: Three factors that affect land-use are as follows:
The size of the economy: The size of the economy grows over time as a result of increasing population, change in income levels, available technology and associated factors. As a result, the pressure on land will increase with time and marginal lands would come under use.
The composition of the economy: The composition of the economy would undergo a change over time. In other words, the secondary and the tertiary sectors usually grow much faster than the primary sector,, specifically the agricultural sector. This type of change is common in developing countries like India. This process would result in a gradual shift of land from agricultural uses to non-agricultural uses. Such changes are sharp around large urban areas. The agricultural land is being used for building purposes.
Continuous pressure on agricultural land: Though the contribution of the agricultural activities reduces over time, the pressure on land for agricultural activities does not decline. The reasons for continued pressure on agricultural land are:
In developing countries, the share of population dependent on agriculture usually declines far slowly as compared to the decline in the sector’s share in GDP.
The number of people that the agricultural sector has to feed keeps increasing day by day.
Q9.Which three categories have undergone increase in land use pattern? Explain why. Answer: Categories that have undergone increase in land use pattern are as follows:
The rate of increase is the highest in case of area under non-agricultural uses. This is due to the changing structure of Indian economy, which is increasingly depending on the contribution from industrial and services sectors and expansion of related infrastructural facilities. Also, an expansion of area under both urban and rural settlements has added to the increase. Thus, the area under non-agriculturaluses is increasing at the expense of wastelands and agricultural land.
The increase in the share under forest, as explained before, can be accounted for by increase in the demarcated area under forest rather than an actual increase in the forest cover in the countiy.
The increase in the current fallow cannot be explained from information pertaining to only two points. The trend of current fallow fluctuates a great deal over years, depending on the variability of rainfall and cropping cycles.
The increase in net area sown is a recent phenomenon due to use of culturable waste land for agricultural purpose. Before which it was registering a slow decrease. There are indications that most of the decline had occurred due to the increases in area under non-agricultural use.
Q10.Give statistical account of small and fragmented landholdings. Why are small and fragmented landholdings undesirable? Answer: There are a large number of marginal and small farmers in the countiy. More than 60 per cent of the ownership holdings have a size smaller than one hectare. Furthermore, about 40 per cent of the farmers have operational holding size smaller than 0.5 hectare. The average size of landholding is shrinking further under increasing population pressure. Furthermore, in India, the landholdings are mostly fragmented. There are some states where consolidation of holding has not been carried out even once. Even the states where it has been carried out once, second consolidation is required as landholdings have fragmented again in the process of division of land among the owners of next generations.
The small size fragmented landholdings are uneconomic. A lot of land gets wasted in fencing and modern farming methods cannot be used for small landholdings.
Q11.What is the importance of pulses in our diet? What are the main pulses grown in India? Answer: Pulses are a very important ingredient of vegetarian food as these are rich sources of proteins. These are legume crops which increase the natural fertility of soils through nitrogen fixation.
India is a leading producer of pulses and accounts for about one-fifth of the total production of pulses in the world.
The cultivation of pulses in the country is largely concentrated in the drylands of Deccan and central plateaus and northwestern parts of the countiy.
Pulses occupy about 11 per cent of the total cropped area in the country.
Being the rainfed crops of drylands, the yields of pulses are low and fluctuate from year to year.
Gram and tur are the main pulses cultivated in India. Gram is cultivated in subtropical areas. It is mostly a rainfed crop cultivated during rabi season in central, western and northwestern parts of the countiy. Tur (Arhar) is the second important pulse crop in the countiy. It is also known as red gram or pigeon pea. It is cultivated over marginal lands and under rainfed conditions in the dry areas of central and southern states of the countiy. This crop occupies only about 2 per cent of total cropped area of India.
Q1.Give two characteristics of urban settlement in India. How are cities connected to rural centres? Answer: Urban settlements are generally compact and larger in size and they are engaged in variety of non agricultural, economic and administrative functions. Cities are functionally linked to rural areas around them. Exchange of goods and services with food and raw materials is either performed directly or sometimes through market towns and cities.
Q2.Write a note on evolution of towns in India. Answer: On the basis of their evolution in different periods, Indian towns may be classified as:
Ancient towns
Medieval towns and
Modern towns.
Ancient Towns: There are number of towns in India having historical background spanning over 2000 years. Most of them developed as religious and cultural centres. Varanasi is one of the important towns among these. Prayag (Allahabad), Pataliputra (Patna), Madurai are some other examples of ancient towns in the country.
Medieval Towns: About 100 of the existing towns have their roots in the medieval period and they developed as headquarters of principalities and kingdoms. These are fort towns which came up on the ruins of ancient towns. Important among them are Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra and Nagpur.
Modern Towns: The British and other Europeans have developed a number of towns in India. Starting their foothold on coastal locations, they first developed some trading ports such as Surat, Daman, Goa, Pondicherry, etc. Later they developed principle nodes of Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras), and Kolkata (Calcutta). They established administrative centres, hilltowns as summer resorts, and added military areas to them. After independence, a large number of towns were developed as administrative headquarters, example; Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar, Gandhinagar, Dispur, etc. and industrial centres such as Durgapur, Bhilai, Sindri, Barauni. Some old towns also developed as satellite towns around metropolitan cities such as Ghaziabad, Rohtak, Gurgaon around Delhi.
Q3.What factors are responsible for different types of rural settlements in India? Answer: There are many factors and conditions responsible for different types of rural settlements in India. They are:
Physical features – nature of terrain, altitude, climate and availability of water,
Cultural and ethnic factors – social structure, caste and religion.
Security factors – defence against thefts and robberies.
Q4.Where do we find clustered settlements in India? Explain their features. Answer: Clustered settlements are found in fertile alluvial plains and the north-eastern states. People live in compact village for security or defence reasons, such as in the Bundelkhand region of central India and in Nagaland. In Rajasthan, scarcity of water has necessitated compact settlement for maximum utilisation of available water resources. Their features:
It is an area of compact or closely built up area of houses
The general living area is distinct and separated from the surrounding farms and pastures.
The closely built-up area and its intervening streets present some recognisable pattern or geometric shape, such as rectangular, radial, linear, etc.
Q5.Write a few features of rural settlements. Answer: Features of rural settlements:
Rural settlements are most closely and directly related to land.
They are dominated by primary activities such as agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, etc.
The settlements size is relatively small and rate of growth and expansion is low.
Usually rural settlements are located near water bodies such as rivers, lakes, and springs where water can be easily obtained.
People living in rural areas have strong relationship among themselves because they are similar in their culture, social and religious issues.
The houses in rural areas are similar in their construction pattern which is according to the climatic conditions.
Q6.Write a few features of urban settlements. Answer: Features of urban settlements:
Urban settlements have a close relationship with technology and man made things.
Most of the people are engaged in secondary, tertiary and quaternary activities in these areas.
The settlement size is large and there is high density of population.
Urban settlements are located near industrial areas, ports, administrative centers, etc.
In order to take care of urban areas, Municipality, Cantonment Board or Notified Area Council are formed. Similarly, in Latin American countries, such as Brazil and Bolivia, any administrative centre is considered urban irrespective of its population size.
Q7.Explain the classification of urban settlement on the basis of population size. Answer: Census of India classifies urban centres in the six following classes.
All classes
Population size
I
1,00,000 and more
II
50,000-99,999
III
20,000-49,999
IV
10,000-19,999
V
5,000-9,999
VI
Less than 5,000
Population of more than one lakh people is called a city or class I town.
Cities accommodating population size between one to five million are mega cities.
61% of population living in urban areas lives in class I town.
Out of 423 cities, 35 urban agglomerations are metros, 6 of them are mega cities with one fifth (21.01%) of population.
Q8.What do you mean by urbanization and levels of urbanization in India? Answer: Urbanization refers to development of villages and rural areas into towns with high standard of living and civic amenities. The level of urbanization is measured in terms of percentage of urban population to the total population. The level of urbanization in India in 2001 was 28%.
Q9.What factors are responsible for different types of human settlements? Answer: There are various factors and conditions responsible for having different types of rural settlements in India. These include:
Physical features – nature of terrain, altitude, climate and availability of water,
Cultural and ethnic factors – social structure, caste and religion.
Security factors – defence against thefts and robberies.
Q10.When did maximum urban growth take place in India? What were its causes? Answer: With increasing investment in rural areas, a large number of medium and small towns have developed all over the country. The level of urbanization in India in 2001 was 28 per cent, which is quite low in comparison to developed countries. Total urban population has increased eleven fold during twentieth century. Enlargement of urban centers and emergence of new towns have played a significant role in the growth of urban population and urbanization in the country.
Q11.What do you mean by urban agglomeration? Answer: An urban agglomeration may consist of any one of the following three combinations:
A town and its adjoining urban outgrowths,
Two or more contiguous towns with or without their outgrowths, and
A city and one or more adjoining towns with their outgrowths together forming a contiguous spread.
Q12.What is the total urban population of India? In which type of towns does this population live? Answer: As per 2011 census urban population in India is 377,000,000. 60% of urban population in India lives in class I towns.
Q13.Name different types of towns on the basis of their functions. Answer: On the basis of their functions different types of towns are as follows:
Administrative towns and cities
Mining towns
Industrial towns
Garrisson cantonment towns
Transport cities
Educational towns
Commercial towns
Religious and cultural towns
Tourist towns
Long Answer Type Questions:
Q1.Define Human settlement. Briefly describe the rural settlement types in India. Answer: Cluster of dwellings of any type or size where human beings live is called human settlement. It involves grouping of people and apportioning of territory as a resource base. Settlements vary in size and type. Types of settlements are determined by the extent of built up area, inter house distance. There are four types of rural settlements in India:
The clustered rural settlement is a compact or closely built up area of houses. Here, the general living area is distinct and separated from the surrounding farms, barns and pastures. The closely built-up area and streets form recognizable pattern or geometric shape, such as rectangular, radial, linear, etc. These are found in fertile alluvial plains and in the northeastern states. People live in compact village for security or region of central India and in Nagaland. In Rajasthan, scarcity of water has necessitated compact settlement for maximum utilisation of available water resources.
Semi-Clustered Settlements: Semi- clustered or fragmented settlements may result from tendency of clustering in a restricted area of dispersed settlement. Sometimes one or more sections of the village society choose or is forced to live a little away from the main cluster or village. Generally, the land-owning and dominant community occupies the central part of the main village.
Hamleted Settlements: Sometimes settlement is divided into several units physically separated from each other bearing a common name motivated by social and ethnic factors. These units are locally called panna, para, palli, nagla, dhani, etc. in various parts of the country.
Dispersed Settlements: Dispersed or isolated settlement pattern in India appears in the form of isolated huts or hamlets of few huts in remote jungles, or on small hills with farms or pasture on the slopes. Extreme dispersion of settlement is caused by fragmented nature of the terrain and land resource base of habitable areas.
Q2.How many classes of town are there in India based on population size? Give the size as well. Which of them has the highest percentage of people? Answer: 6 classes of towns. Class I — More than 1 lakh population Class II — 50,000 – 99999 Class III — 20,000 – 49999 Class IV — 10,000 – 19999 Class V — 5000 – 9999 Class VI — Less than Class I towns have highest percentage.
Q3.Write a note on functional classification of towns. Answer: Some towns and cities specialize in certain functions and they are known for some specific activities, products or services. Indian cities and towns can be broadly classified as follows:
Administrative towns and cities: Towns supporting administrative headquarters of higher order are administrative towns, such as Chandigarh ,New Delhi, Bhopal, Shillong, Guwahati, Imphal, Srinagar, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Chennai, etc.
Industrial towns: Industries constitute prime motive force of these cities such as Mumbai, Salem, Coimbatore, Modinagar, Jamshedpur, Hugli, Bhilai, etc.
Transport Cities: They may be ports primarily engaged in export and import activities such as Kandla, Kochchi, Kozhikode, Vishakhapatnam, etc. or hubs of inland transport such as Agra, Dhulia, Mughal Sarai, Itarsi, Katni, etc.
Commercial towns: Towns and cities specialising in trade and commerce are kept in this class. Kolkata, Saharanpur, Satna, etc. are some examples.
Mining towns: These towns have developed in mineral rich areas such as Raniganj, Jharia, Digboi, Ankaleshwar, Singrauli, etc.
Q1.List the factors which might have caused India’s poor showing/ranking in HDI ranking. Answer: India with a population of 1.2 billion is ranked 134th out of 172 countries as per the UNDP HDI report 2011, with a value of 0.547. There are various historical factors which are responsible for India’s poor ranking in HDI like colonialisation, social-cultural factors like Human Right violation, social discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender and caste, social problems like crime, terrorism and lower level of empowerment among marginal members of society has special significance in this regard.
Q2.List three interesting features of India’s literacy as per 2001 census report Answer: The three interesting features of India’s literacy as per 2001 census report are:
Overall literacy in India is approximately 65.4 per cent (2001). While female literacy is 54.16 per cent.
Total literacy as well as female literacy is higher than the national average in most of the states from south India.
There are wide regional disparities in literacy rate across the states of India. There is a state like Bihar which has very low (47.53 per cent) literacy and there are states like Kerala and Mizoram which have literacy rates of 90.92 and 88.49 per cent respectively.
Q3.Which factors are responsible for the variation in Human Development among the states of India? Answer: There are several socio-political, economic and historical reasons for such a state of affairs. Kerala is able to record the highest value in the HDI largely due to its impressive performance in achieving near hundred per cent literacy. States like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Assam and Uttar Pradesh have very low literacy. States showing higher total literacy rates have less gaps between the male and female literacy rates.
Apart from the educational attainment, the levels of economic development too play significant impacts on HDI. Economically developed states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Punjab and Haryana have higher value of HDI as compared to states like Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, etc.
Regional distortions and social disparities play an important role in the Indian economy, polity and society. The Government of India has made concerted efforts to institutionalize the balanced development with its main focus on social distributive justice through planned development.
Q4.What are the direct bearings of development on deteriorating human conditions? Answer: Developmental activities causes environmental pollution and ecological crises. It leads to air, soil, water and .noise pollution’s and threaten the existence of a society. The poor are subjected to three interrelated processes of declining capabilities; i.e.
social capabilities – due to displacement and weakening social ties (social capital),
environmental capabilities – due to pollution and,
personal capabilities – due to increasing incidence of diseases and accidents.
This, in turn, has adverse effects on their quality of life and human development. So, developmental activities are considered as a main source of social distributive injustice, deterioration in the quality of life, ecological crises and social unrest.
Q5.Mention the important measures of a healthy and long life. Answer:
Life free from illness and ailment and living a reasonably long lifespan are indicative of a healthy life.
Availability of pre and post-natal health care facilities in order to reduce infant mortality and post delivery deaths among mothers.
Old age health care.
Adequate nutrition.
Safety of individuals.
Q6.Mention the major issues which UNDP considered important in achieving Human development. Answer:
People’s participation and their security
Democratization
Increasing empowerment of people
Bringing about peace and human development
Reduction in the military expenditure, ’ demobilization of armed forces, transition from defence to production of basic goods and services and particularly disarmament and reduction in countries.
Peace and well-being are major global concerns.
Q7.Explain the level of literacy in India. Answer: Overall literacy in India is approx. 5.4% while female literacy is 54.16%.
Total literacy as well as female literacy is higher than the national average in most of the states from South India.
There are wide regional disparities in literacy rate across the states of India.
States like Bihar has a very low (47.53%) literacy whereas states like Kerala and Mizoram have literacy rates of 90.92 and 88.49% respectively.
Percentage of literate in the rural areas and among the marginalized sections of our society such as females, SC’s, ST’s and agricultural labourers is very low.
Q8.Explain thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in context of development. Answer: Indian culture and civilization have been very sensitive to the issues of population resource and development for a long time.
Mahatma Gandhi in recent time advocated for the reinforcement of harmony and balance between the two, that is population resource and development.
He was quite apprehensive about the on¬going development particularly the way industrialization has institutionalized the loss of morality, spirituality, self¬reliance, non-violence, and mutual cooperation and environment.
Austerity for individuals, trusteeship of social wealth and non-violence are the key to attain higher goals in the life of an individual as well as that of a nation.
Long Answer Type Questions:
Q1.Write a report on the Human Development in India from the point of economic, health & social empowerment. Answer: It is believed that “Development is freedom” which is often associated with modernization leisure, comfort and affluence. In the present context computerization, industrialization, efficient transport and communication network, large education system, advanced and modern medical facilities, safety and security of individuals, etc. are considered as the symbols of development.
Indicators of Economic Attainments: A rich resource base and access to these resources by all, particularly the poor, downtrodden and the marginalized is the key to productivity, well-being and human development. Gross National Product (GNP) and its per capita availability are taken as measures to assess the resource base/endowment of any country. Prevalence of poverty, illiteracy, deprivation and injustice in social distribution system and regional disparities belie all the economic achievements in India. Developed states like Maharasthra, Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat have high per capita income. The poorer states of U.P., Bihar, Odisha, M.P., Assam have less per capita income. In states like Odisha and Bihar more than 40% population live below poverty line.
Indicators of Healthy Life: A disease free and a relatively long life is indicator of healthy life. Some of the measures of healthy life are availability of pre and post natal healthcare system facilities, old age health care, adequate nutrition and safety of individuals. Over the years the death rate has come down from 25.1 per thousand in 1951 to 8.1 per thousand in 1999. Birth rate has gone down from 40.8 to 26.1 during the same time period. The life expectancy has increased from 37.1 years to 62.3 years for males and 36.2 to 65.3 years for females from 1951 to 1999. India has recorded a declining sex ratio except in the state of Kerala.
Social Empowerment: Freedom in real sense of the term is possible only with the empowerment and participation of the people in the exercise of their capabilities and choices in the society. Access to knowledge about the society and environment are fundamental to freedom. Literacy is the beginning of access to such a world of knowledge and freedom. In India the overall literacy rate is 65.4% (2001) and female literacy is 54.1%, ranging from 47% in Bihar to 91% in Kerala. It has been observed that literacy rate is more in southern states than the national average. Apart from the spatial variation, literacy rate is lower in rural areas and marginalized sections of the society. Though the literacy rate has increased among the marginalized section, yet the gap has increased between them and the rich.
Q2.With example show how population, development and environment are inter related? Answer: There is a general notion that if development is achieved then it will solve all the social-cultural and environmental problems of the society. Development, along with it has increased regional disparities, social inequality, displacement of people, discrimination, deprivation, abuse of human rights and human values and has led to environmental degradation.
UNDP in its human development report 1993 laid emphasis on progressive democratization and increasing empowerment of people. It recognized the constructive role of civil society in bringing peace and human development for reduction in military expenditure, demobilization of armed forces and transition from defence to production of basic goods and services.
The neo-Malthusian environmentalists believe that proper balance between population and resources is necessary for happy and peaceful social life. Developmental activities have increased the multiple uses of the limited available resources in order to cater to the growing demand, but since resources are unevenly distributed so there is injustice in social distribution. The richer countries have more access while the resources are shrinking in poorer countries, thereby leading to conflict as well as apparent contradiction between population, resource and development.
Indian culture is concerned about the balance and harmony among the elements of nature. According to Gandhiji austerity for individual, trusteeship of social wealth and non- violence are the key to attain higher goals in the life of an individual as well as that of a nation.
Q3.“Development is a mix bag of opportunities as well as neglect and deprivation”. Explain. Answer: There are a few areas like the metropolitan centers and other developed enclaves that have all the modern facilities available to a small section of its population. At the other extreme of it, there are large rural areas and the slums in the urban areas that do not have basic amenities like potable water, education and health infrastructure available to majority of this population. The situation is more alarming if one looks at the distribution of the development opportunities among different sections of our society.
It is a well established fact that majority of the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, landless agricultural labourers, poor farmers and slums dwellers, etc. are the most marginalized lot. A large segment of female population is the worst sufferers among all. It is also equally true that the relative as well as absolute conditions of the majority of these marginalized sections have worsened with the development happening over the years. Consequently, vast majority of people are compelled to live under abject poverty and subhuman conditions. There is yet another inter-related aspect of development that has direct bearings on the deteriorating human conditions. It pertains to the environmental pollution leading to ecological crisis.
Q4.Describe the level of economic achievements in India. Answer: The level of economic achievements in India can be understood from the following:
Gross National Product (GNP) and per capita availability are taken as measures to access the resource base of any country. GDP was ? 3200 thousand crores and according to per capita income it was ? 20,813.
Prevalence of poverty, deprivation, malnutrition, illiteracy various types of prejudice and above all social distributive injustices and large scale regional disparities.
Few developed states like Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Delhi that have per capita income more than ? 4,000 per year and a large number of poorer states like U.P. Bihar, Odisha, M.P., Assam, J&K have recorded per capita income less than ? 2,000.
The developed states have higher per capita income consumption expenditure as compared to the poorer states.
These variations are indicative of deep- seated problems of poverty, unemployment and under-employment.
States like Bihar and Odisha have recorded more than 40 per cent population living below poverty line.
Employment rate for educated is 25%. Jobless growth and rampant unemploy¬ment are some of the important reasons for higher incidences of poverty in India.
Q1.Define migration. What are the bases of enumeration? Answer: Migration is the movement of people from one place to another in search of better opportunities with an intention to settle. In the Census of India migration is enumerated on two bases:
Place of birth: If the place of birth is different from the place of enumeration (known as life-time migrant);
Place of residence: If the place of last residence is different from the place of enumeration (known as migrant by place of last residence).
Q2.What are the causes of migration? Answer: People leave their place of birth and residence for better opportunities in order to settle with or without family. The reason for movement can be categorized into two factors: Push factors and Pull factors. Push factor force the people to leave their place of origin while the pull factors attract people from different places to settle there. Pull factors are dominant in place of destination while push factors are dominant in place of origin.
Q3.Write a note on spatial migration within India. Answer: In India there is a wide spatial variation in migration. Some states like Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat and Haryana attract migrants from other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, etc. Maharashtra occupied first place in the list with 2.3 million net in migrants, followed by Delhi, Gujarat and Haryana. On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh (-2.6 million) and Bihar (-1.7 million) were the states, which had the largest number of net out-migrants from the state.
Among the urban agglomeration (UA), Greater Mumbai received the higher number of in migrants. Intra-states migration constituted the largest share in it. These differences are largely due to the size of the state in which these urban agglomeration are located.
Q4.What are the streams of migration? Why is it important? Answer: Migration can be permanent, temporary or seasonal. There are generally four streams of migration.
Rural to rural
Rural to urban
Urban to rural
Urban to urban
Migration is important because it is a spontaneous effort to attain a better balance between resources and population. There are push and pull factors working together behind migration.
Q5.Statistics were collected on migration since first survey but many modifications have been introduced since then. Explain. Answer: Actually migration was recorded from the very beginning of the first Census of India conducted in 1881. The data were recorded on the basis of place of birth. However, there have been many modifications since then.
The first major modification was introduced in 1961 Census by bringing in two additional components viz place of birth, i.e. village or town and duration of residence (if born else where).
Further in 1971, additional information on place of last residence and duration of stay at the place of enumeration were incorporated.
Information on reasons for migration were incorporated in 1981 Census and modified in consecutive Censuses.
Q6.Which urban agglomeration of India has the highest share of migrant population? Why? Answer: Greater Mumbai has the highest share of migrant population. It is due to following reasons:
More employment opportunities.
Urbanization and industrialization.
Relatively higher wages.
Better educational facilities.
Other civic amenities.
Long Answer Type Questions:
Q1.Why do people migrate? OR Explain the factors behind migration. Answer: People migrate to places different from their origin for a variety of reasons. Push factors: Those factors which make the place of origin seem less attractive are called push factors. The factors of unemployment, poor living conditions, political turmoil, unpleasant climate, natural disasters, epidemics and social-economic backwardness.
Pull factors: Those factors which make the place of destination seem more attractive than the place of origin are called pull factors. The place of destination provides better job opportunities and living conditions, peace and stability, security of life and property and pleasant climate.
The reason for migration of males and females are different. For example, work and employment have remained the main cause for male migration (38 per cent) while it is only three per cent for the females. Contrary to this, about 65 per cent of females move out from their parental houses following their marriage. This is the most important cause in the rural areas of India except in Meghalaya where reverse is the case. In comparison to these marriage migration of the male, is only 2 per cent in the country.
Q2.What are the consequences of migration? Answer: Migration is a response to the uneven distribution of opportunities over space. People tend to move from place of low opportunity and low safety to the place of higher opportunity and better safety. Consequently it can be observed in economic, social, cultural, political and demographic terms.
Economic Consequences: A major benefit for the source region is the remittance sent by migrants. Remittances from the international migrants are one of the major sources of foreign exchange. Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu receive very significant amount from their international migrants. The amount of remittance sent by the internal migrants is very meagre as compared to international migrants, but it plays an important role in the growth of economy of the source area. Remittances are mainly used for food, repayment of debts, treatment, marriages, children’s education, agricultural inputs, construction of houses, etc. Unregulated migration to the metropolitan cities of India has caused overcrowding.
Development of slums in industrially developed states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi is a negative consequence of unregulated migration within the country. Demographic Consequences: Migration leads to the redistribution of the population within a countiy. Rural urban migration is one of the important factors contributing to the population growth of cities. Age and skill selective out migration from the rural area have adverse effect on the rural demographic structure leading to serious imbalances in age and sex composition.
Social Consequences: Migrants act as agents of social change. The new ideas related to new technologies, family planning, girl’s education, etc. get diffused from urban to rural areas through them. Migration leads to intermixing of people from diverse cultures. It widens up the mental horizon of the people. But it also has serious negative consequences such as anonimity, which creates social vacuum and sense of dejection among individuals. Continued feeling of dejection may motivate people to fall in the trap of anti-social activities like crime and drug abuse. Environmental Consequences: Over crowding of people due to rural-urban migration has put pressure on the existing social and physical infrastructure in the urban areas. This ultimately leads to unplanned growth of urban settlement and formation of slums shanty colonies. Due to over-exploitation of natural resources, cities are facing the acute problem of depletion of ground water, air pollution, disposal of sewage and management of solid wastes.
Others: Migration (even excluding the marriage migration) affects the status of women directly or indirectly. In the rural areas, male selective out migration leaving their wives behind puts extra physical as well mental pressure on the women. Migration of ‘women’ either for education or employment enhances their autonomy and role in the economy but also increases their vulnerability.
If remittances are the major benefits of migration from the point of view of the source region, the loss of human resources particularly highly skilled people is the most serious cost. The market for advanced skills has become truly a global market and the most dynamic industrial economies are admitting and recruiting significant proportions of the highly trained professionals from poor regions. Consequently, the existing underdevelopment in the source region gets reinforced.
Q3.What description is found in Indian diaspora? What are its implications? Answer:
First wave: During colonial period, millions of the indentured labourers were sent to Mauritius, Caribbean islands, Fiji and South Africa by British from U.P. and Bihar to work as plantation workers. All such migrations were covered under the time bound contract known as Girmit Act (Indian Migration Act). The living conditions of these labourers were not better than the slaves.
Second wave: The millions of profess -ionals, artisans, traders and factory workers in search of economic opportunities migrated to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and African countries. It led to steady outflow of India’s skilled and semi-skilled labourers in the wake of oil-boom in West Asia in 1970s. There was also some outflow of entrepreneurs, store owners, professionals and businessmen to Western countries.
Third wave: It comprises professionals like doctors, engineers, software engineers, management consultant, financial experts, media persons to countries such as the USA Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Germany. These professionals enjoy distinction of being highly educated and the highest earning and prospering groups.
Implications:
Brain-drain: The highly qualified and skilled people are moving out of the country leaving unskilled and illiterate stuff for domestic economy. It has created scarcity of qualified manpower.
Indian diaspora is playing an important role in the development of the countries of destination.
Q4.What are economic consequences of migration? Answer: Economic Consequences:
A major benefit for the source region is the remittance sent by migrants. Remittances from the international migrants are one of the major sources of foreign exchange.
In 2002, India received US$ 11 billion as remittances from international migrants.
Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu receive very significant amount from their international migrants.
The amount of remittances sent by the internal migrants is very meagre in comparison to international migrants. But it plays an important role in the growth of economy of the source area. Remittances are mainly used for food, repayment of debts, treatment, marriages, children’s education, agricultural inputs, construction of houses, etc.
For thousands of the poor villages of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, etc. remittance works as life blood for their economy.
Migration from rural areas of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha to the rural areas of Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh accounted for the success of their green revolution strategy for agricultural development.
Apart from this, unregulated migration to the metropolitan cities of India has caused overcrowding. Development of slums in industrially developed states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi is a negative consequence of unregulated migration within the country.
Q1.Give in brief the factors that affect population distribution in India. Answer: Physical, socio-economic and historical factors influence population distribution in India. Climate along with terrain and availability of water largely determines the pattern of the population distribution. North Indian Plains, deltas and Coastal Plains have higher proportion of population than the interior districts of southern and central Indian States, Himalayas, some of the north eastern and the western states. Evolution of settled agriculture and agricultural development, pattern of human settlement, development of transport network, industrialization and urbanization also affect population distribution.
Q2.Why does rural/urban distribution of population vary in India? Answer: Pattern of distribution of rural population of India reveals that both at intra-State and inter-State levels, the relative degree of urbanization and extent of rural-urban migration regulate the concentration of rural population.
The growth rate of urban population has accelerated due to enhanced economic development and improvement in health and hygienic conditions. In almost all the states and Union Territories, there has been a considerable increase of urban population. Urbanization is low in remote, hilly, tribal and flood prone areas.
Q3.What does the ‘sectoral workforce’ of population in India signify? Answer: In India, there is large proportion of primary sector workers compared to secondary and tertiary sectors. But it is important to note that the proportion of workers in agricultural sector in India has shown a decline over the last few decades (58.2% in 2001 to 54.6% in 2011). Consequently, the participation rate in secondary and tertiary sectors has registered an increase. This indicates a shift of dependence of workers from farm based occupations to non-farm based ones, indicating a sectoral shift in the economy of the country. Male workers overshadow the female workers in all sectors.
Q4.Some places in India are densely populated while others are sparsely populated. Substantiate. Answer: Some places in India are densely populated while others are sparsely populated. It is clear from the following statistics:
Spatial variations of population densities in the country which ranges from low as 13 persons per sq. km in Arunachal Pradesh to 9,340 persons in the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
Among the northern Indian states, West Bengal, Bihar & U.P. have high population densities, while Kerala and Tamil Nadu have higher population densities among the peninsular Indian states.
States like Assam, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand and Odisha have moderate densities.
The hill states of the Himalayan region and North-eastern states of India have relatively low densities (except Assam).
The Union Territories (excluded Andaman 8s Nicobar) have very high densities of population.
Q5.What do you mean by population growth? Explain how is it estimated? Answer: Population growth refers to the change in the number of people living in a particular area between two points of time. It is calculated as follows: Population growth rate = Population in period two – population in period one Population in period one ×100
Q6.India is a secular country. Substantiate the statement with statistical facts. Answer: It is absolutely right that India is a secular country where people following different religions live together with unity.
Hindus: Range from 70-80 per cent except in the districts of states along Indo- Bangladesh border, Indo-Pak border, Jammu 8s Kashmir, hill states of North¬east 8s in scattered areas of Deccan Plateau 8s Ganga Plain.
Muslims: They are the largest religious minority that are concentrated in Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, Kerala, UP, Delhi & Lakshadweep. They form majority in Kashmir valley & Lakshadweep.
Christians: They are concentrated along the Western coast of Goa, Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Chotanagpur & Hills of Manipur.
Sikhs: They are concentrated in small areas of the country particularly in states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.
Jains and Buddhists: They are the smallest religious groups.
Other religions include Zoroastrians tribal and other indigenous faiths and beliefs.
Q7.Analyse the linguistic composition of India. Answer: India is a land of linguistic diversity. According to Grierson (Linguistic Survey of India, 1903-1928) there were 179 languages and as many as 544 dialects in the country.
In the context of modern India, there are about 22 scheduled languages and number of non-scheduled languages.
Among the scheduled languages, the speakers of Hindi have the highest percentage (40.42).
The smallest language groups are Kashmiri and Sanskrit speakers (0.01 per cent each).
Q8.What are the salient features of population of India? Answer: Some of the salient features of population of India are given below:
India is the second most populous country after China with population of more than 1 billion in 2001 A.D.
The average growth rate of the population from 1991-2001 has been 19.3%. Cities & towns have registered higher growth of population due to migration from rural areas.
Population is male dominated and sex ratio is continuously declining.
At present growth rate, India’s population will be doubled after 36 years.
About 50% of the population is less than 20 years of age. Such a youth population has its own socio-economic and political problems.
Majority of population consists of non-workers.
Q9.Name four Indian Linguistic families and give four examples of each family. Ans. Indian languages have been grouped in four families as follows:
Q10.“Socio-economic factors influence high density of population”. Give reasons with examples. Answer: It is absolutely right to say that social-economic factors influence high density of population:
Evolution of settled agriculture and agricultural development.
Pattern of human settlement.
Development of transport network.
Urbanisation and industrialisation before.
River plains and coastal areas; urban centres/industrial areas.
Q11.Why is there a decline in the number of workers in agricultural sector? Answer: There is a decline in the number of workers in agricultural sector due to following reasons:
Availability of limited farming.
Lack of employment in rural areas due to mechanization of agriculture.
Seasonal nature of employment.
Large scale urbanization and industrialization.
Attraction and access towards tertiary and quarternaiy occupations.
Q12.“Female participation rate is low in India” Why? Answer: Female participation rate is low in India due to following factors:
Joint family system.
Low rate of literacy among females.
Frequent child birth.
Greater family responsibility.
Male dominated society.
Long Answer Type Questions:
Q1.Describe India’s population growth over the years. Answer: The growth rate of population in India over the last one century has been caused by annual birth rate and death rate and rate of migration and thereby shows different trends. There are four distinct phases of growth identified within this period:
Phase-I: The period from 1901-1921 is referred to as a period of stagnant or stationary phase of growth of India’s population, since in this period growth rate was very low, even recording a negative growth rate during 1911-1921. Both the birth rate and death rate were high keeping the rate of increase low.
Phase II: The decades 1921-1951 are referred to as the period of steady population growth. An overall improvement in health and sanitation throughout the country brought down the mortality rate. At the same time better transport and communication system improved distribution system. The crude birth rate remained high in this period leading to higher growth rate than the previous phase.
Phase III: The decades 1951-1981 are referred to as the period of population explosion in India, which was caused by a rapid fall in the mortality rate but a high fertility rate of population in the country. The average annual growth rate was as high as 2.2 percent. Increased international migration bringing in Tibetans, Bangladeshis, Nepalies and even people from Pakistan contributed to the high growth rate.
Phase IV: In the post 1981 till present, the growth rate of country’s population though remained high, has started slowing down gradually.. A downward trend of crude birth rate is held responsible for such a population growth. This was, in turn, affected by an increase in the mean age at marriage, improved quality of life particularly education of females in the country. Though the growth rate of population is still high in India, there is wide regional variation from one region to the other.
Q2.Write a note on the adolescent population in India. Answer:. An important aspect of population growth in India is the growth of its adolescents. At present the share of adolescents i.e., up to the age group of 10-19 years is about 20.9 per cent (2011), among which male adolescents constitute 52.7 per cent and female adolescents constitute 47.3 per cent. The adolescent population, though, regarded as the youthful population having high potentials, but at the same time they are quite vulnerable if not guided and channelized properly.
There are many challenges for the society as far as these adolescents are concerned, some of which are lower age at marriage, illiteracy – particularly female illiteracy, school dropouts, low intake of nutrients, high rate of maternal mortality of adolescent mothers, high rates of HIV/ AIDS infections, physical and mental disability or retardedness, drug abuse and alcoholism, juvenile delinquency and commitence of crimes, etc.
In view of these, the Government of India has undertaken certain policies to impart proper education to the adolescent groups so that their talents are better channelized and properly utilized. The National Youth Policy of Government of India, launched in 2003, stresses on an all round improvement of the youth and adolescents enabling them to shoulder responsibility towards constructive development of the country. It also aims at reinforcing the qualities of patriotism and responsible citizenship.
The thrust of this policy is youth empowerment in terms of their effective participation in decision making and carrying the responsibility of an able leader. Special emphasis was given in empowering women and girl child to bring parity in the male-female status. Moreover, deliberate efforts were made to look into youth health, sports and recreation creativity and awareness about new innovation in the spheres of science and technology.
Q3.To which families do the major Indian languages belong? Give details of their sub-family and areas. Answer: The major Indian languages belong to four main language families – Austric, Dravidian, Sino-Tibetan and Indo-European.
Q4.What is the occupational composition of Indian’s population? Give a detailed report. Answer: The occupational composition of India’s population (which actually means engagement of an individual in farming, manufacturing trade, services or any kind of professional activities) shows a large proportion of primary sector workers compared to secondary and tertiary sectors. About 54.6 % of total working population are cultivators and agricultural labourers, whereas only 3.8% of workers are engaged in household industries and 41.6 % are other workers including non-household industries, trade, commerce, construction and repair and other services. As far as the occupation of country’s male and female population is concerned, male workers out-number female workers in all the three sectors. The number of female workers is relatively high in primary sector, though in recent years there has been some improvement in work participation of women in secondary and tertiary sectors.Q4.
It is important to note that the proportion of workers in agricultural sector, in India has shown a decline over the last few decades (58.2% in 2001 to 54.6% in 2011). Consequently, the participation rate in secondary and tertiary sectors has registered an increase. This indicates a shift of dependence of workers from farm ‘ based occupations to non-farm based ones, indicating a sectoral shift in the economy of the country.
The spatial variation of work participation rate in different sectors in the country is very wide. For instance, the states like Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland have very large shares of cultivators. On the other hand states like Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh have higher proportion of agricultural labourers. The highly urbanized areas like Delhi, Chandigarh and Puducherry have a very large proportion of workers being engaged in other services. This indicates not only availability of limited farming land, but also large scale urbanisation and industrialization requiring more workers in non-farm sectors.
Q5.What are the challenges before adolescents? What steps have been taken by government to overcome these challenges? Answer: The challenges before adolescents are as follows:
Female illiteracy
School dropouts
Low intake of nutrients.
High rates of HIV/AIDS infections.
Drug abuse and alcoholism
Physical and mental disabilities.
Lack of job opportunities.
Peer pressure
High rate of maternal mortality of adosescents mothers
Lower age at marriage
Domestic violence.
Juvenile delinquency and commitance of crimes, etc.
In order to solve all these problems government has launched a National Youth Policy. Features of National Youth Policy:
It was launched in 2003. It stresses on all round development of youth and adolescents.
It enables them to shoulder responsibility for constructive development.
It also aims at reinforcing the qualities of patriotism and responsible citizenship.
Special emphasis is given on empowering women and girl child to bring equality and status.
It also lays stress on involvement of youth in decision making process.
Under this policy, deliberate efforts were taken to improve health, sports, recreation, creativity, technology and create innovations in all spheres of life.
Q6.Explain the variations in the proportion of working population in India. Answer: The variations in the proportion of working population in India are:
Moderate variation from about 25 per cent in Goa to about 53 per cent in Mizoram.
Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya have larger percentages of workers. Among the Union Territories Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu have higher participation rate because these states have variations in the levels of economic development.
About 58.2 per cent of total working population are cultivators and agricultural labourers.
Only 4.2% of workers are engaged in household industries.
37.6 % are other workers including non-household industries, trade, commerce construction and repair and other services as proportion of people in agricultural sector has shown a decline over last few decades i.e., 68.5% to 58.2% consequently participation in tertiary and secondary sectors have increased.
Q7.Differentiate between marginal worker and main worker. Answer:
Marginal Worker
Main Worker
(i) Engaged in only economically productive work for less than 183 days in 1 year
(i) It is the person who is engaged in any economically productive work for at least 183 days in a year.
(ii) In 2001, it is defined that the worker who had not worked for the major part of the reference period.
(ii) In 2001, it is defined as the worker who had worked for the major part of the reference period.
(iii) In India, 8.7% of workers are marginal workers
(iii) In 2001, the percentage of main workers was 30.2 % of total population.
(iv) Percentage of marginal workers reflects a less developing economy and poverty
(iv) Contribute large share in economically productive work in the country
Q1.Give the census definition of urban settlements in India. Answer: The census of India 1991 defines urban settlements as
All places which have municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee.
Have a minimum population of 5000.
At least 75% of male workers are engaged in non agricultural pursuits.
Density ‘of population of at least 400 person per square kilometre.
Q2.What are the criteria of classifying rural settlement of the world? Answer: Rural settlements may be classified on a number of criteria. On the basis of setting the main types are:
Plain village
Plateau village
Coastal village
Forest village
Desert village
On the basis of function:
Farming village
Fisherman village
Lumberjack villages
Pastoral villages
On the basis of forms or shapes of the settlements. These may be a number of geometric forms and shapes such as:
Linear
Rectangular
Circular
Star like
T and Y shaped village
Double village etc.
Q3.Compare the settlements pattern of the world on the basis of shape. Answer: Settlements may be classified by their shape, pattern, types. The major types classified by shape are
Compact or nucleated settlements: These settlements are those in which large nuber of houses are built very close to each other. Communities are closely knit and share common occupations. Such settlements develop along river valleys and fertile plains.
Dispersed settlements: In this type of settlement, houses are spaced apart from each other and often interspersed with fields. A cultural feature such as a place of worship or market binds the settlement together.
Q4.With example show the significance of location for urban center. Answer: Location of urban centers is examined with reference to their functions. Example; The requirements of a holiday resort are quite different from that of a military center, sea port or a mining town. Strategic towns require sites offering natural defence, mining towns require the presence of economically valuable minerals where ports require a harbour etc. Earlier urban settlements were based on the availability of water, fertile land and building material. Today, modern technology plays a significant role in locating urban settlements far away from the source of these materials eg. piped water can be supplied to a distant settlement away from the source. Today apart from site, situation plays an important role in the expansion of the town. eg. centers located closer to transport links have experienced rapid development.
Q5.What is a healthy city? Answer: As per the suggestions of World Health Organisation, a healthy city must have:
A clean and safe environment
Meets the basic needs of all its inhabitants.
Involves the community in local government.
Provides easily accessible health service.
Q6.What is meant by urban strategy? Answer: The United Nations Development Programme has outlined the following priorities as part of it’s urban strategy.
Increasing shelter for the poor.
Provision of basic services such as education, primary health care, clean water and sanitation.
Improving women’s access to basic services and governmental facilities.
Upgrading energy use and alternative transport system.
Reducing air pollution.
Q7.“There is no consensus on what exactly defines a village or a town.” Justify the statement with examples. Answer: Settlement is classified into urban and rural, but there is no consensus:
Population size is small in rural settlements than urban settlements. But it is not universally applied because many villages of India and China have population exceeding that of some towns of Western Europe and the United States.
People living in villages pursued agriculture or other primary activities, but presently in developed countries, large sections of urban populations prefer to live in villages even though they work in the city.
Petrol pumps are considered as a rural function in the United States while it is an urban function in India.
Facilities available in the villages of developed countries may be considered rare in villages of developing and less developed countries.
Q8.How are urban settlements classified around the world? Or What are the three common bases of classifying a settlement as urban around the world? Or What are the criteria for classification of urban settlements of the world? Answer: Urban settlements are classified on the basis of its size of the population, occupational structure and administration.
Population size: In India, a settlement having population of more than 5000 persons is called urban. In Japan, it is 30,000 persons whereas in Sweden it is 250 persons. The cut off figure depends on the density of population in the country.
Occupational structure: Besides population size, occupation is also taken as a criterion. In India, if more than 75 per cent of workforce is engaged in non-agricultural activities then the settlement is called as urban. Other countries have their own criteria for e.g. in Italy it is 50 per cent.
Administrative structure: In India, a settlement is classified as urban if it has a municipality, cantonment board or a notified area. In Brazil, any administrative center is termed as urban irrespective of its population.
Q9.Explain the role of site and situation in determining the location and expansion of towns. Answer: Location of urban centers is influenced by their functions. Site refers to the actual piece of ground on which the settlement is built. Situation refers to the location of the settlement in relation to the surrounding areas.
Mining towns require the presence of economically valuable minerals.
Industrial towns generally need local energy supplies or raw materials.
Tourist centers require attractive scenery, or a marine beach, a spring with medicinal water or historical relics.
Q10.State any four important functions of urban centers. Answer: The important centers are:
The earlier functions of towns were related to administration, trade, industry, defence and religion.
Today, towns perform multiple functions such as, recreational, residential, transport, mining, manufacturing and the activities related to information technology.
Some towns are known for their functions. For example, Sheffield as an industrial city, London as a port city, Chandigarh as an administrative city.
Large cities have a rather greater diversity of functions.
Q11.Explain the town planning of Addis Ababa. – Answer: The name of Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa means “the new flower’. As the name indicates (Addis means New and Ababa means Flower). It is a ‘new’ city.
Establishment: It was established in 1878.
Road: The road pattern bears the influence of the local topography. The roads radiate from the government headquarters Piazza, Arat and Amist Kilo roundabouts.
Markets: Mercato has markets which grew with time and is supposed to be the largest market between Cairo and Johannesburg.
Infrastructure: A multi-faculty university, a medical college, a number of good schools makes Addis Ababa an educational centre. It is also the terminal station for the Djibouti-Addis Ababa rail route. Bole airport is a relatively new airport.
Growth: The city has witnessed rapid growth because of its multi- functional nature. It is a large nodal centre located in the centre of Ethiopia.
Q12.What is sub-urbanization? Mention the causes of sub-urbanization. Answer: It is a new trend of people moving away from congested urban areas to cleaner areas outside the city in search of a better quality of living. Causes of sub urbanization:
Congestion in urban areas.
Deterioration in civic amenities.
Unhealthy environmental conditions.
High rate of land.
Q13.What are cultural towns? Do they perform some other functions also? Mention. Answer: Places of pilgrimage are considered cultural towns. For example; Jerusalem, Mecca, Jagannath Puri and Varanasi etc. These urban centres are of great religious importance. Additional functions which the cities perform are health and recreation (Miami and Panaji), industrial (Pittsburgh and Jamshedpur), mining and quarrying (Broken Hill and Dhanbad) and transport (Singapore and Mughal Sarai).
Q14.Towns and cities of developed and developing countries reflect marked differences in planning and development. How? Answer: Towns and cities of developed and developing countries reflect marked differences in planning and development. While most cities in developed countries are planned, most urban settlements of developing countries have evolved historically with irregular shapes. For example, Chandigarh and Canberra are planned cities, while smaller towns in India have evolved historically from walled cities to large urban sprawls.
Long Answer Type Questions:
Q1.List the factors that affect the location of rural settlements of the world. Answer: The rural settlements of the world are influenced by the following factors:
Water supply: usually rural settlements are located near water bodies like rivers, lakes for easy access. Since water is essential for survival, so the need for water forces people to settle people on swamps or floodplains. Water bodies provide people water for drinking, cooking, washing and as well as to irrigate farmland, fishing activity and for transportation.
Land: People settle near fertile lands like the rolling meadows in Europe and low lying areas and river valleys and coastal plains of South East Asia for rice cultivation.
Upland: Higher grounds which are not prone to flooding is another factor which influences location of rural settlements.
People generally avoid the low lying river basins and choose to settle on diy points that is terraces and levees. In tropical countries people build their houses on stills to protect themselves from flood, insects and animal pests.
Building material: The availability of building materials that is wood, stone near settlement is another advantage. Early villages were build in forest clearings where wood was easily available. In African Savanna, the building material was mud bricks and Eskimos in polar areas use ice blocks to construct igloos.
Defense: In order to avoid political instability, hostility of neighboring groups, villages were build on defensive hills and islands. Example; In Nigeria inselbergs act as good defensive site. In India forts are build on high grounds.
Planned Settlements: These are build by governments where they provide shelter, water and other infrastructures. Example; The scheme of villagisation in Ethiopia, and canal colonies in Indira Gandhi canal command area.
Q2.Classify the rural settlements of the world on the basis of forms or shapes of the settlements. Or Explain different types of rural settlement patterns on the basis of the shapes of the settlements. Answer: Rural settlements of the world can be classified on the basis of forms or shapes of settlements as
Linear: In such settlements, houses are located along a road, railway line, river, canal edge or a valley or along a levee.
Rectangular pattern: Such pattern of rural settlements are found in plain areas or wide inter montane valleys. The roads are rectangular and cut each other at right angles.
Circular pattern: These develop around lakes, tanks and sometimes a village is planned in such a way that the central part remains open and is used for keeping the animals to protect them from wild animals.
Star like pattern: Where several roads converge, star shaped settlements develop by the houses build along the roads.
T-shaped, Y-shaped, cross-shaped or cruciform settlement: T-shaped settlements develop at tri-junctions of road, while Y-shaped settlements emerge at the place where two roads converge on the third one and houses are built along these roads. Cruciform settlements develop on the cross roads and houses extend in all four direction.
Double village: These village extend on both sides of river where there is a bridge or a ferry.
Q3.List the problem of rural settlement of the world in the developing countries. Answer: Rural settlements in developing countries are large in number and lack basic infrastructural facilities. Some of them are as under:
Inadequate supply of water specially in the mountainous and arid areas walk long distances to fetch drinking water.
Countries of South Asia face drought and flood very often which leads to water borne diseases like jaundice, cholera and aridity leads to crop failure due to lack of irrigation.
Absence of toilet and garbage disposal * facilities cause health related problems.
The houses made up of mud, wood, thatch get damaged easily during heavy rains and floods and lack ventilation. They include animal shed and storing area as well.
Unmetalled roads during rainy season cut off the settlement and pose serious difficulties.
The villages generally lack adequate health and educational infrastructure for their population, especially in areas of dispersed settlements.
Q4.Classify urban settlements of the world on basis of size and the services available and functions rendered. Answer: Depending on the basis of the size and the services available functions rendered, urban centres of the world are classified as town, city, million city, conurbation and megalopolis.
Town: The concept of town is understood with reference to village. Population size is not the only criteria. In the towns specific functions like manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade and professional services exist.
City: A city is regarded as a leading town and are much larger than the other regional towns and have a greater number of economic functions. Cities generally have transport terminals, financial institutions and regional administrative offices.
Million Cities: When the population of a city crosses the one million mark , it is designated as a million city. The number of million cities in the world has been increasing. London first reached the million mark followed by Paris and New York.
Conurbation: The term was coined by Patrick Geddes in 1915 and apply to a large area of urban development that resulted from the merging of originally separate towns and cities. Example; Greater London, Manchester, Tokyo, Chicago, etc.
Megalopolis: It is a Greek word meaning great city, was popularized by Jean Gottman (1957) and signifies super metropolitan region extending as union of conurbations. The urban landscape stretching from Boston in the North to south of Washington in South in USA is an example. Mega city or megalopolis is a general term for cities together their suburbs with a population of more than 10 million. New York was the first to attain.
Q5.Give the broad functional classification of towns of the world. Answer: Inspite of towns performing multiple functions, we refer and classify them according to their dominant function. Example; We think of London as a port city, Chandigarh as an administrative town. Large cities are multi functional and gradually develop new functions over time. Towns and cities are classified into following categories.
Administrative towns: National capitals which house the administrative offices of central governments such as New Delhi, Canberra, Beijing, etc. are called administrative towns. Provincial towns can also have administrative function. Example; Victoria, Albany.
Trading and commercial towns: Agricultural market towns, such as, Winnipeg and Kansas city; banking and financial centres like Frankfurt and Amsterdam; large inland centres like Manchester and St. Louis; and transport nodes such as Lahore, Baghdad and Agra have been important trading centres.
Cultural towns: Places of pilgrimage such as Jerusalem, Mecca, Varanasi etc. are considered cultural towns. These urban centres are of great religious importance. Additional functions which the cities perform are health and recreation (Miami and Panaji), industrial (Pittsburgh and Jamshedpur), mining and quarrying (Broken hill and Dhanbad) and transport (Singapore and Mughal Sarai).
Q6.What is the basic difference between towns and villages? Answer:
Towns
Villages
In towns the main occupation of the people is related to secondary and tertiary sectors.
In the villages most of the people are engaged in primary occupations such as agriculture, fishing, lumbering, mining, animal husbandry, etc.
Q7.Distinguish between rural and urban settlements Answer:
Rural settlements
Urban settlements
(i) These types of settlements are chiefly concerned with primary activities such as agriculture, mining, fishing, forestry etc.
(i) These types of settlements are nodal in character and have secondary and tertiary activities.
(ii) Most of the people of rural settlements are engaged in agricultural activities
(ii) The chief occupation of the people of urban areas is non-agricultural i.e. industry, trade and services.
(iii) The major function of rural settlement is agriculture and each settlement specializes in various activities.
iii)The major functions of urban areas are trades and commerce, transport and communication, mining and manuf acturing, defence, administration, cultural and recreational activities.
(iv)Population density is small and the settlement size is small.
(iv) Population density is high and the settlement size is large.
Q8.Differentiate between compact and dispersed settlements. Answer:
Compact or nucleated settlements
Dispersed settlements
(i) In it, a large number of houses are built very close to each other.(ii) Compact settlements develop along river valley and fertile plains.(iii) Communities are closely knit and share common occupations.
(i) In it, houses are spaced far apart and often interspersed with fields.(ii) They are normally found on hills, plain and high lanes.(iii)Cultural feature such as a place of worship or a market, binds the settlement together.
