Question 1.
How does investment in human capital yield a return just like investment in physical capital?
Answer:
(i) Investment in human capital (through education, training, medical care) yields a return just like investment in physical capital. This can be seen directly in the form of higher incomes earned because of higher productivity of the more educated or the better trained persons, as well as the higher productivity of healthier people,

(ii) Not only do the more educated and the healthier people gain through higher incomes, society gains also in other indirect ways because the advantages of a more educated or a healthier population spreads to those also who themselves were not directly educated or given health care. In fact, human capital is in one way superior to other resources like land and physical capital. Human resource can make use of land and capital. Land and capital cannot become useful on its own.

Question 2.
What different the strategies should be made by the government to solve the unemployment in India.
Answer:
The strategies made by the government to solve the problem of unemployment in India:

• Heavy Investment in Basic Industries: Investment in heavy and basic industries and consumer goods industries should be increased. They provide more employment along with the supply of consumer goods.
• Development of Cottage and Small-scale Industries: They provide more employment by adopting labour intensive techniques.
• Change in Educational System: More emphasis should be given to vocational education.
• Checking of Population Explosion: Rapidly rising population should be checked by adopting family planning and welfare schemes.
• Modernisation of Agriculture: Modernisation of agriculture should be done. Waste lands should be utilised.
• Introduction of Rural Works Programmes: Rural works programmes should be increased.
• Developing Infrastructure of Economy: Infrastructure of the economy should be developed.
• Subsidies to Private Sector: Subsidies and other incentives should be given to private sector.
• Stress on Self-employment: Young entrepreneurs should be encouraged for sell-employment by giving proper training and financial assistance.

Question 3.
What is an economic activity ? What cue various activities undertaken in the primary sector, secondary sector and tertiary sector ?
Answer:
Economic activities: All the activities which give us some income are called economic activities. Pulling cycle-rickshaw, cleaning houses, selling vegetables and working in schools, factories, banks, etc. are economic activities.
Activities undertaken in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sectors are :

• Primary Sector: Activities concerned with collecting or making available material provided by nature are included in primary sector like agriculture, poultry farming, mining, fishing, etc.
• Secondary Sector: The activities which are associated with transforming raw material or primary products into commodities useful to man such as manufacturing, etc.
• Tertiary Sector: The activities which are essential for running modern factories in a big way are termed as tertiary sector. Activities like trading, banking, health, education, insurance, etc. are included in tertiary sector and all there providing services.

Question 4.
What are the different types of unemployment found in India?
Answer:
The different types of unemployment found in India are :

• Disguised unemployment: In disguised unemployment, people appear to be employed. They have agricultural plot where they find work. This usually happens among family members engaged in agricultural activity.
• Seasonal unemployment: Seasonal unemployment happens when people are not able to find jobs during some months of the year. People dependant upon agriculture usually face such ldnd of problem. There are certain busy seasons when sowing, harvesting, weeding and threshing is done. Certain months do not provide much work to the people dependent on agriculture.
• Educated unemployment: Educated unemployment has become a common phenomenon in urban areas. Many youths with matriculation, graduation and post-graduation degrees are not able to find job. A study showed that unemployment of graduate and post-graduate has increased faster than among matriculates.

Question 5.
How does Sarva Siksha Abhiyan help in improving elementary education in India?
Answer:
Sarva Siksha Abhiyan is a significant step towards providing elementary education to all children in the age group of 6-14 years by 2010. It is a time-bound initiative of the Central Government, in partnership with the States, the local government and the community for achieving the goal of universalisation of elementary education.

Along with it, bridge courses and back-to-school camps have been initiated to increase the enrolment in elementary education. Mid-day meal scheme has been implemented to encourage attendance and retention of children and improve their nutritional status. It is because of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan that there has been a significant growth in literacy \ rates in India from 18% in 1951 to 74% in 2010-11. These policies have added to the literate population of India.

Suggest any three ways to transform population load into an asset.
Answer:
The three ways to transform population load into an asset are :

• To improve literacy rate: Education provides new aspiration and develops values of life. Education helps in enhancing the national income, cultural richness and increases the efficiency of governance.
• Health: The health of a person helps him to realise his potential and the ability to fight illness. Increase in longevity of life in an indicator of good quality of life marked by self-confidence. It involves the protection of children from infection, ensuring nutrition and along with mother and the child and child care.
• Formation of skills: Providing vocational and skill-based education helps the people to get employment and therefore, they contribute to the national income later.

Question 6.
What is the nature of unemployment in India?
Answer:
In India, unemployment is widespread. Unemployment is found both in its rural and urban areas. There is seasonal and disguised unemployment in its rural areas. People here are dependent on agriculture. Certain months do not provide much work to the people dependant upon agriculture.

In urban areas, educated unemployment has become a serious problem. Many educated youths are not able to find jobs. Unemployment among graduates and post-graduates has increased f§ster than among the matriculates.

Question 7.
What measures have been taken by the government to spread education and skills among boys and girls ?
Answer:
There is a provision made for providing universal access, retention and quality in elementary education with a special emphasis on girls. There is also an establishment of pace setting of schools like Navodaya Vidyalaya in each district. Vocational streams have been developed to equip large number of high school students with occupations related to knowledge and skills.

Question 8
What are the objectives of the 12th Five Year Plan in the field of education?
Answer:
The 12th plan endeavoured to raise the country’s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education in the age group of 18 to 23 years to 25.2% by 2017-18 and to reach the target of 30% by 2020-21, which would be broadly in line with world average. The strategy focuses on increasing access, quality, adoption of state-specific curriculum modification, vocationalisation and networking on the use of information technology. The plan also focuses on distance education, convergence of formal, non-formal, distance and IT education institutions.

Question .9
What are the measures taken by the government to improve literacy conditions in India?
Answer:
The following the measures have been taken by the government to improve literacy conditions in India

• Opening of Navodaya Vidyalayas: Government has started to establish Navodaya Vidyalayas in each district. Vocational streams have been developed to equip large number of high school students with occupations related to knowledge and skills.
• Sarva Siksha Abhiyan: It is a significant step towards providing elementary education to all the children of age group 6-14 years. It is an initiative of the Central Government in partnership with the States, the local government and the community for achieving the goal of universalisation of elementary education.
• Mid-day Meal Scheme: It is a programme aimed to encourage attendance and retention of children in schools and improve their nutritional status.

Question 10
Why did Japan emerge as a developed country inspite of its poor natural resource?
Answer:
Japan emerged as a developed country inspite of its poor natural resource because :

• As they did not have any other resource they invested in the development of human resource.
• They import the natural resource needed in their country. They have invested on people, especially in the field of education and health.
• These people have made efficient use of other resources, like land and capital. Efficiency and the technology evolved by people have made these countries rich and developed.



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