NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS CLASS – 12 | SOCIOLOGY PART B IMPORTANT QUESTIONS | CHAPTER-5 | CHANGES AND DEVELOPMENT IN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY | EDUGROWN |

In This Post we are  providing  CHAPTER 5 CHANGES AND DEVELOPMENT IN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS for Class 12 SOCIOLOGY PART B which will be beneficial for students. These solutions are updated according to 2021-22 syllabus. These MCQS  can be really helpful in the preparation of Board exams and will provide you with a brief knowledge of the chapter

NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ON CHANGES AND DEVELOPMENT IN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY

Question 1.
What is the negative impact of industrialisation on labourers?
Or
Highlight the condition of migrant workers in industries by giving suitable examples.
Answer:

1. Very few people are given work in more mechanised industries. Whatever the number of people works in it, have to work like machines which alienate them from their work.
2. Very less time for rest is given to workers during their working hours. That is why they become frustrated when they reach the age of 40 and take voluntary retirement.
3. Companies outsource their work to smaller companies. This brings forward the situation of alienation when the workers are involved in monotonous and exhausting jobs.
4. Late supply leads to late production. It creates problems among workers and management.

Question 2.
Explain the division of Indian industries.
Answer:
According to the Indian Industrial Policy 1956, Indian industries are divided into three following categories:

1. Primary Category: Industries related to defence, railway, post, production and control of nuclear power falls under this category. Central government regulate and control them.
2. Secondary Category: 12 industries like machines tools, pharmaceuticals, rubber, water transport, fertiliser, road transport, etc. were kept in this category. Government has more share in these.
3. Tertiary Category: All those industries were included in it which were kept for the private sector. Although, the private sector develops these industries the government can also establish them.

Question 3.
How labourers are exploited in mines?
Or
What are some of the problems faced by the mineworkers?
Answer:

1. Rules are not followed in smaller mines and quarries. Labourers are kept under a contractual system and are not given proper wages.
2. Many contractors do not maintain proper registers of workers, thus, avoiding any responsibility for accidents and benefits.
3. Labours have to work under the earth in mines because of which labourers have to face many breathing problems.
4. The rate of mining accidents in India is higher but labourers are hardly compensated.

Question 4.
The more mechanised and industry gets, the fewer people are employed. Explain by giving a suitable example.
Answer:
The more mechanised and industry gets, the fewer people are employed, but these people too have to work at the pace of the machine. For example, in Maruti Udyog Ltd. two cars roll off the assembly line every minute. Workers get only 45 minutes rest in the entire day – two tea breaks of 7.5 minutes each and one lunch break of half an hour. Most of them are exhausted by the age of .40 and take voluntary retirement. While production has gone up, the number of permanent jobs in the factory has gone down. The firm has outsourced all services like cleaning and security, as well as the manufacture of parts. The parts suppliers are located around the factory and send the parts every two hours or just-in-time. Outsourcing and just in time keep cost low for the company, but the workers are very tense because if the suppliers fail to arrive, their production targets get delayed and when they do arrive they have to run to keep up. No wonder they get exhausted.

Question 5.
Explain the circulation of labourers.
Answer:

1. Seasonal agricultural labourers are in great demand in prosperous agricultural regions.
2. Higher wages in prosperous agricultural regions attract labour from less developed regions.
3. Migrant labourers mainly are from drought-prone areas – “footloose labour” (cheapest and easily exploited).
4. The local labourers move out to big towns.
5. There is the feminisation of agricultural force.

Question 6.
Discuss the changes that the Trade Unions bring out in the lives of workers.
Answer:
Trade union play an important role in the welfare of workers:

1. In some cases, trade unions have been striving to overcome problems such as regionalism and casteism.
2. Trade unions take up a number of issues pertaining to workers such as better wages, working conditions etc.
3. It can also help to break strikes/lockouts.
4. A forum to bring workers together.
5. Act as a pressure group to make Govt, note their demands. Helps in resolving medical and accident claims/issues.

Question 7.
Read the following extract taken from the book and answer the given questions:

Gandhi on Machinery, in Hind Swaraj 1924: “What I object to is the craze for machinery, not machinery as such. The craze is for what they call labour-saving machinery. Men go on ‘saving labour’ till thousands are without work and thrown on the open streets to die of starvation. I want to save time and labour, not for a fraction of mankind, but for all. I want the concentration of wealth, not in the hands of the few, but in the hands of all.”1934: “When as a nation we adopt the spinning-wheel, we not only solve the question of unemployment but we declare that we have no intention of exploiting any nation, and we also end the exploitation of the poor by the rich.”
(i) Give an example of how machinery creates a problem for workers.
Answer:
It is a fact that machinery creates a problem for workers. We can take the example of a cottage industry of earlier times in which a number of family members were required to make a piece of cloth. Even then it required a lot of time to make a small piece of cloth. But when machines were invented then machines started to make cloth with great speed, in less time and with less cost. In this way work of cottage industry went over to machines of a textile mill and thousands of workers had to change their occupations.

(ii) What alternative did Gandhi have in mind?
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi was against the use of machines. He was of the view that labour oriented modern industries should be set up in India.

(iii) How does adopting the spinning wheel prevent exploitation?
Answer:
If we will adopt the spinning wheel then everyone can spin cotton. We can weave cloth for our personal requirements. We can also spin cloth for the market. If everyone will adopt the spinning wheel then the production of the mechanical industry will be of no use. Everyone will get work at home and no one will be able to exploit others.

Question 8. Give the main features of Liberalisation.
Or
Explain the economic policy of Liberalisation.
Answer:
New economic policy was implemented in India in 1991. Liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation were the main features of this policy. Process of liberalisation was started at the end of the 20th century. In India, liberalisation is an ongoing process from three decades but its policies and speed keep on changing due to change of government. Main aspects and features of liberalisation are given below:

1. Making industries free from the licencing system so that more and more people could develop industries by investing their money.
2. Reducing unnecessary restrictions on industries so that no one should hesitate while establishing any industry and industries could be developed very quickly.
3. To encourage foreign direct investment so that more and more foreign capital and industries could come to India.
4. Not keeping restriction on the production of anything so that no company should keep its monopoly over any product and prices of commodities should remain within reach.
5. Giving permission to produce things according to the ability of industry and demand of the market.
6. Making industries free of clutches of bureaucracy because it creates many obstacles in their way. The industry would develop quickly without any obstacles.
7. To reduce government control over the economy so that people should come forward to establish an industry.
8. Reduction of customs duty so that export and import could be encouraged. Increase in import will check price rise and increase in export will develop the internal business of the country.
9. To lift unnecessary restriction from export-import of things and services so that business could be encouraged.
10. Changing public enterprises into private enterprises because there is a lot of governmental control on public enterprises and they have less profit-making ability. But when this enterprise will go in private hands then its profit-making ability will increase. Private sector always takes care of earning more profit.

Question 9.
What was the impact of Globalisation on Indian Economy?
Answer:
Economic reforms in India were started in 1991 and the process of globalisation and Indian economy was encouraged. Effects of globalisation on different sectors of the Indian economy are given below:
1. Increase of Indian share in world export. With the process of globalisation,
the Indian share in world export has been increased. Indian goods and services, in the decade of 1990-2000, has been increased by 125%. In 1990, Indian share in the world’s export of goods and services was 0.55% which was increased up to 0.75% by 1999.

2. Foreign investment in India. Foreign direct investment is an important feature of globalisation because foreign investment increases the capacity of production of any economy. Foreign investment in India is continuously increasing. From 1995-96 to 2000¬01, it has been increased by 53% and during this time 500 crores have been invested in India annually.

3. Foreign Exchange Reserves. Foreign exchange is necessary for import. In June 1991, foreign exchange reserves in India was 1 Billion Dollars which was enough only to fulfil the needs of only two weeks of the country. After this, India adopted new economic policies, globalisation and liberalisation were encouraged because of which foreign exchange reserve was increased very quickly. Now, the foreign exchange reserve in nearly 350 Billion Dollars.

4. Growth of Gross Domestic Product. Because of globalisation, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country has been increased. In 1980, it was 5.63% which was increased to 5.80% in 1990. Now, it is around 7%.

5. Increase in unemployment. Because of globalisation unemployment in India has been increased. During the decade of 1990-2000, the economic problem came in Mexico, South Korea, Thailand, Singapur, Indonesia, Malaysia and it was because of globalisation. That is why millions of people lost their jobs and they had to live below the poverty line. At the start of the 1990’s decade, the rate of unemployment was 6% which was increased up to 7% by 2000.

6. Impact on Agriculture. The share of agriculture and its related activities in the Gross Domestic Product of the country is 29%. But it is 2% in the U.S.A., 55% in Japan and France. If we look at the labour force then India’s 69% labour force is related to agricultural functions but the labour force in the agriculture sector in the U.S.A. and the U.K. is only 2.6%. In the near future, it is necessary for India to open its market for world companies in the agricultural sector which is in agreement with W.T.O. This time will be a challenging one for India.

7. Educational and technical development. Globalisation and liberalisation have put a great effect on the education and technology sector which has brought about a revolution. The world has been shrunk due to means of transport and communication. Internet and computer brought many changes.

8. Change in the form of classes. Globalisation has changed the form of different classes. In the 20th century only three main classes, i.e., higher class, middle class and lower class were there but now the number of classes has been increased.

9. Privatisation. One of the good effects of globalisation can be seen in the form of privatisation. Many Public Sector Undertakings (P.S.U.’s) like V.S.N.L., I.P.C.L., NALCO are now in the hands of private parties because of which they are earning more profits.

10. Development of industries. Foreign direct investment is very helpful in achieving a higher rate of economic development. It gives not the only advantage to industries but consumers are getting products of better quality and better technology. It gives motivation to Indian industries to compete with foreign companies in the international market.

Thus, the process of globalisation is very good in bringing social change and giving good quality products to consumers.

Question 10.
Throw light on the role of a labour union in India and discuss any longest strike of Indian industry.
Or
What were the demands of workers in the Bombay textile strike of 1992?
Answer:
Many labour unions work in our country for the interests of labourers but many labour unions are facing problems of regionalism and casteism. Many a time, workers go for a strike due to improper working conditions. They do not go to work, in case of a lockout, owners shut the gate and prevent workers from coming. To call a strike is a difficult decision as managers may try to use substitute labour. Workers also find it hard to sustain themselves without wages.

Here, we can discuss one famous strike, the Bombay Textile strike of 1982.

Dr Datta Samant led this strike who was the leader of a trade union. It affected around a quartet of a million workers and their families. This strike lasted for around two years. The demand of the workers was the right to form their union and they wanted better wages. According to the Bombay Industrial Relations Act, a union had to be approved if it has gone up the idea of strikes. The Congress-led Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh (RMMS) was the only approved union and it helped in breaking the strike as it brought workers from outside. The Government hardly listened to the demands of workers. Gradually, after two years, people started going back to work as they were desperate. Around one lakh workers lost their jobs. They either went back to their villages or took up casual labour. Some of them moved to smaller towns like Malegaon, Bhiwandi and Icchalkaranji, to work in the power loom sector.