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Answer Writing
Workbook
GENERAL
STUDIES
Paper - 1
st
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Index
 Indian Culture Test with Hints .... 1-12
 Modern History Test with Hints .... 13-26
 Modern History + Post Independence Test with Hints .... 27-39
 World History Test with Hints .... 40-53
 Physical geography (World and India) Test with Hints .... 54-80
 Economic geography (World and India) Test with Hints .... 81-111
 Human geography (World and India) Test with Hints .... 112-121
 Society Test-1 with Hints .... 122-151
www.freeupscmaterials.wordpress.com www.iasscore.in
Index
 Indian Culture Test with Hints .... 1-12
 Modern History Test with Hints .... 13-26
 Modern History + Post Independence Test with Hints .... 27-39
 World History Test with Hints .... 40-53
 Physical geography (World and India) Test with Hints .... 54-80
 Economic geography (World and India) Test with Hints .... 81-111
 Human geography (World and India) Test with Hints .... 112-121
www.freeupscmaterials.wordpress.com www.iasscore.in
GS Mains Paper-1 Workbook
INDIAN CUL
TURE
Practice Questions
Q1. Critically evaluate the contribution of British rule to Indian architecture.
Q2. The greatest contribution of Bengal School was restoration of pride of educated Indians
to their rich culture and heritage and sweeps them away from imitating western culture.
E
Elaborate.
Q3. llustrate the contribution of Poetry and Literature towards developing a feeling of
OR
patriotism and national unity in India during the freedom struggle.
Q4. Drama has undergone a sea of change with the advent of British. Explain.
Q5. Elaborate the contribution of following in development of Indian Music.

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i. Tabla
ii. Thyagaraja
iii. Purandara Dasa
iv. Allauddin Khan

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v. Amir Khusro
Q6. What was the significance of the pillars during Mauryan period and how Mauryan
pillars are different from other part of the world such as Achamenian pillars?
Q7. Yoga is one of the most unique schools of philosophy. Discuss its contribution
to Indian religious thought in context of above statement?
Q8. Stylistically the tradition of mural painting represents an extension of the tradition of
mural painting from Ajanta to Badami in South India. Comment.
Q9. In 6th and 5th century BC Buddhism not only provided an alternative social and religious
system, but also supported the changing economic conditions. Comment.
Q10. Gandhara art works are Buddhist in nature, while Mathura art works are secular.
Discuss.
Q11. Vedanta is not a static philosophy or religion. It is a highly dynamic, ever-growing

philosophy and religion capable of meeting challenges and overcoming obstacles.
Comment.
Q12. The Gupta age shows the transitions from cave temples and monolithic shrines to
glorified architecture. Discuss with examples.
Indian Culture [1]
Q13. The Bhakti Movement played a significant role in transforming the character of Vedic
Hinduism. Elucidate.
Q14. Globalization has not only affected the economy and the society but also it has emerged
as a challenge for the performing arts in India. Discuss.
Q15. Mughal architecture was confluence of Indo and Islamic architectural style. Find the
contribution of different regional styles of India in Mughal architecture.
E
OR
SC
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[ 2 ] Indian Culture
INDIAN CUL
TURE
Answer
1. Critically evaluate the contribution of British rule to Indian architecture.

Hints:
By the end of 19th century, English design reformers had already mastered the classical and medieval
E
styles of Europe’s past. As the individual architect, they decided to adopt some aspects of the
native traditions of their colonies and hence the so-called ‘Free-Style’ was produced, which was
hybrid, but non-historicist. OR
On the other hand, the hybrid aspect of the style Scott devised for Bombay, though still essentially
foreign and historicist was a crucial pointer for Anglo-Indian public builders, away from a narrow
cultural chauvinism towards Indian traditions. To that extent, it was reformative. However, the
synthesis that the Anglo-Indians were to evolve, far from rejecting overt allusion to the monumental
styles of the past, added a resounding new dimension to historicist eclecticism in a truly imperial
style, which reached its apotheosis in New Delhi.
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Reformative architecture in Bombay: Sir Bartle Frere launched a public building campaign in Bombay
in the second half of the 1860s. The campaign opened with the Decorated Gothic scheme for the
rebuilding of St Thomas’ Cathedral by the government architect, James Trubshawe. This was only
partially realized, but Trubshawe made a weighty contribution, in collaboration with W. Paris, in
the General Post and Telegraph Office of 1872.
Among other landmarks produced by the campaign is, William Emerson’s Crawford Markets- in
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an elementary northern Gothic delineated in the various coloured stones, which contributed so
much to the success of the Gothic Revival in Bombay- reflected the ideals of the early design reformers
at home, more nearly than any other prominent Anglo-Indian building of the period.
Reformative architecture at Calcutta, Madras and other cities: While the attention of Scott and his
Bombay followers was focused on Venice, the government architect Walter Granville ruptured the
classical decorum of Calcutta, with an excursion into the arena favoured by Street at home, and
based his High Court (1872) on the Cloth Hall at Ypres. Before the decade was out, he showed his
versatility- at turning a corner- in the splendid General Post Office, which, if Classical in the purity
of its forms, is certainly Baroque in scale and movement. For the Victoria Memorial at the other end
of the Maidan, William Emerson embarked upon a quixotic attempt to rival the Taj Mahal.
Lutyens and his works: Lutyens had arrived in India to undertake this great work with scant
respect for the Sub-continent’s architectural legacy, and his views grew only the more derogatory
with first-hand familiarity– not only with the Anglo-Indian Imperial hybrids developed by his
immediate predecessors, but also with the traditions of ‘veneered joinery’, from which those
hybrids were drawn.
The Victoria Memorial in Calcutta is the most effective symbolism of British Empire, built as a
monument in tribute to Queen Victoria’s reign. The plan of the building consists of one large central
part, covered with a larger dome. Colonnades separate the two chambers. Each corner holds a
Hints: Indian Culture [3]
smaller dome and is floored with marble plinth. The memorial stands on 26 hectares of garden
surrounded by reflective pools.
Architecture of Princely homes and palaces: On a still larger and often even coarser scale, native
rulers adopted western palace types in whole or in part, with state rooms incorporating
antechambers, salons, banquet halls, and vast saloon-like durbar halls, designed to cater for
westernized manners and European guests.
It was certainly not lost upon the ‘Model Prince’ that European building types could be interpreted
in a wide diversity of western, eastern, and hybrid styles, and at their service the fecundity of the
Anglo-Indian imagination was to know no bounds.
Notable examples of princely residences in styles derived from the repertory of Italianate Classicism
range from the ‘Palladian’ Falaknuma of Hyderabad, taken over from a nobleman, and expanded
by the Nizam in the last decades of the century- which belongs to the type represented by
Government House Triplicane- to the Neo-High Renaissance palace of Cooch Behar and the Neo-
Baroque one at Panna.
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2. The greatest contribution of Bengal School was restoration of pride of educated Indians to
their rich culture and heritage and sweeps them away from imitating western culture.
Elaborate.
OR
Hints:
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, paintings comprised semi-westernized local
styles, which were patronized by British residents and visitors. Themes were generally drawn from
Indian social life, popular festivals, and Mughal monuments. These reflected the improvised Mughal
traditions. In the later nineteenth century, art schools on the European model were established in
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major Indian cities like Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras.

Rabindranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore, E.B. Havell, and Ananda Kehtish Coomaraswamy,
played an important role in the emergence of the Bengal school of Art. The Bengal School had
a great flowering at Shantiniketan, where Rabindranath Tagore set up the Kala Bhavan. Talented
artists like Nandalal Bose, Binod Behari Mukherjee, and Ramkinkar Baij rendered training to
aspiring artists.
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Nandalal often derived inspiration from Indian folk art, and also from Japanese painting, while
Binod Behari Mukerjee was deeply interested in oriental traditions. Jamini Roy, another great painter
of this period, drew inspiration from Orissa's patta painting and Kalighat painting of Bengal. Amrita
Shergil painted on Indian themes in bright colours, especially Indian women and peasants.
Gradually, some deeper changes took place in the thinking of the English educated urban middle
class, which began to be reflected in the expressions of the artists. Increasing awareness about
British rule, ideals of nationalism, and the desire for a national identity, led to creations, which
were distinct from earlier art traditions.
In 1943, during the period of the Second World War, Calcutta painters led by Paritosh Sen, Niroda
Majumdar, and Pradosh Dasgupta formed a group, who depicted the condition of the people of
India through new visual language, and novel techniques.
3. Illustrate the contribution of Poetry and Literature towards developing a feeling of patriotism
and national unity in India during the freedom struggle.
Hints:
Literature and poetry played a significant role in the struggle for India's freedom. Beginning with
the 19th century, when nationalist ideas began to emerge, and literature in different Indian languages
entered its modern phase, more and more writers began to employ literature for patriotic purpose.
[4] Hints: Indian Culture
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's Anandmath, is perhaps the most poignant example of the nationalist
literature and inspired generations, and had a profound impact on Bengali society, one of the most
important contributors to national freedom struggle.
Poets like Bhartendu Harishchandra, and Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, often turned to Indian mythology,
and used that connect to highlight the problems of India, and curate anger among masses against
British rule.
Rabindra Nath Tagore had a profound impact over Bangla intelligentsia, and he propagated the
non-violence and resisted radicalism, while supporting the cause of independence.
Historians like R.C. Dutt, and Dadabhai Naroji, were fathers of economic nationalism, and
highlighted the exploitation through their books and established that, source of Indian misery was
British rule.
Later, the writings of M.G. Ranade, and Gopal Krishan Gokhale, helped to create an environment
for mass awakening, and nationalistic feeling.
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Authors like Premchand, also highlighted the socio-economic aspect of British rule through his
realistic novels set in rural India. He established that freedom for the nation is essential, but it
should not be the freedom of the dominant classes to exploit the wretched of the society. Nationalism
OR
should not be permitted to disguise in the name of patriotic idealism, the interests of the few, at the
expense of the many.
Gandhi's, Hind Swaraj, published in Gujarati in 1909, is recognized as the intellectual blueprint of
India's freedom movement. He had a profound impact on masses, and used newspapers, English,
Hindi and Gujarati to spread his message, and ignite the mass movement, which was absent earlier.
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4. Drama has undergone a sea of change with the advent of British. Explain.
Hints:
The advent of the British in the country changed the character of the society. Against the background
of the rich tradition, Indian drama was reborn during British colonial interregnum in 18th and 19th
centuries. The impetus came from two sources: the rich heritage of Indian drama, and the exposure
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to western dramatic classics through English. Translations started appearing simultaneously of

Sanskrit classics and western classics, particularly Shakespeare. Till now, drama had not developed
as a major literary genre in Indian languages. Drama has now begun to flourish as a cherished
literary genre, alongside the modern genre of fiction, also a response to western influence.
The stages evolved by educated Indians were different from traditional open air theatre. The stage
was normally divided into front and back, for the staging of main and subsidiary action. The stages
also had rolling curtains for change of scenes. Music was its life/breath. The actors of this theatre
were also great singers. The acting became naturalistic and melodramatic, in contrast to the stylized
techniques of traditional Indian theatre. Dramas began to depict tragedies, comedies, and the
complexities of urban life. Dramas were now written in different regional languages.
Side by side, folk theatre like Jatra, Nautanki, Khyal (Rajasthani folk), and Naach, also flourished.
Another aspect which influenced performing arts was the adaptation of folk forms to classical
forms. Connoisseurs in different fields made their respective art, a medium for serving the cause of
the masses. So, they adapted the popular folk art to reach out to people.
5. Elaborate the contribution of following in development of Indian Music.

i. Tabla
ii. Thyagaraja
iii. Purandara Dasa
iv. Allauddin Khan
v. Amir Khusro
Hints:
Tabla: The tabla, a membranophone percussion instrument, is often used in Hindustani classical
music. The dayan (right hand drum), is almost always made of wood. The bayan (left hand drum),
may be made of iron, aluminium, copper, steel, or clay; yet brass with a nickel or chrome plate is the
most common material. It was invented by Amir Khusro, to be used as principal percussion
accompaniment with vocals and instruments.
Thyagaraja: He was one of the greatest composers of carnatic music or Indian classical music. He
was a prolific composer and highly influential in the development of the classical music tradition.
Thyagaraja composed thousands of devotional compositions, most in praise of Lord Rama, many
of which remain popular today. Of special mention, are five of his compositions, called the
Pancharatna Kritis, which are often sung in programs in his honour.
E
Purandara Dasa: Purandara Dasa was a prominent composer of carnatic music. He formulated
the primary lessons of teaching carnatic music, by structuring graded exercises known as Swaravalis
OR
and Alankaras, and at the same time, he introduced the Raga Mayamalavagowla as the first scale,
to be learnt by beginners in the field. He also composed Gitas (simple songs), for novice students.
Purandara Dasa addressed social issues in addition to worship in his compositions, a practice
emulated by his younger contemporary, Kanakadasa. Purandara Dasa's carnatic music compositions
are mostly in Kannada; some are in Sanskrit.
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Allauddin Khan: Allauddin Khan was a Bengali shorodi and multi-instrumentalist, composer,
and one of the most renowned music teachers of the 20th century in Indian classical music. During
his lifetime, he composed several ragas and laid the foundation of a modern Maihar gharana. He
was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour in 1971, and prior to
that in 1954; the Sangeet Natak Akademi awarded him with its highest honour, the Sangeet Natak
Akademi Fellowship for lifetime contribution to Indian music.
Amir Khusro: Amir Khusro was a Sufi musician, poet, and scholar. He wrote poetry primarily in
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Persian, but also in Hindavi. He is regarded as the 'father of Qawwali', and introduced the Ghazal
style of song into India. He is also credited with introducing Persian, Arabic and Turkish elements
into Indian classical music, and was the originator of the khayal and tarana styles of music. He has
written many verse forms including Ghazal, Masnavi, Qata, Rubai, Do-Beti, and Tarkibhand. His
contribution to the development of the ghazal is significant. Amir Khusro is reputed to have invented
certain musical instruments like the sitar and tabla.
6. What was the significance of the pillars during Mauryan period and how Mauryan pillars
are different from other part of the world such as Achamenian pillars?
Hints:
• The Mauryan king Ashoka erected pillars all over his empire either to mark a sacred site
associated with Buddha’s life or to commemorate a great event. On many of these pillars are
inscribed the famous edicts of Ashoka propagating the Dhamma or the imperial sermons of
Ashoka to his people.
• Some pillars had edicts (proclamations) inscribed upon them. The edicts were translated in
the 1830s. Since the 17th century, 150 Ashokan edicts have been found carved into the face
of rocks and cave walls as well as the pillars, all of which served to mark his kingdom,
which stretched across northern India and south to below the central Deccan plateau and
in areas now known as Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
• Some pillars were also inscribed with dedicatory inscriptions, which firmly date them and
name Ashoka as the patron. The script was Brahmi, the language from which all Indic
language developed.
• The erection of such monumental pillars was not only a remarkable aesthetic achievement
but a demonstration of great technological and engineering skill, involving the transportation
and installation of heavy materials at remote sites.
• The Ashokan pillars thus attested to India’s power, while at the same time spreading the
royal message of nonviolence and good conduct. The script used for most inscriptions was
Brahmi, with some Kharoshti and Aramaic in the western border areas.
• The letters are beautiful, sharp and neatly incised, and reflect a meticulous handling and
careful supervision. The Ashokan writing presents a highly developed stage of calligraphic
art.
• An adaptation of Achaemenid models has been recognised in the Edicts of Aœoka and in
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the remains of the Mauryan palace in the imperial city of PQtaliputra. But the Mauryan
pillars are different from the Achaemenid pillars. The Mauryan pillars are rock-cut monolith
OR
pillars thus displaying the carver’s skills, whereas the Achaemenid pillars are constructed in
pieces by a mason.
• There is a basic difference between the Achaemenid and the Mauryan pillars. The former
were generally part of some larger architectural scheme, while the Ashokan columns were
freestanding monoliths. The pillars and polish were supposedly derived from Persian
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(Achaemenid) imperial influence.
7. Yoga is one of the most unique schools of philosophy. Discuss its contribution to
Indian religious thought in context of above statement?
Hints:
• Almost every religious tradition in India contains some elements of yoga, as the means to
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achieve liberation through physical and mental discipline.
• Yoga provided a disciplinary aspect to Indian religion. While yogic activities and thought
certainly did exist in vedic period, it was coded into a specific body of principles by Patanjali
in post-vedic period. Together with Samkhya system, it forms the one of the core philosophical
background of Indian religions.
• Yoga clearly suggests specific course of action as per the progress of each one pursuing the
course of liberation and offers non-esoteric hints to evaluate one’s progress and take further
course accordingly.
• Many concepts of modern Hinduism can be traced directly to these two traditions. The
concepts of prakriti, senses, tattvas, attachment, buddhi, purusha are peculiarly Indian and
found nowhere else, but in every religion that originated in the Indian subcontinent.
• While Samkhya introduced such concepts as mahat, prakriti, bondage, karma, maya,
incarnation of souls, jiva, samsara, tattvas, ahamkara, manas, buddhi, ahamkara, chitta,
Yoga contributed the concepts of dhyana (meditation), dharana (concentration), asanas
(postures), pranayama (breath control) and pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses). All these
concepts are still integral to Indian religious thought and discourse.
8. Stylistically the tradition of mural painting represents an extension of the tradition of
mural painting from Ajanta to Badami in South India. Comment.
Hints:
• The paintings of Ajanta are a landmark of transcendental importance in Indian art. Because
they represent the only well preserved example of ancient mural painting, they are now
considered an essential point of reference for the study of not only subsequent Indian art,
but also the Buddhist art in the rest of Asia.
• Paintings have a lot of typological variations. Outward projections are used in the Ajanta
paintings of the fifth century CE. Lines are clearly defined and are very rhythmic. Body
colour gets merged with the outer line creating the effect of volume. The figures are heavy
like the sculptures of western India.
• The figures are broad with heavy proportion and arranged in the picture space in a linear
way. Lines are sharp. Colours are limited. Figures in these caves are painted with considerable
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naturalism and there is no over-stylisation.
• Stylistically the painting represents an extension of the tradition of mural painting from
Ajanta to Badami in South India. The sinuously drawn lines, fluid forms and compact
OR
composition exemplify the proficiency and maturity the artists had achieved in the sixth
century CE.
• The gracefully drawn faces of the king and the queen remind us of the style of modelling
in Ajanta. Their eye-sockets are large, eyes are half-closed, and lips are protruding. It is
noteworthy to observe that the contours of different parts of the face create protruding
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structures of the face itself. Thus, with simple line treatment artists could create volume.
• The tradition of painting extended further down south in Tamil Nadu in the preceding
centuries with regional variations during the regimes of Pallava, Pandya, and Chola dynasties.
• Lines are rhythmic with increased ornamentation, when compared with the paintings of an
earlier period. Depiction of torso remained like the earlier sculptural tradition, but was elongated.
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9. In 6th and 5th century BC Buddhism not only provided an alternative social and religious
system, but also supported the changing economic conditions. Comment.
Hints:
• In 6th and 5th century BC, the newly developed features of the social and economic life of
people did not fit in with the Vedic ritualism and animal sacrifice.
• There was the spread of a new agrarian economy in India which led to urbanization and
rise of trade.
• Trade was both the cause and effect of increasing urbanization. Trade, on an increasing
scale, led to the birth of money economy i.e. coinage.
• The trading and commercial communities i.e. Vaishyas wanted their private property to be
secure and social and religious sanctions for foreign trade and sea-travelling which, by then,
was not sanctioned by the Vedic religion. These economic conditions necessitated changes
in the society as well.
• Hence, the conflict between the Vedic religious practices and the aspirations of the rising
social groups led to the search of new religions and philosophical ideas which would fit with
the basic changes in the material life of the people.
• Buddha's liberal and democratic approach quickly attracted the people of all sections. This
attraction was much greater for trading class because it helped in destroying the brahminical
supremacy and it emphasized on karma.
10. Gandhara art works are Buddhist in nature, while Mathura art works are secular. Discuss.
Hints:
• After Alexander's invasion of India in 326 B.C., the Indo-Greek, Indo Scythian and Kushan
kings ruled over its north-western territories and under their patronage emerged a distinct
style of sculpture, popularly known as the Greco-Roman, Buddhist or Gandhara art.
• It was a combination of Hellenistic, West Asiatic and native elements. Greek and Roman
techniques, modified according to Indian requirements, were employed in fashioning the
Gandhara sculpture which truly represents Indian culture in a Western garb.
• Its area extended from Takshila in India to the Swat Valley in Pakistan and northwards to
areas in Afghanistan.
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• The Gandhara sculptors made images of Lord Buddha in the Greco-Roman style. The images
of Buddha resembled Greek God Apollo. It gave more stress to the bodily features and
OR
external beauty.
• Whereas, Mathura School of art is purely indigenous style. Mathura art developed during
post Maurya peiod (mainly during Shunga period) and reached its peak during the Gupta
period (AD 325 to 600).
• Themes in the Mathura Art vary from Buddhist to Brahmanical to sometimes secular. More
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stress was given to the inner beauty and facial emotions rather than bodily gesture.
• Under the Mathura Art, images of Vishnu and Shiva, Buddha, Yakshas, Yakshinis, Shaivite
and Vaishnavite deities were found.
• In these sculptures, Buddha was depicted as Human and the main theme was Buddha and
Bodhisattavas. Both sitting and standing posture of Buddha's statues were carved out in the
Mathura school.
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• The art of Mathura also featured sexual imagery hence it was secular & not religious in nature.
11. Vedanta is not a static philosophy or religion. It is a highly dynamic, ever-growing philosophy
and religion capable of meeting challenges and overcoming obstacles. Comment.
Hints:
• Vedanta is the philosophical foundation of Hinduism; but Vedanta is universal in its
application and is equally relevant to all countries, all cultures, and all religious backgrounds.
• Its fundamental teachings include: (1) the impersonality and universality of Supreme Truth;
(2) the divinity of the soul; (3) the unity of existence, or the oneness of matter and energy,
or the ultimate oneness of God, man and nature; (4) the harmony of religions; (5) the
immanence and transcendence of God who is both the material and the efficient cause of
the universe; and (6) Mukti or total freedom from bondage, i.e., spiritual union with the
divine during one’s lifetime. Because these are the eternal teachings of Vedanta, Vedanta is
also referred to as the “Eternal Religion” or Sanatana Dharma.
• Vedanta affirms that all religions teach the same basic truths about God, the world, and our
relationship to one another. While dissimilarities exist in the external observances of the
world religions, the internals bear remarkable similarities.
• Vedanta has passed through three phases.
(i) Formative Phase: This phase extended from around 1000 B.C. to 3rd century B.C.
During this period the Upanishads, the Gita and the Brahma-sutras provided the basic
concepts of Vedanta such as Atman and Brahman.
(ii) Scholastic Phase: This phase extended from about the 8th century A.D. to the 13th
century. During this period great teachers like Shankara expounded and expanded the
original intuitive insights of Vedic Rishis and the teachings of the Gita, and established
Vedanta as a cogent, comprehensive system of philosophy.
(iii) Modern Phase: The third phase of Vedanta was inaugurated by Sri Ramakrishna and
Swami Vivekananda in the 19th century. During this period Vedanta was transformed
from an ethnic religious philosophy into a universal philosophy of life.
12. The Gupta age shows the transitions from cave temples and monolithic shrines to glorified
architecture. Discuss with examples.
E
Hints:
• Rock-cut architecture defines the practice of creating a structure by carving it out of solid
natural rock. The craftsman removes rock not part of the structure until the architectural
OR
elements of the excavated interior constitute the only rock left.
• Early examples of rock cut architecture include the Buddhist and Jain cave basadi, temples,
and monasteries, many with chandrashalas. The aesthetic nature of those religions inclined
their followers to live in natural caves and grottoes in the hillsides, away from the cities, and
those became enhanced and embellished over time.
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• But the Gupta Age, being an age of intense religion interests, saw the construction of large
number of temples and religious architectures in form of monolithic shrines rather than in
cave form.
• Two main types of temple were built in the Gupta period. The first consists of a square
sanctuary with a pillared porch in front. Both porch and sanctum are post-and-lintel style
and without any superstructure. This type of temple answers the simplest needs of worship,
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a chamber to house the deity and a roof to shelter the devotee.

• The second type of temple also has a square sanctum but with a pyramidal superstructure
(sikhara). Among the most interesting examples are a brick temple at Bhitargaon and the
Vishnu temple at Deogarh built entirely of stone. The sanctums walls are provided with
central projections on the outside that extend from the base of the walls right upto the top
of the sikhara (spire). The section of the central offset that extends across the wall has a
niche, in which is placed an image. The frame around the sanctum entrance is very elaborate,
carved with several bands carrying floral and figural motifs.
• Both the Nagara and Dravidian styles of art evolved during this period. The temples became
the symbol of wealth & power.
13. The Bhakti Movement played a significant role in transforming the character of Vedic
Hinduism. Elucidate.
Hints:
• The Bhakti Movement had introduced the cult of Bhakti as the means of salvation and
reduced the importance of the ritual of Vedic sacrifices. The Bhakti saints condemned
ritualism, false practices, blind faiths and dogmas. To them, rituals and sacrifices were
meaningless.
• Bhakti movement centred round monotheism or the worship of one God. To them Ram and
Rahim, Ishwar and Allah were different names of one God that is the Supreme Being. In
other words, they emphasized upon the unity of God.
• Bhakti movement advocated the need of a preceptor or guru who would guide the devotee
to this ultimate goal. A true guru was the main source to attain God. He alone could show
the path of light to reach the proper destination. A guru could lead the devotee from the
material world to the spiritual world.
• Equality of men or universal brotherhood was another cardinal philosophy of the Bhakti
cult. As a matter of fact Bhakti movement had raised its voice against racial discrimination,
caste hierarchy and such social differentiations. It was believed that all creations of God
were equal and hence, all men should be treated equally.
• Thus, the Bhakti Movement played a significant role in transforming the character of Vedic
Hinduism.
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14. Globalization has not only affected the economy and the society but also it has emerged as
a challenge for the performing arts in India. Discuss.
Hints: OR
Globalization has influenced performing arts in variety of ways providing protection to some,
commercializing others and at the same time providing a threat of extinction to many.
Performing arts have been means of entertainment, carriers of folk and mass culture and have
provided livelihood support to many. With the advent of globalization and new means of
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entertainment through TV, internet; access to diverse forms of performing arts from other countries
have created a challenging environment for Indian performing arts.
What are the challenges:
• Many performing arts like puppetry are facing existential threats because of loss of viewership,
patronage. The artists associated with this are facing livelihood threats.
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• Threat to originality with intermixing of traditions. As people try new ways to sustain and
reply to the demands of market forces the originality is lost.
• Focus on entertainment and commercialization only. The true intrinsic value or satisfaction
that these arts provided to the performer are not give importance. Earlier many performing
arts like Shahnai vadan were not done for the purpose of earning money only, they were
treated as hobby in which these people wanted to excel. Now this is lost.
Though globalization has posed many challenges, but it also provides many opportunities.
• The global recognition to many performing arts like Koodiyattam by UNCESO helps them
in spreading them to new places, accessing grants and getting worldwide recognition.
• Many performing arts have been able to catch on the commercialization opportunities provided
by globalization. Shadow puppetry is an example of it, which has been used for advertising
purposes and professionals are emerging in the field.
• Organization of global cultural events provides artists opportunities to showcase their talents.
Cultural and artistic changes have been a continuous and subtle process throughout human history
and it has resulted into extinction, modification and emergence of new art forms. Globalization is
just new step in the same process and it will also have similar effects.
15. Mughal architecture was confluence of Indo and Islamic architectural style. Find the
contribution of different regional styles of India in Mughal architecture.
Hints:
• Mughals in their ambitions to establish all India empire soon realized that this can be done
with the policy of reconciliation with local rulers like Rajputs. This policy of Mughals was
also reflected in their architecture, in which they profusely took from local architecture
styles.
• Mughal architecture added to it the local flavour of the provisional kingdom of Bengal,
Gujarat, Jaunpur, Golconda, Malwa and the Deccan. When Mughals went and conquered
many of these places, they various new architectural design from them and used them in
their buildings.
• Akbar was keenly interested in art and architecture and his architecture is a happy blend
of the Hindu and Islamic modes of construction ornamentation. Panch Mahal in Fatehpur
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Sikri is based on the Hindu system of trabeate structure, consisting of pillar, architrave, and
brackets, with the only exception of the topmost domed pavilion.
• The Buland Darwza build to commemorate Akbar's southern Victory takes some parts of its
OR
design from Deccan school of architecture.
• Use of Gujarat style pillar and lentil system along with Jali work also influenced Mughal
architecture which is evident in Tomb of Seikh Salim Chisti.
• Similarly use of arch-pillar and beam of Malwa style is also found in some of the Mughal
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buildings.
• Therefore, it can be said that, as Mughals expanded their geographical reach and came into
contact with different regions, the Mughal architectural style got influenced by local styles.
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MODERN HISTORY
Practice Questions
Q1. Constitution of India is a mere extension of Government of India Act, 1935. Do you
agree, give reasons in support of your argument.
Q2. What were the objectives of various tribal uprisings in India during British rule? Evalu-
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ate their compatibility with freedom struggle.
Q3. Three main agencies were responsible for the spread of modern education in India: the
OR
foreign Christian missionaries, the British government and progressive Indians. De-
scribe with examples the role played by progressive Indians for spreading modern
education.
Q4. 'Various groups participated in the Non cooperation Movement but the term Swaraj
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meant different things for different people'. Elaborate
Q5. Enumerate the events that led to the change in the British attitude towards Indian
freedom struggle?
Q6. A sense of pan-Indian nationalism was absent in India until late 19th century, despite
the fact that majority of its regions, were brought under common administration under
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various empires. Critically analyze.
Q7. Lord Ripon and his work as viceroy as well as his whole political outlook was the very
antithesis of his immediate predecessor. Comment.
Q8. Critically evaluate the contribution of Dayanand Saraswati to the reform movements of
the 19th Century.
Q9. During the 'home rule movement' emphasis on participation in freedom movement
shifted from educated elite to masses, which gave it a new dimension. Do you agree?
Discuss the Impact of the Home Rule League on freedom struggle.
Q10. Kuka Movement had its roots in religious purification of the Sikhism, but it had some
contribution towards Indian freedom Movement as well. Evaluate the Kuka Movement
in the light of above given statement.
Q11. Discuss the major reasons due to which early mainstream nationalist movement was,
by and large, indifferent to the question of labour.
Q12. "The salt tax is the most inhumane poll tax that the ingenuity of man can devise." In
the light of this statement, explain why did salt emerged as the central issue for launch-
ing the Satyagraha.
Modern History [13]
Q13. Had all of Ambedkar's suggestion for Indian consolidation been accepted, we would
not have been facing the problem of communism and separatism as we have faced since
independence. Critically analyze.
Q14. 'So far as the revolutionary movement in India is concerned, it did not begin with guns
and bombs, but it started with the publication of newspapers'. In the light of given
statement discuss the role played by the press during freedom struggle.
Q15. Critically analyze the role of British policy in creation of Great Famines of Bengal
during last decade of 19th century.
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OR
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[14] Modern History
MODERN HISTORY
Answer
1. Constitution of India is a mere extension of Government of India Act, 1935. Do you agree,
give reasons in support of your argument.
Hints:
E
Though the Constitution of India retained most features of the Government of India Act 1935, but
it is much wider in nature and scope and can’t be termed as a mere enlargement, expansion, or
extension of the former act.
OR
Major features that were retained:
• Federal structure
• Federal court (now supreme court)

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• Reserve Bank of India
• Separation of Powers
• Office of governor, which was subservient to centre
• Introduction of centre & state lists

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There are also some significant and fundamental departures in some of the features between
constitution and GOI act
• Universal franchise
• Fundamental rights
• Directive principles of state policy
• Preamble
• Special protection to tribal areas and backward regions under schedule 5 and 6
The Constitution of India was a big change from the Government of India Act in many aspects.
When scrutinised closely, GoI, 1935 Act reveals that the legislative and administrative set-up have
been retained as largely unchanged. However, the humanitarian and welfare aspects were nearly
missing as the Act was never designed for a welfare state. These were then thoroughly integrated in
Constitution of India later.
Hints: Modern History [15]
2. What were the objectives of various tribal uprisings in India during British rule? Evaluate
their compatibility with freedom struggle.
Hints:
Common Objectives
• To Get Rid of Outsiders: British rule led to influx of outsiders in the tribal areas. They
exploited them and reduced them to agriculture labourers. Thus, their overthrow was a
major and common objective among tribal uprisings.
• Protect Forests: Increasing demand for natural resources led to deforestaration and this
affected them badly as they depended on forests.
• Protect Traditional Identity: Tribal uprisings were also against the Christian missionaries'
effort to destroy their aboriginality, and their traditional thread of a protected social and
economic life.
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• Prevent Resources: various laws restricted the interaction between tribal's and forests, where
they once enjoyed total freedom OR
However, despite being against the British, the tribal movement was not too compatible with
mainstream national movement, as:
• Factors were more economic than political
• Socio-religious factors played too important role
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• Often Violent in nature

• Waged on local issues
• Personalities played too important a role and on organizational structure was there
3. Three main agencies were responsible for the spread of modern education in India: the
foreign Christian missionaries, the British government and progressive Indians. Describe
with examples the role played by progressive Indians for spreading modern education.
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Hints:
The introduction of modern education was an event of great historical significance for India. It was
definitely a progressive act of the British rule. Three main agencies were responsible for the spread
of modern education in India: the foreign Christian missionaries, the British government, and
progressive Indians. Christian missionaries, who did extensive work in the spread of modern
education in India, were inspired mainly by a proselytizing spirit to spread Christianity among the
people. These missionaries started educational institutions, which, along with imparting modern
secular education, also gave religious instructions in Christianity.
The British government was, however, the principal agent in disseminating modern education in
India. The British took a keen interest in introducing the English language in India. They had many
reasons for doing so. Educating Indians in the English language was a part of their strategy. The
Indians would be ready to work as clerks on low wages, while for the same work the British would
demand much higher wages. This would reduce the expenditure on administration. It was also
expected to create a class of Indians, who were loyal to the British, and were not able to relate to
other Indians. This class of Indians would be taught to appreciate the culture and opinion of the
British. In addition, they would also help to increase the market for British goods. They wanted to
use education as a means to strengthen their political authority in the country. They assumed that
[16] Hints: Modern History
a few educated Indians would spread English culture to the masses, and that, they would be able to
rule through this class of educated Indians. They ignored the education of the masses. But, in
reality, it was not sufficient to cater to the needs of the Indian people.
Though the British followed a half-hearted education policy in India, English language and western
ideas had some positive impact on the society. Many reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar
Chandra Vidya Sagar, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, and Swami
Vivekananda, absorbed western ideas of liberalism and democracy, and used it to reform some of
the non-humanitarian social and religious practices of the time. Though education did not reach
the masses, but some ideas of anti-imperialism, nationalism, and social and economic equality took
root through political parties, discussions, and debates on public platform and the press.
The spread of English language and western education helped Indians to adopt modern, rational,
democratic, liberal, and patriotic outlook. New fields of knowledge in science, humanities, and
literature open to them. English became the lingua franca of the educated people in India. It united
them and gradually made them politically conscious of their rights. It also gave opportunity to the
Indians, to study in England, and learn about the working of democratic institutions there. The
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writings of John Locke, Ruskin, Mill, Rousseau, and many others instilled in them the ideas of
liberty, equality, fraternity, human rights, and self-government. They began to aspire for these
ideals for India.
4.
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'Various groups participated in the Non cooperation Movement but the term Swaraj meant
different things for different people'. Elaborate
Hints:
Swaraj as a concept was never defined by Congress or Gandhi in detail and thus, Swaraj was
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interpreted as self rule, which many believed as total freedom. However, the Gandhian idea was
community's right to enshrine laws for itself and to regulate those themselves and not anarchy.
People however believed it to a solution to all their problems and though they never understood the
concept they became part of movement and in name of personal freedom broke many British laws
and customs.
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• Congress meant Swaraj to be the power to rule and govern self, and meant dominion status
by Swaraj
• Tribals openly defied orders and went to forests for grazing their cattle and collect fruits,
firewood, and herbs.
• Plantation workers left plantations and left for home, which as per then laws was illegal.
• Students left schools and colleges
• Peasants demanded reduction of lagan and abolition of beggar, after being mobilized by
Baba Ramchandra, they stopped paying rent.
Thus, though people interpreted Swaraj in their own way, they participated in the non-cooperation
movement with enthusiasm and hope for betterment.
5. Enumerate the events that led to the change in the British attitude towards Indian freedom
struggle?
Hints:
The attitude of the British Government towards India underwent a significant change after the
WW-II. This change resulted from a culmination of many factors and events.
Weakened British Economy and Military Power: Britain wanted to focus on post-war reconstruction
and revival of its economy; the desire to hold clutches on its colonies was now lower among its
priorities.
Change in the balance of World Power: Britain was no longer the supreme global power. The
emergent superpowers USA and USSR were both supporters of Indian Independence.
Change in guards at British Parliament: While British government under the conservative party,
led by Winston Churchill was never in favor of Indian independence. The labour party was liberal
and the newly appointed PM Atlee was of anti-colonial mindset.
I.N.A Trials: British rule in India was dependent on three pillars of strength and these were Indian
bureaucracy, military and police. Freedom struggle inspired these with increased fervor of
nationalism and the I.N.A trials radicalized the public opinion and particularly the armed forces
and police.
RIN Mutiny of 1946: This is a largely ignored aspect of freedom struggle, but it showed the confidence
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of nationalist factions in army and the generally defiant mood that was prevailing.
All these events expedited the process of grant of freedom and the British who barely a few years
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ago weren't ready to cede the dominion status, now were ready to let India to become a republic.
6. A sense of pan-Indian nationalism was absent in India until late 19th century, despite the
fact that majority of its regions, were brought under common administration under various
empires. Critically analyze.
Hints:
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• India has been unified under many emperors and governments in history. Ancient texts
mention India under emperor Bharata and Akhand Bharat, these regions roughly form the
entities of modern day greater India.
• The Mauryan Empire was the first to unite all of India, and South Asia (including much of
Afghanistan). In addition, much of India has also been unified under a central government
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by empires, such as the Gupta Empire, Rashtrakuta Empire, Pala Empire, Mughal Empire,
Indian Empire etc.
• Development of such empires helped to create a common administrative and governance
system, which certainly helped to spread ideas across the various regions. However, the
diversity and regional loyalties didn’t allow people to develop a pan-India identity; the only
integrated force was Hinduism or religion, which was common to most people. That however,
also gave only a social identity, but not geographical identity, which is important for
nationalism.
• Nationalism in India as elsewhere, was a modem phenomenon, predicated in the belief that
India was a nation and that freedom from colonial rule was a birthright of its people and
that its conferment would allow the nation to occupy a status of equality with other members
in the family of nations.
• Obviously, nationalism in India was not sui generis; it was part of a universal phenomenon
that had swept the world in recent times under different circumstances. In the case of India,
her status as a British colony meant that nationalism must necessarily assume an anti-
colonial garb. The dissolution of British imperialism was a necessary condition in the creation
of an Indian nation-state.
7. Lord Ripon and his work as viceroy as well as his whole political outlook was the very
antithesis of his immediate predecessor. Comment.
Hints:
• Lord Ripon became the Viceroy of India as a representative of the liberal Govt. of Britain
under William Gladstone. A true liberal of the Gladstonian era, Ripon’s political outlook was
very antithesis to his immediate predecessor, Lord Lytton. He was inspired with a sense of
mission and duty toward British subjects, irrespective of their nationality.
• His major measures bear the stamp of sympathy and humanitarianism. He took some steps
towards liberalizing administration in India. His sincerity of purpose is clear from his first
public announcement in Calcutta when he said “judge me by my acts and not by my words”.
He brought an end to the second Afghan war and repealed the Vernacular Press Act.
• Ripon tried to introduce the real element of local self govt. in India. His resolution on local
self govt. (1882) was a land mark. The development of local self govt. bodies was advocated
as an instrument of political and popular education.
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• In 1882, Ripon repealed ‘Gagging Act’ of Canning and Vernacular Press Act of Lord Lytton.
Under the stress of the revolt of 1857, Lord Canning introduced a system of licensing of all
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printing presses. This measure came to be called the ‘Gagging act’.
• In 1882 Ripon appointed Hunter Commission to Review the Progress of education in India
and suggest measures for further growth. Ilbert Bill created an everlasting image to Ripon
among Indians as the bill proposed an amendment for existing laws in the country at the
time to allow Indian judges and magistrates the jurisdiction to try British offenders in
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criminal cases at the District level, which was an truly egalitarian step.
• Ripon took keen interest in the welfare of the people. In 1881 he passed the First Factory act,
to regulate and improve the conditions of labour in Indian Factories. Children between the
age of 17 and 12 were not to work for more than 9 hours a day. It prohibited employment
of children less than 7 years.
• Ripon’s govt. continued the process of financial decentralization begun by Lord Mayo.
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Ripon’s measures were aimed at increasing the financial responsibilities of the provinces.
8. Critically evaluate the contribution of Dayanand Saraswati to the reform movements of the
19th Century.
Hints:
• Dayanand Saraswati’s Aryan ideology stirred a new debate within the reformist movement
in India. It made the masses culturally conscious. However, it is also criticized for its cultural
chauvinism than reformism. He gave primacy to Rigveda and Upanishads.
• He founded Aryan Samaj in Bombay in 1875 and invoked the authority of Vedas as the most
authentic Indian religious reforms and sought to purge Hinduisms of all its post-Vedic
accretions.
• Using the authority of Vedas, he attacked idolatry, polytheism, and ritualistic religions. His
aim was to free Hinduism from the clutches of the priests and put an end to irrational and
costly rituals.
• He also denounced untouchability and rejected caste system. In the temples, he started
performing marriages, mostly inter-caste, based on Vedic traditions. He also focused on the
issue of women, condemned the practice of Sati and sought respectable position for women.
• Due to its aggressive nature, his reformism failed to impress the orthodox Hindus and
remained marginal in eastern and western India. But it had wider acceptance in Punjab and
the north-western provinces.
• After his death in 1883, moderates among his disciples led by Lala Hansraj and Lala Lajpat
rai chose to focus on education and community work. They founded DAV schools and
colleges first at Lahore in 1887, and then in other parts of India.
• Another group that was militant in its approach started preaching the religion of Vedas,
attacking Muslims and initiating Shuddhi or reconversion. Orthodox Hindus led by Swami
Shraddhanand founded Gurukul at kangri, Haridwar in 1902.
• Dayanand Saraswati tried to project Hinduism as a ‘religion of book’ like Christianity and
Islam, and prepared the grounds for reconversion of those lost to these proselytizing religions.
• The cow protection movements in 1890s changed the nature of movement from reformist to
revivalist. Though he condemned the caste system, he upheld the fourfold Varna division.
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9. During the 'home rule movement' emphasis on participation in freedom movement shifted
from educated elite to masses, which gave it a new dimension. Do you agree? Discuss the
Impact of the Home Rule League on freedom struggle.
OR
Hints:
• Two Home Rule Leagues were established, one by B.G. Tilak at Poona in April 1916 and the
other by Mrs. Annie Besant at Madras in September 1916. The aim of the Movement was
to get self government for India within the British Empire. It believed freedom was the
natural right of all nations.
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• The main thrust of the activity was directed towards building up an agitation around the
demand for Home Rule. This was to be achieved by promoting political education and
discussion.
• Arundale, through New to India, advised members to promote political discussions, establish
libraries containing material on national politics, organize classes for students on politics,
print and circulate pamphlets, collect funds, organize social work, take part in local
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government activities, arrange political meetings and lectures, present arguments to friends
in favour of Home Rule and urge them to join the movement. At least some of these activities
were carried on by many of the branches, and especially the task of promotion of political
discussion and debate.
• The Home Rule Leagues also created organizational links between town and country which
were to prove invaluable in later years. And further, by popularizing the idea of Home Rule
or self-government, and making it a commonplace thing, it generated a widespread pro-
nationalist atmosphere in the country.
• The tremendous achievement of the Home Rule Movement and its legacy was that it created
a generation of ardent nationalists who formed the backbone of the national movement in
the coming years when, under the leadership of the Mahatma, it entered its truly mass
phase.
• The movement involved the participation of women, revival of Swadeshi spirit and spread
of the movement far beyond the frontiers of India. Monided organizational limits between
town and countryside.
• The Movement brought together the Moderates and the Extremists in the Congress. The
Congress and the League presented a common Charter of Demand i.e., Self-Government.
10. Kuka Movement had its roots in religious purification of the Sikhism, but it had some
contribution towards Indian freedom Movement as well. Evaluate the Kuka Movement in
the light of above given statement.
Hints:
• There has been a doubtful history about the initial days of Kuka Movement. There are two
names associated with the start of this movement i.e. Baba Balak Singh and Bhagat Jawar
Mal.
• Balak Singh started preaching very early in his life and the objective of his preachings was
to uphold the religious purity of Sikhism. However, it was not the real starting of the Kuka
Movement as we know today. The real founder was Baba Ram Singh. After he left the army,
he started preaching against the bad habits developed among the Sikhs. We have been told
that he wanted his disciples to follow all what Guru Gobind Singh taught in a puritan way,
without any influence of other religions.
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The Non-cooperation / Civil Disobedience by Kukas
• Baba Ram Singh considered political freedom a part of religion and under him the organisation
•
of the Namdharis became very strong.
OR
The principles of boycott and non-co-operation, which Mahatma Gandhi introduced in our
freedom movement, were also expounded by Guru Ram Singh for the Namdharis. The
Guru’s Non-co-operation Movement was based on a few things such as boycott of education
institutions of British and laws established by them. They were rigid in their clothing and
wore only hand-spun white attire.
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• A large number of Kuka followers were in the police as well as army, though they did not
reveal their identity. It’s worth note that a special Kuka regiment was raised by the Maharaja
of Kashmir was disbanded at the intervention of the British.
The Kuka Movement / Uprising
• In 1871, the Kukas met in conference at the village Khote in Ferozepur. In this conference,
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the Kukas divided into two parties and despite Ram Singh’s admonitions, who was present
there, they began to quarrel among themselves.
• Some Kukas got out of control and attacked and murdered many butchers and others
suspected of kine slaughter. This was followed by killing of the Butchers in many places. The
Kuka followers succeeded in enforcing civil disobedience as well as carrying out extreme
actions including murder of butchers against cow slaughter.
• Many experts have opined that the Kuka attack upon religious places, as they were iconoclasts.
This hurt the religious sentiments of followers of other faiths. Further, the religious purity,
which was the basis of their foundation, was later lost into oblivion Government Action.
Government arrested many Kukas and either hanged them or imprisoned them.
• There was a serious outbreak in 1872, when some of the Kukas went out of Ram Singh’s
control and decided to attack Malerkotla and occupied it. The government took it seriously
and many of the Kuka ring-leaders were blown away from the cannon mounts. Despite of
the fact the Ram Singh had informed the government that some wrongdoers used his name,
the Government concluded that Ram Singh’s real motive and ambition was to reign and
acquire dominions, upon a religious pretext.The result was that he was captured and sent
into exile in Burma. He died there later.
Aftermath
• After Ram Singh, Guru Hari Singh succeeded. Guru Hari Singh who was not allowed to
move out of his house in the village Bheni, for 21 years. He died in 1906 and was succeeded
by Pratap Singh. During the World War in 1914, the British Government unsuccessfully tried
to appease the Kukas by land grants.
• In 1920, the Kukas started their paper ‘Satyug’, and in 1922, their daily, ‘Kuka’ was started.
When the non-cooperation movement was started by Gandhi, the Kukas joined hands freely.
Gandhi himself is said to have learnt many points from the Kukas, and modified his campaign
to revolutionize the social and political structure of India.
Supplementary notes on Kuka movement:
The Beliefs and Faiths of the Kuka Sect
• The sect believes that Adi Granth is the only true holy book of their religion.
• Gobind Singh is the only Guru.
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• Any person, irrespective of caste or religion, can be admitted as a Namdhari convert.
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• Sodhis, Bedis, Mahants, Brahmins and such like are impostors, as none are Gurus except
Gobind Singh. It’s worth note that among Sikhs, the Sodhis and Bedis had started getting
worshipped during those times.
• Devidwaras, Shivdwaras and Mandirs are a means of extortion, to be held in contempt and
never visited. Idols and idol-worship are insulting to God, and will not be forgiven. The
Namdharis were iconoclasts.
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• Converts are allowed to read Gobind Singh’s Grantha and no other book.
• Pure vegetarianism. It was against killing of cattle and kine.
• Teetotallers.
• No caste system
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• Namdharis are not allowed to drink tap water; water must be drawn from the lake or
captured from rain and from well.
• Only white cloths were permitted, no other color was allowed.
From the above, we can easily make out that the origin of the Kuka Movement had its roots in
religious purification of the Sikhism. In their social beliefs, the Kukas were against child-marriage.
They condemned infanticide and dowry system.
The Namdharis in fact were religiously denied the right to spend more than Rs.13 on a marriage.
The Kukas gave strictly equal status to women and believed inner-caste marriage between 10 caste
Hindus and untouchables. The first such inter-casts marriage was performed among the Kukas on
January 4, 1863.
11. Discuss the major reasons due to which early mainstream nationalist movement was, by
and large, indifferent to the question of labour.
Hints:
• The modern industrial worker makes his appearance in India in the second half of the 19th
century, with the slow beginnings of modem industry and the growth of utilities like the
railways and the post and the telegraph network.
• The early nationalists in the beginning paid relatively little attention to the question of
workers, despite the truly wretched conditions under which they existed at that time.
• One major reason for the relatively lukewarm attitude of the early that, at this time, when
the anti-imperialist movement was in its very infancy, the nationalists did not wish to, in
any way, weaken the common struggle against British rule — the primary task to be achieved
in a colonial situation — by creating any divisions within the ranks of the Indian people.
• Apart from the desire not to create any divisions in the fledgling anti-imperialist movement,
there were other reasons for the nationalist stance. The nationalists correctly saw the
Government initiative on labour legislation as dictated by British manufacturing interests
which, when faced with growing Indian competition and a shrinking market in India,
lobbied for factor legislation in India which would, for example, by reducing the working
hours for labour, reduce the competitive edge enjoyed by Indian industry.
• Further, the early nationalists saw rapid industrialisation as the panacea for the problems
of Indian poverty and degradation and were unwilling to countenance any measure which
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would impede this process. Labour legislation which would adversely affect the infant
industry in India, they said, was like killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.
12. "The salt tax is the most inhumane poll tax that the ingenuity of man can devise." In the
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light of this statement, explain why did salt emerged as the central issue for launching the
Satyagraha.
Hints:
• The abolition of salt tax was one of the 11 demands presented by Gandhi to Irwin. The salt
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tax was one issue, which affected all sections of society and had no divisive implication
between different communities.
• As with many other commodities, Britain had kept India’s salt trade under its thumb since
the 19th century, forbidding natives from manufacturing or selling the mineral and forcing
them to buy it at high cost from British merchants. Since salt was a nutritional necessity in
India’s steamy climate, Gandhi saw the salt laws as an inexcusable evil.
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• It did not threaten government finances, therefore reduced the chances of government
repression. Also, there was no vested interest in raising salt issue that could antagonize other
political parties like Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha.
• Finally, there is no other article like salt, outside water, by taxing which, government can
reach starving millions, it was the most inhuman poll tax.
Salt Satyagraha
• The government did not relent to Gandhi’s demands. This made civil disobedience inevitable.
On 12th march 1930, Gandhi embarked upon the historic march towards the seashore in
Dandi, Gujarat.
• The plan was brilliantly conceived, as the government could not envisage the enormity of
publicity and protest that would sweep the whole country. The significance of salt around
which the whole Satyagraha was planned was paramount. It appealed to all sections of the
society.
• Like Khadi, it became a symbol of nationalism and a way to oppose and protest against the
unjust law. For urban dwellers, it provided an opportunity of a symbolic identification with
mass suffering. To the poor, manufacturing salt was major source of income. They saw the
salt tax disobedience as economic liberation.
Conclusion
• By the time Gandhi reached Dandi on 6th April 1930, he awakened the whole nation to the
new mass movement named Civil Disobedience movement. Defiance of salt laws started all
over the country. India’s large coastline became a ground for active mass mobilization.
13. Had all of Ambedkar's suggestion for Indian consolidation been accepted, we would not
have been facing the problem of communism and separatism as we have faced since
independence. Critically analyze.
Hints:
• Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar wasn’t a part of congress and was the sole representative in the
Constituent Assembly of the Scheduled Castes Federation. The Federation won 14 out of the
148 reserved seats in the 1946 provincial elections. Its poor performance was due to several
reasons including high property qualifications for voter registration that disenfranchised
most Dalits.
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• Thus, while his contribution was considered important, INC always kept him under check
and he was often opposed from within the Congress. He was critically in favour of Hindu
Code Bill and Uniform Civil Code. While INC was afraid that it would make it unpopular
and may cost it elections.
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• Thus, INC never passed both these bills, despite strong lobbying by Ambedkar and ultimately
he resigned in protest. Later on the Hindu Code Bill was passed, but in slow and piecemeal
approach.
• Similarly, his uniform civil code hasn’t been passed till date. It would have been a great
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integrating force for India and would also have reduced communalism.
• Apart from social reforms he applied his legal acumen to matters of international relations
and internal security and strongly opposed the Article 370 and called it to be against the
spirit of Indian Union and also tried to persuade Nehru to not accept it.
• He even persuaded parliament while reminding words of Bismark that, ‘Politics is the game
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of the possible’, and of Bernard Shaw that, ‘good ideals are good but one must not forget
that it is often dangerous to be too good’, he criticized that India’s foreign policy is in
complete opposition to these words of wisdom uttered by two of the world’s greatest men.
• Thus, opposed to Nehru’s Idealism, his policy was of pragmatism and he wanted to solve
the problem in realistic manner with a long-term solution instead of idealist quagmire.
14. 'So far as the revolutionary movement in India is concerned, it did not begin with guns and
bombs, but it started with the publication of newspapers'. In the light of given statement
discuss the role played by the press during freedom struggle.
Hints:
• Right from the time of India’s First War of Independence in 1857, Hindi/Urdu journals like
Payam-e-Azadi and Samachar Sudhavarshan supported the struggle for freedom,and exhorted
people to throw out the British rulers.
• This provoked the British to hit back with the notorious Vernacular Press Act, popularly
known as the Gagging Act, imposing many restrictions on the newspapers and periodicals
of the day. Similarrly Amrita Bazaar Patrika faced the Government’s ire and was forced to
close down in 1871, before moving to Calcutta from Jessore to continue their fight against
the ruling establishment.
• In fact, many of the tallest leaders of the Freedom movement themselves turned journalists
too, and used the press to propagate their ideas to the masses. So far as the revolutionary
movement is concerned, it did not begin with guns and bombs but it started with the
publication of newspapers. The first to be mentioned in this context is Yugantar publication
of which was started by Barindra Kumar Ghosh who edited it also.
• When the Ghadar party was organised in America, Lala Hardayal started publication of the
journal ‘Ghadar’. In 1905 Shyamji Krishna Verma started publication of a journal Indian
Sociologist from London. After Yugantar, it was Vande-matram that played a significant
role in the freedom struggle.
• After returning to India Gandhiji started the publication of Young India; Navjeevan, Harijan,
Harijan Sevak and Harijan Bandhu.
• The Press was the chief instrument for carrying out the main political tasks i.e. political
propaganda, education, and formation and propagation of nationalist ideology to arouse,
train, mobilize and consolidate nationalist public opinion.
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• Even the work of the National Congress was accomplished during these years largely through
the Press. The resolutions it took and the proceedings of its meetings were propagated
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through newspapers. Nearly all the major political controversies of the day were conducted
through the Press.
• The circulation was not confined only to cities or large towns. Newspapers used to reach
remote villages. A reader would then read them to the others who, most probably, were not
able to read.
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• Gradually the trend of libraries started all over the country. A single newspaper would be
made the centre of a local ‘library’. The main assets used to be a table, a bench or two or
a charpoy. Every piece of news or editorial comment would be read or heard and discussed
thoroughly.
15. Critically analyze the role of British policy in creation of Great Famines of Bengal during
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last decade of 19th century.

Hints:
• Famine has been considered as a frequent characteristic in the history of eastern India.
• However, due to several reasons, the magnitude of famine reached its highest point in the
late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. More than thirty million famine related deaths
occurred in British India between 1870 and 1910.
• In British period droughts, combined with mal-administrative policies, have led to major
Indian famines as the Central Indian famine (1868-70), the Great Famine of 1876-78, severe
starvation of 1896-97, etc. In Colonial rule agricultural labourers, cultivators and rural artisans
remained primary victims of famines.
• Famines in British India were severe enough to have a substantial impact on the long-term
population growth of the country. These famines were typically followed by various infectious
diseases such as bubonic plague and influenza, which killed a large section of population
already destabilized by starvation.
• In pre British period under the Mughal and Maratha Empire, tax collection was flexible and
kept in line with the circumstances of the day.
• In the British Raj there was no such humanitarian response to the life threatening crises
faced by the Indian farmer. After the political subjection of India, the Colonial government
carved the Permanent Settlement, Ryotwari Settlement and Mahalwari bandobast, in-order
to collect land revenue. In order to extract more and more revenue, the Colonial government
introduced several land revenue or taxation patterns. All such administrative innovations
were aimed to squeeze out the last drop of blood and last penny from the cultivators of
India. Under these mechanisms, the government collected more than 70-80% of gross
agricultural production as land revenue.
• But this tax was not the end of all misery. More to land revenue there were different taxes
for roads, schools, post offices, dispensary, water resources, etc. Taxes were levied heavily
and the poor farmer had no protection against the brutal collection procedures.
• All such policies, created unfavorable environment for agriculture and the production never
grew despite increasing demand. Further, the commercialization of agriculture, didn't even
left bare minimum eatables with farmers which survived them in previous droughts.
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OR
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MODERN HISTORY + POST INDEPENDENCE

Practice Questions
Q1. Evaluate industrial growth in India during 20th century? Also critically analyze the
British Policy towards Indian Business.
Q2. The provision for education in 1813 Charter Act opened the battle ground for different
E
philosophical groups in India. Critically analyze the arguments proposed.
Q3. In what ways the Swadeshi Movement contributed to rise of indigenous education in
OR
India?
Q4. Community consciousness was not a medieval phenomenon but a colonial construction.
Critically evaluate.
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Q5. Import Substitution policy was a natural consequence of British Rule. Explain why and
how.
Q6. In anticipation of independence and the accompanying changes in agrarian relations,

the period between the 1945-47 witnessed a sharp increase in agrarian struggles all
over the country. Elaborate the reasons for it.
GS
Q7. Evaluate the role played by Dr. Rajendra Prasad in India's freedom struggle and in
laying the foundation of a modern India.
Q8. Though Mahatma Gandhi withdrew many mass movements at crucial times why did he
still remain popular among the masses?
Q9. Wavell plan was the last chance to prevent the Partition of the Sub-continent. Critically
analyze.
Q10. Swami Vivekanand and Mahatma Gandhi were religious but yet secular. Are their
teachings and philosophies relevant today?
Q11. 'Goa should be liberated, either with full peace or with full use of force'. In the light
of the above statement, analyze the conditions under which Goa was integrated with
the Indian Union.
Q12. Privy Purses were offered to convince the princely states to surrender their sovereignty
to India, despite the fact that these were against the spirit of equality under constitu-
tion. Critically evaluate.
Q13. "The British legacy of confusing and unclear borders on the eastern front was the major
reason for Sino-India war". Evaluate.
Modern History + Post Independence [27]
Q14. Evaluate why the vehement demands regarding separate statehood post-independence
were not agreed upon by government despite popular demand and agitation.
Q15. India has survived its democracy since independence, however, emergency was seen as
a black spot on it. But it has also proved the faith of people of India in democratic
system. Discuss.
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OR
SC
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[28] Modern History + Post Independence
MODERN HISTORY + POST INDEPENDENCE

Answer
1. Evaluate industrial growth in India during 20th century? Also critically analyze the British
Policy towards Indian Business.
Hints:
E
• In the 19th century A.D. British government abolished the tariff protection of Indian goods.
The country was reduced to the position of supplier of raw material to British industries. In
1850 Jute mills were established in India, but there was no further development in the jute
OR
textile processing industry.
• The development of Indian industries was lopsided in character in the sense that only some
light and consumer goods industries were started and no attention was given to the machine-
manufacturing and heavy engineering and heavy chemical industries and other basic and
key industries.
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• Industrial development till First World War was to a great extent a by-product of certain
interrelated developments like improved transport and communications, growth of foreign
trade and consequent accumulation of commercial fortunes. Railway building and
maintenance had effects more far reaching than the opening up of the interior and exposing
agriculture to the market economy.
• But the First World War proved to be an important event, when British industries were
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diverted to produce for armed forces, the shortage of finished goods was covered by Indian
industry and this gave some foothold. Post war, the demand for protection of some industries
arose; it was necessary for the British ruler to make certain political and economic concessions
and promises of concessions to secure the co-operation of the Indian people during the war
and in the disturbed period following the war.
• The economic concessions took the shape of a proclamation by the Government to the effect
that in future industrialization would be supported by all means.
• These considerations led to the appointment of the Industrial Commission and the Munitions
Board; Indian Industrial Commission (1916, the Fiscal Commission, The royal (Whitley)
Commission on Labour (1929), the Central Banking Enquiry Committee (1930) under John
Maynard Keynes, the External Capital Committee (1925), and the Taxation Enquiry
Committee, were appointed to make a thorough enquiry into respective fields.
• Finally, in the 1920s and 1930s under the pressure of the rising nationalist movement and
the Indian capitalist class, the Government of India was forced to grant some tariff protection
to Indian industries. But, once again, the government discriminated against Indian-owned
industries.
• The Indian-owned industries such as cement, iron and steel, and glass were denied protection
or given inadequate protection.
Hints: Modern History + Post Independence [29]
• On the other hand, foreign dominated industries, such as the match industry, tea processing,
Jute industry, were given the protection they desired. Moreover, British imports were given
special privileges under the system of 'imperial preferences' even though Indians protested
vehemently.
• Another feature of Indian industrial development was that it was extremely lopsided
regionally. Indian industries were concentrated only in a few regions and cities of the
country. Large parts of the country remained totally underdeveloped.
• This unequal regional economic development not only led to wide regional disparities in
income but also affected the level of national integration. It made the task of creating a
unified Indian nation more difficult.
2. The provision for education in 1813 Charter Act opened the battle ground for different
philosophical groups in India. Critically analyze the arguments proposed.
Hints:
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• Under the 1813 Charter Act, the British government in England directed the Company's
government in India to spend yearly a sum of rupees 1-lakh towards the spread of education.
OR
• This led to the rise of Anglicist and Orientalist controversy regarding the type of education
to be introduced in India.
• The Orientalists were in the favour of use of classical languages of Indian tradition, such as
Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic, which were not spoken as native languages.
• The importance of encouraging the vernacular languages could not be ignored because.
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Indians were well acquainted with the classical and vernacular languages which was required
for administrative activities, the judicial department (as assessors to expound Hindu, Muslim
laws), political correspondence with the various rulers, and communicating with the
uneducated.
• From the early nineteenth century many British officials began to criticise the Orientalist
vision of learning. They said that knowledge of the East was full of errors and unscientific
thought; Eastern literature was non-serious and light-hearted. So they argued that it was
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wrong on the part of the British to spend so much effort in encouraging the study of Arabic
and Sanskrit language and literature.
• Hence, after the Macaulay's minute, the English Education Act of 1835 was introduced. It
took the decision to make English the medium of instruction for higher education, and to
stop the promotion of Oriental institutions like the Calcutta Madrasa and Benaras Sanskrit
College. These institutions were seen as "temples of darkness that were falling of themselves
into decay". English textbooks now began to be produced for schools.
18. In what ways the Swadeshi Movement contributed to rise of indigenous education in India?
Hints:
• In 1905 Viceroy Curzon partitioned Bengal. At that time Bengal was the biggest province
of British India and included Bihar and parts of Orissa. The British argued for dividing
Bengal for reasons of administrative convenience.
• The partition of Bengal infuriated people all over India and Swadeshi movement against
British government started.
• The Swadeshi movement sought to oppose British rule and encourage the ideas of self-help,
swadeshi enterprise, national education, and use of Indian languages.
[30] Hints: Modern History + Post Independence
• The concept of national educationcame into existence.
• Taking a cue from Tagore's Shantiniketan, the Bengal National College was founded, with
Aurobindo as the principal. Scores of national schools sprang up all over the country within
a short period.
• In August 1906, the National Council of Education was established. The Council, consisting
of virtually all the distinguished persons of the country at the time, defined its objectives in
this way... 'to organize a system of Education Literary; Scientific and Technical - on National
lines and under National control from the primary to the university level.
• The chief medium of instruction was to be the vernacular to enable the widest possible
reach. For technical education, the Bengal Technical institute was set and funds were raise
to send students to Japan for advanced learning.
4. Community consciousness was not a medieval phenomenon but a colonial construction.
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Hints:
•
OR
It is important to note that Indian society was never homogenous throughout the history,
it was highly diverse religiously, culturally, caste-wise and linguistically but there was hardly
any tension between these groups.
• It all began with the establishment of British rule in India and so most of the scholars agree
that communalism is a modern phenomenon and not a medieval phenomenon.
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• In medieval ages neither there was any competition for power as we have in democratic
society, nor competition for jobs, as jobs were bestowed by the monarch or the feudal lord
according to his whim rather than norms.
• Moreover there was no need for a religious gathering or a collective bargaining under the
banner of any community in ancient and medieval period. As the feudal society was controlled
by emperors and kings and not by democratic set ups the religious distinctions or rivalries
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had no scope.
• The British administration deliberately created rift between the two communities through
favouring one against the other. The sphere head of resistance was flattened through offering
more concessions and privileges.
• The Hindu community were generously supported and encouraged at a time when the
Muslims rose against the British. Similarly the Muslim community got the patronage of the
British when the Hindu nationalism was on the rise. This gave rise to communalism.
5. Import Substitution policy was a natural consequence of British Rule. Explain why and
how.
Hints:
• India adopted Import substitution policy formally with the second five year plan, which
formally led the absence of foreign trade.
• But it was the continuation of policies adopted since the days of anti colonial struggle.
• It was also due to the popularity of Gandhian ideals of Village republics and self-sustained
units apart from USSR model of 5 year plans.
• During the colonial struggle, it was widely believed that the foreign trade was reason for
India’s condition as European came to India as traders. Also, the infant industry argument,
that the domestic industry can’t survive against global competition and needs protection
against MNCs.
• Similarly, Indian industrialists through FICCI and other bodies lobbied for such protectionist
policies.
• Although the policy of import substitution may be justified in certain sectors in some countries
at a given point of time, the extension of this policy to the entire industrial sector for a longer
period had lead to structural weakness and inefficiency.
• Lack of competition from rest of the world also made make the entire industrial sector
inefficient, leading to less than desired output and job creation.
• India adopted this policy, which then had to be reversed in the wake of a currency crisis
in 1991 and the economy has done considerably better post-liberalization compared with the
period before that, though the industrial activity has not expanded to its potential because
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of factors such as lack of basic infrastructure.
6. In anticipation of independence and the accompanying changes in agrarian relations, the
OR
period between the 1945-47 witnessed a sharp increase in agrarian struggles all over the
country. Elaborate the reasons for it.
Hints:
• The years since independence have seen agrarian struggles of enormous variety, ranging
from the legendary Telangana peasant movement and the PEPSU tenants' movement which
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continued from the pre-independence years, to the Naxalite or Maoist movement in the late
sixties and the 'new' farmers' movements of the eighties but the period between the 1945-
47 witnessed a sharp increase in agrarian struggles all over the country.
• During World War II, the peasant movements had declined. But after the end of war (1945)
peasant leaders anticipated freedom and change in social order. Hence peasant movements
renewed.
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• The immediate demands on which struggles were fought in the pre-Independence days were
the reduction of taxes, the abolition of illegal cesses or feudal levies and begar or vethi, the
ending of oppression by landlords and their agents, the reduction of debts, the restoration
of illegally or illegitimately seized lands, and security of tenure for tenants.
• Earlier kisan movements usually didn’t demand abolition of Zamindari. They merely wanted
a fair system of land revenue and land tenancy. But these new movements strongly demanded
for abolition of Zamindari.
• The main focus was on mobilization through meetings, conferences, rallies, demonstrations,
enrolment of members, formation of kisan sabhas or ryotu and karshaka sanghams but later
the movements became violent such as Telangana movement in Hyderabad state and the
Tebhaga movement in Bengal. Similarly All India Kisan Sabha openly preached militancy,
violance against Zamindars.
7. Evaluate the role played by Dr. Rajendra Prasad in India's freedom struggle and in laying
the foundation of a modern India.
Hints:
Dr. Rajendra Prasad has the unique distinction of being the first President of independent India. He
also played a very influential role in the freedom struggle of India.
Role Played in Freedom Struggle
• Rajendra Prasad was man of courage, dedication, conviction and utmost sincerity. His name
symbolised honesty and modesty. He was an active participant in crucial freedom movements
like Non Cooperation Movement, Salt Satyagraha and Champaran Agrarian Agitation.
• Rajendra Prasad came under the spell of Mahatma Gandhi in 1917 when the latter organized
the Champaran Satyagraha to liberate the peasants from exploitation by the British Indigo
planters. Under the active guidance of Mahatma Gandhi, he gave a new lead to the various
movements in Bihar, with a view to taking the country nearer to the goal of freedom and
economic regeneration Inspired by Gandhian ideology.
• He concurred with Gandhiji that the only effective weapon to deal with the British Government's
inhuman actions and repressive laws was, 'non-cooperation'. He was the first leader from
Bihar to sign and undertake a pledge requiring every Satyagrahi to remain non-violent during
the protest against the Rowlatt Act which came to be dubbed as the 'Black Act.
• ln 1923, Rajendra Prasad actively participated in the Flag Satyagraha at Nagpur. The British
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Government arrested him for taking part in the 1930 Satyagraha. The second long spell of
imprisonment that Rajendra Prasad suffered was immediately after the passing of the Quit
India Resolution in 1942 and he remained in jail for nearly three years till 1945.
OR
Role played in making of the Constitution
• When the Constituent Assembly was formed in 1946 to frame a Constitution for free lndia,
Dr.Rajendra Prasad, who had been elected as a member of the Assembly from the Bihar
Province, was given the onerous responsibility of being its President. As President of the
Constituent Assembly, he guided and regulated its proceedings with utmost firmness, infinite
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patience, incisive intellect and abundant grace. He always permitted members to have a free,
frank and full discussion on issues before them and won the appreciation of every section
of the House for his qualities, objectivity and impartiality.
Role played by Him in Post Independent India
• Dr. Rajendra Prasad was unanimously elected as the provisional President of India on 24
January 1950. He served as the President of India for three terms the only person to do that.
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• As President Rajendra Prasad, along with India's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru, was able to establish many precedents and conventions culminating in a healthy
political relationship between the Head of State and the Head of Government. With the
passage of time, these precedents have become the cornerstone of our vibrant parliamentary
democracy and have helped it in striking firm roots.
• Even though Rajendra Prasad occupied the highest office in India, he led a very simple life.
His integrity, purity of character, humility and devotion, love of humanity and depth of
vision marked him out as a towering personality in our national firmament Rajendra Prasad
not only gave the most precious years of his life to the freedom struggle but also worked for
the betterment of the under-privileged throughout his life. He was a great humanist whose
heart always went to the poor and the distressed.
8. Though Mahatma Gandhi withdrew many mass movements at crucial times why did he
still remain popular among the masses?
Hints:
• Mahatma Gandhi after returning from Africa toured country to know the pulse of the
nation and during this time associated himself with masses, identified himself with their
sufferings and gained the faith and allegiance of masses in his new method of Satyagraha.
• This helped him in long run as people had full faith in strategies and capabilities and he
remained the mass leader in spite of several unpopular decisions.
• Mahatma Gandhi had withdrew many mass movements at important juncture but he still
remained popular among the masses because:
(a) Withdrawal of movement was always associated with a cause. In case of Non-Cooperation
movement it was violence and hence violation of the basic principle of Gandhian
philosophy of struggle, in case of Civil Disobedience movement it was Gandhi-Irwin pat
which was a major win for nationalists. Therefore nowhere it was a sudden withdrawal,
but always a strategic withdrawal so that people can understand and learn not dissociate.
(b) His withdrawal of the movements was based on the understanding of the capacity of
masses. He knew that it is difficult for masses to carry struggle for too long and that's
why he employed Struggle-truce-struggle phase. In fact through this he understood the
pulse of masses and further gained their support.
(c) After the withdrawal of movements he focused on constructive activities like spinning
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Wheel (Charkha) which kept the masses involved. He always took the legitimate causes
of the people like Salt issue which naturally brought people with him.
OR
(d) Those who opposed to Gandhiji's withdrawal of movements represented a particular
chunk of society not the majority. Younger generation though supported continuance
of struggle but that were a miniscule lot. Most of the time these did not understood the
reality of the masses and thus cannot gin support of masses (like Extremists, Communists
said people are ready for final struggle in 1920s, 1930s and 1940s without understanding
the real capability of British and Indians). With no viable alternative, Gandhi remained
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popular.
(e) The Gandhian principles of non-violence have historically been part of Indian life and
therefore majority of people saw him as upholder of those principles and showed faith
in his leadership in spite of various decisions.
(f) People saw in Gandhi a uniting force which helped Congress and others in sidelining
their differences and coming together and they also through the past experiences have
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understood that 'united they stand and divided they fall'.

• Therefore Gandhiji always remained popular among masses and their leader throughout the
freedom struggle.
9. Wavell plan was the last chance to prevent the Partition of the Sub-continent. Critically
analyze.
Hints:
• After the start of World War II, Indian national movement saw a lot of activity, ideas and
proposal by government, confusion and confrontation which centered around the issue of
creation of Constituent Assembly, mechanisms of participation of Indians in executive, pending
new Constitution and partition.
• Wavell Plan was an effort to bring together different political elements from India to form
part of Viceroy's Executive Council.
• This plan called all stakeholders, especially Congress and Muslim League to put forward a
joint list, otherwise separate list.
• Therefore it was a kind of blueprint for ensuring the future co-operation of Congress and
Muslim League in governing the country.
• A success at the Shimla Conference, with presentation of joint list would have indicated
willingness of both the parties to work together and keep the country united.
• But the failure of Wavell Plan, with intransigence of Muslim League to nominate all Muslim
members and therefore representing itself as the sole representatives of Muslims was to have
long term effect. The failure gave a kind of veto to Muslim League and enhanced its stature
which was evident in elections where it secured 75% of Muslim seats and formed government
in two provinces.
• From here Muslim League became bold and stubborn, which would not accept anything less
than partition. It's launch of Direct Action Day, non acceptance of Cabinet Mission Plan,
virtual non - participation in interim government and Constituent Assembly were reflective
of this attitude.
• But it cannot be said to be the last chance to prevent partition.
• The Cabinet Mission Plan rejected the idea of partition on various grounds and provided for
grouping of Provinces on the basis of religion, autonomy to provinces and groups, residuary
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powers to Provinces and other safeguards to minorities.
• If the Cabinet Mission proposals had been sincerely implemented, the violence ensuing the
•
OR
Direct Action declaration controlled, the partition could have still been avoided.
Therefore it can be said that though the Wavell Plan was not the last chance to prevent
partition but certainly it showed what the future has in store.
10. Swami Vivekanand and Mahatma Gandhi were religious but yet secular. Are their teachings
and philosophies relevant today?
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Hints:
• Secularism in Indian context bears positive and affirmative context. Religion with secular
meaning has thrived for long in Indian history.
• This can be seen from the example of leaders like Swami Vivekananda and Mahatama
Gandhi for whom the interest of mankind was above all. They advocated abandoning all
ritual, worships, traditions and customs which recedes away a man from man and focused
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on the secular concept of religion.

• Gandhi's vision of the secular state was a place where religious values and discourse are
cherished and respected in all spheres of life, the public as well as the private, but in which
no single religion is allowed to dominate the others.
• Gandhi did not understand secularism as a divide between secular/political and sacred
domains. Rather, he stressed upon the idea of value, particularly altruism, towards judging
one's actions and looked upon religion from a multi cultural perspective.
• Gandhi's approach to religion goes far beyond religious pluralism and secularism. He included
the secular or even the atheist and the humanist in the realm of religion. While establishing
a close linkage between religion and politics, he was not in favour of a theocratic state
patronizing a particular religion or even supporting all religions equally and did not favour
any particular religion or foresee the need for conversion of people belonging to other faiths
to a particular religion.
• The concept of religion that Swami Vivekananda spread did not mean simply the worship
of a Divine Being, it was a way of life - a matter by 'being and becoming'. He said Religion
is neither words nor doctrines nor theories; nor is it sectarianism. It is the relation between
the soul and God. He focused on humanism as he said religion doesnot matter to a man who
has no bread for survival.
• Thus, it can be seen that they did not focus on propagating or spreading a concept of
religion as understood day. They had secular thought. Their concept of secularism added
strength to a nation of diverse faiths.
Relevance of their Philosophy Today
• The philosophies that these leaders taught had very deep aspects encompassing Spiritualism,
Universal values, Religion, Character building, Education, Spirit of Service and Social issues.
They can be applied to solve the problems that the world faces today.
• Amidst the atmosphere of tension, violence, differences of opinion, unemployment and
inflation globally, today their teachings are relevant as they were based on truth, humanism,
concept of separation of religion from politics and non-violence.
As the terrorism and violence are widespread in the world today, there seems relevance of Gandhian
principles everywhere. He believed in changing the society with his thoughts and not with the
power or force. He not only gave India its freedom but also gave the world a new thought on
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nonviolence and sustainable living. His teachings and experiments are more valid today than ever
before, especially when we are trying to find solutions to worldwide greed, corruption, violence
and runaway consumptive lifestyle which are putting a very heavy burden on the world's resources.
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Similarly, Swami Vivekananda concept of humanity will enable us to fight the problems of poverty,
unemployment and other problems that the world faces.
11. 'Goa should be liberated, either with full peace or with full use of force'. In the light of the
above statement, analyze the conditions under which Goa was integrated with the Indian
Union.
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Hints:
The above sentiment was developed after the brutal Portuguese suppression of a revolt in Angola in
1961 and it radicalized Indian public opinion, and increased the pressure on the Government of
India to take military action.
Indian government always wanted a negotiated solution to Goa's independence, but after the failure
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of various diplomatic missions and efforts, Indian Govt. started to emplore and weigh other options.
Portugal still harboured dreams of retaining Goa and even tried for a UN resolution to get it
declared as its province. This increasingly made clear that the Goa’s integration would be
military solution. But, government still didn't take that official position. Though use of force was
considered earlier as well, it was dropped considering Portugal was NATO member and the
history of American intervention in protecting NATO members' colonies, which India want to
avoid given its NAM credentials.
But Portuguese brutality in Congo was final event which paved the way for military action. On 18
December 1961, following the collapse of an American attempt to find a negotiated solution, the
Indian Army entered Portuguese India and took control facing little resistance, in Operation Vijay.
12. Privy Purses were offered to convince the princely states to surrender their sovereignty to
India, despite the fact that these were against the spirit of equality under constitution.
Hints:
Post-independence consolidation and integration required the surrender of sovereignty and the
complete merger of erstwhile princely states with dominion of India.
The Merger Agreements required rulers to cede full power to the India. In return Government of
India provided them privy purses, protection of private property, personal privileges, dignities and
titles. Succession was also guaranteed according to custom.
All these aspects, with exception of 'protection of private property' were against the spirit of equality
enshrined in constitution. However, the step was taken given the immediate requirement of the
time:
• Indian Army was weak after partition and second world war and could not afford to
indulge in fighting over several fronts, had military action was required in many states.
• Trouble with Kashmir, Junagarh, and Hyderabad was already looming large and Indian
government didn't want trouble in other territories
• In many cases. Privy purses weren't a big burden on exchequer. Government of India also
received large amount of treasure and monetary reserves with merger.
• Thus, though the provision was against the egalitarianism, it was a pragmatic step and the
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need of hour.
13. "The British legacy of confusing and unclear borders on the eastern front was the major
OR
reason for Sino-India war". Evaluate.
Hints:
• The British Empire in India led several foreign missions with India as a base. This includes
'Younghusband Mission' to Tibet in 1904, which resulted into cession of territory as well as
well as enforcement of the treaty.
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• Later another treaty with Tibet in 1914 at Shimla led to formalization of 1904 treaty and
demarked the Mcmohan line as international boundary of British India. China, however,
never agreed to that and believes that the Tibetan government was not sovereign and
therefore did not have the power to conclude treaties.
• This dispute is one of the major reasons behind the Indo-China boundary conflict, apart
from the Indian support to Tibetan exiles in 1959, which became one of the immediate
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reasons of the war.

• However, it would be wrong to say that this is a legitimate and justified concern, as China
has a boundary dispute with all the neighbouring countries and believes in its historical
map, despite the fact that over a period of time international boundaries have changed and
they can't claim each and every region where once Chinese empire extended.
• Same way, Indian empires in past held regions as far as central Asia to south east Asia, but
that doesn't legitimizes the Indian claim on those lands either. The people in the regions
claimed by China are now Indian and are deeply integrated into Indian culture and
administrative system.
14. Evaluate why the vehement demands regarding separate statehood post-independence were
not agreed upon by government despite popular demand and agitation.
Hints:
• The independence and the partition left a troublesome legacy, because of which Indian
Constitution was quasifederal in nature rather than federal.
• There was a demand for several states post-independence, with separation of Bombay state
and Madras state being the most vocal.
• However, since providing state identity to religious or language groups lead to further
segregation of population in those regions, Indian government was against such idea and
wanted India to be a multi-ethnic society and not a union of different regions with homogenous
culture.
• Similarly, the danger of demand for separatism based on regional chauvinism was also
feared and particularly when country was dealing with a lot of problems in integrating
regions, such as Kashmir and Hyderabad.
• The government was further against identifying new states based on regional or linguistic
identity as it has been observed world over that loyalty to a language or religion in a multi-
ethnic society is often stronger than loyalty to nation.
• Particularly after Muslims in India wanted and later got their separate homeland as Pakistan
based on religious identity, such sentiment became even stronger, but government always
opposed the demand to maintain unity & integrity of the nation.
15. India has survived its democracy since independence, however, emergency was seen as a black
E
spot on it. But it has also proved the faith of people of India in democratic system. Discuss.
Hints:
•
OR
World largest democracy has completed the journey of nearly 69 years. It has been through
many ups & downs.
• John Strachi a British bureaucrat gave a report to British parliament in 1870 that India was
never a nation & will never be a nation because it lacks the bond of unity. His followers
Strachians were of the opinion that India will not survive as a democratic nation for more
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than 5 years because of underdeveloped condition, financial crisis, communal riots, and
aggressive neighbours like Pakistan. Internal issues like reorganization on linguistic line.
• India did face all these issues & even a bigger problem of Emergency during 1975 to 1977
but maintained its democratic character.
• Proclamation of emergency in India was a fateful decision. It was due to political & personal
reason of the leader & against a predicted mass revolution called by Jayaprakash Narayan.
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• Emergency was seen as a black spot because:

(a) First argument is that reason of the emergency is not justified as it involved the personal
interests.
(b) Thousands of opponents were jailed.
(c) Fundamental Rights like Freedom of speech, expression were suspended. Press was
heavily censored.
(d) State legislature like Gujarat & Tamil Nadu where anti Indira government was in
power, were dissolved by imposing Presidents rule.
(e) Sanjay Gandhi initiated widespread sterilization program to limit population growth.
People were forced & sterilized against their will.
(f) 42nd Amendment of the Constitution was passed which was called mini constitution
in itself. Power of Judicial review was abandoned.
(g) Public and Private media institutions, like the national television network Doordarshan,
were used for government propaganda.
(h) Many people were detained by police without charge or notification of families.
• However there were several positive outcomes of the steps taken by government during
the emergency. Such as:
(a) Growth in Indian Economy showed the sign of recovery.
(b) Inflation was controlled through curbing black marketing & hording.
(c) Food productivity improved as the results of green revolution started appearing.
(d) Education was promoted. Social evils like dowry were controlled.
(e) Law & order was followed strictly & administration becomes responsible to the people.
(f) Indira Gandhi Adopted 20 point programme for upliftment of urban & rural poor.
(g) But it has established the notion of democracy more firmly by expelling the government
(at that time) & showed that India cannot be ruled against the will of people by any
dictator.
E
OR
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GS
WORLD HISTOR
Y
Practice Questions
Q1. How far do you think, Great Depression, was responsible for Second World War.
Provide reasons in support of your answer.
Q2. 'The great questions of the time will not be resolved by speeches and majority deci-
sions, but by iron and blood.' Elaborate the unification of Germany in light of this
statement. Critically evaluate its impact on Europe and rest of World.
E
Q3. Most third world countries were harmed by receiving freedom, as foreign rule was
OR
replaced by local dictators. Critically analyze.
Q4. Collapse of Soviet Union is often considered as a 'Point of Retreat of Socialism', criti-
cally evaluate.
Q5. The Cold War experience was actually a lesson for world, how local conflicts become
global conflicts in a bipolar world. Elaborate with suitable examples.
SC
Q6. Nationalism was a positive force during 19th century Europe, which led to negative
results in 20th century. Critically analyze.
Q7. The US Civil War was not a mere domestic event; it was a major event that had
repercussions for entire world. Elaborate.
GS
Q8. Do you think the American Revolution would have happened if, there had not been an
Age Enlightenment?
Q9. The French revolution attacked privileges, not property. Substantiate.
Q10. The Industrial Revolution shifted the world balance of power. In this light discuss the
impacts of Industrialisation.
Q11. Nationalism was responsible for unification of many countries; it was also at the core
of the biggest wars of the History. Critically Examine.
Q12. Discuss the impact of the US Civil war on rest of the world, particularly India? Also
analyse, how it ushered a new era of human rights?
Q13. 'The best virtue of capitalism with democratic system has been that, it today has in-
cluded most of the features and the aspirations of its alternatives'. Critically Analyse.
Q14. Napoleon was both the child of the French Revolution and also the destroyer of French
Revolution. Critically comment.
Q15. Why the Renaissance period in Europe, considered the bridge between the Middle Ages
and Modern History? How did Renaissance shape the history of the modern world?
[40] World History
WORLD HISTOR
Y
Answer
1. How far do you think, Great Depression, was responsible for Second World War. Provide
reasons in support of your answer.
Hints:
E
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World
War-II (WW-II). It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century.
The depression threatened people’s jobs, savings, and even their homes and farms. Though it was
OR
not a direct reason for WW-II, it led to the evolution of certain social and political changes, which
became breeding ground for the world war. Some of the important changes are as follows:
Unemployment and Poverty
Mass unemployment and poverty caused great anger, and in the environment created out of this
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anger, the fascist and Nazi politics thrived. Democracy which is usually slow to react to emergency
situations was considered out of favour and dictatorship became the preferred form of government
as people wanted to get out of their troubles as soon as possible.
Economic Weakness of Britain and France

It was economic weakness of Britain and France which lead to appeasement of Hitler and Mussolini
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and ultimately the failure of League of Nations; since they could not afford confrontation.
Imperialism as a way out
Empire building and annexation of new colonies seemed a legitimate way to keep people happy
and secure economic resources. Also, the expenditure on war brought temporary relief from
depression as well for Germany and Japan.
All such changes lead to rise of Germany and Italy; which ultimately became the reason of war.
2. 'The great questions of the time will not be resolved by speeches and majority decisions,
but by iron and blood.' Elaborate the unification of Germany in light of this statement.
Critically evaluate its impact on Europe and rest of World.
Hints:
Background
• In the 18th century, Germany was divided into a number of small states. Some of these states
were too small and did not extend beyond the limits of a city with the notable exception of
Prussia, Wurttemberg, Bavaria, and Saxony. This hampered the economic development and
political empowerment of the region.
Hints: World History [41]
• With the growth of national consciousness, particularly after the French Revolution, the
people of these states had started demanding the national unification of Germany,
establishment of democratic government, and social and economic reforms.
Statement
• The statement was given by the Otto Von Bismarck; by the time of rise of Bismarck, democratic
revolutions had already failed with the last failed attempt in 1848.
• He described his policy of unification as one of ‘blood and iron’. This meant a policy of war.
The first aim he pursued was the elimination of Austria from the Germanic Confederation.
• He aligned with Austria in a war against Denmark over the possession of two territories and
defeated it. Then, he entered into an alliance with Italy against Austria; defeated Austria;
separated it from other German states; and dissolved the Germanic Confederation.
• In place of the old Confederation, he united 22 states of Germany.
E
• The unification of Germany was completed as a result of a war between Prussia and France.
Impact on Europe
OR
After the unification, Germany emerged as a very strong power in Europe. It underwent heavy
industrialization in a very short period and soon joined the hunt for new colonies. However, the
military-rise of Germany proved disastrous, as its expansionist desires lead to the rise of military
blocs in Europe and ultimately culminated in world war.
SC
3. Most third world countries were harmed by receiving freedom, as foreign rule was replaced
by local dictators. Critically analyze.
Hints:
The above statement is factually correct, but is misleading, for it puts the onus of failure on
independence. However, freedom didn't harm any; it was the haphazard manner in which these
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countries were vacated by their colonial masters that harmed them.
There was no one process of decolonization. In some areas, it was peaceful, and orderly. In many
others, independence was achieved only after a protracted revolution. A few newly independent
countries acquired stable governments almost immediately; others were ruled by dictators or military
juntas for decades, or endured long civil wars.
The process of independence was so haphazard that it didn't provide the colonies to develop an
alternate system, with the notable exception of India, which had a long history of local resistance
against foreign rule.
The change in experience was due to the global environment too; as the process of decolonization
coincided with the superpower struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States. Both
blocs supported different factions in a poorly-evoluted political system then, which lead to the rise
of different oligarchs and powerful families in these countries.
Thus, to say independence harms, would set a wrong precedence, it was the poor timing of
independence; development of cold feet by Europe after WW-2 and cold war which overpowered
other factored and left these countries in a state of shambles; which was a good breeding ground
for different factions to defeat nationalist and democratic powers domestically.
[42] Hints: World History
4. Collapse of Soviet Union is often considered as a 'Point of Retreat of Socialism', critically
evaluate.
Hints:
The collapse of soviet Russia and disintegration of USSR are not exactly the same. The fall of Soviet
Russia was a long process beginning in late 1980's till its culmination in 1991 USSR disintegration.
During the fall of USSR, socialism was already under retreat; the disintegration, however, left little
scope for its revival for a considerable period in foreseeable future.
• The fall of Soviet Russia was a part of chain of events that started in 1989, eventually leading
to political change in most of the socialist nations of that time.
• The process started from Poland, and was extended to most of Eastern-Europe in no-time
and continued in Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Romania. The fall
of Berlin wall was considered as the most enduring symbolic of the removal of iron curtain
and retreat of socialism by many.
E
• However, till the time, USSR was there, communists and socialists around the world had
high hopes for socialist revival. The USSR, itself also started the democratic and pro-market
OR
reform process to have evolution instead of revolution, when Gorbachev launched a policy
of glasnost (openness) in the Soviet Union, and emphasized the need for perestroika (economic
restructuring). It was considered that USSR would transform itself and avoid the fate of
other eastern-European countries.
• On 1 July 1991, the Warsaw Pact was officially dissolved at a meeting in Prague. Gorbachev
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and Bush declared a US-Soviet strategic partnership, decisively marking the end of the Cold
War. It was then absolutely clear that though USSR may survive, but socialism has retreated
and the future would be market based.
• The disintegration soon after was a result of reaction by soviet hardliners against Gorbachev
reforms and the counter-reaction by soviet people, who didn't want army to take over. This
left no scope for socialist revival and USSR and effectively in rest of the world as well.
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5. The Cold War experience was actually a lesson for world, how local conflicts become global
conflicts in a bipolar world. Elaborate with suitable examples.
Hints:
• The most important feature of cold war was the absence of war between the USA and
USSR, yet the two fought multitude of proxy wars intending to foster the growth of capitalism
or communism in certain parts of the world.
• The Soviet threat and the American response to it created a bipolar world: two superpowers
locked in a head-on confrontation, with many of the other countries joining the coalitions
created by the two superpowers. In such an environment, the foreign policy doctrine
elaborated on by the American leadership was the "containment doctrine," namely, the
attempt to contain the Soviet Union and restrict its expansion. In this context, the US
created a network of multilateral and bilateral alliances (NATO, SEATO, CENTO, and
ANZUS) that successfully lined up against the Soviet coalition.
• This ensured that wherever there was a chance of political change from capitalism to
communism and vice-versa, these two intervened and the local issues of that country became
global ideological battlefield. Some of the prime victims of countries torn due to this conflict
between superpowers were Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, Congo, Afghanistan, etc.
• The first of these conflicts, the Korean War, occurred only a few years after the end of WWII.
The Korean War was instigated by North Korea when it invaded its democratic neighbor,
South Korea, in June 1950. However, the United States had sent troops to aid the South
Koreans, viewing the war as an ideological fight against communism. Due to this response
of US, the China and USSR armed North Korea with troops, arms, and aid in order to
prevent a communist state from falling. The two countries are still at war and North Korea
is a major security problem in the region.
• Similarly, the Vietnam War was also a conflict between the French colonial masters and the
local population, which became a global conflict when USA started to support the puppet
government installed by the French against the communist revolutionaries. At the same time
USSR started to help the communist revolutionaries with arms and aid, which led to Vietnam
becoming host to one of bloodiest struggle.
• The most recent example is Afghanistan, which is still torn by the war started by USSR in
1986 to support the communist regime, and the entry to USA and its strategic use of
terrorists to defeat USSR lately backfired and the country is still torn apart by the terrorists
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and militants.
6. Nationalism was a positive force during 19th century Europe, which led to negative results
in 20th century. Critically analyze.
OR
Hints:
• Nationalism is a positive force, which can inspire people towards development, growth and
nation-building. It can inspire social, cultural, and economic aspects and if used in correct
direction, it can further lead to growth of brotherhood among people.
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• It has encouraged the unifications of people, lead the growth of nations, and it has caused
to prosperity of industry and economies. Before nationalism swept through Europe, the
whole Europe was still living in the relics of medieval political system. Rulers were poorly
equipped to rule their subjects, and conflicts and tensions were building.
• Following the French Revolution, nationalism allowed for the subjects themselves to come
together and overthrow old governments and reinstate new ones. It allowed them to come
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together as a people and create success as a nation. Instead of being subjects of Kings, they
became Citizens of a nation. They became Germans, French, Serbian, Spanish, and English.
They became nations instead of kingdoms.
• However, Nationalism can vary from simply being cultural pride or patriotism to rampant
bigotry and parochialism and it is then called ethnocentric nationalism, it was this nationalism,
which led to World wars and genocides in 20th century. As it causes people to become
judgmental and believe that a certain nation and race is superior over other nations and
races.
• Ethnocentric nationalism is especially dangerous and negative when combined with other
types of nationalism such as expansionist nationalism and the Nazism and fascism are one
of the prime examples of this ethnocentric plus expansionist nationalism.
7. The US Civil War was not a mere domestic event; it was a major event that had repercussions
for entire world. Elaborate.
Hints:
• The US civil war was a result of secession attempt by 7 Southern States; when Abraham
Lincoln won election in 1860, pledging to keep slavery out of the territories. These slave
states formed a new nation, the Confederate States of America. Lincoln refused to recognize
the confederate state and following this, the confederate states attacked a federal fort and
captured it, which eventually started a full-blown war.
• The war resolved two fundamental questions: whether the United States was to be a
dissolvable confederation of sovereign states or an indivisible nation with a sovereign national
government; and whether this nation, born of a declaration that all men were created with
an equal right to liberty, would continue to exist as the largest slave-holding country in the
world.
• In the beginning, it appeared that Confederate were strong enough to sustain the war and
divide USA, and thus the secession crisis, threatened to be a major setback to the world anti-
slavery movement, and it imperiled the whole experiment in democracy. If slavery was
allowed to exist, and if the world's leading democracy could fall apart over the issue, it could
have been disastrous for the world as democracy is the most progressive and peaceful
political system yet invented.
• European conservatives welcomed the dismemberment of the "once United States" as the
E
republicanism had been in retreat in Europe since the failed revolutions of 1848, and some
predicted that all the wayward American republics would eventually find their way back
to some form of monarchy, or seek protection under European imperial rule.
OR
• During the war, Lincoln called USA as last beacon of hope for the world and he was not
wrong as after the war was over, the United States could still remain one and appeared even
more powerful.
• This effectively ended slavery in America and even in Europe due to fear of US trade
embargo policy of Lincoln, Following which, the British Empire withdrew from North
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America. In 1867 it set up the Dominion of Canada, a confederation of British colonial

possessions that remained part of the empire, but would operate as a self-governing nation.
The same year the Russian Empire, which had stood by the Union during the war, decided
to peacefully cede its claims in North America and sold Alaska to the United States. Spain,
withdrew from its Latin American territories and European imperialism ended in America.
8. Do you think the American Revolution would have happened if, there had not been an Age
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Enlightenment?
Hints:
The Enlightenment was crucial in determining almost every aspect of colonial America, most notably
in terms of politics, government, and religion. Without the central ideas and figures of the
Enlightenment, the United States would have been drastically different since these concepts shaped
the country in its formative years. American thinkers were highly inspired by the thinkers of French
revolution. Following American thinker lay down the basic philosophy of why America need
revolution and guide the direction of American Revolution.
• Early Americans wished to have their own government that was based on Enlightenment
principles and thus the Revolution occurred. Locke's conception of natural rights for all of
mankind was being violated by British oppression and it became necessary to draft a government
and code that was conducive to guaranteeing everyone natural rights under law.
• A political philosophy Rousseau declared that government was meant to promote the common
good . He's a big part of why we, when electing officials in America, believe they should
uphold the laws, ideals, and virtues of the land.
• Thomas Paine's Common Sense (1776) fueled the revolutionary flames in the British colonies,
stating that the colonies had a right to rebel against King George III. He inspired from the
philosophy of Social Contract by Jhon Locke, which claims that the government and people
are bound under a contract, the government protects the people's natural rights and, in
return, the people allow the government to rule.
• Benjamin Franklin announced in 1743 that it was high time the colonists set about improving
the lot of humankind through collaborative inquiry. From Franklin's idea emerged the
American Philosophical Society, an association headquartered in Philadelphia and dedicated
to harnessing man's intellectual and creative powers for the common good.
• Opposition of taxes: Using the Enlightenment principles of freedom and reason, the colonists
declared these taxes notably the Stamp Tax and the taxes on tea were unfair and stood up
against oppression.
• Desire for representation: Sons & Daughters of liberty raised the slogan of No taxation
without representation.
• Both during and after the American Revolution many of the core ideas of the Enlightenment
were the basis for monumental tracts such as the drafting of Bill of Rights 1689, Declaration
E
of Independence by Thomas Jefferson based on natural rights and the Constitution.
Any revolution for its success needs the core ideology for it continuation which was provided by
OR
these thinkers & they also provide the leadership to the masses. Without this enlightenment the
American Revolution would had been weak, fragment & could be easily subdued by the British
Empire. These modern Ideas formed the core of American culture which thrive of natural rights &
established the world's first democratic government.
9. The French revolution attacked privileges, not property. Substantiate.
SC
Hints:
Every phenomenon in history has got an economic interpretation. The revolution of 1789 was
definitely an economic revolution. The cleavage between man and man, based upon the privilege
which was enjoyed by a set of people and denied to another, was mainly an economic difference. It
became main cause for French Revolution.
GS
Why they attacked privileges?

• There were two privileged classes-the clergy and the nobility. These two classes together
owned about 40% of the total land of France. They were exempted from taxes and controlled
most of the administrative posts and all the high ranking posts in the army.
• A privileged classes also depended on pensions and gift from the king. They considered it
beneath their dignity to trade or to be engaged in manufacture or to do any work.
• The life of the nobility was everywhere characterized by extravagance and luxury. There
were of course poorer sections in these two top estates. They were discontent and blamed
the richer member of their class for their misery.
• People of the Third Estate were unprivileged people. This 94% of the population had to face
untold miseries to make the first two estates enjoy their luxuries.
• Denial of higher posts to the people of third estate.
• The erratic taxation policy, lack of difference between the king's personal income and that
of the state, the glaring cleavage between man and man in according terms of privileges.
All these conditions suffocated the proletariat and pushed them to revolt to exact social justice and
equality.
Outcome of the Revolution attacking Privileges and not Property:
After the destruction of absolutism and feudalism, legislation in this period it changed the previous
privileges condition of higher two Privileged classes.
• It hailed property as a sacred right (similarly, the National Assembly limited the vote to men
with property) also it enshrined the principles of careers open to talent and equality before
the law. It promoted property rights and declare equality in all three classes.
• Guaranteed individual liberty, promoted secularism, and favored educated property owners.
• The afore mentioned Declaration of Rights proclaimed freedom of thought, worship, and
assembly as well as freedom from arbitrary arrest. This checks privileged class arbitration
and promote equality of privileges among all classes.
This inequality or desire for equality or the demand for social and economic justice was the
fundamental reason of the revolution of 1789. As a result of the revolution all privileges were
abolished and people started to avail equal opportunities.
E
The revolution was purely against the privileges, both social and economic, and not against property.
Thus the French Revolution attacked privileged not the property.
OR
Supplementary Notes
The revolution's third phase, the Thermidorian and Directory periods, commenced with the
overthrow of Robespierre and the dismantling of the Terror on 9 Thermidor (1794) and lasted until
the coup d'état in 1799, that brought Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821) to power. A new constitution
in 1795 rendered France a liberal republic under a 5 man executive called the Directory. The
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reappearance of property qualifications for political office sought to guarantee the supremacy of
the middle classes in politics and to avoid the anarchy that stemmed from popular participation.
Other laws, enacted in conformity with reason, contributed to the"new regime." They offered full
rights to Protestants and Jews, thereby divorcing religion from citizenship; they abolished guilds
and internal tolls and opened trades to all people, thereby creating the conditions for economic
individualism; they rationalized France's administration, creating departments in the place of
provinces and giving them uniform and reformed institutions. Significantly, the National Assembly
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restructured the French Catholic Church, expropriating church lands, abolishing most monastic
orders, and redrawing diocesan boundaries.
10. The Industrial Revolution shifted the world balance of power. In this light discuss the
impacts of Industrialisation.
Hints:
Industrial revolution was an epochal moment resulting into sift in economic power which later
made west the center point of world economic, military, political and societal changes.
Before industrialization Asian countries like China and India dominated manufacturing, trade and
even Ottoman Empire was a major education center. Industrial revolution brought European and
later American domination in economic field made them main centers of education, research and
development. This had far reaching implications on world.
• The first major impact of industrial revolution was that India and China lost their pre-
eminence in economic sphere. They were replaced by Britain, Germany etc. India and China
were later made colonies, this led to their de-industrialization.
• It lead to the emergence of colonialism: Industrialized countries needed to secure their raw
material resources and markets. As a result they colonized different parts of the world.
• The whole continent of Africa was to bear the brunt of industrial revolution and is still suffering
from that. The continent which till than was considered as Dark Continent was to see exploration
and indiscriminate exploitation of it's mineral and oil resources. Though it oiled industrial
revolution but the continent was to witness inhuman exploitation never seen.
• Emergence of new nation states: fall of feudalism and requirement of uniform rules and
regulations for Industrial revolution led to emergence of new nation states like Germany,
Italy, USA. Industrial revolution of Britain was the main event which motivated other
Europen countries to emulate their feet and they saw political unification as the main pre-
requisite for it.
• Arms race and conflict: Colonialism brought competition among industrialized countries.
This led to them entering into arms race for safeguarding their economic interests. System
of secret alliances and later World Wars were also a result of it.
• Emergence of new political systems: Industrial revolution is sad to be behind the fall of
feudal system and emergence of democratic system.
E
• New social classes: As a result of industrial revolution society got divided in the form of
labour or working class and capitalist class. New social and communists movements emerged
which were based on socialistic principles.
OR
• Materialism and Technological inventions: accumulation of capital and desire to generate
more capital resulted into demand for more advanced technology, greater demand to satisfy
materialistic needs of individuals. All these resulted into investment in Research &
Development and new inventions.
• Knowledge as the main asset: through knowledge and associated creations industrialized
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countries controlled world and still continue their hold in world affairs.
Therefore from above it can be said that industrial revolution gave new opportunities, new ideologies
to world, it provided prosperity to some nations but was disastrous for others.
11. Nationalism was responsible for unification of many countries; it was also at the core of
the biggest wars of the History. Critically Examine.
GS
Hints:
• Nationalism is the feeling of commonness or unity based on various factors like commonness
of geography, race, language, culture etc. During the period of 18 and 19th century the
feeling of nationalism was the driving force behind the unification of many countries like
Germany, Italy. Certain characteristics of nationalism during this period were:
a) At this time the symbols of nationalism were within the country. People and leaders
wanted to unite to overcome the impediments to their economic growth and status in
world power structures like Germany.
b) At that time the movements were directed against the despotic rulers or decadent
political systems and had vision of new political system as Germany and Italy.
c) These movements were based on the principle of popular sovereignty, equality of all and
democratic principles.
d) They believed in universal brotherhood of all nationalists. The leaders of the movement
supported the nationalist movement in other countries, for eg. Lord Byran who belonged
to England supported movement for Greece independence, Garibaldi led movements in
South America, slavery was abolished in South American countries also indicating
universal application of the principle of equality of all.
• These were the reasons that there were no big wars for power capture but wars for unification.
• But later the feeling of nationalism paved way to ultra nationalism and parochial nationalism
which resulted into world wars.
• Reasons why nationalist feelings during this time lead to wars:
a) At this time countries entered into nationalistic competition. For the leaders or rulers of
the countries having more colonies, more military power, more arms emerged as symbol
of nationalism. The symbols of nationalism, which unified people were outside the country.
b) During this period the broader meaning of nationalism was lost and it meant only one's
own country only.
c) At this point of time imperialist power used nationalist feelings of other countries for
their advantage or aggrandizement, as was done in case of Austria and Ottoman
empire. In these empires the feelings of nationalism were instigated in Polish, Slav and
other racial groups to break away.
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d) Before the First World War the Serb nationalism was fanned against Austria which
resulted into war. OR
e) Similarly during the economic depression Hitler and Mussolini used the nationalist
feelings for expansionists purposes. At this point of time the nationalism has paved way
to Fascism and Nazism which believed in superiority of one race.
• Thus, from above examples it can be said that Nationalism was responsible for unification
of many countries; it was also at the core of biggest wars of the History.
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12. Discuss the impact of the US Civil war on rest of the world, particularly India? Also
analyse, how it ushered a new era of human rights?
Hints:
• During the years 1861-65 United States witnessed one of the severest struggle between
North and South US which posed a serious threat to Union but eventually it made much
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stronger country which impacted US itself and world. The major Impact were:
a) Abolition of Slavery in worldwide: Most country abolished slavery after US civil war.
For example, In 1870 Spain Passed "free womb law," in its colony Cuba to grant
freedom to children of slave mothers and finally freed all slaves in 1886. Brazil also
followed free womb law in 1871 and freed all slaves in 1888.
b) US was considered a political experiment on universal suffrage and many in Europe
believed that such model is not sustainable, however, following civil war, it was considered
as serious political model.
c) It established model of Democratic Government around the world. Britain passed the
1867 Reform Act, which put Britain on the road to democracy based on "universal
suffrage" of American model.
d) It led to formation of Dominion of Canada in 1867 by withdrawal of Britain from North
America.
e) The civil war led to the regulation of the Banking system. It also led to the creation of
stable paper currency world-wide, which greatly facilitated the world Business. The
hegemony of US in world, started after Civil war mainly because of stable American
Dollar, Which in due course of time capture the command of whole world market.
• Impact on India
a) It impacted India mainly economically and socially. Before the 1860s, three-fourths of
raw cotton imports into Britain came from America. After break out of war, there was
a sudden vacuum in supplies of cotton in Britain. British manufacturers started cotton
import from India after 1860. In 1862 around 90 percent of Britain's cotton import was
from India.
b) But when the Civil war in America came to an end in 1865, British manufacturers
reverted to procuring cotton from America, and the moneylenders and intermediaries
in India started forcing ryots to pay back the previous loaned money. Overall, however,
it led to development of cotton crop in new regions in India and after the war the cotton
textile industry in India also emerge, mostly owned by British, to gain from surplus and
thus, cheap cotton.
c) It also impacted Indian constitution drafting as a role model for the human rights and
equality apart from French revolution ideals.
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• Chief achievement of civil war which is one of the significant events in the history of World
is Thirteen Amendment in Federal Constitution to abolish slavery in 11 slave holding southern
states of US.
OR
• The concept of racial equality started becoming famous. By freeing four million enslaved
black Americans, it also set the nation on the road to fulfilling the ideals enshrined in the
Declaration of Independence.
• Overall we can say, American Civil war strengthened the human rights by abolishing slavery
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and build nationalism over the different states of America which eventually led to US a
world Superpower in Economic and Political sphere in the world and bought a new era of
human rights.
13. ‘The best virtue of capitalism with democratic system has been that, it today has included
most of the features and the aspirations of its alternatives’. Critically Analyse.
Hints:
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• Democratic capitalism is said to be an amalgam of three systems: (1) an economy based

predominantly on free markets and economic incentives; (2) a democratic polity based on
adult franchise; and (3) a classical-liberal moral-cultural system which encourages pluralism.
• The liberal moral cultural system of Capitalism today has included almost all spectrums of
ideas and economic models, for e.g., the concept of corporate social responsibility based on
"Gandhian principle of trusteeship that promotes communitarians. This idea is originally
more compatible with socialist mode of working.
• The constitutional polity, democratic Governance, and plural society have created several
checks and balances on tyranny of individual capitalists. Thus, nurturing a society based on
justice, where freedom of thought and voluntary action has been creatively channelized to
production.
• Most free market societies today have anti-trust laws, which work towards consumer welfare
and equality of opportunity, this, was traditionally a goal of Fabian socialism.
• Concept of "social entrepreneurship", "fiscal stimulus", "Social security schemes "have blurred
the line between developmental models, transforming capitalism to comprehensive and
dynamic socio-economic and political system.
• However, growing complexity in economic transaction, rising MNC culture and Crony
capitalism have created huge disparity and social tension, especially in background of poor
regulation by Government (rent seeking and corruption). Today top 1% of Global population
possesses almost 40 % of global wealth.
• In Indian context, while every year the number of billionaire in Forbes list is increasing, 22
% people live below absolute poverty line. Cases of top capitalist firms, defaulting multibillion
dollar bank loans reinforces the inherent danger of self-interest taking shape of greed and
criminal possession.
• Freedom is at the core of Human development. Democratic Capitalism based on the principle
of freedom maximizes social welfare by making the market more humane and the government
more efficient. Through a strict regulatory mechanism (to create level playing field- e.g.:
recent TRAI decision on net neutrality) and assuming a bigger role in welfare of the most
marginalized (funded through higher taxes, CSR, philanthropy), the democratically elected
government can play a catalytic role to usher inclusive human development.
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14. Napoleon was both the child of the French Revolution and also the destroyer of French
Revolution. Critically comment.
Hints:
•
OR
Equality and fraternity were the two basic gifts of French Revolution to the world not only
in theoretical terms but in practical terms also. It was because of this only that a person like
Napoleon, born in a normal family could reach to the highest posts in military and later in
Directory, when he became first Counsel.
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• But after assuming power Napoleon started working against the basic principles of French
revolution to satisfy his own ambitions. This resulted into him taking various steps which
went against the principles of revolution.
• During the revolution people and intellectuals gave the call for equality of all, sovereignty
of the masses, limited government. But Napoleon worked against all these when he assumed
the title of Emperor in 1804, thus leading to murder of a nascent republic.
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• He appointed his family members to important posts in government and as rulers other
countries like Spain. This was bringing back the nepotism or the rule of the family.
• After initial years of peace with England he started war with England to fulfill his expansionist
ambitions, whereas revolution propagated the idea of nationalism and brotherhood to all
other countries. This was tantamount to subjugation of other countries thus violation of
brotherhood principle.
• Through Concordant agreement with the Pope he declared Catholic to be the religion of
majority of France. Whereas, secularism was one of the gifts of the revolution.
• He started legion the honour to create a coterie of supporters, through education system he
glorified himself rather the ideas of revolution.
• But these actions were during the last years of this rule. Earlier he took number of steps
which show his firm belief in furthering the ideals of revolution.
• Within France he gave secular civil and criminal codes, secularized of education system.
• Many of his actions resulted into spread of the ideas of French Revolution to many countries
wherever the troops went. He gave new administrative system to countries, which resulted
into unification of countries like Germany and Italy.
• Thus from above it can be said that French revolution gave Napoleon to France and during
his initial years he further strengthened the revolution but because of his personal ambitions
and his aim of establishing France as a superpower led him to strangulate the ideals of
French revolution.
15. Why the Renaissance period in Europe, considered the bridge between the Middle Ages and
Modern History? How did Renaissance shape the history of the modern world?
Hints:
• The term renaissance means re-birth or revival. This fourteenth and fifteenth centuries are
known for spirit of enquiry and spirit of freedom in thought and action acts as a bridge to
transform medieval custom practices to modern critical aptitude in modern history.
• It acts as bridge between the unquestioning of middle ages and challenging modern history
in art, literature, painting and other area by following reasons:
a) Renaissance was a period of rediscovery which was a product of protestant movement,
E
following the freedom from dominating presence of church; people rediscovered the
Greek and Roman classics, which were prohibited by the Catholic Church as agnotic
texts.
OR
b) It laid great emphasis on Humanism. The scholars of this period took to the study of
human interest rather than theological works which formed the most important part of
education during the middle ages. For Example, Petrach worshiped classical literature,
pleasure for human life and disapproved the idea of self-repression and asceticism of the
middle ages.
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c) Critical approach in this period enabled culture and learning to free itself from church
clutches and focused on secular literature which openly revolted against the theological
monopoly over culture.
d) During Renaissance Performing Art underwent under great change, refocus on Roman
heritage enabled scholars and artists to look back to human as a source of inspiration
and the art became more and more accurate and humanistic. The single voiced or
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homophormic music was replaced by many voiced or polymorphic music. A new form
of secular music was formed. Prominent among them are madrigal in England and
Chansons in France. This period served as transformation in music from medieval style
to modern secular music.
• Renaissance shape the history of modern world by following ways
a) Renaissance contributed to the development of scientific attitude and encouraged the
people to accept the things only If they appealed to their reason. This scientific outlook
gave a setback to blind faith and encouraged new discoveries and inventions which
contributed to shape the modern history. For example invention of compass gave impetus
to navigation and shapes the initial phase of Modern historical process of colonization
and different wars.
b) Invention of Printing press which remained the source of irrigation and fertilsed the
whole modern world of Intelligence. It completely changed the perception of many
people and developed modern rational thinking.
c) This period witnessed enormous growth of vernacular literature. Many Scholars wrote
in the language which easily understood by people. This resulted in the growth of
various European languages.
d) Renaissance witnessed many sided development of art. Almost all the fine arts like
architectures, Sculpture, music, painting, engraving etc. made tremendous progress
during this period. This phase changed the older church based medieval art to modern
humanism classical art form.
e) Renaissance greatly contributed to the evolution of strong monarchial system of
government in Europe. This gave serious blow to the authority of church and feudal
system.
f) There was all round development of natural and experimental sciences during this
period. This gave new dimensions to the modern discoveries and shaped the modern
scientific developmental history.
• Renaissance tried to induce classical learning into the main stream of western thought. It
gave a modern rational thinking which transform and shape the modern world in social,
economic and political area of Europe and other region of the world. This phase was a
turning point in the western civilization and it work as a bridge between the medieval
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period and modern history in Europe.
OR
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PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY (WORLD

AND INDIA)
Practice Questions
Q1. What is delta? Illustrate its significance. Explain the factors responsible for sinking of
deltas in India, and strategies to tackle the same.
Q2. Give an account of the distribution of flood-prone areas of India and the initiatives
taken for controlling the impact of floods in the country.
E
Q3. Explain the development of local winds. How these winds influence local weather all
OR
over the world.
Q4. Different physiographic divisions of India are complementary to each other and leads
to socio-economic development of the nation. Explain
Q5. Extra-tropical Cyclones are a year round phenomenon appearing whenever the conditions
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suit the formation and growth of such systems. What are major reasons for the more
frequent occurrence of extra-tropical Cyclones in the winter season?
Q6. Explain how ocean currents help in establishing global heat balance. Also explain the
relationship between ocean currents and habitability of the coastal areas.
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Q7. Discuss the economic and strategic significance of Indian islands.
Q8. Minerals formed in geosynclines are the drivers of the global economy. Elucidate.
Q9. The discovery of the mid-oceanic ridges opened doors to not only plate motion but the
age of the ocean floor and other geological phenomenon. Elaborate.
Q10. What do you understand by land breezes and sea breezes? Discuss how these breezes
modify the urban coastal environment?
Q11. India has registered a decline in barren and wasteland, culturable wasteland, area
under pastures and net area sown in recent years. Explain the causes and also enlist the
environmental impacts of this decline.
Q12. Discuss the main features of Plate Tectonic Theory.
Q13. What do you understand by heat waves? Analyze the locational pattern of incidences
of heat waves in India. Suggest measures to tackle the pattern of heat wave.
Q14. Discuss the status of mangroves in India. Why are they facing a constant threat? Critically
analyze various domestic and international initiatives taken to protect the mangroves.
[54] Geography
Q15. What do you mean by emergent & submergent coast? Identify the emergent and
submergent coast of India and discuss their significance.
Q16. Bring out the geographical reasons behind increasing pollution in the river Ganga.
Suggest innovative solutions for cleaning it.
Q17. Discuss the concept of Social Forestry. What are the challenges of community forestry
in India.
Q18. In India, our eastern coast is the most disaster prone area and by destroying the mangroves
forests we are ourselve increasing the risk further. Examine the facts related to it.
Q19. Droughts in India especially in Vidharbha and Marathwada region are more of man-
made rather than natural. Critically examine the sentence in light of the water crisis
faced by the above mentioned regions of the country. What can be done to avoid such
crisis?
E
Q20. What do you mean by Hydromorphological surveys? Analyse their significance in meeting
the challenges of river restoration and water crisis faced by the world.
OR
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Geography [55]
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY (WORLD

AND INDIA)
Answer
1. What is delta? Illustrate its significance. Explain the factors responsible for sinking of
deltas in India, and strategies to tackle the same.
Hints:
E
Delta is a depositional feature of almost triangular shape at the mouth of a river debouching either
into a lake or a sea. OR
A river moves more slowly as it nears its mouth or end. The slowing velocity of the river and the
build-up of sediment allow the river to break from its single channel as it nears its mouth. Under the
right conditions, a river forms a deltaic lobe. A mature deltaic lobe includes a distributary network—
a series of smaller, shallower channels, called distributaries, that branch off from the mainstream of
the river.
In a deltaic lobe, heavier, and coarser material settles first. Smaller, finer sediment is carried farther
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downstream. The finest material is deposited beyond the river’s mouth. This material is called
alluvium or silt. As silt builds up, new land is formed. This is the delta.
Significance
• Deltas are important to both human activities and fish and other wildlife because they are
normally home to very fertile soil as well as a large amount of vegetation. Major ancient
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civilizations grew along deltas.

• Today deltas remain important to humans because they are a source of sand and gravel. In
many deltas this material is highly valuable and is used in the construction of highways,
buildings and other infrastructure.
• In other areas delta land is important in agricultural use. For example the Ganga-Brahmaputra
delta in India and Bangladesh is one of the most fertile regions of the world. Fish, other
seafood, and crops such as rice and tea are the leading agricultural products of the delta.
• In addition to these human uses, river deltas are some of the most bio-diverse areas on the
planet and as such it is essential that they remain healthy to provide habitat for the many
species of plants, animals, insects and fish that live in them. Many animals are indigenous
to the shallow, shifting waters of a delta. Fish, crustaceans such as oysters, birds, insects, and
even apex predators such as tigers and bears can be part of a delta’s ecosystem. There are
many different species of rare, threatened, and endangered species living in deltas and
wetlands, e.g., Sundarbans delta.
• Deltas can provide a buffer for cyclones, hurricanes, and tsunami. The Mississippi River
delta, for example, can act as a barrier and reduces the impact of potentially strong hurricanes
in the Gulf of Mexico. Similarly, the deltas on the east coast of India with lots of mangroves
have helped many Indian states during tsunamis and cyclones.
[56] Hints: Geography
• Deltas provide excellent site for ports and harbours. The Fraser delta helps make Vancouver
one of the busiest cosmopolitan ports in the world.
• The Delta is also valued for its aesthetic appeal and for its support of recreational activities.
• It is an attractive and growing destination for boating, fishing, hunting, and ecotourism.
Factors responsible for sinking of deltas

• Land formed by river sediments naturally subsides and sinks over time. Historically, sediment
deposition and accretion by plant growth outpaced the natural subsidence, resulting in
coastal land gain. Without land-building deposits from the river, subsidence dominates and
massive areas of land sink and disappear below sea-level.
• Damming and diverting rivers means that much less sediment now reaches many delta
areas, while extraction of gas and groundwater also lowers the land.
• The sinking of deltas from India to America is exacerbated by the upstream trapping of
sediments by reservoirs and dams, man-made channels and levees that whisk sediment into
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the oceans beyond coastal floodplains, and the accelerated compacting of floodplain sediment
caused by the extraction of groundwater and oil and natural gas exploration and mining.
OR
• It has been established that the main reason behind delta subsidence is drastically reducing
sediments reaching the delta. Studies estimate that during the past century, there has been
a 94% reduction in Krishna’s sediment reaching the delta, 95% reduction from historic load
in Narmada, 80% reduction in Indus, 80% reduction in Cauvery, 96% reduction in Sabarmati,
74% reduction in Mahanadi, 74% reduction in Godavari, 50% reduction in Brahmani, etc.
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• Almost unanimous agreement between scientists indicates that the reason behind this drastic
decline in sediments is sediment retention by dams and reservoirs in the upstream. Large
reservoirs trap as much as 80% of the upstream silt. As a result, most rivers are carrying
much less sediment, and some rivers (like Krishna, Indus, Nile, and Colorado) transport
virtually no sediment.
• Groundwater mining that causes land compaction is also a cause for sinking of deltas.
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Groundwater mining has led to a significant compaction and subsidence of land over the
last 15 years in Ganga
Strategies to tackle it
A comprehensive solution for the Delta needs to consider the new understanding of the Delta’s
ecosystem that has emerged over the last several years. The state’s policy has been to maintain the
Delta as a freshwater system. However, to address the problems of the Delta’s native species, a
fundamental change in policy is needed. A Delta that is heterogeneous and variable in terms of its
salinity levels and water flows is more likely to support native species than is a homogeneously
fresh or brackish Delta. Accepting the vision of a variable Delta, as opposed to the commonly held
vision of a static Delta, will allow for more sustainable management.
2. Give an account of the distribution of flood-prone areas of India and the initiatives taken
for controlling the impact of floods in the country.
Hints:
India is the most flood affected country in the world next only to Bangladesh. Twenty percent of
the global deaths caused by floods in the world are in India. In spite of the fact that floods are a
natural disaster, if often turns out to be social disaster as the people who are severely affected are
generally the people because they live on the periphery of human habitat.
Hints: Geography [57]
The most flood prone basins in the country are those of Ganga in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West
Bengal the Brahmaputra in Assam and the Baitarni the Brahmani and Subarnrekha basins in Orissa.
Sometimes floods occur also in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat.
Flood occurs when a river overflows its banks and spread out over the bordering flood pain. Indian
has a large number of rivers that overflow in certain seasons and remain dry in other seasons. The
rivers of north and central India are prone to frequent floods during the monsoon season. They
occur when the surface runoff is high, drainage water is blocked by landslides, or excessive silt is
deposited in the river beds.
Flash floods in arid areas are associated with cyclonic storms. The coastal belt of India floods with
the occurrence of cyclones. Sea coasts and river estuaries experience flood when the sea level rises
or a bore from the sea enters the rivers. In urban areas, the excessive runoff of storm water drains
leads to flooding of low-lying areas.
General Flood Management Measures practiced in India
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Different measures have been adopted to reduce the flood losses and protect the flood plains.
Depending upon the nature of work, Flood protection and flood management measures may be
broadly classified as under:
OR
(a) Engineering / Structural Measures
(b) Administrative / Non-Structural Measures
Engineering /Structural Measures
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The engineering measures for flood control which bring relief to the flood prone areas by reducing
flood flows and thereby the flood levels are –
(a) an artificially created reservoir behind a dam across a river
(b) a natural depression suitably improved and regulated, if necessary or
(c) by diversion of a part of the peak flow to another river or basin, where such diversion would
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not cause appreciable damage.

(d) by constructing a parallel channel bye passing a particular town/reach of the river prone
to flooding.
The engineering methods of flood protection, which do not reduce the flood flow but reduce spilling,
are:
(a) embankments which artificially raise the effective river bank and thereby prevent spilling
and
(b) channel and drainage improvement works, which artificially reduce the flood water level so
as to keep the same, confined within the river banks and thus prevent spilling.
Different aspects of some of the important measures for flood management are enumerated below:
Reservoirs
Reservoirs can moderate the intensity and timing of the incoming flood. They store the water during
periods of high discharges in the river and release it after the critical high flow condition is over, so
as to be ready to receive the next wave. Their effectiveness in moderating floods would depend on
the reservoir capacity available at that time for absorbing the flood runoff and their proximity to the
likely damage centre. They are operated with a carefully planned regulation schedule which takes
into account both the safety of the dam and related structures and the safe carrying capacity of the
lower reaches of the river in their present condition.
Reservoirs are more effective for flood management if, apart from the incidental moderation available
for any type of storage on a river, specific flood space is earmarked, as in the case of DVC dams
across the Damodar and its tributaries. The operation schedule or rule curve being followed should
be reviewed and a suitable operation schedule/rule curve prescribed for the monsoon filling to
ensure space for flood moderation but which can be filled for conservation at a later stage when
high flows end.
In order to improve the efficiency of the reservoirs and improve the operation schedules for providing
either incidental or specific flood moderation effects, arrangement for inflow forecasts should be
made. Detention basins are usually formed by utilizing natural depressions/ swamps and lakes by
improving their capacity by constructing encircling embankments and providing suitable devices
for regulating the release of stored waters. Since, the land under the marshes or low depression
may hardly require much compensation and rehabilitation measures, this method are relatively in
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expensive. The Ghaggar detention basin in Rajasthan is a good example. Depressions available
upstream of Srinagar City, on the left bank of river Jhelum, the Mokama Tal area in Bihar and Ottu,
Bhindawas, Kotla lakes in Haryana and various beels/haors of Barak basin are some examples of a
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few natural basins.
Embankments
Embankments (including ring bunds and town protection works) confine the flood flows and prevent
spilling, thereby reducing the damage. These are generally cheap, quick and most popular method
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of flood protection and have been constructed extensively in the past. These are reported to have
given considerable protection at comparatively low costs, particularly in the lower reaches of large
rivers. In many places, embankments may be the only feasible method of preventing inundation.
Embankments are designed and constructed to afford a degree of protection against floods of a
certain frequency and intensity or against the maximum recorded floods till the time of their planning
only (in the absence of detailed hydrological data for longer periods) depending upon the location
protected and their economic justification. The raising and strengthening of existing embankments
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have also been taken up in many of the flood prone States. In order that this work is done adequately
it is necessary to adopt the flood frequency approach in their redesign, taking into account the data
of historical floods, which is now available.
Apart from the raising and strengthening works, erosion along the embankments and natural banks
of the river systems has been a serious problem on which considerable expenditure has been incurred
in the past. Particular mention could be made of the erosion problem of the embankment systems in
Assam, Bihar, U.P, Punjab, and West Bengal. The embankments, under serious attack by the major
rivers and their tributaries, have to be suitably protected by spurs, pitching, and other suitable anti-
erosion measures. On many embankment systems like the Kosi embankment and Piprasi-Pipraghat
embankment on the Gandak in Bihar, the river attack is so severe that the protection measures
required to be taken are large and cannot be covered under the normal maintenance works.
A number of Committees constituted in various countries as well as in India have deliberated upon
the utility of embankments as a means for flood protection. Divergent views have emerged out of
these. Many NGOs have voiced serious criticism about existing embankments. One is that problems
of flood can be solved by removal of all the existing embankments and the other diametrically
opposite being that construction of more and more lengths of the embankments and their raising
and strengthening is the only practicable medium/short term solution for the flood problems. The
reason for such wide divergence in opinion is obviously due to the inadequacy of sufficient number
of performance evaluation studies of existing embankments and the divergent views on their
performance. As experienced, some embankments have provided positive benefits by ensuring
sustained protection against floods and river spills while on the other hand, some embankments
have, in certain reaches of the river, aggravated the flood problem by rising river bed levels, decreasing
their carrying capacity, causing drainage congestion in the countryside and distorting the levels/
gradient of the outfall points.
Construction of embankment with proper roads has been perceived as providing useful
communication linkages and reliable surface network for areas that are liable to stand completely
cut off during floods and thereafter. They could provide quick communication for facilitating better
supervision and maintenance of the flood protection works and provide all weather communication
facilities to the adjoining habitats. As such, they are often deemed as a life line during floods.
It is also recognised that embankments are not an unmixed blessing. They have adverse effects such
as interference with drainage, inability to stand erosion, etc. which should be considered before
planning this measure for flood management.
As such, this method of flood management may be undertaken only after carrying out detailed
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hydrological and other studies regarding their favorable and adverse effects.
Channelisation of Rivers
OR
Some of the states are proposing channelisation of rivers, at least in certain reaches, in the context
of tackling the extensive meandering problems of the rivers, activating navigational channels and
training these rivers into their original courses. While venturing to channelise rivers, thought must
be given in allowing the river certain freedom to flow and right of way to pass its flood waters and
silt load within its natural waterway. The dynamic nature of the rivers should be appreciated and
preventive measures planned accordingly instead of pinning down the river by channelising.
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Channel Improvement
The method of improving the channel by improving the hydraulic conditions of the river channels
by desilting, dredging, lining etc., to enable the river to carry its discharges at lower levels or within
its banks has been often advocated but adopted on a very limited extent because of its high cost and
other problems.
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Dredging operations of the Brahmaputra, which were undertaken in the early seventies on an
experimental basis, were discontinued because of their prohibitive cost and limited benefits. Dredging
in selected locations may perhaps be considered as a component of a package of measures for
channel improvement to check the river bank erosion subject to techno-economic justification. It
may be economically justifiable as a method for channel improvement where navigation is involved.
Dredging is sometimes advocated for clearing river mouth or narrow constrictions.
Drainage Improvement
Surface water drainage congestion due to inadequacy of natural or artificial drainage channels to
carry the storm water discharge within a reasonable period causes damages. It is often difficult to
distinguish between flood and drainage congestion situations. This problem is rather acute in Andhra
Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal, J&K, Gujarat
and Tamilnadu. Therefore, improvement of drainage by construction of new channels or
improvement in the discharge capacity of the existing drainage system is recommended as an integral
part of the flood management programme in the country.
Stress has to be laid on improving the existing natural drainage system in the flood plains so that
what should essentially be flooding of a few days should not get prolonged for months. In this
context, the importance of the system ‘dhars’ or ‘old channels’, which efficiently served the function
of draining away the spillage and surface flows generated by local rains, must be recognised. The
blocking of these natural drainage channels, which is normally done in the name of “reclamation
for development” because of paucity of land or vested interest, must be firmly discouraged. This
applies also to all natural depressions, which are targeted for reclamation.
The adequacy of existing sluices and drainage channels should be reviewed in areas suffering from
drainage congestion. If the capacities of existing sluices in embankments and drainage channels are
inadequate, this should be improved by increasing the vents and improving outfall conditions.
Diversion of Flood Waters
Diversion of flood waters takes a part of the flood discharge to another basin or to the same basin
downstream of the problem area or to a depression where it could be stored for subsequent release.
This measure can be used to manage unusual floods around cities as in the case of flood spill
channel near Srinagar and also in the lower reaches of a river near the sea as in the case of Krishna
Godavari drainage scheme. Important schemes under execution or under planning are the
supplementary drain in Delhi, the outfall channel in Jammu and Kashmir, the Damodar in the
lower reaches in West Bengal, the Thottapally Spillway diversion in Kerala, the Kolleru lake diversion
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into the sea in Andhra Pradesh, the Kama-Pahari drain in Rajasthan and the Hulwaa drain in
Uttar Pradesh.
Watershed Management
OR
The watershed management measures include developing and conserving the vegetative and soil
covers and also to undertake structural works like check-dams, detention basins, diversion channels,
etc. In the watershed management of upper catchment, land treatment through afforestation and
grass land development practices should be supplemented by structural works for retarding the
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water velocity and arresting silt.

Administrative / Non-structural Measures
The administrative methods endeavour to mitigate the flood damages by;
(a) Facilitating timely evacuation of the people and shifting of their movable property to safer
grounds by having advance warning of incoming flood i.e. flood forecasting, flood warning
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in case of threatened inundation.

(b) Discouraging creation of valuable assets/settlement of the people in the areas subject to
frequent flooding i.e. enforcing flood plain zoning regulation.
Providing absolute protection to all flood prone areas against all magnitude of floods is neither
practically possible nor economically viable. Such an attempt would involve stupendously high
cost for construction and for maintenance. Hence a pragmatic approach in flood management is to
provide a reasonable degree of protection against flood damages at economic cost through a
combination of structural and non-structural measures.
Flood Plain Zoning
Flood-plain zoning is a concept central to flood plain management. This concept recognises the
basic fact that the flood plain of a river is essentially its domain and any intrusion into or
developmental activity therein must recognise the river’s ‘right of way’. Flood-plain zoning measures
aim at demarcating zones or areas likely to be affected by floods of different magnitudes or frequencies
and probability levels, and specify the types of permissible developments in these zones, so that
whenever floods actually occur, the damage can be minimised, if not avoided. Unfortunately, while
all generally endorse this approach in principle, scant attention is given to it in actual practice,
leading to increased flood damages.The Central Water Commission (CWC) has been continuously
impressing upon the states the need to take follow-up action to implement the flood plain zoning
approach. A model draft bill for flood plain zoning legislation was also circulated by the union
government in 1975 to all the states.
There has been passive resistance on the part of the states to follow up the various aspects of flood
plain management including possible legislation.
Flood Proofing
Flood proofing measures adopted in India in the past, consisted in raising a few villages above pre-
determined flood levels and connecting them to nearby roads or high lands. Under this programme,
several thousand villages were raised in Uttar Pradesh in the fifties. In West Bengal and Assam also
land-fills were attempted in villages to keep houses above flood levels even though nearby agricultural
lands were liable to inundation. During X Plan, the Government of Bihar had also constructed,
with Central assistance, the raised platforms for safety of the people in flood prone areas of North
Bihar.
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3. Explain the development of local winds. How these winds influence local weather all over
the world.
OR
Hints:
Local winds refer to a variety of mesoscale circulations other than thunderstorms produced by the
tropographical peculiarities or local temperature differences.
The main types of local winds are: Sea breezes and land breezes, Anabatic and Katabatic winds,
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and Hot and Cold winds.

• Sea Breezes: Land masses are heated by the sun more quickly than the sea in the daytime.
The air rises, flows out to the sea, and creates a low pressure at ground level which attracts
the cool air from the sea. This is called sea breeze. Cumulus clouds tend to form as the warm
air rises over the land to about 500-1500m. Air in sea breezes is moist compared to the air
over land. Wind speeds from sea breezes can be about 4-8m/s but can be even stronger.
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Coastal areas don’t have extreme temperatures owing to sea breezes.

• Land breezes: Land breezes occur at night, when the land is cooler than the sea. This is
because, as the air cools in the night time (as there is less heating from the sun), it contracts.
Pressure is higher over the land than the sea. This causes the air to flow from the land to
the sea which is known as land breeze. Cumulus clouds from where there is rising air. Land
sea breeze fronts tend to only affect a small area in comparison to the much larger effect of
sea breezes. Wind speeds are also lower at 2-3m/s.
• Anabatic winds (Valley Breeze): This wind is caused by thermal processes. Anabatic
(upslope) winds occur over slopes which are heated by the sun. Air in contact with slopes
gets warmed, expands upward and cools and sinks over neighbouring valleys. Anabatic
winds are usually slow, at only 1-2m/s. Due to formation of cumulus clouds, occasional
afternoon showers may be produced.
• Katabatic Winds (Mountain Breeze): Katabatic winds occur over slopes which are cooled.
Katabatic winds occur where air in contact with sloping ground is colder than air at the
same level away from the hillside over the valley. Katabatic winds are nocturnal phenomena
in most parts of the world as there is surface cooling, especially when there is little cloud.
Katabatic wind speeds don’t typically exceed 3 or 4 m/s. However, where the ground is
covered with snow or ice, katabatic winds can occur at any time with speeds often reaching
10 m/s, or even more if funneling through narrow valleys occurs. Katabatic winds may lead
to the formation of frost, mist and radiation fog in valleys.
• Hot local winds:
1. Chinook winds occur when air is forced over a mountain range. Warm air rises over the
Sierra Nevada in California, for example, because it is pushed eastward by the westerly
winds. The air cools as it rises and precipitates. The air is now dry. It sinks down the far
side of the mountains and may create strong winds. These Chinook winds are relatively
warm. If there is snow, the winds may melt it quickly which gives it the name ‘snow-eater’
and helps in spring farming. These winds also prove helpful in ranching as it clears snow
from grasslands. Similar wind is called Foehn in Alps region and Norwester in New Zealand.
2. Santa Ana winds are responsible for many large fires in Southern California. The air is
forced downhill through the deserts of the Southwest. It blows westward toward the ocean.
The air is blocked by the mountains. So it is funneled rapidly through the mountain passes.
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If a fire starts, it spreads quickly. The result is large-scale devastation. Similar winds are
called Yamo in Japan, Zonda in Argentina and Tramontane in central Europe.
3.
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Desert Winds: High summer temperatures on the desert create high winds and dusty
storms. Strong winds in the desert can pick up dust and blow it around. A dust storm
known as ‘haboob’ forms in the downdrafts on the front of a thunderstorm. These are called
Sirocco in Sahara, Khamsin in Egypt and Simoom in Asian deserts. Similar winds in Spain
are called Leveche and in Australia they are known as Brickfielder.
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4. Harmattan: It is another dry, dusty wind which blows from Sahara desert towards Guinea
coast where the weather is already extremely hot and humid. The dry wind has an
evaporating effect which makes it cooler for the inhabitants. That’s why it is called “the
doctor”. Similar winds are called Blackroller in North America, Shamal in Gulf region.
• Cold local winds: There are certain local winds which are cold and dust-laden or cold and
raw. These local winds occur under different conditions. Some of the cold air-mass type
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winds are discussed below.

(I) Mistral: Mistral is a cold wind that blows into the western Mediterranean basin from higher
elevations to the north. These winds are of common occurrence during winter months. They
are extremely cold and dry. Mistral descends from the high Auvergne Plateau to the Rhone
Valley on the southern coast of France. Similar winds in South America are called Pampero.
(II) Bora: In the region of eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea, a cold, dry north-easterly wind
blowing down from the mountains is called bora. These down-slope winds are warmed by
their descent, but even then they are colder than those along the coastal lowlands. This type
of wind is often associated with the passage of an extra-tropical cyclone. Bora-type winds
bring unusual and prolonged subfreezing temperatures along the coastal lowlands during
winter. These winds occur specially during the winter. At times, they may attain hurricane
force at the foot of mountains and may cause tremendous property damage. Similar winds
also occur on the northern Black Sea coast, in Japan, northern Scandinavia and Novaya
Zemlya.
(III) Blizzard: It is a violent and extremely cold wind laden with dry snow picked up from the
ground. Blizzard represents a severe weather condition characterized by very low
temperatures, strong winds, and a great amount of snow. These cold winds hay subfreezing
temperatures and carry abundant supply of ice-crystals and snow. Such blizzards are common
occurrence in the Antarctic. Wind velocity, on occasions, reaches 120 km to 160 km per hour
and the temperature is as low as -7° Celsius. Such winds in central Siberia are called as
Buran and in Russian Tundra as Purga.
4. Different physiographic divisions of India are complementary to each other and leads to
socio-economic development of the nation. Explain
Hints:
It can be stated that physical features complement each other and make the country richer in its
natural resources, thus helping the country develop.
The northern mountains are the major sources of water and forest wealth.
The northern plains are the granaries of the country. They provide the base for early civilizations.
The plateau is a storehouse of minerals, which has played a crucial role in the industrialization of
the country.
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The coastal region and island groups provide sites for fishing and port activities.
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The rivers originate in the high mountains and plateaus and drain the plains to make them inhabitable
and agriculturally suitable. The plateaus provide the necessary minerals to assist the development
of industries. Himalayas prevent the cold waves from north (Tibetan Pleateau), in absence of which;
Gangetic-plains would have been absent. Similarly these would have destroyed the low-pressure
system, which pulls the monsoon winds from the ocean.
Thus, the diverse physical features of the land have immense future possibilities of development.
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5. Extra-tropical Cyclones are a year round phenomenon appearing whenever the conditions
suit the formation and growth of such systems. What are major reasons for the more
frequent occurrence of extra-tropical Cyclones in the winter season?
Hints:
Mid-latitude Cyclones are also known as Extratropical and Frontal Cyclones, they form in areas
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between 30°N/S and 60°N/S in the Ferral cell.

• These systems receive their energy by warm and cold air masses interacting in a wave
formation. The development is determined by upper atmospheric motion.
• Cyclones are a year round phenomenon appearing whenever the conditions suit the formation
and growth of such systems. However, during winter, these conditions are often much more
prevalent. This is because of larger thermal gradients over large land masses, particularly in
the northern hemisphere, as land masses warm and cool much faster than the oceans.
• Therefore this large thermal gradient in turn creates a strong thermal wind which causes
very violent wind shear.
• As well as being one of the drivers of the formation of a Cyclone, this also creates a very
unstable atmosphere which is known as 'baroclinic instability'. This increase in instability
creates wave like patterns in the upper atmosphere. These wave formations cause mass
areas of convergence and divergence simultaneously. Since this is the major driver behind
Cyclones, it can be seen a larger number of them will occur in this situation. Depending on
the harshness of the convergence and divergence, the size and volatility of the Cyclone will
vary.
6. Explain how ocean currents help in establishing global heat balance. Also explain the
relationship between ocean currents and habitability of the coastal areas.
Hints:
• The world's ocean is crucial to heating the planet. While land areas and the atmosphere
absorb some sunlight, the majority of the sun's radiation is absorbed by the ocean. Particularly
in the tropical waters around the equator, the ocean acts a as massive, heat-retaining solar
panel.
• Earth's atmosphere also plays a part in this process, helping to retain heat that would
otherwise quickly radiate into space after sunset.
• Currents are movements of ocean water in a continuous flow, created largely by surface
winds but also partly by temperature and salinity gradients, Earth's rotation, and tides (the
gravitational effects of the sun and moon).
• Major current systems typically flow clockwise in the northern hemisphere and
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counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere, in circular patterns that often trace the
coastlines. OR
• Ocean currents act much like a conveyer belt, transporting warm water and precipitation
from the equator toward the poles and cold water from the poles back to the tropics. Thus,
currents regulate global climate, helping to counteract the uneven distribution of solar radiation
reaching Earth's surface. Without currents, regional temperatures would be more extreme-
super hot at the equator and frigid toward the poles-and much less of Earth's land would
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be habitable.
• Currents exercise other influences besides those on temperature. The pressure pattern is
affected materially, as air over a cold current contracts as it is cooled, and that over a warm
current expands. As air cools above a cold oceancurrent, fog is likely to form. Frost smoke
occurs over a warm current which flows into a colder region. Evaporation is greater from
warm water than from cold water, adding to atmospheric moisture.
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• The Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Current ferry huge volumes of warm salty tropical
water north to the Greenland coast and to the Nordic Seas. Heat radiating off of this water
helps keep the countries of northwest Europe, which are at the same latitude as Labrador
and Greenland, relatively comfortable places to live.
7. Discuss the economic and strategic significance of Indian islands.
Hints:
• There are two small groups of islands. One of these situated in the Bay of Bengal, off the
coast of Myanmar is known as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The other is known as
Lakshadweep and situated in Arabian Sea, off the coast of Kerala.
• The economic significance of these islands are:
a) The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around the islands encompasses around 0.6. million
sq. km which is 30 per cent of the EEZ of India. This provides a great opportunity for
fisheries are exploitation of other marine resources.
b) Aquaculture is promoted in case of mud crab and lobster fattening, freshwater shrimp
farming, and freshwater fish farming.
c) Tourism is one of the major developmental activities in these islands. The Andaman
tropical evergreen rainforests, the beautiful silver sandy beaches, the serpentine mangrove-
lines creeks, marine life abounding in rare species of plants, animals, corals, etc., provide
a memorable experience to the tourists.
d) Fishing and pisiciculture is a big earning method for the Indian Territory of Andaman
and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
• The strategic significance of these islands are:
a) The Andaman and Nicobar Islands straddle the busiest trade routes in the world and
the onus of keeping them safe and sanitised, is one of the chief responsibilities of the
Indian Navy.
b) Their southernmost point is just 150 km from Indonesia's Sumatra and their northernmost
fewer than 50 km from the Coco islands controlled by Burma. In effect, they give India
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a foothold in south-east Asia.
c) The location suits India's grand ambition of becoming a regional naval power capable
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of extended operations beyond the range of shore-based support.
d) The Andamans' natural harbours and coral reefs offer perfect locations for ships and
submarines.
e) Further in case of Lakshadweep, proximity to the Indian western coast as well as to

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other island nations such as Sri Lanka and Maldives, nearness to busy shipping lanes,
wide geographical spread, and a predominantly Muslim population all make the
archipelago attractive to non-state actors. The fact that these islands could be used as
safe havens or platforms for launching attacks by non-state actors cannot be denied.
Hence security of islands are very important.
8. Minerals formed in geosynclines are the drivers of the global economy. Elucidate.
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Hints:
• Mineral deposits are not uniformly distributed in the Earth’s crust nor did they all form at
the same time. In certain regions conditions were favorable for the concentration of useful
minerals.
• Geosyncline are linear trough of subsidence of the Earth’s crust within which vast amounts
of sediment accumulate. The filling of a geosyncline with thousands or tens of thousands of
feet of sediment is accompanied in the late stages of deposition by folding, crumpling, and
faulting of the deposits.
• The classic geosyncline is divided into two parts, namely a miogeocline, and a eugeocline
which lies to the seaward side.
• The miogeocline is made up of sediments which form the continental shelf. The eugeocline
consists of sediments on the continental rise in deeper water some distance offshore.
• In the present scenario its significance can be assessed by the mineral oil accumulated in the
continental shelves example: Gulf of Mexico.
9. The discovery of the mid-oceanic ridges opened doors to not only plate motion but the age
of the ocean floor and other geological phenomenon. Elaborate.
Hints:
• A mid-ocean ridge is an underwater mountain system.
• Mid-ocean ridges are geologically active, with new magma constantly emerging onto the
ocean floor and into the crust at and near rifts along the ridge axes. The crystallized magma
forms new crust of basalt and gabbro.
• The discovery of the mid-oceanic ridges opened doors to not only plate motion but the age
of the ocean floor. The rocks making up the crust below the sea floor are youngest at the
axis of the ridge and age with increasing distance from that axis.
• A mid-ocean ridge demarcates the boundary between two tectonic plates, and consequently
is termed a divergent plate boundary
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• Hence the discovery of mid oceanic ridges led to the establishment of following phenomenon:
a) Occurrence of earthquakes near the mid-oceanic ridges and absence of sediments on
their summits (tops). OR
b) Presence of active volcanoes on mid-oceanic ridges.
c) Absence of rocks older than 135 million years on the ocean floor.
10. What do you understand by land breezes and sea breezes? Discuss how these breezes
modify the urban coastal environment?
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Hints:
• In the day, when the sun is up, the land heats up very quickly and the air above it warms
up a lot more than the air over the water. The warm air over the land is less dense and
begins to rise. Low pressure is created.
• The air pressure over the water is higher with cold dense air, which moves to occupy the
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space created over the land. The cool air that comes along is called a sea breeze.
• In the night, the reverse happens. The land quickly loses its' heat whiles the water retains
its' warmth. This means the air over the water is warmer, less dense and begins to rise. Low
pressure is created over the water. Cold and dense air over the land begins to move to the
water surface to replace the warmer rising air. The cool breeze from the land is called a land
breeze.
• A typical sea breeze may penetrate 50 km or more inland, though its strength depends on
the terrain over which it travels. The sea breeze can provide relief from oppressive hot
weather, trigger thunderstorms, provide moisture for fog and may result in either improved
or reduced air quality near Earth's surface.
• The highly variable winds near the coast may sweep pollutants out to sea on a land breeze
but then bring them back with the sea breeze. The variations in sea breeze circulation also
have distinct effect on the pollutant transport and dispersion mechanisms in the coastal
urban areas.
• The urban heat island (UHI) forms a strong convergence zone in the centre of the city and
thereby accelerates the sea-breeze front toward the centre of the city. The presence of the
urban region increases the sea-breeze propagation speed.
11. India has registered a decline in barren and wasteland, culturable wasteland, area under
pastures and net area sown in recent years. Explain the causes and also enlist the
environmental impacts of this decline.
Hints:
• India has undergone major changes within the economy over the past four or five decades,
and this has influenced the land-use changes in the country.
• The barren and wasteland, culturable wasteland, area under pastures and net area sown
has seen a decline.
• The following explanations can be given for the declining trends:
a) As the pressure on land increased, both from the agricultural and non-agricultural
sectors, the wastelands and culturable wastelands have witnessed decline over time.
India has been experiencing rapid urbanization over the last few decades, which
accelerated during the last decade. High economic growth during the two decades has
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also spurred growth in rail, road and port traffic, necessitating further infrastructure
improvements and therefore demand for more land.
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b) 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.
• The environmental impacts are:
a) Forests provide many ecosystem services. They support biodiversity, providing critical
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habitat for wildlife, remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, intercept precipitation,
slow down surface runoff, and reduce soil erosion and flooding. These important
ecosystem services will be reduced or destroyed when forests are converted to agriculture
or urban development. For example, deforestation, along with urban sprawl, agriculture,
and other human activities, has substantially altered and fragmented the Earth’s vegetative
cover. Such disturbance can change the global atmospheric concentration of carbon
dioxide, the principal heat–trapping gas, as well as affect local, regional, and global
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climate by changing the energy balance on Earth’s surface.

b) Urban development has been linked to many environmental problems, including air
pollution, water pollution, and loss of wildlife habitat. Urban runoff often contains
nutrients, sediment and toxic contaminants, and can cause not only water pollution but
also large variation in stream flow and temperatures. Habitat destruction, fragmentation,
and alteration associated with urban development have been identified as the leading
causes of biodiversity decline and species extinctions. Urban development and intensive
agriculture in coastal areas and further inland are a major threat to the health,
productivity, and biodiversity of the marine environment throughout the world.
12. Discuss the main features of Plate Tectonic Theory.
Hints:
The Plate tectonics theory states that Earth’s outermost layer, the lithosphere, is broken into 7 large,
rigid pieces called plates: the African, North American, South American, Eurasian, Australian,
Antarctic, and Pacific plates. Several minor plates also exist, including the Arabian, Nazca, and
Philippines plates. The plates are all moving in different directions and at different speeds (from 2
cm to 10 cm per year) in relationship to each other. The place where the two plates meet is called a
plate boundary.
There are three types of plate boundaries:
Diverging currents produce tension at the contact-zone of crust leading to fracture. Maganatic
material penetrates into the fractroges and gets solidified. This continuous process pushes the blocks
in opposite direction and creates a new zone, known as “zone of construction”.
At convergent boundary, two adjacent plates come further and further closer to each other and
collide. When both sides are of continental nature, a mountain formation is evident. When one of
the two is continental and the other maritime again mountain comes into being along the boundary.
In this case, continental plate overrides the maritime. When both plates are of maritime, both of
them break, subduct and penetrate below and, hence, trenches are formed. Along this boundary
earthquakes and volcanic activities are prominent. In all these three situations, surface area is reduced,
therefore, this is also known as “zone of destruction”.
Transform fault is the one when two adjacent plates slide past each other. Direction of movement
may be along or against but they move parallel to each other. Therefore, neither there is any
construction of fresh area nor it has any destruction. Hence, it is known as “zone of preservation”.
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It provides a unified mechanism explaining:
– Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.
OR
– The distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes.
– The origin of continents and ocean basins.
– The distribution of fossil plants and animals.
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– The genesis and destruction of mountain chains.

– Continental drift.
Plate tectonics and distribution of natural resources

Besides being responsible for the major features of Earth’s crust and influencing the distribution
and evolution of the world’s biota, plate movements also affect the formation and distribution of
some natural resources. The formation of many natural resources results from the interaction between
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plates, and economically valuable concentrations of such deposits are found associated with current
and ancient plate boundaries. Consequently, geologists are using plate tectonic theory in their search
for petroleum and mineral deposits and in explaining the occurrence of these natural resources.
Many metallic mineral deposits such as copper, gold, lead, silver, tin, and zinc are related to igneous
and associated hydrothermal (hot water) activity, so it is not surprising that a close relationship
exists between plate boundaries and the occurrence of these valuable deposits. The magma generated
by partial melting of a subducting plate rises toward the surface, and as it cools, it precipitates and
concentrates various metallic ores. Many of the world’s major metallic ore deposits are associated
with convergent plate boundaries, including those in the Andes of South America, the Coast Ranges
and Rockies of North America, Japan, the Philippines, Russia, and a zone extending from the
eastern Mediterranean region to Pakistan. In addition, the majority of the world’s gold is associated
with sulfide deposits located at ancient convergent plate boundaries in such areas as South Africa,
Canada, California, Alaska, Venezuela, Brazil, southern India, Russia, and western Australia. The
copper deposits of western North and South America are an excellent example of the relationship
between convergent plate boundaries and the distribution, concentration, and exploitation of
valuable metallic ores. The world’s largest copper deposits are found along this belt. The majority of
the copper deposits in the Andes and the southwestern United States formed less than 60 million
years ago when oceanic plates were subducted under the North and South American plates. The
rising magma and associated hydrothermal fluids carried minute amounts of copper, which was
originally widely disseminated but eventually became concentrated in the cracks and fractures of
the surrounding andesites. These low-grade copper deposits contain from 0.2 to 2% copper and are
extracted from large open-pit mines. Divergent plate boundaries also yield valuable ore deposits.
The island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean is rich in copper and has been supplying all or part of
the world’s needs for the last 3000 years. The concentration of copper on Cyprus formed as a result
of precipitation adjacent to hydrothermal vents along a divergent plate boundary. This deposit was
brought to the surface when the copper-rich seafloor collided with the European plate, warping
the seafloor and forming Cyprus.
13. What do you understand by heat waves? Analyze the locational pattern of incidences of
heat waves in India. Suggest measures to tackle the pattern of heat wave.
Hints:
• Heat waves is a condition of sustained abnormally high temperatures, more than normal
maximum temperatures especially in northern western parts of India during the pre-monsoon
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period from April to June, which may sometimes get extended to July. Indian Meteorological
department declared 40 degree C and 30 degree C as normal maximum temperatures for
plains and hilly areas, and a deviation of 5 degree C on positive side is declared as severe
heat wave.
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• Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Marathwada,
Vidarbha, Telangana, Rayalaseema and Tamil Nadu are most to heat waves impact.
Locational factors for heat waves:

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• Since India is a tropical country with monsoon type of climate, its interior regions face high
temperature situations during summer periods before the onset of monsoon.
• As sun moves northwards after March equinox, central India heats up during April and
north-west India during May. This heat is transferred to other eastern regions through
advection and resulting into heat wave condition in these areas also.
• Anti-cyclone conditions in Bay of Bengal prevents the extension of maritime influence in the
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coastal regions and leading to rise in temperature there also.

• Regions of north west India like Western UP, Haryana, Rajasthan where it is given name
‘loo’ face regular heatwaves;
• Interior regions of other states like Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal also face heat
wave conditions.
• In recent years because of global warming effect, frequent el-Nino the events of heat waves
have increased and in the year 2015 more than 2000 people died because of heat stroke,
mostly in the regions of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Measures to tackle the pattern of heat waves:

• Heat wave is a natural phenomenon and human has very little control over it. They can
design adaptive and mitigative strategies to tackle negative health effects from it.
• Limiting climate change and global warming, which is resulting into extreme weather events
should be the long term strategy.
• Short term measures which can be taken are: closing schools, issuing health advisories to
keep away from sun, keeping oneself hydrated and ensuring availability of sufficient amounts
of water, treat heat-stroke patients as emergency cases and make necessary arrangements
for ensuring immediate medical treatment to ensure that negative health effects get minimized.
14. Discuss the status of mangroves in India. Why are they facing a constant threat? Critically
analyze various domestic and international initiatives taken to protect the mangroves.
Hints:
• Mangroves are plants that survive high salinity, tidal regimes, strong wind velocity, high
temperature and muddy anaerobic soil - a combination of conditions hostile for other plants.
The mangrove ecosystems constitute a symbiotic link or bridge between terrestrial and marine
ecosystems.
• According to the latest report, the overall mangrove cover in the country stands at 4,740 sq.
km., which is 0.14 sq. km. of India’s overall geographical area.
• West Bengal has the highest mangrove cover followed by Gujarat.
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• Mangroves are facing threats both due to natural and anthropogenic factors such as:
a) Cyclones, typhoons and strong wave action especially in the geographically vulnerable
Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Browsing and trampling by wildlife (e.g. deer) and
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livestock (goats, buffaloes and cows), which are often left to graze freely, especially in
areas close to human habitation; and Damage by oysters to the young leaves and
plumules of Rhizophora and Ceriops plants.
b) Indiscriminate tree felling and lopping, mainly for fuelwood, fodder and timber, especially
in areas close to human habitation.
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c) Indiscriminate conversion of mangroves on public lands for aquaculture (e.g. for prawn
culture at Chorao, Goa), agriculture, mining (e.g. along the Mapusa estuary in Goa),
human habitation and industrial purposes.
d) Encroachment on publicly owned mangrove forest lands, e.g. cultivation of paddy
observed on government land, which involved uprooting of natural and planted seedlings.
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e) Illegal large-scale collection of mangrove fruits for production of medicines, which hinders
their natural regeneration.
f) Discharge of industrial pollutants into creeks, rivers and estuaries, which is a major
problem in some regions of the world.
g) Obstruction and diversion of water for culvert construction.
• The dramatic decline in global mangrove cover and the on-going removal of mangrove
habitat have led both governmental and non-governmental organizations to take actions to
protect mangroves. It is done through legislation, new partnerships between governments
and local communities, and the REDD+ programme (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation
and forest Degradation) in developing countries.
• But due to poor implementation of legislations, it fails to give results. Urban and aquaculture
wastewater discharge, oil pollution, biological invasion , insect outbreak and the influence
of water remain serious threats to mangroves. Wastewater from the upstream and landfill
pollution discharged directly into the mangrove wetland without proper treatments changed
the ecosystem functions and the biodiversity of the mangrove ecosystem. Further the survival
rates in mangrove afforestation are quite low. Few states have banned cutting of mangroves
it is still prevalent in private areas.
• Mangrove conservation measures need traditional approaches including creation of designated
areas protected from clearing and legislation restricting or prohibiting clearing, to conservation,
education and restoration projects on local, national, regional, or international scales. These
often involve local communities and organizations as stewards of mangrove ecosystems and
may allow sustainable harvest within the project areas.
• Measures that can help to reverse some of these problems include vigilance in the field, jetties
and harbours during the fruiting period to control the illegal collection of mangrove fruits;
strict implementation of antipollution laws; a ban on dragnet fishing in areas where there
are seedlings less than five years of age; and the establishment of a speed limit for barges
in areas with young mangrove seedlings.
Supplementary Notes
India is home to some of the best mangroves in the world. West Bengal has the maximum of mangrove
cover in the country followed by Gujarat and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. However, not all coastal
areas are suitable for mangrove plantation as mangrove requires an appropriate mix of saline and
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freshwater, and soft substrate like mudflats to be able to grow and perpetuate. The Government
has identified 38 mangrove areas on a country wide basis for intensive conservation and
management.
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Salient features of Mangroves
a) Mangroves constitute a heterogeneous group of plants with similar adaptations to a particular
environment.
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b) They colonize tidal shores and brackish waters in the tropics and subtropics and in doing
so not only stabilize shorelines but also create new land by trapping debris, silt and mud
along their interlacing roots.
c) Mangroves spread out to the water by sending their branches roots that reach into the mud
and develop into sturdy supporting props.
d) A distinctive feature of mangroves is their large fruit, the seeds of which germinate and
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grow into sturdy seedlings before they leave the parent plant.
e) Mangroves are salt tolerant forest ecosystems, found mainly in the tropical and subtropical
incidal regions of the world.
f) Mangroves plants can survive high salinity, tidal extremes, strong wind velocity, high
temperature and muddy anaerobic soil.
g) Mangroves trees develop aerial or air-breathing roots to avoid suffocation in the oxygen poor
mud. All aerial tree roots have special tiny pores on their surface to take in air keeping water
and salt out.With the help of these roots the mangroves from an effective bio-shield that
protects the shoreline from the tidal damage.
Thus, Mangroves are plants that survive high salinity, tidal regimes, strong wind velocity, high
temperature and muddy anaerobic soil - a combination of conditions hostile for other plants.
Importance of Mangroves
Mangroves are self propagating plants and if it is undisturbed, can grow quite easily in conducive
soil and locations. These are the plants that grow in the inter-tidal zone along the coastline of India.
They are very hardy plants that have adapted over millennia to grow in difficult conditions.
Mangrove ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and harbour a number of floral and faunal species
(both terrestrial and aquatic) many of which, e.g. the tiger, gangetic dolphin, estuarine crocodile,
etc. are endangered. They also act as nurseries for fin fish, shell fish, crustaceans and mollusks.
Mangrove forests are regarded as the most productive ecosystems in the world on account of the
large quantities of organic and inorganic nutrients released in the coastal waters by these ecosystems.
The mangroves besides providing a number of ecological services also play a major role in protecting
coastal areas from erosion, tidal storms and surges (tsunamis). They help in land accretion by trapping
the fine debris particles. They are also an important source of honey, tannins, wax, besides fish.
Presently, these are one of the most threatened ecosystems on account of both anthropogenic factors
(reclamation of land, discharge of waste etc) and natural factors like global warming.
Recommendations for conserving mangroves:
• People’s involvement in mangrove management on public lands and related benefits;
• Programmes to raise people’s awareness of the importance of mangroves, e.g. through films,
exhibitions, newspapers, magazines, posters, stickers, brochures, banners, seminars, nature
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camps, bird watching, study tours in the mangrove forests, establishment of mangrove parks
in the mangrove areas close to towns, and the celebration of Mangrove Conservation Day,
•
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with essay competitions, debates and drawing competitions;
Incentives for sustainable management of mangroves on private and village community
land;
• Enforcement of environmental protection laws;
• Research on problems related to pests and diseases and on appropriate management of the
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mangrove ecosystem;
• Restoration and rehabilitation of degraded mangrove areas.
15. What do you mean by emergent & submergent coast? Identify the emergent and submergent
coast of India and discuss their significance.
Hints:
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The Emergent coasts are the result of local tectonic uplift or fall in the global elevation of sea level.
They have rocky coastlines with cliffs and nearly flat platforms that extend inland, which were
coastal plains earlier.
• Whereas submergent Coasts are those that have been flooded by ocean waters because of
a relative rise in the elevation of sea level at that location. A characteristic of the submergent
coast is river valleys or glacially-carved valleys that have been flooded by ocean water.
• In case of India, the west coast is an example of submergent coast. The western coastal
plains are narrow in the middle and get broader towards north and south. As compared to
the western coastal plain, the eastern coastal plain is broader and is an example of an
emergent coast.
• The significance of the coastal plains are as follows:
The west coast:
It is a narrow indented belt and because of submergence provides natural conditions for the
development of ports and harbours. Some of the important natural ports located along the west
coast are Kandla, Mazagaon, Marmagao, Mangalore, Cochin, etc. The rivers flowing through this
coastal plain do not form any delta. The southern part of the western coastal plain, i.e. the Malabar
coast, has a distinguishing feature - ‘Kayals’ (backwaters) - which are used for fishing, inland
navigation and are also special attraction for tourists. The western coastal plain is relatively rocky
mainly formed by coarse grained soil and thus is less fertile.
The east coast:
Being broader, it has well-developed deltas formed by the rivers flowing in to the Bay of Bengal.
These include the deltas of the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri. Because of its
emergent nature, it has less number of ports and harbours. The continental shelf extends up to 500
km into the sea, which makes it difficult for the development of good ports and harbours. The
eastern coastal plain consists of fertile alluvial soil. Hence, well developed intensive agriculture is
practiced on these coastal plains. However, the eastern coastal plain is more prone to cyclone than
western coastal plain.
16. Bring out the geographical reasons behind increasing pollution in the river Ganga. Suggest
innovative solutions for cleaning it.
Hints:
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• 2500Km long holy river Ganga passes through five states providing employment to nearly
10% and providing livelihood to nearly 40% of population faces severe pollution threat
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resulting from various geographical, economical and policy reasons.
• Some of the geographical reasons behind the pollution of river are:
a) Over-extraction of water: A river’s ability to cleanse and recharge itself is significantly
impaired by over-extraction of surface and ground water for irrigation, industrial and
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domestic usage. Numerous hydro-power projects are located within the Upper Ganga
Basin, and many more are being built or planned. These have caused large stretches of
the river to run dry, due to which pollution level increases as ability of restoration of
river decreases.
b) Melting of glacier: IPCC reports predict that the glacial stores of the Himalayas are
retreating fast which is decreasing the availability of freshwater. Due to decline in water
availability and flow the pollution gets accumulate.
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c) Population explosion: Ganga basin states are not only populous but have highest
decadal growth rates, high density. This creates extra demand for water, reduced flows
and more discharge of waste into river. Population explosion, resulting poverty and
practise of open defecation are some of the main reasons behind this.
d) Urbanization or rather unplanned urbanization which results into untreated sewage
being discharged into river.
e) Reduced water flows because of increasing demands from development and changing
lifestyle pattern, agriculture, building of hydroelectric power stations etc.
f) Ecologically unsustainable agriculture practices resulting into high use of fertilizers and
its draining into river during rainy season.
g) Location factors of industries: many polluting industries like sugar industry in
Muzzafarnagar region, tanneries in Kanpur and Meerut are causing river pollution. The
location factors of these industries did not include pollution as a factor.
• To solve the problem of Ganga pollution government has started Namami Gange initiative
which ensures participation from all stakeholders. It contains innovative steps like Ganga
Vahini, which is a group of youth volunteers to keep vigil along Ganga, Swacha Ganga –
Gramin Sahbhagita initiative to ensure participation of Panchayats.
• Other innovative steps which can be initiated are: using precision farming to limit use of
fertilizers, constructing small check dams which maintains environmental flows along with
providing irrigation and electricity generation, using treated waste water for watering road
side trees, motivating and incentivising people to not to litter on ghats and retrofitting water
supply to laydown separate pipelines for toilet water use under Smart Cities or AMRUT,
use of biotechnology for bioremediation can be initiated.
Supplementary Note
Namami Gange initiative
Namami Gange is a multi-dimensional, multi-stakeholder and sequential initiative which covers:
I. Nirmal Dhara- ensuring sustainable municipal sewage management
• Capacity building of urban local bodies
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II. managing sewage from Rural Areas
•
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Mo DWS scheme for all Ganga bank Gram Panchayts (1632) free from open defecation by
2022,
III. Nirmal Dhara- managing Industrial discharge
• Making ZLD mandatory
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• Rationalized water tariff to encourage reuse

• Real time water quality monitoring
• Industrial pollution abatement at Kanpur on priority
IV. Aviral Dhara
• Enforcing River Regulatory Zones on Ganga Banks
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• Rational agricultural practices, efficient irrigation methods, afforestation

• Conservation of Aquatic life – special attention on Dolphin, Turtles and Ghariyals etc.
• Restoration and conservation of wetlands
V. Ensuring ecological rejuvenation by conservation of aquatic life and biodiversity
VI. Promotion of Tourism and Shipping in a rational and sustainable manner
• River Front Management for Ghat’s developments in selected cities and towns
VII. Knowledge Management on Ganga through Ganga Knowledge Centre
• GIS data and Spatial Analysis for Ganga basin
• Study of communities depending on Ganga for their traditional livelihood
The plan implementation has been divided into three levels:
I. Entry-level activities (for immediate visible impact),
• River surface cleaning to address the floating solid wastes;
• Rural sanitation to arrest the pollution (solid & liquid) entering through rural sewage drains
etc
II. medium term activities (to be implemented within 5 years of time frame)
• Arresting the municipal and industrial pollution entering into the river.
• Creation of additional 2500 MLD additional treatment capacity is to be created in next 5
years.
III. long-term activities (to be implemented within 10 years).
17. Discuss the concept of Social Forestry. What are the challenges of community forestry in
India.
Hints:
The Social Forestry programmes in India form one of the largest and most innovative experiments
in participatory forestry anywhere; and also one of the largest interventions designed to improve
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the productivity and use of communal land.
Social Forestry had its formal origins in India with the report of the National Commission of
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Agriculture of 1976, which recommended growing trees on lands accessible to village people in
order to reduce the pressures on forests set aside for production forestry brought about by mounting
rural demands for fuel, grazing, and other forest products. It was then that India embarked upon a
social forestry project with the aim of taking the pressure off the forests and making use of all
unused and fallow land. Government forest areas that are close to human settlement and have
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been degraded over the years due to human activities needed to be afforested.
This was to be achieved by encouraging the growing of trees by farmers on their land, and by block
plantings on various categories of public land. Trees were to be planted in and around agricultural
fields. Plantation of trees along railway lines and roadsides, and river and canal banks were carried
out. They were planted in village common land, Government wasteland, and Panchayat land.
With the introduction of this scheme the government formally recognised the local communities’
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rights to forest resources, and is now encouraging rural participation in the management of natural
resources. Through the social forestry scheme, the government has involved community participation,
as part of a drive towards afforestation, and rehabilitating the degraded forest and common lands.
Social forestry scheme can be categorized into groups: farm forestry, community forestry, extension
forestry and agro-forestry.
• Farm forestry: In almost all the countries where social forestry projectss have been taken up,
both commercial and non commercial farm forestry is being promoted in one form or the
other. Individual farmers are being encouraged to plant trees on their own farmland to meet
the domestic needs of the family. It is not always necessary that the farmer grows trees for
fuel wood, but often they are interested in growing trees without any economic motive. They
may want it to provide shade for the agricultural crops; as wind shelters; soil conservation
or to use wasteland.
• Community forestry: Another scheme taken up under the social forestry programme is the
raising of trees on community land and not on private land as in farm forestry. These
programmes aim to provide for the entire community and not for any individual. The
government has the responsibility of providing seedlings, fertilizer but the community has to
take responsibility of protecting the trees.
• Extension forestry: Planting of trees on the sides of roads, canals and railways, along with
planting on wastelands is known as ‘extension’ forestry, increasing the boundaries of forests.
Under this project there has been creation of wood lots in the village common lands,
government wastelands and panchayat lands. Schemes for afforesting degraded government
forests that are close to villages are being carried out all over the country.
• Agro- forestry: Planting of trees on and around agricultural boundaries, and on marginal,
private lands, in combination with agricultural crops is known as agro-forestry.
Role of social forestry in environmental conservation
• protection and Conservation of natural resources through active involvement of the people
• checking land degradation and deforestation
• checking loss of biodiversity
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• ecological restoration and environmental conservation and eco-development
• regeneration of degraded forest and adjoining areas on a watershed basis

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• promotion of fuel saving devices to encourage efficient use of fuel wood
• raising coastal shelterbelts to mitigate the adverse impacts of cyclonic winds
• develop water resources through plantation and water harvesting programmer

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• rehabilitation of special problem lands like saline/alkaline soils, ravines, mining areas, desert
areas, and coastal areas, the Himalayas, the Aravallis, and the Western Ghats
Challenges of community forestry
The primary objective of community forestry was to generate employment, protect the environment
while ensuring basic needs of fodder, fuel and timber. However, the schemes could not fulfill the
objectives due to lack of people’s participation. Hence the community forestry during the next
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decade should focus on enhancing the productivity of natural resources, while empowering the
local communities.
Development of tree based farming systems in association with watershed development is expected
to be a popular community forestry programme in the near future in India. There will be a preference
for tree species producing fruits, timber and non-wood forest products because of sustainable income.
As wood will continue to be the major source of fuel in rural areas, efforts will be made to produce
woodfuel by introducing fast growing tree species in mixed plantations. Development of community
wastelands, rehabilitation of mined areas, protection of natural forests, establishment of industrial
greenbelts in urban area and environmental awareness are the other important components which
will gain significance.
Development of local organisations for input supply and processing of the produce, marketing and
information sharing, based on the research studies require further emphasis for effective management
of the programme.
Research back up is needed to improve the productivity through selection of improved germplasm,
enhancement in growth and yields, value addition through processing and marketing.
18. In India, our eastern coast is the most disaster prone area and by destroying the mangroves
forests we are ourselve increasing the risk further. Examine the facts related to it.
Hints:
• India, due to its, physio-graphic and climatic conditions is one of the most disaster prone
areas of the world. It is vulnerable to windstorms from both the Arabian Sea and Bay of
Bengal. There are active crustal movements in the Himalaya leading to earthquakes.
• Eastern coast is more vulnerable to cyclones than on the west coast.
• The principal threat from a cyclone are in the form of gales and strong winds; torrential rain
and high tidal waves/storm surges.
• Most casualties are caused due to coastal inundation by tidal waves and storm surges.
Cyclones typically strike the East Coast of India, along the Bay of Bengal, ie. the states of
West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
• But due to anthropogenic factors the risk of disaster has increased further such as destruction
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of mangroves.
• Although mangroves make up less than one percent of all tropical forests worldwide, their
OR
contribution to mitigation of climate change is huge. Mangrove forests works as the barrier
to stop such devastating wind protecting the eastern coasts from the various disasters.
• Unfortunately, however, they are facing the fastest ever rate of destruction.
• The indiscriminate conversion of natural shorelines and mangroves forests ecosystems for
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shrimp farming, urban settlements, tourism development and other often unregularated and
unplanned human activities over the past several decades often makes the coastal areas and
its inhabitants much more vulnerable to the immense destructive force of the tsunamis.
• Any further delay in corrective action to protect and conserve mangrove ecosystems would
not only mean huge loss of livelihood of a large number of coastal communities in the
developing world, but also make us more vulnerable to devastations caused by the increasing
number of cyclones.
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19. Droughts in India especially in Vidharbha and Marathwada region are more of man-made
rather than natural. Critically examine the sentence in light of the water crisis faced by the
above mentioned regions of the country. What can be done to avoid such crisis?
Hints:
• A drought is a period of below-average precipitation in a given region; resulting in prolonged
shortages in its water supply, whether atmospheric, surface water or ground water.
• The definition of drought in India is classified into three categories:
a) Meteorological drought: it is deficient rainfall of more than 25%.
b) Hydrological drought: it is prolonged meteorological drought resulting into depletion of
surface water, underground water and creating water scarcity for livestock, human
needs etc.
c) Agriculture drought: when soil moisture is insufficient for crop sowing.
• Bidarbha and Marathwada region are reeling under the severe drought due to water crisis.
There have been both manmade and natural factors for this.
• Since the last two years there have been deficient rainfall in India and Marathwada region
faced rainfall deficit of around 40% resulting into meteorological drought.
• This natural situation was amplified by manmade factors which include poor water
management practices, irrational cropping patterns etc. which resulted into hydrological
drought and agriculture drought.
• Such as:
a) Maharashtra has India's greatest stock of water for irrigation - 35% of the country's
large dams and the second-largest amount of annual water resources that can be
replenished, after Uttar Pradesh. But it has only 18 per cent of its cropped area under
irrigation cover compared to an all-India average of 47 per cent. This shows poor
utilization of resources by governments and people. It has made high investments but
no outcomes in terms of irrigation facilities
b) Further unsustainable agriculture practices like sowing water intensive crop of sugarcane,
Bt Cotton, etc even during the lean water period has aggravated the situation. In
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Maharashtra though sugarcane occupies about 4 per cent of gross cropped area but
takes away almost two-thirds of the state's irrigation.
c)
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Subsidised irrigation and power facilities which does not associate any cost to irrational
use of water.
d) Faulty government policies which failed to provide sufficient price support for less
water intensive and agro-climatically suitable crops.
e) Failure of district administration to plan for such situations which include advisories for
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water use, cropping during deficient monsoon period.

• Therefore it can be said that a natural phenomena of deficient rainfall was exacerbated by
man-made factors into crisis situation.
• Such situations have socio-economic, political costs attached with the. They result into agrarian
crisis, migration of families, farmers' suicide and severe drinking water shortage and food
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security problem and should be tackled earnestly through:

A. Supply side management
I. Adopting watershed management approach creating proper water storing facilities,
rainwater harvesting facilities in houses etc.
II. Drafting a national and state water policy to rationalize water use.
III. Preparing contingency plan according to the monsoon prediction which must include
advisories on which crops to be shown, water rationing etc.
IV. Interlinking of rivers to ensure evenly availability of water.
B. Demand side management:
I. Growing agro-climatically suitable crops.
II. Using latest irrigation technologies like drip irrigation which reduces water use in
agriculture.
III. Using market mechanism like tariff on different kinds of water use to make people
sensitive to supply.
20. What do you mean by Hydromorphological surveys? Analyse their significance in meeting
the challenges of river restoration and water crisis faced by the world.
Hints:
• Hydromorphology is that subfield of hydrology that deals with the structure and evolution
of Earth’s water resources. It deals with the origins and dynamic morphology of those water
resources.
• Hydromorphological river surveys cover the entire water body. It analysis unvegetated bars
and islands, bars and islands with herbaceous and with woody vegetation, woody debris
and deadwood trunks, standing water bodies and sidearms, recording of channel features
in the flood-prone area, recording of aquatic microhabitats, etc.
• The survey of these features help in understanding the morphology and ecology of the river
in a better way as it asses the Catchment-wide delineation and spatial characterization of
the fluvial system and identify possible scenarios of hydromorphological modification.
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• Based on this it helps in identification of possible hydromorphological restoration or
management actions, and strongly interacts with the identification of restoration potential
and strategies needed for river management.
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• For sustainable solutions to river management problems, it is crucial to develop understanding
of the functioning of a river reach in the context of the character and changes in the spatial
units (segment, landscape unit, catchment, biogeographical region) within which the reach
is located.
• Knowledge of past hydromorphological changes which have occurred at different spatial
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scales, their causes, and reconstruction of the river evolutionary trajectory in response to
those changes is a fundamental component of the analysis.
• Hence it can assess the impact of overuse of water resource in industry, agriculture or other
areas on river hydromorphology and can predict the steps needed for its management.
• Thus it can help in meeting the challenges of river restoration and water crisis faced by the
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world.

ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY (WORLD

AND INDIA)
Practice Questions
Q1. Examine the impact of advanced agricultural technologies on the environment. Support
your answer with examples.
Q2. Forest fires pose a threat not only to the forest wealth but also to the entire regime of
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fauna and flora seriously disturbing the bio-diversity. Explain the man-made reasons
for forest fires and ways for controlling it.
OR
Q3. Critically examine the role of infrastructural and institutional factors in the recent
transformation of Indian agriculture.
Q4. The success of Soil Health Card scheme depends on rationalisation of fertilizer subsidies.
Discuss.
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Q5. Describe the factors that have contributed to the increase in cotton cultivation in Punjab
despite the unfavorable soil and climatic conditions.
Q6. Assess the impact of agro-based industries on cropping pattern in India with example.
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Q7. Analyze the prospects of plantation agriculture in India.
Q8. Agriculture production can be increased by reducing prevailing knowledge deficit of

latest agricultural technologies with the farmers. Discuss the statement alongwith the
steps taken by Government of India (GOI) for reducing knowledge deficit.
Q9. Critically examine the need for Rainbow Revolution in India.
Q10. Industrial development is key for regional development thus economy and geography
are interrelated to each other. Illustrate the statement.
Q11. The neo-liberal reforms in Africa provided a hospitable environment for foreign direct
investment, and coincided with the rise of China and India who entered there in 1990s
and early millennium looking for new markets, new allies, and new resource suppliers.
What is India's current status when it comes to securing future resource base in context
of intense fight with China in Africa?
Q12. Analyze the challenges and constraints faced by coal sector in India?
Q13. Spatial distribution of industries in India is an outcome of locational factors. Examine

the sentence with respect to the distribution of steel industries in India. Also discuss
the current challenges faced by the steel industry.
Geography [81]
Q14. Critically examine the idea of sustainable development.
Q15. Despite having the huge potential for hydro power, India is still dependant on non-
renewable power sources, such as coal. Explain the major reasons for this. Do you think
that hydro power should be developed more aggressively to achieve energy security?
Q16. Unscientific exploitation of resources is more hazardous than over-exploitation of

resources. Critically analyse.
Q17. Critically analyze the role of wind power in India's future energy mix.
Q18. The location of India with respect to Indian Ocean makes it a natural leader in Indian
Ocean region. Do you agree? Discuss the common concerns that India shares with other
Indian Ocean countries owing to their specific geography.
Q19. Fear of resource scarcity is not new, however, the globalization has added new dimension
to it. Analyze the statement with respect to the global trends in the production and
consumption of key resources.
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Q20. "If the nations cannot agree on fundamental goals and how to realize them and cooperate
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successfully among themselves, then experiment in global environmental governance
on our planet is likely to fail". Discuss.
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[82] Geography
ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY (WORLD

AND INDIA)
Answer
1. Examine the impact of advanced agricultural technologies on the environment. Support your
answer with examples.
Hints:
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Such advanced agricultural technology includes:
1. Efficient and adequate irrigation facilities.
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2. Chemical fertilizers
3. Agricultural mechanization such as tractors, harvesters etc.
4. High yielding variety of Seeds (HYV)
5. Insecticides and Pesticides.
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These advanced framing techniques have brought revolutionary changes in the cropping pattern
and farm productivity. It has provided food to the rapidly growing population and raw materials
to the agrobased industries.
But the advanced agricultural technology caries some ecological implications also. Widespread use
of modern farming inputs has resulted into many environmental problems. The major ones among
these environmental problems are:
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1. Destruction of forests and pastures for agricultural purposes.

2. Salinization and alkalization of soils.
3. Water logging.
4. Soil Erosion
5. Pollution
6. Lowering of Underground water table
7. Reduction in Biodiversity
8. Loss of soil fertility
9. Health Hazards
These environmental problems are being examined in details which are as follows:
1. Salinization and Alkalisation: High yielding variety of Seeds requires increased availability
of water which necessitates irrigating of the farms several times. Use of increased irrigation
facility especially in the arid and semiarid region results in the capillary action of water and
the soil is salinized and alkalinized. More and More use of irrigation which is often not
required in that quantity has led to salinity and alkalinity of soil.
Introduction of Green Revolution in India (especially in the Northwestern part) has resulted
in similar kind of problem. According to one estimate, 50% of agriculturable land of Punjab
is facing some sort of salinity or alkalinity.
2. Water logging: Water logging is another problem caused by irrational use of marginal lands
for growing water intensive crops such as rice. Waterlogging apart from making the land
unsuitable for farming, also leads to other ecological problems. Water logging and salinization
is a serious problem in Indira Gandhi Canal region of India.
3. Soil Erosion: With the Use of advanced technology, three to four crops are obtained from
within a single agricultural year. ploughing the field so many times coupled with absence
of trees result in soil erosion. Intensive ploughing done with the tractors and power tillers
leaves the soil loose, thus making it vulnerable to soil srosion. According to one estimate,
about 6000 million tones soil is eroded every year in India.
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4. Pollution: HYV seed is water intensive requiring assured supply of adequate water along
with heavy doses of chemical fertilisers. These chemical fertilisers are adding toxicity in the
soil. Moreover the heavy use of insecticides and pesticides are pollouting the soil from where
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these pollutants reach the nearby streams and rivers through runoffs, there by resulting
into water pollution.
5. Lowering of Underground Water Table: Nature of tubewell irrigation suits more to the
advanced agricultural technology since it provides water supply at the desired location, that
too at the free will of individual farmer in whatever quantity he wants .There have been
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reports of lowering of water by four to six feet in the North Western part of India.
2. Forest fires pose a threat not only to the forest wealth but also to the entire regime of fauna
and flora seriously disturbing the bio-diversity. Explain the man-made reasons for forest
fires and ways for controlling it.
Hints:
GS
• The forests of the country are under tremendous pressure. Forest fires are a major cause of
degradation of India's forests.
• Most of the forest fires in India are deliberately set by smallscale farmers or landless rural
people. In the northeastern parts of India, the practice of slashandburn shifting cultivation
is the leading cause of forest destruction.
• The most heavily affected areas are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya,
Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Nationally, an estimated 4.35 million ha are affected by
fire as part of shifting cultivation. This is especially significant in that with the growth of
population and consequent decrease in the land/person ratio, not only are more areas
subjected to shifting cultivation, but also the fallow period for regeneration has been reduced
from the initial 30 years to two years.
• Another of the most important causes of forest fires is related to the need for fodder for
grazing animals. Although some 12.5 million ha of land is officially classified as permanent
pasture or grazing land, most of this area is virtually devoid of grass. Therefore, most of the
grazing requirement is met from forest area by setting fires to produce new flushes of grass
in the dry season.
• In central India, the production of tendu leaves (Diospyros melanoxylon) is another major
cause of forest fire. Tendu leaves are rolled and filled with tobacco to make a cigarette
known as beedi. Their collection and sale is an important secondary source of income.
Collectors of tendu leaves set fires in the summer months to promote a better flush of leaves.
The problem is compounded by the fact that tendu areas are leased for the collection of
leaves on an annual basis; the purchasers are therefore reluctant to make longterm investments
in crop improvement. The most economical and quick alternative is to set tendu areas on
fire; these fires all too often then extend to other forest areas owing to negligence and
carelessness.
• Another nonwood forest product that contributes to forest fire is the mahua flower (Madhuca
indica), collected by local people in northcentral India to produce a popular beverage, or
boiled with sal seeds (Shorea robusta) as a seasonal grain substitute. Mahua pickers burn the
dry leaves under the trees to get a clean patch of floor to facilitate flower collection. While
the intention is only to clear a small patch beneath a single tree, these fires often spread out
of control. Since the collection of mahua flowers is done during the summer months, the hot
dry weather aggravates the situation.
• Steps for controlling forest fires:
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a) Construction and maintenance of fuel breaks in the mountainous terrain
b)
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Use of mechanized equipment (tractors with plough) to construct fire breaks in the
plains to protect eucalyptus plantations.
c) Educational measures to increase awareness of the danger and damage due to forest
fire.
d) A network of fire detection towers need to be positioned positioned and during the fire
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seasons trained personnel should be placed equipped with binoculars and a radio for
rapid reporting of observed smoke or fire.
e) Removal of forest litter.
3. Critically examine the role of infrastructural and institutional factors in the recent
transformation of Indian agriculture.
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Hints:
Apart from physical factors, the infrastructural and institutionalfactors have strongly influenced
the Indian’ agriculture, bringing about a remarkabletransformation: Changes and improvements
in infrastructural and institutional factors have given the Indian agriculture a modem outlook,
enabling it to change from underdeveloped subsistent type to commercial and market oriented
intensive agriculture production system.
Infrastructural Factors: It is because of developments in infrastructural factors that the previous
dependence of one crop farming to double cropping has been replaced by multiple cropping patterns
which led India to become self sufficient in Rice and other agricultural production. These factors
include irrigation, fertilizers, seeds, farm machinery and financialinstitutions, etc
(1) Irrigation: Irrigation assunies much importance in view of scanty rainfall in many parts, of
the country erraticrainfall elsewhere and failure of monsoon some years. Irrigation not only
helps to extend the net sown area in areas of inadequate rainfall but it also promotes multi
cropping by making it possible to raise a second crop in the dry seasons.
Area under irrigation has registered a three fold increase, from a mere 18.8 million hectare in 1950
51 to 57 million hectare now which is 40% of net cropped area.
(2) Fertilizers: The new agricultural strategy also improves the way in which the inputs are
effectively combined and agricultural operations managed so as to get maximum returns.
Specifically, the new agricultural technology encompasses the use of high yielding variety
seeds fertilizers, manures, pesticides, machines etc. Of the various components of agricultural
technology, use of fertilizer is most important in boosting agricultural production and
productivity. Introduction of HYV s and hybrid varieties brought optimism about fertilizer
response superiority of modern varieties.
The increased use of chemical fertilizers is attributed to factors such as
(i) Compensating the adverse effects of a decline in percapita arable land
(ii) Meeting the deficiency of soil arising out of various forces including intensive cultivation of
land in all the different regions in the country and
(iii) Exploiting the prevailing potential for higher use of chemical fertilizers and the need for its
exploitation in Indian agriculture.
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(3) Seeds: Prior to 60’s farmers were using traditional poor quality seeds whichyielded very
low returns. High Yielding Variety (HYV) of seeds, introduced under Green Revolution
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programme, not only help in increasing production by 10 to 20%, but also have some special
qualities such as quick maturing, insect/pest resistance, drought resistance etc.
Regional disparity in use HYV seeds is also reflected in agricultural Production Punjab and
Haryana with developed agriculture have 88% and 75% respectively of their area under
HYV seeds while Assam (15%) and Orissa (12%) lag far behind
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(4) Power: Power is required for irrigation, especially in energizing pump sets agriculture
operations in many farm equipments. Again states like Punjab and Haryana who consume
30% and 40% respectively of their power in the agricultural sector are agriculturally most
developed.
(5) Importance of farm mechanization: The efficiency of mechanization can be judged from the
fact that modern plough is about 200 to 300 % efficient than indigenous plough, efficient
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machinery helps in increasing productivity by about 30% besides, enabling the farmers to
raise a second crop or multi crop making the Indian agriculture attractive and a way of life
by becoming commercial instead of subsistence. There is a need to double the food production
by 2020. This will call for raising more crops in a year thus limiting the turnaround time.
Increased production will require more use of agricultural inputs and protection of crops
from biotic and abiotic stresses. This will call for greater engineering inputs which will
require development and introduction of high capacity, precision, reliable and energy efficient
equipment.
(6) Credit and insurance: Peasants need credit for a variety of purposes like purchase of seeds,
fertilizers, electricity, implements etc. Improved credit facility through cooperatives.,,
commercial banks, regional rural banks and NABARD have transformed the Indian
agriculture by freeing it from the exploitative tendencies of money lenders and traders.
However the reach of this facility is very limited.
Thus these infrastructural and institutional factors have transformed the nature and characteristics
of Indian agriculture to a great extent. Agriculture was in deplorable condition characterized by
old unscientific farming methods and very little use of modern techniques, improved seeds, fertilisers,
pesticides, machineries, etc.
Institutional factors
Development of food-processing industry: Given the high growth and value addition in the sector,
it contributes hugely to agriculture by providing fairly high prices for agricultural products and
also reliving the pressure on central government to purchase the products on MSP. It provides a
mechanism to bring farmers, processors and retailers together and link agricultural production to
the market so as to ensure maximization of value addition, minimize wastages and improve farmers'
income.
Contract-farming: Contract farming has emerged as one of the biggest institutional support for
farmers. Whether this system leads to egalitariandistribution of farm income is a matter of debate,
but it has increased agricultural productivity for sure.
Examples: ‘echaupal’ initiative by ITC in Madhya Pradesh, which has provided highly successful
and has also lead to emergence of brand like, Aashirvad Aata, on the lines of Amul, although it is
by private sector. It has lead to digitalization of ‘Mandi System’ (agricultural markets) in India and
also to overall development through modern infrastructure. Similarly, Pepsico India in respect of
potato, tomato, groundnut, and chili in Punjab, Safflower in Madhya Pradesh, oil palm in Andhra
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Pradesh, seed production contracts for hybrids seed companies etc. which helped the growers in
realization of better returns for their produce.
4.
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The success of Soil Health Card scheme depends on rationalisation of fertilizer subsidies.
Discuss.
Hints:
• Fertilizers are crucial components in agriculture production systems. Their use, over the
years, have nurtured India’s farms and had made India self sufficient.
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• India counted among the biggest consumers of fertilizers, however does so, irrationally and
indiscriminately.
• Certain policy measures such as subsidies, which were introduced to encourage use of
fertilizers have now led to the over use of fertilizers thus affecting the balance of nutrients
in the soil. This has left the soil sick and unproductive.
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• Hence government to maintain the soil health has introduced Soil Health card.
• A Soil Health Card is used to assess the current status of soil health and, when used over
time, to determine changes in soil health that are affected by land management. A Soil
Health Card displays soil health indicators and associated descriptive terms. The card lists
soil health indicators that can be assessed without the aid of technical or laboratory equipment.
• For example, if the soil turns out to be more acidic, application of more lime is recommended,
and if it is alkaline, it can be corrected through gypsum treatment and ensuring no water
logging. Also, the card will help the farmer in determining what can be more easily grown
in the farm. For instance, if the soil contains more nitrogen, wheat or rice is more suitable;
phosphorus is the most important nutrient for pulses; and potassium is vital for tomato,
banana and pineapple.
• But soil health card will get success only when fertilizer misuse has been reduced by the
farmers. Due to fertiliser subsidies use of the fertilizers has become indiscriminate. NPK Ratio
to label fertilizer is based on the relative content of the chemical elements nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The ideal NPK ratio for healthy soil should be 4:2:1. But
one of the study conducted by the Fertiliser Association of India says the nitrogenphosphorus
potash (NPK ) ratio in 201112 was 10:4:1. The haphazard use of fertilisers may reduce the
main objective of Soil health card scheme.
5. Describe the factors that have contributed to the increase in cotton cultivation in Punjab
despite the unfavorable soil and climatic conditions.
Hints:
• Cotton is the crop of tropical and subtropical areas.
• Condition for growth:
a) It requires uniformly high temperature varying between 21°C and 30°C. The growth of
cotton is retarded when the temperature falls below 20°C.
b) It is grown in areas having at least 210 frost free days in a year.
c) The modest requirement of water can be met by an average annual rainfall of 50 100
cm.
d) Moist weather and heavy rainfall at the time of bollopening and picking are detrimental
to cotton as the plant becomes vulnerable to pests and diseases.
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e) High amount of rainfall in beginning and sunny and dry weather at ripening time are
very useful for a good crop.
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• Cotton cultivation has increased in Punjab despite the unfavorable soil and climatic conditions
(the climate is adverse at sowing season with high temperature and the growing period is
limited to six months (May to October) because of following factors:
a) Fertile alluvial soils,
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b) Close network of irrigation facilities, hence the productivity is higher than the other
zones.
c) Heavy dose of fertilizers and pesticides are available
d) Enterprising spirit of the farmers.
e) Being irrigated
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6. Assess the impact of agro-based industries on cropping pattern in India with example.
Hints:
Cropping pattern has been defined as the proportion of area under different crops at a particular
period of time. A change in the cropping pattern means a change in the proportion of area under
different crops. The cropping pattern changes depend upon changes in demand patterns,
development of irrigation, availability of marketing infrastructure and new trade arrangements.
More importantly, area allocation among various crops depends on the relative profitability. Shifting
from one crop to another crop is also a strong tool to minimize the risk and maximize the profit
from farm. On the demand side, the most important factor that determines the cropping pattern is
the consumption in a country. In addition to this, demand is also generated by exports. Changes in
the demand at national as well as at international market influence the cropping pattern of a
nation or a village.
In addition to these, the settlement of agro based industries in a particular region also determines
the cropping pattern. The specificity of agroindustry visàvis other industrial subsectors lies largely
in the biological nature of the raw material. The raw materials used by agroindustry are generally
characterized by the seasonal nature and the variability of their production as well as by their
perishability. These aspects put particular demands both on the organization of agroindustrial
activities and on the agricultural base producing the inputs, thereby adding to the need for a close
integration of raw material production and processing.
For example, the increasing demand of Guar gum in United States, China, Germany, Russia and
Australia (top five importers), people in western Rajasthan with a few bighas to spare decided to
jump on the guar bandwagon, forgoing even cash crops like cotton to grow more guar.
Guar gum, a white freeflowing powder derived from guar splits, is widely used by the global oil
and gas industry for “fracking,” a hydraulic fracturing technique. Due to to its unique binding
properties — the ability to suspend solids, bind water by hydrogen bonding, control the viscosity of
aqueous solutions and form strong tough films — guar gum is mixed with water and sand to
“frack” shale gas out of sedimentary shale rock formations.
Exports of guar gum from India, which stood at 2,18,479.71 metric tonnes in 200910, rose 223 per
cent to reach 7,07,326.43 MTs in 201112.
Whereas, on the other hand the poor demand of products can impact the cropping pattern. For
example Raw jute crop is an important cash crop to the farmers. Cultivation of raw jute crop
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provides not only fibre which has industrial use, but jute stick which is used as fuel and building
material by the farming community. Raw jute is produced mainly in the state of West Bengal,
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Bihar, Assam, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura and Meghalaya. But the production of the Jute
Industry has largely remained stagnant during the last decade growing only at the rate of 0.1%
CAGR during this period. One of the major reasons of this stagnancy is severe competition from
cheaper alternatives which has been gradually eroding the traditional market of the jute products.
Further, due to the non existence of growers groups and absence of facilities in markets, farmers are
deprived of the proper price for their produce. They have to rely on middlemen for the sale of raw
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jute. The loss for the farmer impacts his portfolio decision in the next growing season. Thus the
cropping pattern in jute growing areas are switching to other crops like til, resulting from increase
in MSP and market prices of the other products.
Thus the growth of agro based industries impacts the cropping pattern in the region.
Supplementary Notes
About Agro based industries
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Agrobased industry would mean any activity involved in cultivation, under controlled conditions
of agricultural and horticultural crops, including floriculture and cultivation of vegetables and
postharvest operation on all fruits and vegetables. Surplus rural manpower are absorbed by these
industries. The agrobased industries provide an excellent nexus in promoting integrated development
of agricultural and industry and in transforming a stagnant rural economy into a dynamic economy.
The Agro Industry is broadly categorized in the following types:
(i) Village industries owned and run by rural households with very little capital investment and
a high level of manual labour; products include pickles, papad, etc.
(ii) Small scale industry characterized by medium investment and semiautomation; rice mills,
etc.
(iii) Large scale industry involving large investment and a high level of automation; products
include sugar, jute, cotton mills, etc.
Impacts of agro based industries on rural economy are:
The agroprocessing sector has the vast potential in the development of an economy through its
multiplier effect. The potential becomes manifold when the processing possibilities of the entire
commodity system are taken into account. For example, a farmer cultivates paddy on his farm and
the paddy plants produce paddy, straw, husk, bran, and rice kernel. Thus, with an initial investment
for growing paddy, produce of paddy has a potential of supporting a complex of processing industries
(rice mills, solvent extraction plant for rice bran oil, processing of husk for variety of products and
straw paper/ board mills). Similarly, in animalbased products we get the raw materials like meat,
bones, hides, skins, wools, etc. and thus, the processing of these raw materials opens up large value
addition possibilities. In India, the processing units based on grains, horticultural products, livestock
products, fish have ample opportunities.
Cropping Patterns in India
A broad picture of the major cropping patterns in India can be presented by taking the major crops
into consideration. The country may be divided broadly into five agricultural regions.
I. The rice region extending from the eastern part include a very large part of the northeastern
and the southeastern India, with another strip along the western coast.
II. The wheat region, occupying most of the northern, western and central India.
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III. The milletsorghum region, comprising Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and the Deccan Plateau
in the centre of the Indian Peninsula.
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IV. The temperate Himalayan region of Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and
some adjoining areas. Here potatoes are as important as cereal crops (which are mainly
maize and rice), and the treefruits form a large part of agricultural production.
V. The plantation crops region of Assam and the hills of southern India where good quality tea
is produced. There is an important production of highquality coffee in the hills of the
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western peninsular India. Rubber is mostly grown in Kerala and parts of Karnataka and
Tamil Nadu. There are some large estates, but most of the growers would come under the
category of small holders. Sugarcane, which in many countries is a plantation crop, is almost
entirely grown by small holders in India.
The Cropping Patters in India underwent several changes with the advent of modern agricultural
technology, especially during the period of the Green Revolution in the late sixties and early seventies.
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There is a continuous surge for diversified agriculture in terms of crops, primarily on economic
considerations. The crop pattern changes, however, are the outcome of the interactive effect of
many factors which can be broadly categorized into the following five groups:
I. Resource related factors covering irrigation, rainfall and soil fertility.
II. Technology related factors covering not only seed, fertilizer, and water technologies but also
those related to marketing, storage and processing.
III. Household related factors covering food and fodder selfsufficiency requirement as well as
investment capacity.
IV. Price related factors covering output and input prices as well as trade policies and other
economic policies that affect these prices either directly or indirectly.
V. Institutional and infrastructure related factors covering farm size and tenancy arrangements,
research, extension and marketing systems and government regulatory policies.
These factors are not watertight but interrelated. For instance, the adoption of crop technologies is
influenced not only by resource related factors but also by institutional and infrastructure factors.
Similarly, government policies both supportive and regulatory in nature affect both the input
and output prices. Likewise, special government programmes also affect area allocation and crop
composition. More importantly, both the economic liberalization policies as well as the globalization
process are also exerting strong pressures on the area allocation decision of farmers, essentially
through their impact on the relative prices of inputs and outputs. Although the factors that influence
the area allocation decision of farmers are all important but they obviously differ in terms of the
relative importance both across farm groups and resource regions. While factors such as food and
fodder selfsufficiency, farm size, and investment constraints are important in influencing the area
allocation pattern among smaller farms, larger farmers with an ability to circumvent resources
constraints usually go more by economic considerations based on relative crop prices rather than
by other noneconomic considerations. Similarly, economic factors play a relatively stronger role in
influencing the crop pattern in areas with a better irrigation and infrastructure potential. In such
areas, commercialization and market networks coevolve to make the farmers more dynamic and
highly responsive to economic impulses.
7. Analyze the prospects of plantation agriculture in India.
Hints:
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The term Plantation crops refers to those crops which are cultivated on an extensive scale in a large
contiguous area, owned and managed by an individual or a company. The crops include tea, coffee,
rubber, cocoa, coconut, arecanut, oil palm, palmyrah, cashew, cinchona, etc. These plantation
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crops are high value commercial crops of greater economic importance and play a vital role in our
Indian economy. The main drawback with this sector of crops in India is that major portion of the
area is of small holdings (except Tea) which hinders the adoption of intensive cultivation. In the
case of coffee 97.13 per cent of the growers have holdings below ten hectares and in Rubber, 82 per
cent of the total area is of small hojdings having an average size of 0.5 hectares.
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The Economic Importance of these Crops are:

1. They contribute to national economy by way of export earnings. These crops occupy less
than 2 per cent of the total cultivated area (i.e., 3.82 per cent of total crop land) but they
generate an income of around Rs. 16,000 million or about 12.72 per cent of the total export
earnings of all commodities or 75 per cent of total earnings from the export of agricultural
produces.
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2. India is the leading country in the total production of certain plantation crops in the world.
For instance, our production meets the share of 47 per cent in tea and 66 per cent in each
of cashew and arecanut.
3. Plantation industry provides direct as well as indirect employment to millions of people. For
instance, tea industry offers direct employment to and indirect employment to 10 lakh
people, whilecashew processing factories alone provide employment to 3 lakhs people besides
2 lakhs farmers are employed in cashew cultivation.
4. Plantation industry supports many byproduct industries and also many rural industries. For
example, coconut husk is used to produce coir fiber annually to a tune of 2,19,600 tones in
India.
5. These crops help to conserve the soil and ecosystem. Tea planted in hill slopes and cashew
in barrel and wastelands protect the land from soil erosion during the rainy season or due
to heavy winds.
Area of Plantation Crops in India:
The area and production is more in Kerala (1073000.7 ha and 4359000.9 MT) followed by Karnataka
(679000.2 ha and 1401000.0 MT), Tamil Nadu (503000.0 ha and 3810.6 MT), Andhra Pradesh
(289000.0 ha/and 1021000.2 MT).
But, in India, plantation crops have been continuously facing the problem of lack of investment and
depressed yields, and are in great need of modernisation. Their total coverage is comparatively less
and they are mostly confined to small holdings.
Adequate cold storage facilities are available for just about 10 per cent of India’s horticulture
production. Of the total annual production, 3040 per cent is wasted before consumption. During
the peak production period, the gap between the demand and supply of cold storage capacity is a
mindboggling 25 million tonnes. While China processed about 30 per cent of the food (fruits and
vegetables) in 2009, the Indian food processing industry set a target of raising the level of processing
perishable products from six per cent to 20 per cent by 2015. The $70billion Indian food processing
industry is dominated by small and medium enterprises, which do not have the capacity to undertake
largescale processing of fruits and vegetables.
Thus, the Government of India has identified some prominent crops as highvalue crops of great
economic importance. It is taking all possible steps and initiatives to commercialize the sector. Tea,
coffee, rubber and coconut industries are providing greater business opportunities to the investors
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worldwide.
Other constraints are:

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1. Inadequate availability of disease free, high quality planting material.
2. Slow dissemination and adaptability of improve high yielding cultivars/ hybrids.
3. Lack of post harvest management technology and infrastructure.

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4. Weak database and poor market intelligence.
5. Instability of prices, with no support price mechanism.
6. Inadequate technical manpower / human resource in farming system.
7. Poor credit supply, high rate of interest coupled with inadequate crop insurance scheme.
8. Poor linkage between Research and Development sectors, industries and farming communities.
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9. Late implementation of government policies and schemes.
10. Absence of plantation crop suitability map of India based on agro climatic conditions depicting
most suitable areas for optimum productivity of a particular crop.
The steps needed are:
1. Ensure an endtoend holistic approach, having backward and forward linkages, covering
production, post harvest management, processing and marketing to assure appropriate returns
to growers/producers.
2. Promote R&D technologies for production, postharvest management and processing.
3. Enhance acreage, coverage, and productivity through:
• Diversification from traditional crops to plantations, orchards, vineyards, flower and

vegetable gardens.
• Extension of appropriate technology to the farmers for hightech horticulture cultivation

and precision farming.
4. Set up post harvest facilities such as pack house, ripening chamber, cold storages, Controlled
Atmosphere (CA) storages etc, processing units for value addition and marketing
infrastructure.
5. Adopt a coordinated approach and promotion of partnership, convergence and synergy
among R&D, processing and marketing agencies in public as well as private sectors, at the
National, Regional, State and subState levels.
Supplementary Notes
Plantation agriculture is the product of colonialism. Plantations have been developed in response to
a demand in Europe for foods, spices, fibers, and beverages, which because of climatic constraints,
could be produced only in the tropics or subtropics. Over the centuries the demand for most of
these items has increased with the growth of world population and with the insatiable needs of
modern western society.
Plantation agriculture is an exportoriented specialised farming method where emphasis is given to
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raise a single crop – specially meant for export to the overseas countries. It is a large enterprise with
sound infrastructure, where profit is the sole objective. It involves not only cultivation of crop but
also processing, packaging, transporting and exporting of the product.
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Location:
Plantation agriculture is confined within tropical areas, i.e., both sides of the equator. Plantations
exist on every continent possessing a tropical climate. The plantation system however is considerably
older in tropical America than in Asia and Africa. The tropical areas of Latin America, Asia and
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Africa are the areas where plantation agriculture has been developed.
Some of the important plantation farming are coffee plantation in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia,
Tanzania, Kenya; sugarcane plantation in Cuba, Brazil, Peru, Puerto Rico and Philippines; tea
plantation in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia; cocoa farming in West Indies, Ecuador, Brazil, Nigeria,
Ghana; rubber plantation in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, India
banana plantation in Mexico, Jamaica, Columbia, Brazil, Panama and Costa Rico.
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Characteristics:
Plantation agriculture is different than other forms of agriculture. The characteristic features
of plantation agriculture are as follows:
(i) Plantation agriculture is highly sophisticated and scientific methods are used for largescale
production.
(ii) There is specialization of single crop in plantation agriculture, e.g., coffee in Brazil, tea in
India, rubber in Malaysia, etc.
(iii) Plantation crops are usually raised on large estates, of more than 40 hectares (100 acres)
each, though the success of such crops has often encouraged other farmers to grow them
so that small holdings exist side by side with the large estates.
(iv) Foreign ownership and local labour.
(v) Farming in estates is scientifically managed.
(vi) Heavy capital outlay is required to initiate and to maintain a tropical plantation.
(vii) Plantation agriculture is an exportoriented agriculture.
8. Agriculture production can be increased by reducing prevailing knowledge deficit of latest
agricultural technologies with the farmers. Discuss the statement alongwith the steps
taken by Government of India (GOI) for reducing knowledge deficit.
Hints:
• India has about 45 per cent of its total area under cultivation while the world average is 10.7
percent. The output per hectare, which is a common measure of agricultural productivity,
remains low for many crops when compared to many other countries. There are also large
regional variations within the country. Reasons include low and faulty input uses, poor
access to modern technology and no real technological breakthrough in recent times.
• Despite the presence of national level institutes like IARI involving in strategic research and
state agricultural universities engaging in education & extension services there exist huge
knowledge deficit of latest agricultural technologies with the farmers.
• The illiteracy & backward socioeconomic status of Indian farmer has also been responsible
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for his inclination towards the traditional methods of agriculture.
• So, the solution lies in increasing productivity of agriculture which is largely a function of
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the advancement in technology & knowledge with the farmers.
• In this context, the steps taken by the GOI to reduce the knowledge deficit of farmers are
as follows:
a) The setting up of Krishi Vigyan Kendras to work in a holistic approach with agriculture,
horticulture and other sister departments in the district for effective delivery of the
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technology and inputs in an effective way.

b) Promoting Community Radio station for agriculture and rural development in PPP
model. Community radio, Call centres and Mass media to be harnessed for wider
dissemination of best practices.
c) The government launched SMS based weather information system for farmers to make
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informed choices about cultivation.

d) Launching of DD Kisan as the channel dedicated to agriculture and related sectors to
disseminate realtime inputs to farmers on new farming techniques, water conservation
and organic farming etc.
e) The establishment of village based farm schools supervised by government.

f) Setting up of central and satellite farm production training institutes in each state to
train and certify farm school instructors. Agricultural graduates and lead farmers to be
certified as instructors and offered incentives for establishing private farm schools to
train local farmers. Multimedia training materials to be developed for training farm
school instructors and for farmer training.
g) Farm schools to be linked to Rural Knowledge Centers to provide access to multimedia
training materials, computerized expert systems, and webbased technical and marketing
information.
h) Development of national database on pests and diseases to enable farmers to choose

need based technologies.
• Thus to bring the awareness about technologies following steps should be taken:
a) Government and research institutes should endeavour to embark on enlightenment
campaign on the usefulness of these technologies, that is, the source of information to
farmers should be increased.
b) Pretest of these technologies should be carried out in the areas where they are to be
introduced. This will help the research institutes to relate the relevance of their technologies
to the target area.
c) The research institutes should endeavour to send out agents from time to time to get the
view of the farmers on technologies being promoted.
d) The needs of farmers should be assessed before any technologies are introduced to them
as this would enable the researchers to know better the farmer needs.
e) Livestock, crops and equipment that are traditionally used by farmers should be made
the basis of new technologies, as this would entice the farmers to use what they are
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already familiar with.
9. Critically examine the need for Rainbow Revolution in India.
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Hints:
India attained food security in 1982 with cereals production stabilizing around the annual
requirement of the population. It was a milestone in national history. However, India has to look
beyond excelling in one particular domain and should focus on crops diversification which include
main crops, cereals, milk, fish, fruits and vegetables, and poultry and meat and so on, to achieve
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comprehensive growth.
The rainbow revolution was first announced as part of national agricultural policy 2000 and its
objective is to bring a broader change in both production and consumption pattern of Indians,
while earlier agricultural revolutions aimed at increasing production in the respective sectors. While
there has been an emphasis on controlling the calorific malnutrition and lack of proteins in diet.
The micronutrient deficiencies have assumed public health importance in children, over 50 per
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cent of apparently healthy (at par or above normal weight) children have subclinical deficiencies
of Vitamin A, B2, B6, folate and Vitamin C. Iron deficiency remains a major nutritional problem
among infants and children. Other micronutrients that have found a focus lately include zinc,
copper and Vitamin B12. Thus, diversifying the food consumption basket away from cereal
dominated diet is an important way to deal with the micronutrient deficiency. Thus, a focus on
production of fish, fruits and vegetables, and poultry and meat is very important.
However, the focus of rainbow revolution should not only be at increasing the production, but also
to create an overall infrastructure and environment towards increased consumption and price
stability as it is good for both farmers and consumers. It is not that we do not produce enough of
fruits and vegetables but, much of it, almost 30 per cent of vegetables, fruits, and fish especially,
goes waste as we do not have the required postharvest technology and skill to process, package,
transport, and market them. While farmers in south routinely dump tomatoes on the highways to
protest dip in prices, potato growers in Uttar Pradesh turn their potatoes into manure by not
extracting them when production exceeds the demand. Similarly, on the other side, whenever
there is slight dip in production or even the doubt regarding the same, the prices suddenly double
and quadruple, creating problems for the consumer. This problem is there, because of the very
small shelf life of these products compared to grains and cereals.
The problem is not merely regarding the absence of cold storages. It is also about the insufficient
development of the food processing industry. Thus, unless food processing industry develops
sufficiently, it would be difficult to meet the objectives envisaged by the rainbow revolution. Similarly,
a renewed focus on the transport sector is required as for fast perishable commodities, reducing
transport time; especially loading and unloading time is key, which is infrastructure dependent.
Thus, the farm productivity, though a necessary factor, is not sufficient and requires intervention in
many other areas and a coordinated policy for the successful implementation of Rainbow Revolution.
10. Industrial development is key for regional development thus economy and geography are
interrelated to each other. Illustrate the statement.
Hints:
Although various factors, such as culture, religion, and political structure among others, influence
the rise and decline of a country in terms of economic wealth, there is one historical and unchangeable
fact that has shaped the economy, namely geography.
Location and climate have large effects on income and growth, through their effects on
(a) Transport costs: All the basic industries across the world follow the principle of low transport
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costs. The major iron and steel industries in US, Russia, UK, Germany, China and India are
located in the regions of iron, manganese and coal mines and power sources. Similarly, the
paper industries are found near forest areas with hydropower availability.
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(b) Disease burdens: Major industrial development cannot be found in areas of high disease
burdens as in tropical areas e.g. subSaharan Africa.
(c) Agricultural productivity: Most of the industrial development has taken place in areas of
high agricultural productivity like the western Gangetic plains of India, the Prairies of North
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America and the high yielding wheat regions of temperate grasslands across the world.
(d) Extreme climate: Difficult living conditions like the higher altitudes in the Himalayas and
the uninhabitable regions of Northern Canada and Siberia restrict the overall human activity
in general, and industrial development in particular.
Localized nature of development processes and innovative activities is linked to the emergence of
spatial inequalities in development levels. Such disparities at the geographical level appear to be
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even more relevant in the case of developing and emerging countries, where only a limited set of
locations shows the capability to spur economic growth through industrialization, while the rest
seems to stagnate or decline.
Tropical regions are hindered in development relative to temperate regions, probably because of
higher disease burdens and limitations on agricultural productivity.
Coastal regions, and regions linked to coasts by oceannavigable waterways, are strongly favoured
in development relative to the hinterlands. It is a major cause of Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and
Vishakhapatnam being highly industrialized.
High population density seems to be favorable for economic development in coastal regions with
good access to internal, regional and international trade. On the other hand, high population density
in the hinterland is an industrial disadvantage e.g. Chhattisgarh and eastern MP.
Natural disasters are also one of the determinants of industrial development of a region. That’s why
cyclone affected Orissa, landslides affected Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and flood affected
northern Bihar have remained relatively poorly developed.
Difficult terrain can hamper the industrial growth in an area. This is one of the main causes of
underdevelopment of the north eastern India besides lack of peace.
Furthermore, geography seems to be a factor in the choice of economic policy itself. When we
identify geographical regions that are not conducive to modern industrial growth, we find that
many of these regions have high population density and rapid population rise e.g. eastern UP and
Bihar, thus showing high interdependence of economy and geography of a region.
11. The neo-liberal reforms in Africa provided a hospitable environment for foreign direct
investment, and coincided with the rise of China and India who entered there in 1990s and
early millennium looking for new markets, new allies, and new resource suppliers. What
is India's current status when it comes to securing future resource base in context of intense
fight with China in Africa?
Hints:
The rapid economic growth experienced by China and India has resulted in an increase in
competition for global resources and investment opportunities. Unsurprisingly, the abundance of
natural resources in Africa has made the continent a hotspot for Chinese and Indian economic
activity. This growing SinoIndian involvement has been economically beneficial and has resulted
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in widespread investment and development, with African leaders welcoming the competition.
China’s and India’s histories of involvement in Africa are very different, with China only recently
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developing into a major trading partner for Africa. Since the 1990’s, China and Africa have
established one of the fastest growing economic partnerships in the world. This exponential trade
growth has been caused due to the lack of natural resources in China, which has caused the
government to search abroad for trade opportunities with resource rich continents like Africa.
While India’s economic involvement in Africa has been more moderate, the country has enjoyed a
longer trading history with Africa. This has allowed India to forge deep cultural links throughout
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the continent, and it is currently estimated that there are more than one million Indian diaspora in
the region. The historical affiliation between India and Africa has also been caused by the close
proximity of India to Africa and the shared colonial experiences of both regions. The historical
similarity between India and countries like Uganda, which was also a former British colony, has
encouraged close political and economic cooperation. In addition, the establishment of regional
institutions like the IndiaAfrica Forum Summit in 2008, has also allowed the Indian government to
reinforce its mutual ties with Africa and enhance its strategic objectives in the region.
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China’s and India’s economic strategies have varied considerably, with China placing a stronger
emphasis on resource extraction and infrastructure development. Its strategy has focussed on
maintaining close contact with resourcerich African countries by providing multibillion dollar
loans in exchange for their resources. Whereas India’s economic presence has been characterised
by the predominance of small private enterprises which specialise in areas like education, health
services, information technology and telecommunications.
African imports from China comprised mainly manufactured products (45%) and machinery and
transport equipment (31%). In contrast to this, the bulk of African exports to China are minerals,
petroleum and timber. Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan are significant
exporters of crude petroleum to meet China’s demand for energy. Cameroon and Congo, along
with Mozambique and Tanzania are exporters of wood, while Ghana, Namibia and Zambia supply
nonferrous base metals, which are important raw materials for Chinese booming industrial sector.
In all cases, the exports involve very limited processing within the African countries”.
To an extent same issues are occurring with Indian – African trade, although to a lesser extent:
“Mozambique is important as an exporter of fruit and nuts to India as are Ghana, Nigeria and
Tanzania. Sudan is primarily important as an exporter of cotton. Zambia and Tanzania export
precious stones. Senegal has large exports of phosphoric acid while South Africa’s main export to
India is gold.
Furthermore, through direct investment China and India are directly entering into competition
with their African counterparts, and mostly winning. Textiles and garments offer easy steps on the
ladder for industrialisation, but with Chinese and Indian competitors increasingly flooding the
market, many African companies are being displaced.
Thus, India & China both are competing with each other to grasp the unexplored resource of
Africa.
12. Analyze the challenges and constraints faced by coal sector in India?
Hints:
Coal use currently accounts for more than 50% of total primary commercial energy consumption in
the country and for about 70% of total electricity generation. It is likely to remain a key energy
source for India, for at least the next 3040 years, as India has significant domestic coal resources
(relative to other fossil fuels) and a large existing installed base of coal based electricity capacity,
although recent experiences have thrown into sharp relief the uncertainties and concerns regarding
the adequacy of coal supplies to satisfy the growing hunger for power.
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The Indian coal sector faces two key challenges for the future:
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Meeting the high demand for coal, particularly in the power sector; and, 2) Resolving current and
past environmental and social issues.
Coal production has increased nearly sixfold since the sector was nationalized between 1971 and
1973, with an annual production of 431 MT (raw coal) and 30 MT (lignite) in 200607.
The production has been mostly from the stateowned collieries of Coal India Limited (CIL) and
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Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) – CIL and SCCL account for about 95% of current
coal production.
The demand for coal in the country is expected to continue to increase, especially driven by the
power generation sector. Other energy resources are uneconomical (as in the case of naphtha or
LNG), have insecure supplies (diesel and imported natural gas), or simply too complex and expensive
to build (nuclear and hydroelectricity) to make a dominant contribution to the neartomid term
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growth.
Recent scenariobased projections of coal demand indicate that coal consumption in the power
sector could be in the range of 380500 MT by 2015 end.
Longerterm scenarios have indicated that annual coal consumption by the power sector might
range between 1 to 2 billion tons (BT) by 203132, with the total coal demand varying anywhere
between 1.5 and 2.5 BT.
The increasing demand for coal (particularly for power generation) requires an expansion and
speeding up of coal exploration, production, and processing in the country. Although the Indian
coal sector does have significant exploration and resource assessment capacity, this capacity is
increasingly under strain. The key limiting factors for increasing exploration capacity at present are
the limited domestic technological capacity and low availability of suitable human resources.
Further, there has been very little investment for upgrading drilling machines and associated
technologies, adapting and deploying new exploration technologies, and carrying out more
indigenous exploration R&D.
Expanding production from existing and new mines has been constrained by a lack of investment
in underground mining and inability to resolve appropriately socioenvironmental problems
associated with opencast mining.
Environmental damage from open cast mining is a key constraint for future open cast mining
projects, and so many analysts have called for more investments and planning in underground coal
production in the country. However, increase of underground mining requires significant new
investment in manufacturing and human resources.
Finally, not only is there a high demand for coal, but it is increasingly for consistent, high quality of
coal. The quality of coal in India has been worsening over the decades because of increased opencast
mining combined with disincentives inherent in the grading structure used to characterize quality
of coal.
Therefore, improving coal quality is an important issue, as better and consistent coal quality improves
the performance of coal power plants.
Supplementary Notes
Environmental impact of Coal Mining
CIL and other mining companies often complain about the lengthy procedural delays in obtaining
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various clearances, particularly environment and forest clearances. However, once the clearance is
obtained, the mining practices followed often result in severe air and water pollution in the areas
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near the mines causing distress to local villages and affecting agricultural productivity.
The major environmental problems at the mining stage are given below:
• Destruction of forest & biodiversity
Over 60 per cent of coal resources in India are located in forest areas. Most coal blocks allocated in
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the last few years have been in or adjoining forest areas. Given the anticipated increase in demand
for coal, the problem of loss of forest cover will accentuate as the need to access forest resources will
increase manifold. The demand for forest land for mining will increase from about 22,000 ha in
2005 to about 75,000 ha by 2025. Loss of forest cover not only impacts the biodiversity and natural
ecosystems, but also compounds the problem of climate change, as there are fewer sinks available
for CO2 and consequently reduced carbon sequestration. Also, forest areas in many coal producing
states are sources of nontimber forest products such as mahua, tendu, chironji, bamboo, mushrooms,
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etc. With the loss of forests for coal mining, communities dependent on these forest resources lose
their traditional sources of livelihood.
• Air pollution
At the stage of mining, activities like drilling, blasting, excavation, construction of haul roads,
movement of heavy earth moving machinery (HEMM) etc. results in fugitive emissions of particulate
matter and dust. These emissions cause significant human and social impacts by causing air pollution
and ecological disturbances. According to MoEF most coal mining districts including Dhanbad,
Korba, Angul, Talcher, Jharsuguda, and Singrauli, are critically polluted. The release of greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions contributes to the problem of climate change. An estimated 650 Gg of methane
was released from coal mining. The problem of air pollution and GHG emissions is compounded by
the presence of mine fires, which can be commonly seen in Jharia, Raniganj and other coal mining
regions.
• Land degradation
Degradation of land is perhaps the most serious impact of coal mining operations. Open cast mining
causes a much greater degradation to land than underground mining. With prominent emphasis
on large scale mechanized opencast mining in India, large tracts of land are left degraded as a
result of activities like excavation, stacking of waste dumps, discharge from workshops, construction
of tailingponds, etc. Underground mining operations also lead to problem of subsidence of land
and result in changes in topography and drainage pattern.
In Jharia, for instance, total of 75.77 square km area of land has been affected due to fire (17.32
sq.km.), subsidence (39.47 sq.km), excavation (12.68 sq.km) and dumps (6.30 sq.km). Illegal operations
and the practice of “rathole” mining have also compounded the problem of land subsidence and
devastation, particularly in Raniganj, Jharkhand and Meghalaya.
• Stress on water resources
Coal mining activities adversely affect the environment especially water. It degrades the quality of
water by not only lowering the pH of the surrounding water resources but also by increasing the
level of suspended particulate solid, total dissolved solids and some heavy metals. Further, the
overburden generated also contaminates the surrounding water bodies and increases the heavy
metal concentration especially of Fe, Cu, Mn and Ni which reduces the utility of water for domestic
purposes. The Damodar River which flows through 6 coalfields (North and South Karanpur, East
& West Bokaro, Ramgarh, Jharia, and Raniganj) has been classified as heavily polluted by CPCB.
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Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is also the most persistent pollution problems especially in the mines of
North Eastern Coalfield. OR
13. Spatial distribution of industries in India is an outcome of locational factors. Examine the
sentence with respect to the distribution of steel industries in India. Also discuss the
current challenges faced by the steel industry.
Hints:
• The decision regarding the location of a particular industrial activity is guided by many
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location factors which may be like availability of inputs like raw material, energy; availability
of market; cost of transportation; historical factors; regulatory laws etc. All these determine
the spatial distribution of industries.
Distribution of Steel Industries in India and their location factors:
• If we look at the distribution of steel industry in India it is found that location factors have
been the main determining factors.
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• Because it is a weight loosing industry it is bound to favour raw material as compared to

market.
• Most of the plants are located in the region where raw material like iron ore, coal, energy,
etc are available. For example:
a) Availability of iron ore, coal, energy etc led to establishment of steel plants in Jamshedpur,
Durgpur, Bokaro, Salem, etc.
b) These plants use iron ore from Singhboom (Jharkhan), coal from Raniganjh, Jharia and
power from Damodar Valley.
c) In South India plants use iron ore from Baila Dilla mines (Vishveshraya Plant), Baba
Budan Hills (Salem Plant) and import coal from Chhattisgarh or Jharkhand.
• In recent, industries near to Mumbai has come which process scrap steel. There location is
justified because of most of scrap steel is imported and Mubai port provide import facility.
• It justifies that location factors determine the distribution of Industries in India.
• Current challenges in steel industry:
a) Technologically, the main hurdles before Indian steel industry are the availability and
cost of power and non availability of metallurgical coke.
b) High ash content of indigenous coking coal adversely affecting the productive efficiency
of ironmaking and is generally imported.
c) Steel is a capital intensive industry and the high cost of capital makes Indian steel
globally uncompetitive as compared to Japanese and US companies which have access
to low cost capital.
Low local consumption, Un-remunerative Prices and economic slowdown
a) Compared to the global average per capita consumption of 150 kg, India's per capita
consumption of steel is still a mere 39 kg per head.
b) Stagnating demand, domestic oversupply, and globally falling prices in the last four years
have hit Indian steel makers.
c) Barring the sporadic rise in demand in the recent months, it has suffered from un
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remunerative prices to the extent that companies have been finding it difficult to maintain
capital costs. OR
Low Labour Productivity
a) In India, the advantages of cheap labour gets offset by low labour productivity; e. g, at
comparable capacities labour productivity of SAIL and TISCO is 75 t/man year and 100 t/
man year, for POSCO, Korea and NIPPON, Japan the values are 1345 t/man year and 980
t/man year.
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Opportunities available:
a) The biggest opportunity before Indian steel sector is that there is enormous scope for increasing
consumption of steel in almost all sectors in India.
b) India has rich mineral resources. It has abundance of iron ore, coal and many other raw
materials required for iron and steel making. It has the fourth largest iron ore reserves after
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Russia, Brazil, and Australia. Therefore, many raw materials are available at comparatively
lower costs.
c) It has the third largest pool of technical manpower, next to United States and the erstwhile
USSR, capable of understanding and assimilating new technologies.
d) Considering quality of workforce, Indian steel industry has low unit labour cost, commensurate
with skill. This gets reflected in the lower production cost of steel in India compared to
many advanced countries.
e) Unexplored Rural Market: The Indian rural sector remains fairly unexposed to their multi
faceted use of steel. The usage of steel in cost effective manner is possible in the area of
housing, fencing, structures and other possible applications where steel can substitute
other materials which not only could bring about advantages to users but is also desirable
for conservation of forest resources.
f) Export Market Penetration: It is estimated that world steel consumption will double in next
25 years. Quality improvement of Indian steel combined with its low cost advantages will
definitely help in substantial gain in export market.
g) Increasing costs of Chinese economy also gives opportunity to India to expand its footprint
worldwide.
14. Critically examine the idea of sustainable development.
Hints:
‘Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’
The concept of sustainable development can be interpreted in many different ways, but at its core is
an approach to development that looks to balance different, and often competing, needs against an
awareness of the environmental, social and economic limitations we face as a society.
All too often, development is driven by one particular need, without fully considering the wider or
future impacts. We are already seeing the damage this kind of approach can cause, from largescale
financial crises caused by irresponsible banking, to changes in global climate resulting from our
dependence on fossil fuelbased energy sources. The longer we pursue unsustainable development,
the more frequent and severe its consequences are likely to become, which is why we need to take
action now.
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So is it all just about the environment? Living within our environmental limits is one of the central
principles of sustainable development. One implication of not doing so is climate change.
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But the focus of sustainable development is far broader than just the environment. It’s also about
ensuring a strong, healthy and just society. This means meeting the diverse needs of all people in
existing and future communities, promoting personal wellbeing, social cohesion and inclusion, and
creating equal opportunity.
The Rio Conference gave a boost to both national and local action to implement the idea of Sustainable
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development. National committees for sustainable development were established on a high political
level in many countries. Local Agenda 21 documents and action plans were drawn up in a great
number of municipalities. Many corporations jumped on the bandwagon. And the newly established
United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development started to scrutinize the implementation
of the Rio decisions at its annual meetings.
At the same time a sceptical debate about the concept continued. One of the most striking
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characteristics of the term “sustainable development” is that it can mean all things to all people. In
the environmental community many accused government and business of “cosmetic
environmentalism” under the umbrella of the concept. Some felt that the term “sustainable
development” was used as an alibi rather than as guidance for strong action.
Another critical argument was related to the de facto dominance of environmentally centred actors
in the work. These critical voices demanded more emphasis on the economic and social ‘pillars’ of
the concept. More recently it has been argued that the political acceptability of sustainable
development depends on its capacity to respond to a country’s persistent social problems. It has
also been noted that the economic ‘pillar’ has to be integrated in the concept as a whole and not be
seen as an independent part of it. However, the term does not give any guidance on how to arbitrate
between the unavoidably conflicting objectives of economic rationality/profitability, social justice
and ecological equilibrium.
Climate change is a reminder of the fact that poor people are most likely to be the first victims and
the greatest sufferers of environmental degradation. The poor are more vulnerable than others to
environmental hazards and environmentrelated conflicts and least able to cope with them when
they occur. They also tend to be most dependent on the environment and direct use of natural
resources, and are therefore most severely affected by environmental degradation and lack of access
to natural resources.
The 2005 Millennium Summit in September will be a unique opportunity to reaffirm the global
partnership for achieving the MDGs and the principle that every country must take the primary
responsibility for its own economic and social development. But the summit will also carry out a
comprehensive review of progress fulfilling the Millennium Declaration and meeting all the MDGs.
Questions will be asked: How far have we come in relation to the MDGs? What challenges remain?
How can we make partnerships between actors more effective?
The UN report on the status of MDG implementation answers some of these questions, noting in
particular that unprecedented gains against poverty have been achieved since 1990. The number of
people living in extreme poverty has fallen by 130 million. This progress has taken place against the
backdrop of overall population growth of more than 800 million people in the developing regions.
But 1.2 billion people are still living on less than a dollar a day and half the developing world lacks
access to sanitation. Every week in the developing world 200,000 children under five die of disease
and 10,000 women die giving birth. In addition we need to adjust ourselves to the new geography
of poverty. Some regions score highly on most of the goals, whereas subSaharan Africa is lagging
behind. In a few years’ time, for the first time in history, there will be more people, in absolute
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figures, living in extreme poverty in Africa than in Asia.
15. Despite having the huge potential for hydro power, India is still dependant on non-renewable
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power sources, such as coal. Explain the major reasons for this. Do you think that hydro
power should be developed more aggressively to achieve energy security?
Hints:
• India has huge potential for producing hydroelectricity as it has numerous rivers and rivulets
that pass through rough mountainous terrains. But currently the hydro power being produced
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in the country is only a small percentage of this potential and it accounts for less than 25%
of total installed power capacity in the country. The causes are:
• The country is still in the nascent stage of development as it is only over 60 years of
independence and the economy is still developing.
• Extremely difficult terrain for any kind of infrastructure development in high mountains,
especially in the Himadri
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• Most of the river regimes in India are extremely erratic as they are fed by the seasonal and
whimsical monsoon.
• Many rivers don’t have natural waterfalls and huge capital has to be invested for constructing
dams.
• There are ecological consequences of installing hydro power as they need to be installed in
the forested mountainous regions, which requires cutting of large number of trees and
clearing forests.
• Moreover, the displacement of local population is also a major obstacle in development of
hydroelectricity.
• Energy is the most vital input for any development. As the main sources of energy viz., coal
and petroleum are exhaustible; hydroelectricity provides a good prospect for producing huge
amount of clean energy. So, the future prosperity of India depends a lot on our ability to
produce and use hydroelectricity.
• Hydroelectricity uses the energy of running water, without reducing its quantity, to produce
electricity. Therefore, all hydroelectric developments, of small or large size, whether run of
the river or of accumulated storage, fit the concept of renewable energy.
• Hydroelectric power plants with accumulation reservoirs offer incomparable operational
flexibility, since they can immediately respond to fluctuations in the demand for electricity.
The flexibility and storage capacity of hydroelectric power plants make them more efficient
and economical in supporting the use of intermittent sources of renewable energy, such as
solar energy or wind energy.
• River water is a domestic resource which, contrary to fuel or natural gas, is not subject to
market fluctuations. In addition to this, it is the only large renewable source of electricity and
its costbenefit ratio, efficiency, flexibility and reliability assist in optimizing the use of thermal
power plants.
• Hydroelectric power plant reservoirs collect rainwater, which can then be used for
consumption or for irrigation. In storing water, they protect the water tables against depletion
and reduce our vulnerability to floods and droughts.
• The capacity of hydroelectric systems to reach maximum production from zero in a rapid
and foreseeable manner makes them exceptionally appropriate for addressing alterations in
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the consumption and providing ancillary services to the electricity system, thus maintaining
the balance between the electricity supply and demand.
•
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The hydroelectric life cycle produces very small amounts of greenhouse gases (GHG). In
emitting less GHG than power plants driven by gas, coal or oil, hydroelectricity can help
retard global warming. Although only 33% of the available hydroelectric potential has been
developed worldwide, today hydroelectricity prevents the emission of GHG corresponding
to the burning of 4.4 million barrels of petroleum per day.
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• Hydroelectric power plants don’t release pollutants into the air. They very frequently substitute
the generation from fossil fuels, thus reducing acid rain and smog. In addition to this,
hydroelectric developments don’t generate toxic byproducts.
• Hydropower facilities often do more than produce electricity, also providing vital benefits
such as flood control, navigation, irrigation, water supply and a range of recreational
opportunities.
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Major challenges and responses:

Development of hydroelectric projects has thrown up a number of important challenges, the world
over and particularly in Indian context. Over a period of time, experiences have been acquired and
India is responding to these challenges in the following manner.
(a) Impact on environment: Hydroelectric projects do create environmental issues emanating
from submergence of large areas also involving forest. The Govt. of India has a comprehensive
legislation on environmental issues and based on this legislation, there are well laid down
principles and guidelines. Environment Impact Assessment studies when properly carried
out throw up the tasks to be undertaken by the project development agencies. Over a period
of time, both the processes of (a) studies and preparation of the plans to mitigate
environmental impact and (b) procedure of clearances from the authorities, have been
streamlined. Process of improvement on these areas continues to see as to how best the
adverse environmental impacts are mitigated and also the procedure does not lead to delays.
It needs to be ensured that if the forest area is affected, sufficient amount of forest is created.
Ministry of Environment & Forest is working on a plan to create Forest Bank which would
entail creation of huge afforestation with funding from project development agencies in
advance so that this issue could be adequately responded. The mechanism of compensatory
afforestation through the Forest Bank will enable quicker clearances of projects.
(b) Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R&R) of Project Affected People (PAP) is another major issue
affecting the smooth execution of Hydroelectric projects particularly where in submergence
areas, the number of project affected people are large. Experience of last several years has
brought about sufficient amount of understanding on the subject. The expectations of people,
local authorities and project development agencies are being synthesised so that there is
greater degree of acceptability of the system of R&R. Govt. of India is contemplating a
national policy on R&R for Project Affected People. In the meantime, Ministry of Power of
Govt. of India and its public sector undertakings are coordinating their efforts with the State
Govts. so that R&R issues are adequately addressed and project implementation is smooth.
In cases, where large projects are involved, specific monitoring mechanism has been put in
place at senior most level in the Govt. so that proper implementation of R&R plans by project
agencies is done in letter and spirit.
With the above experiences now, it appears that in future, the concerned project development
agencies would evolve proper plans and programmes well in advance so that the mitigatory
measures are adequate and project implementation is smooth.
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(c) Another issue of concern is in relation to safety of dams. Here again, experiences from some
of the very large projects of the country have led to considerable amount of knowledge base
and it is expected that in future projects, studies and findings on dam safety could provide
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much higher degree of confidence. Some of the Indian institutions have equipped themselves
both with hardware and software to properly address these concerns. Where required,
project development agencies do depend on expertise available anywhere in the world for
in depth studies and guidance.
(d) In view of complexity in development of Hydroelectric projects, particularly large ones,
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emanating from dam height, submergence, ramification of submergence, dam safety, drinking
water schemes, irrigation, infrastructure etc., the process of clearances obviously gets linked
with multiple agencies and authorities. Short cuts could create problems. Inordinate delays
could entail huge cost and therefore unaffordable tariff. Harmonious balance has, therefore,
to be struck. Here again, experience of last many decades has brought about a reasonable
consensus on how to address this situation. The process of improvement on this front also
continues. Procedures have been streamlined, and they would continue to be streamlined,
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to see that project development process, prior to commencement of main plant construction,
by way of permission and clearances is made faster. Ministry of Environment and Forest,
Ministry of Power and other authorities continue to search for better solutions.
(e) Reliability of detailed project report needs to be enhanced. There are a number of examples
in Indian Hydro project development context of large variations from estimated costs primarily
on account of differences between the outcomes of investigations and ground realities. Both
in respect of hydrology and geology, the quality of studies, investigations, analysis and
findings need substantial improvement. The silver line is that there are recent examples of
project development where variations are within limits. Experience gained here again must
lead to qualitatively better DPR’s and estimates and project could be completed without cost
over runs, at least with avoidance of such cost increases which are on account of variation
in estimates germane to inadequacies in investigations.
(f) Construction time is another area of concern, which needs to be compressed. Large projects
have taken inordinately long time. There are two major aspects which could make a difference
– one is relating to construction management techniques starting from planning to monitoring
and another relates to construction technology. Here again, there are recent examples of
making substantial improvement on both the fronts. Some of the projects which have been
sanctioned in the recent months are being targetted to be completed within 45 years.
Based on the benchmarks which have been established, the techniques and technologies
would be further improved. Choice of technology will have to be given serious consideration.
For the next few years, project development agencies are being advised to target 4 years for
completion of small projects, 4 ½ years for medium size projects and 5 years for large
projects. These schedules are significant improvement over the past performance. After
these results are achieved, the norms would be further improved.
(g) Communication with press, media and people at large to reduce the communication gaps
on merits of hydroprojects and on mitigatory measures is another area of challenge which
is being addressed. This also needs to be taken up appropriately at global level.
16. Unscientific exploitation of resources is more hazardous than over-exploitation of resources.
Critically analyse.
Hints:
• Natural resources may be divided into regenerative resources such as land (arable and
grazing land), air, ground water, forests, plants and animals, etc. on the one hand, and non
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renewable resources such as oil, coal, natural gas, metals, minerals, etc. on the other hand.
The exploitation of both regenerative resources and nonrenewable resources is increasing,
as more countries embark on industrialization and consume more resources.
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• It is necessary to fully rely on scientific and technological progress to raise the efficiency of
resources utilization through study on and development and use of advanced high and new
technology, special efforts have to be made in these aspects toward the direction of building
a resourcessaving society.
• In regard to improving the efficiency of the utilization of coal, future emphasis should be on
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developing the gasification and liquefaction of coal and other clean coal technologies. Because
coal accounts for over 70 percent of India's energy sources, if the extensive use of clean coal
can be realized, it will improve efficiency by more than 30 percent.
• At present, the successfully developed technology of liquefaction of coal has been widely
used in chemical and metallurgical industries, power generation and in urban gas supply,
this has greatly raised the utilization efficiency of coal.
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• In regard to the use of water, special attention should be paid to raising the utilization
efficiency of agriculturaluse water that accounts for 70 percent of the use volume of water
resources. Besides energetically improving the efficiency of irrigation water, it is necessary to
raise the utilization efficiency of agriculturaluse water through such techniques or means
as drip irrigation, spray irrigation and running watersaving wagons. The application of
such technology has gained desirable results, if the utilization efficiency of agriculturaluse
water is raised by 10 percent, it would mean an increase in the volume of effective use of
water equivalent to irrigating million hectare of land.
• In short, in building a resourcessaving society, scientific and technological work not only
plays its role in a certain link, but rather in the whole chain of the utilization of resources,
efforts should be made to strive for the achievement of technical breakthroughs so as to
provide support and guarantee for the building a resourcessaving society for sustainable
energy management.
17. Critically analyze the role of wind power in India's future energy mix.
Hints:
• India has pledged under Paris climate deal that by 2030 40% of India's Energy demand
would be satisfied by Renewable energy.
• To meet the target mentioned above Wind energy will have a major role to play. Currently
the total wind energy potential in India has been estimated at over 50,000 MW.
• India's wind energy sector has seen significant investments spurred by the development
potential, availability of wind farm equipment at competitive prices and conducive government
policies.
• With installed capacity of over 21,000 Mw, India is fifthlargest wind power producer in the
world after China, US, Germany and Spain. According to Centre for Wind Energy Technology
India has potential to install over one lakh mw of wind turbines.
• Being a tropical Country India has a considerable onshore and offshore wind potential,
particularly in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradeshwhich is yet to be exploited.
Challenges Wind energy faces
• Even though Wind energy has the potential to Help India Achieve 40% Renewable energy
target, However Wind energy itself is facing Number of challenges which needs to be rectified
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if it has to play a significant role in India's future energy mix. These challenges Include:
a) In wind power, growth has decelerated in the past three years. Seen as a tax haven, the
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investment in wind dropped once the government pulled the plug on the accelerated
depreciation tax benefit for the sector in 2011.
b) There are issues of Land acquisition in India also as solar power farms and wind farms
require large amount of land and acquisition of these lands have become difficult after the
passage of new Land Acquisition Act.
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c) Wind potential is unevenly distributed across the country; only Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat have significant potential.
d) Like other power gear makers, Indian wind turbine makers too are facing competition from
Chinese counterparts that also offer cheaper finance to the investors in wind energy.
e) Power produced by Wind energy is costly and therefore overleveraged DISCOMS are unable
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to buy it.
f) Wind power has significant seasonal and even intraday variations. It may lead to a situation,
where either the wind generation cannot be utilized, or when the wind suddenly dies down,
Thus the loss of electricity generation will impact grid stability and operation.
Way Forward
a) Developing offgrid powered microgrids have the potential to change the way communities
generate and use energy, and can reduce costs, increase reliability and improve environmental
performance.
b) Aggressively invest in a smart, twoway grid (and microgrid). Invest in smart meters, as
well as reliable networks that can accommodate the twoway flow of electricity. Such
networks need to be resilient enough to avoid blackouts and accommodate the advanced
power generation technologies of the future.
c) If we want to utilize wind potential, we need careful regional level planning and coordination.
Hence We need to set up a National Wind Energy Mission, similar to the National Solar
Mission for effective formulation and implementation of policies both at the National and
State levels.
d) We need to complete the Wind capacity addition by other energy sources, which have a
quick rampup time. For example pumped storage hydro, opencycle gas turbines, compressed
air and high power density batteries.
e) Develop favorable government policies to ease the permitting process, and to provide start
up capital to promote the exponential growth of Wind energy. Create and fund a national
smart infrastructure bank for wind energy.
• Hence there is a need to tap wind as source of energy to meet energy requirements of the
country and protect the environment from greenhouse gases.
18. The location of India with respect to Indian Ocean makes it a natural leader in Indian
Ocean region. Do you agree? Discuss the common concerns that India shares with other
Indian Ocean countries owing to their specific geography.
Hints:
• The Indian Ocean is the world's third largest ocean. It carries half of the world's container
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ships, one third of the world's bulk cargo traffic and two thirds of the world's oil shipments.
It is a lifeline of international trade and transport. The region is woven together by trade
routes and commands control of major sealanes.
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• India is a natural leader of the Indian Ocean region in view of its strategic location and
operational capability. India is located at the Centre of Indian Ocean, its size, Population
and professional capability of navy bestows upon India a natural ability to play a leading
role in ensuring peace and stability in the Indian Ocean region.
• As maritime trade has become increasingly important for interconnected economies, India
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retained an important position by placing itself at the significant shipping lanes, securing the
Ocean that connects the Straits of Hormuz to the Straits of Malacca will be essential for
global stability.
Common concerns that India shares with other Indian Ocean countries
• Environmental threats are abound in the region. Forty per cent of the 4 billion people in Asia
live within 100km of the coast. Rising ocean level and changing weather patterns due to
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global warming will increase the stress in coastal regions. The island nations face greater
threats as the seas close in on them. It will result in demographic changes from migration
that will create severe stress and perceivable imbalances in the mainland.
• The natural resources that fuel the Indian ocean regions economic activity are under pressure
from issues such as overfishing, overdevelopment, pollution and environmental degradation.
• In recent years coral bleaching at an unprecedented scale has caused widespread coral
mortality across most of the Indian Ocean region, altering the goods and services provided
by these reefs.
• The Indian Ocean countries also face many traditional and nontraditional security challenges
including piracy, illegal fishing, human trafficking, drug smuggling, trafficking of weapons.
• Countries of the region also face threats posed by natural disasters (such as tsunamis) and
manmade disasters (such as oil spills and marine pollution.
• Fisheries and related industries are critical in ensuring food security. The impacts of overfishing
and climate change have accelerated the reduction of major fish stocks in the region.
• Most of the World's Sea lanes of communication passes through this region, Which leads to
interference and intervention by many extraTerritorial Major powers of the World in the
activities of the countries situated in the region and which in some way undermines the
Sovereignty and integrity of the Indian ocean Rim countries.
19. Fear of resource scarcity is not new, however, the globalization has added new dimension
to it. Analyze the statement with respect to the global trends in the production and
consumption of key resources.
Hints:
Fear of resource scarcity is not new. On many occasions, higher rates of investment and improved
technology have resolved the problem of the day, though often with additional environmental and
social costs. With the maturation of technologies to access nonconventional gas and oil, as well as
the global economic downturn, some analysts suggest that the resource boom of the past decade is
coming to an end – especially in the extractive industries – and that resource related tensions will
take another turn. The world is undergoing a period of intensified resource stress, driven in part by
the scale and speed of demand growth from emerging economies and decade of tight commodity
markets.
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Changing global resource landscape
• The emerging economies lie at the epicenter of the new and evolving political economy of
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critical resources. The growth of China and India – as both consumers and producers – has
affected multiple resource markets. In the past decade, global use of coal, palm oil, and iron
ore has been growing at 5–10% a year, while that of oil, copper, wheat, and rice has been
growing at 2% a year.
• Resource trade has grown nearly 50% from a decade ago in weight terms owing to expanding
trade in oil, iron and steel, coal, oilseeds, and cereals – all feed stocks for China, the factory
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of the world. Beyond the traditional powers and emerging economies, a number of developing
countries will become important resource consumers in the next decade. They are likely to
include Iran, Vietnam, Turkey and Thailand.
• Largescale resource extraction remains concentrated in a handful of countries. Across 19
resources (crops, timber, fish and meat, metals, fossil fuels and fertilizers) the three largest
producers on average account for 56% of global production. The eight dominant players are
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China, the United States, Australia, the European Union, Brazil, Russia, India, and Indonesia.
Others with significant production capacities for one or two major resources include Argentina
(soybeans), Saudi Arabia (oil), Iran (oil and gas), Canada (potash and nickel), and Chile
(copper). For resources with smaller production volumes, such as palm oil or many specialty
metals, concentration among producer countries is even higher.
• A new wave of increasingly important producers has emerged in the wake of the resource
boom, often fuelled by largescale foreign investment. Peru has become an important producer
of copper and zinc, as has Angola for oil. Mongolia (for copper and coal) and Mozambique
(for coal and gas) are poised to follow suit. Paraguay has become the fourth largest soybean
exporter. Their fastexpanding resource sectors are becoming a flashpoint for social and
political tensions.
• African countries are conspicuous by their absence from lists of major resource producers.
Despite the hype surrounding the socalled ‘new scramble for Africa’, many agricultural or
resourceseeking investments remain speculative or have yet to commence production.
• The dynamics of resource production and consumption are interlinked through markets,
trade and the global environment. Constraints on the future production of any particular
resource lie not only in their availability and price, but also in the accessibility and cost of
the other resources used to produce them.
Thus, future availability of food, energy, timber, and metal resources at affordable costs will be
determined by a combination of factors – including accessible reserves, transportation routes,
environmental considerations, technology and input costs (such as water and energy). Reserve
figures are often imperfect guides. Also significant will be investment conditions, shaped by the
sociopolitical context in producer and consumer countries.
20. "If the nations cannot agree on fundamental goals and how to realize them and cooperate
successfully among themselves, then experiment in global environmental governance on our
planet is likely to fail". Discuss.
Hints:
1.2 billion people are still living on less than a dollar a day and half the developing world lacks
access to sanitation. Every week in the developing world 200,000 children under five die of disease
and 10,000 women die giving birth. In addition, we need to adjust ourselves to the new geography
of poverty. Some regions score highly on most of the goals, whereas subSaharan Africa is lagging
behind. In a few years’ time, for the first time in history, there will be more people, in absolute
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figures, living in extreme poverty in Africa than in Asia.
The UN report on the status of MDG implementation answers some of these questions, noting in
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particular that unprecedented gains against poverty have been achieved since 1990. The number of
people living in extreme poverty has fallen by 130 million. This progress has taken place against the
backdrop of overall population growth of more than 800 million people in the developing regions.
2005 Millennium Summit was a unique opportunity to reaffirm the global partnership for achieving
the MDGs and the principle that every country must take the primary responsibility for its own
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economic and social development. summit also carried out a comprehensive review of progress
fulfilling the Millennium Declaration and meeting all the MDGs. Questions remains to be asked:
How far have we come in relation to the MDGs? What challenges remain? How can we make
partnerships between actors more effective?
Similar situation is in environmental governance. Numerous multilateral environmental agreements
have been concluded; many meetings are held each year to advance implementation; and significant
amounts of human resources are spent to produce national reports on the efforts undertaken. Yet,
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as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change have shown us, ecosystem decline and global warming continue, representing real dangers
to our planet.
Climate change is a reminder of the fact that poor people are most likely to be the first victims and
the greatest sufferers of environmental degradation. The poor are more vulnerable than others to
environmental hazards and environmentrelated conflicts and least able to cope with them when
they occur. They also tend to be most dependent on the environment and direct use of natural
resources, and are therefore most severely affected by environmental degradation and lack of access
to natural resources.
Thus the very idea of global environmental governance moves around the concept of sustainable
development. The concept of sustainable development can be interpreted in many different ways,
but at its core is an approach to development that looks to balance different, and often competing,
needs against an awareness of the environmental, social and economic limitations we face as a
society.
All too often, development is driven by one particular need, without fully considering the wider or
future impacts. We are already seeing the damage this kind of approach can cause, as changes in
global climate resulting from our dependence on fossil fuelbased energy sources. The longer we
pursue unsustainable development, the more frequent and severe its consequences are likely to
become, which is why we need to take action now.
The environmental governance has also failed due to clashes between developed and developing
nations. Kyoto protocol in which principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” has been
initiated. According to this principle developed and industrialised countries which led the industrial
revolution are responsible for most of the greenhouse gases now in the atmosphere and therefore
should bear a greater responsibility for combating climate change. As a consequence of this principle
in Kyoto protocol some large developing nations such as China and India were exempted from the
same emissionsreductions obligations as developed countries. Developing countries want rich
countries to take bold action to cut their greenhouse emission but developed countries like USA
seems to be reluctant as it would affect their economy. Furthermore, the developed nations want
the same level of commitment and action from high emitting developing nations like China and
India but the developing nations led by China and India still oppose taking on mandatory obligations
to reduce their emissions. This debate of ‘who is responsible and who should take action’ distracting
the world leader from the real problem.
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Similarly, the political leaders and authorities are facing a two way pressure in this issue. On one
hand, warnings from the scientific community are becoming more prominent about dangers from
the ongoing accumulation of anthropogenic greenhouse gases produced mainly by the burning of
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fossil fuels and on the other hand they are bound to maintain their economic growth rate in this era
of economic globalization and competition. This background debate about the technological,
economic and political issues about climate change has a significant impact on resolving this problem
and seems quite complicated.
Thus living within the environmental limits is one of the central principles of sustainable development
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which we need to address. One implication of not doing so is climate change.

The Rio Conference gave a boost to both national and local action to implement the idea of Sustainable
development. National committees for sustainable development were established on a high political
level in many countries. Local Agenda 21 documents and action plans were drawn up in a great
number of municipalities. Many corporations jumped on the bandwagon. And the newly established
United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development started to scrutinize the implementation
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of the Rio decisions at its annual meetings.

At the same time a sceptical debate about the concept continued. One of the most striking
characteristics of the term “sustainable development” is that it can mean all things to all people. In
the environmental community many accused government and business of “cosmetic
environmentalism” under the umbrella of the concept. Some felt that the term “sustainable
development” was used as an alibi rather than as guidance for strong action.
But the focus of sustainable development is far broader than just the environment. It’s also about
ensuring a strong, healthy and just society. This means meeting the diverse needs of all people in
existing and future communities, promoting personal wellbeing, social cohesion and inclusion, and
creating equal opportunity which is must for proper implementation of environmental governance.

H UM AN GEOGR APH Y (W OR LD AND INDIA)

Practice Questions
Q1. Development of satellite town is the important remedy for tackling the issue of haphazard
urban development. How far do you agree with this statement; illustrate.
Q2. What is regional planning. Illustrate the relationship between geography & regional
planning?
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Q3. Open defecation in India has a direct correlation with the geography of the region.
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Analyze the reasons for it.
Q4. The geography of Central India tribal belt is one of the major factors behind rise of left
wing extremism. Examine.
Q5. How poverty leads to the desertification of any landmass? Illustrate with example.
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What are the responses of the International community to mitigate desertification?
Q6. Discuss the problems related to civic amenities in Indian urban areas. Will the concept
of Smart Cities be able to handle the crisis?
Q7. Discuss a two way linkage between Migration and Climate Change with example.
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Q8. The human presence in Siachin Glacier is having vast environmental impact. Describe
how the 'Green Siachin - Clean Siachin' campaign and use of biodigestores in the region
may help in improving the situation?
Q9. Explain the variety and value of tourist resources of India.
Q10. Do you agree that a coordinated system of transport plays an important role in the
sustained economic growth of a country? Substantiate with examples.
[112] Geography
H UM AN GEOGR APH Y (W OR LD AND INDIA)

Answer
1. Development of satellite town is the important remedy for tackling the issue of haphazard
urban development. How far do you agree with this statement; illustrate.
Hints:
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A town designed to house the overspill population of a major city, but located well beyond the
limits of that city, and operating as a discrete, self-contained entity is called “satellite town”. These
towns develop when a town or a city reach a certain limit of congestion and exhaustion. These
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have their own identity but are under the influence and power of the major city.
Satellite cities offer the atmosphere of the smaller city — downtown, work, school and entertainment
and culture places are all in close proximity.
Some satellite cities have significant universities and may even be the university town of 50-100
years ago, now all grown up with a diversified industrial and employment base.
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The purpose of these satellite towns are to accommodate the impending economic and population
growth expected in the major cities of the region.
Satellite towns tend to decongest the overcrowding of the main city by providing habitation to the
over spilled population of the main city. In general, there is daily commutation of a major portion of
the population of satellite towns to the main cities mainly for work.
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However, many satellite towns are characterized by the presence of industrial and other
establishments which provide an employment base in the town itself and a reverse commuting
tendency can be observed as in Faridabad, a satellite town of Delhi.
Many satellite towns become manufacturing hubs while the related main city concentrates on the
services.
Development of satellite towns also leads to easing of traffic burdens of the main city, and in turn
decreases the vehicular pollution levels in the main city.
By setting up industries in the satellite towns, the problems of slum development inside the main
city can be minimized to some extent.
Development of satellite towns has the advantage of being properly planned as there is more space
and lesser population.
2. What is regional planning. Illustrate the relationship between geography & regional planning?
Hints:
Regional planning is planning for a geographic area that transcends the boundaries of individual
governmental units but largely shares common social, economic, political, cultural, and natural
resources, and transportation characteristics. A regional planning agency prepares plans that serve
as a framework for planning by local governments and special districts.
The process of regional planning involves four fundamental steps:
1. Demarcation of a region
2. Determination of necessities, essentials and priorities of the region
3. Collection and interpretation of information related to the region
4. Presentation of basic information through maps and presenting the probable demands through
maps.
In this ways there exists a strong and complementary relationship between geography and regional
planning as far as the presses of regional planning is concerned. This relationship can be further
highlighted through the studies of approaches of regional planning.
1. River Basin Approach: Just after the independence of the country, many river valley
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development projects were started such as DVC, Bhakhra –Nangal, Hirakud etc.
2. Multi-level Planning: In a vast country like India federal structure is suitable due to difference
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in physical and cultural geography and for this federal structure multilevel planning becomes
important. For the successful implementation of multilevel planning in countries like India,
both planning and implementation should be done on the basis of geographical knowledge.
3. Special Area Approach: This approach is also based on geographical condition and is very
important for diverse country like India. In India these plans are-Command Area Development
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Plan, Hill Area Development Program, Tribal Sub Area, Drought Prone Area Development
Program, Desert Development Programe etc.
3. Open defecation in India has a direct correlation with the geography of the region. Analyze
the reasons for it.
Hints:
• Open defecation refers to the practice whereby people go out in fields, bushes, forests, open
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bodies of water, or other open spaces rather than using the toilet to defecate.
• Around 595 million people, which is nearly half the population of India, defecate in the
open. India accounts for 90 per cent of the people in South Asia and 59 per cent of the 1.1
billion people in the world who practise open defecation (UNICEF report).
• Though several socio economic, infrastructural and attitudinal factors lies at the root of this
problem, a distinct correlation with the geography of the region can be marked.
a) Indo-Gangetic plain: High population pressure, poverty, illiteracy and infrastructural
inadequacy has led to this area facing the highest incidence of open defecation.(Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal etc)
b) More in village than in Urban areas: Availability of open fields, wilderness and running
water sources , makes it easy for village people to defecate in open(attitude plays a
major role).
c) Dry regions: 60% of India’s land area is classified as semi arid and arid, where people
face severe crunch of drinking water and other domestic use. Sanitation assumes a less
priority here. A study conducted by SULABH points out that despite having toilet at
home people in jaisalmer prefer to defecate in open due to water crunch.
d) Hilly and forested area: Difficult terrain and isolated location of central India forest
belt (MP, Chhattishgarh), makes construction of toilet and disposal of human waste,
difficult.
e) City Slum: Lack of basic sanitation and water facility forces slum dwellers to defecate
in open. e.g Dharavi, Mumbai.
• However Geographical pattern of open defecation in India must be juxtaposed with other
fundamental factors (attitude, cultural norms, technology, etc) to chart out a holistic strategy
to handle the issue of open defecation in India.
• The change in Mindset is most important. Many of them already have a toilet but prefer to
defecate in the open. The biggest challenge therefore is triggering behaviour change in vast
section of rural population regarding need to use toilets. Further there is need for availability
of water for use of toilets.
• Thus community-led public-private partnerships needed to improve access to toilets and
awareness campaigns in schools and slums in both urban and rural sectors for maintenance
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of sanitation.
4. The geography of Central India tribal belt is one of the major factors behind rise of left wing
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extremism. Examine.
Hints:
• The Naxalite movement is also the biggest threat to India, in terms of the effects on its
citizens and what it means for democracy and rule of law. Not only has there been a great
loss of life since the conflict between the guerrillas and the military, but addressing the
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problem through violence risks polarising people further and driving them to subservience.
• The reason for rise of Left wing extremism in India are manifold. These include Socio-
economic causes, Governance Failure etc however Geography of central India tribal belt also
plays a major role in spread of Naxalism in this region.
• The geographical reasons are:
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a) The tribal belt of central India is very rich in Minerals. Most of Bauxite, iron-ore, coal
and mica are found in this region. Post Independence Industrialization required Minerals
as raw materials and since these areas were rich in Minerals they attracted Government
PSUs and private Players. The exploration of these Minerals led to acquisition of lands
of tribal's however they were not either adequately compensated for it or not compensated
at all. This has led to the conflict between economic progress and aboriginal land rights
that fuel the Naxalite's activities.
b) Most of the tribal belt of central India is covered with Forests Naxalism thrives in these
areas. It helps them fight against the police and the army by waging Guerrilla warfare.
Also due to difficult and hostile terrain it is difficult for Security forces to fight.
c) The slow implementation of land reforms is also one of the reason for the growth of
Naxalism. Landlords frequently moved the court to delay implementation of these reforms.
This has impacted the agricultural development and led to spread of poverty and
unemployment.
d) Governance failure is also one reason for the rise of Naxalism and Geography paid
major role in the Governance failure since difficult and hostile terrain made it difficult
for the schemes and the policies of the Government to reach the people in this area due
to lack of physical connectivity as roads are difficult to build in this terrain.. It also made
it difficult for the people to complain to the higher authorities about the oppression and
exploitation of the local bureaucracy and since local bureaucracy was shielded from any
complaints they continued with their oppressive ways. The impact of the all this was
backwardness of this region, which increased tribal alienation and forced them to join
naxal movement.
• Hence Geography has played a major role in the rise of naxalism in tribal areas of central
India alongwith socio-economic causes.
5. How poverty leads to the desertification of any landmass? Illustrate with example. What
are the responses of the International community to mitigate desertification?
Hints:
• The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification defines the term desertification as
‘land degradation in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas resulting from various factors
including climatic variations and human activities’. Desertification, along with climate change
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and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development
during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
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• Poverty has an inextricable link with the desertification in following way:
a) Poor people are largely engaged in primary activities like agriculture, animal rearing,
fishing & forestry, etc. This leads to over-cultivation, overgrazing, deforestation and
overexploitation of marine biotic resources turning the once fertile soil into unproductive
and barren patches of land leading to desertification.
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b) The dependence of poor on nature for food, fodder & fuel is very high. The predictable
effect of these practices is declining food production and an increase in the level of
poverty. Poverty then drives populations to over-exploit the remaining natural resources
triggering a vicious cycle, accelerating land degradation still further.
• A classic case of poverty driving the process of desertification can be seen in India. In 2009,
the ISRO in a first-of-its-kind ‘Desertification Status Map’ study estimated that one fourth
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of India’s geographical area, or 81 million hectares, is undergoing a process of desertification

due to cutting of forests beyond permissible limits, unsustainable fuelwood and fodder
extraction, shifting cultivation, encroachment into forest lands, forest fires, overgrazing,
inadequate soil conservation measures, improper crop rotation, indiscriminate use of agro-
chemicals, improper management of irrigation systems and excessive extraction of ground
water.
• Effective prevention of desertification requires both local management and macro policy
approaches at the international level that promote sustainability of ecosystem services.
• The international community has responded to this threat in various ways as follows:
a) The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was adopted in
1994 that demonstrated a growing awareness of the problems of desertification & resolve
of the international community to address it. The UNCCD has specific objectives of
promoting sustainable development, imparting education & training, measuring human
development, creating an enabling environment for the involvement of local communities.
b) The Global Environment Facility was established as a USD 1 billion programme in the
World Bank in 1992. The GEF has evolved to become the financial mechanism for
several multilateral environmental agreements, including the UNFCCC, the UNCBD,
the UNCCD and the Stockholm Convention.
c) The Food and Agriculture Organization has launched the FAO Drylands Restoration
Initiative in 2012 to draw together knowledge and experience on dryland restoration.
d) The Addis Ababa Action Agenda 2015 has promised measures to overhaul global finance
practices and generate investments for tackling a range of economic, social and
environmental challenges including desertification.
6. Discuss the problems related to civic amenities in Indian urban areas. Will the concept of
Smart Cities be able to handle the crisis?
Hints:
• Urban areas are the ‘engines of economic growth’ in a developing country like ours. According
to Census 2011, approximately 31 % of the population lives in urban areas.
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• Due to haphazard urbanisation in the recent time, the situation relating to civic amenities
has worsened in particular. The civic amenities are the facilities provided by the governments
and municipal corporations for common people like water supply, electricity, public toilets,
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garbage disposal, etc.
• According to the 2011 Census, amenities available with the households has been listed as
follows: 87% of households are using tap, tube well, hand pump and covered well as the
main source of drinking water while 43.5 percent use tap water. Only 47% of households
have source of water within the premises while 36% of households have to fetch water from
a source located within 500 m in rural areas/100 m in urban areas and 17% still fetch
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drinking water from a source located more than 500 m away in rural areas or 100 m in
urban area.
• This has increased due to rural-urban migration; financial crunch which affects the provision
of civic amenities both in qualitative and quantitative manner; lack of autonomy of ULBs in
generating revenues; inadequate user charges for civic amenities to cover the expenses for
its provision and politics of populism.
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• Against this backdrop it can be said that the concept of smart cities would be able to handle
this crisis of civic amenities. The notion of smart cities or habitations is a process rather than
a goal. It will work for development of institutional infrastructure, physical infrastructure
and social infrastructure in the cities.
• The core infrastructure elements in a smart city includes adequate water supply, assured
electricity supply, sanitation, including solid waste management, efficient urban mobility
and public transport, affordable housing, especially for the poor, robust IT connectivity and
digitalization, good governance, especially citizen participation, sustainable environment,
safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly, and health and
education, etc.
• The smart city would address the crisis of civic amenities in following way:
a) E-governance & citizen services: These would include public information & grievance
redressal, electronic service delivery that would bring in transparency & hold the
government accountable.
b) Waste management: This includes recycling, reuse and reduction of waste & waste to
energy initiatives bringing sustainability of the cities into the mainstream of planning
process.
c) Water management: This would be consisting of water meter installation, water quality
monitoring & leakage information.
d) Urban mobility: This would include intelligent traffic management, integrated multi-
modal transport with a mission statement of moving people & not vehicles.
• Thus, smart city mission would improve the availability of basic amenities in the cities if
implemented properly.
7. Discuss a two way linkage between Migration and Climate Change with example.
Hints:
• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) defines ‘climate
change’ as a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity
that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural
climate variability observed over comparable time periods.
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• Climate change is the increasing the instances of extreme climatic events likes floods, cyclones,
draughts, etc. which effect human beings in various ways like loss of property, livelihood
and many a times life. Migration has been one of the most visible negative impacts of climate
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change which further effects climate change.
Two way linkage between climate change and migration:
• Climate change, environment variability and migration are interlinked. Climate change results
into environmental degradation, disasters which results into migration and that in turn can
further feeds climate change.
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How climate change results into migration:

a) Climate-related migration not only involves people fleeing from the imminent threat or
aftermath of a climate disaster – the most commonly referenced type – but also entails
planned relocation by households and communities as an adaptation strategy to search for
alternative livelihoods and sources of income.
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b) Climate change results into changes in rainfall patterns and hydrological cycles, soil
degradation, desertification etc. which effects crop yields and agriculture overall. This makes
livelihood and survival difficult and creates food security problem.
c) Climate change also exacerbates health problems especially in equatorial and tropical areas.
With increases incidences of viral and other diseases and poor health infrastructure in some
backward areas people start migration.
d) Extreme events like floods, cyclones, coastal erosion and coastal floods creates threats to life
and property, so people generally try to avoid such areas.
• As a response to these effects people use migration as an adaptive strategy. Extreme climatic
events in recent periods like two consecutive draughts in Maharashtra, force people to
migrate to new areas or urban towns.
• The migration can be to urban areas, new virgin areas in forests, within same country and
foreign country also.
How migration effects climate change:
a) As people migrate to new areas like urban areas where they change their life style, habits,
etc. More use of fossil fuels, power etc is attached to urban areas. This causes climate change.
In a report by IPCC CO2 emission from use of fossil fuels, industries and transportation is
major contributor to green house gases.
b) Many times communities migrate to new areas and clear forests or grasslands which otherwise
were storehouse of carbon. This further lead to climate change.
• Therefore it is clear that climate change and migration has two way linkages with each
feeding other. As a result of each negatively effecting the sustainability of human beings
there is a need to manage both efficiently.
• Adaptation and mitigation strategies like drought proofing of agriculture, building
infrastructure which can withstand floods and cyclones etc. must be developed to tackle
extreme climatic events so that migration is avoided.
• There should be a migration policy so that negative effects such as cleansing of forests can
be avoided by properly managing migration.
8. The human presence in Siachin Glacier is having vast environmental impact. Describe how
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the 'Green Siachin - Clean Siachin' campaign and use of biodigestores in the region may
help in improving the situation?
Hints:
•
OR
Siachin, the highest battlefield is a strategically important, climatically extreme and disaster
prone location in Jammu and Kashmir. The presence of soldiers has negative environmental
impacts in the region such as:
a) Presence of human being, use of machines, kerosene oil and the resulting green house
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gases accentuates the problems caused by global warming.

b) Armies use chemicals to cut through ice to built bunkers, use ammunition and other
materials results into leakages of chemicals.
c) Almost forty percent (40%) of the waste left at the glacier is of plastic and metal
composition, including toxins such as cobalt, cadmium and chromium that eventually
affect the water of the Shyok River (which ultimately enters the Indus River near
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Skardu.) The Indus is used for drinking and irrigation.

d) Indian soldiers stationed in Siachin generate lot of waste in the form of human waste,
waste from arms and ammunitions like bullet shells and other waste. Because of extreme
climatic conditions which result into absence of bacteria this waste can't be degraded
or burned.
e) This has resulted into accelerated melting of glacier and threatens future water security
of India and neighboring countries.
• In light of all the negative environmental effects there was a need felt to remove all waste
and in its response the 'Green Siachin - Clean Siachin' campaign was launched.
• It is an initiative to remove all the biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste generated by
the Indian soldiers in Siachin.
• Airforce is being is used to air-lift the waste.
• The army is also planting trees in the Nubra Valley.
• Artificial eco-friendly methods like use of incinerators are being used for disposing the waste.
All non-biodegradable waste material is sent to the Base Camp where it is centrally disposed
off.
• Bio-digestors developed by DRDO are being used for human waste disposal for armed forces
deployed there. The bio-digester technology has two components: anaerobic microbe collection
and specially designed fermentation tank. These bio-digesters help in removing waste, are
indigenously developed and the effluent are odourless.
• Though all these steps will help in minimizing the impacts but their long term effects are still
unknown. The introduction of alien species of plants may have negative impact on the
whole ecosystem.
9. Explain the variety and value of tourist resources of India.
Hints:
• The travel and tourism industry is responsible for 6.1 per cent of India’s Gross Domestic
Product, as of 2011. The tourism industry directly and indirectly employs more than 26
million citizens, which represents 5.7 per cent of the country’s total employment, according
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to the World Economic Forum. Additional jobs related to tourism total over 37 million , or
7.5 per cent. This revenue directly impacts the economy, especially in sectors such as hospitality,
hotels, construction, handicrafts, horticulture and agriculture.
OR
• The diversity of India ensures variety of tourism such as:
a) Adventure tourism: This involves exploration of remote areas and exotic locales and
engaging in various activities. For adventure tourism in India, tourists prefer to go for
trekking to places like Ladakh, Sikkim, and Himalaya.
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b) Medical tourism: Tourists from all over the world have been thronging India to avail
themselves of cost-effective but superior quality healthcare in terms of surgical procedures
and general medical attention.
c) Eco tourism: Ecotourism entails the sustainable preservation of a naturally endowed

area or region. This is becoming more and more significant for the ecological development
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of all regions that have tourist value. For ecotourism in India, tourists can go to places
such as Kaziranga National Park, Gir National Park, and Kanha National Park.
d) Historical/Cultural heritage tourism: The various fairs and festivals that tourists can
visit in India are the Pushkar fair, Taj Mahotsav, and Surajkund mela.
• Hence the tourism has favourable impact on the balance of payment of aviation, transport,
medical tourism, hotel and sports.
• The Indian government, in order to boost tourism of various kinds in India, has set up the
Ministry of Tourism and Culture. This ministry recently launched a campaign called ‘Incredible
India!’ in order to encourage different types of tourism in India.
• In Budget 2014-15, the government announced several measures for boosting tourism like
streamlining of some service tax bottlenecks and focused effort for the development of a
global scale Buddhist circuit and cleaning of the Ganga along with creation of world class
amenities to enhance the spiritual experience along the holy river. Further, easing of the
Indian tourism visa regime through the execution of tourist visa on arrival enabled by
electronic travel authorization (ETA) for forty-three countries will provide a major boost to
tourism.
10. Do you agree that a coordinated system of transport plays an important role in the sustained
economic growth of a country? Substantiate with examples.
Hints:
• A Country cannot develop so fast without a developed transport system.
• It functions as a lifeline of the spatial economy at all territorial levels-global, national, regional
and local.
• An integrated and coordinated transport network reduces social distances, political
fragmentation and economic isolation of a region.
• The most outstanding role of the transport network is the integrating the regional economy
with the national economy. Because in our country, the production of specialization exist at
local levels and these specialized products have local markets into our national markets.
• But the triple mode transport system in India has played an integrated role in the regional
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development of the country in general for long distance transport of bulk goods like food
grains, metals, fertilizers etc. railways are preferred. On the other hand transportation of
small parcels is preferred through roadways.
OR
• Air transport is the fastest but costliest mode of transport. It is an important mode for a
country like India which has big size where terrain and climatic conditions are so diverse
and the commercial and industrial centers are located at great distances. Apart from
transporting goods and services, passengers, air transport is essential for the defence of the
regions in the country.
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• The remote areas like the Himalayan region which is not served by railways or roads have
to depend on air transport alone.
• As far as waterways transport is concerned, it was an important mode earlier but it declined
after the coming of railways. The inland water transport is a cheap, fuel-efficient, environment
friendly mode with a higher employment generation potential and is suitable for heavy and
bulky goods. But its share is only 1% in India. But water transport still playing an important
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role in regional development of the country particularly coastal or port shipping transport
in India, it is an easy and cheap means of exports and imports of heavy items. Of the total
sea borne trade of India more than 85%is shared by Mumbai, Kolkata, Cochin, Chennai and
Vishakhapatnam as result the commercial activities of these centers are increasing.
• However, the sector has not been able to keep pace with rising demand and is proving to
be a drag on the economy. Major improvements in the transport sector are required to
support the country’s continued sustainable and economic growth.
SOCIETY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE - I

Practice Questions
INDIAN SOCIETAL VALUES

Q1. "Values imparted in Indian Society are contributing to the elevation of many Indians to
the leadership role in many Silicon Valley Firms." Explain.
E
Q2. "In any society, Gender is fundamentally about power". Discuss in context with the
Indian Society.
OR
Q3. Do you agree that Indian families are losing control over their younger generation due
to the massive exposure made possible by the digital technology? What could be done
to preserve the uniqueness of the Indian family system?
Q4. According to many sociologists, in contemporary India, the traditional joint families are
SC
being replaced by functional joint families. What do you understand by functional joint
families? Why such trend is on increase in recent years?
Q5. The family system and values associated with them has put India on a higher level of
cultural ladder from times immemorial; but in recent decades families have shown
signs of crack under the pressure of modern life? What are those pressures and what
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is the way out to protect family and family values?
Q6. There is a general tendency in our country to fix the blame of failures on others and also
to wait for somebody else to solve the challenges and problems that everyday peep into
our eyes and stir our hearts. What explains this societal behavior which is marked by
lack of leadership and attitude to be an agent of change and progress?
SECULARISM, REGIONALISM AND COMMUNALISM

Q7. Discuss the impact of media on Indian society? How media could play a constructive
role in bringing communal harmony?
Q8. What are the basic tenets of secularism? Do you think secularism is a potential slogan
than constitutional necessity, not only in India but in many other countries too? Critically
Examine.
Q9. Intolerance to any viewpoint or eating habit or culture is not only alien to Indian way
of life, but it is unscientific, irrational, & threatens India's rise as global super-power.
Do you agree with the statement? Discuss with respect to certain incidents in recent
past which has displayed signs of intolerance.
[122] Society
Q10. Communalism puts the Indian society in a very conflicting situation and has disrupted
national unity, shattered religious brotherhood, and has endangered political stability.
Do you agree? Discuss in context of the growth of communalism in India since
independence.
Q11. Lack of employment in India is leading to growth of regionalism in India than the
affiliation to particular region. Do you agree with the statement?
POPULATION POLICY
Q12. What are the main indicators of quantity and quality of population of a country? On the
basis of standard indicators, evaluate India's demographic progress.
Q13. Delineate transition in India's population policy and critically analyze its social effects.
Q14. Critics point out that India's Population Control Policy is soft towards the male
participant, which has led to many negative implications for women. Highlight those
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implications and also point out what changes are required in India's population policy?
OR
Q15. What do you understand by the replacement fertility rate? When India is expected to
achieve this as per latest statistical estimate? What are the major impediments in
achieving this target?
Q16. While Family planning is an important aspect of career planning for women, lack of
sensitivity and social support can affect her decision making. Discuss in light of recent
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decision of government to increase the maternity leaves for working women?
IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON SOCIETY

Q17. Globalization has brought out a structural transformation in Urban India, right at the
level of family, increasing the social conflicts and their content. Discuss.
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Q18. While Globalization has destroyed many traditional practices and Industries in India,
it has also given new lease of life to some of them, who were on the ventilator. Examine.
Q19. "The pattern of employment and labour market has undergone some significant changes
under the forces of globalization and liberalization". What are these and what are their
social and cultural implications for India?
Q20. Tribals in India have been on the receiving end of the globalization process. Critically
examine the effects of globalization on the tribal population in India.
Society [123]
SOCIETY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE - I

Answer
INDIAN SOCIETAL VALUES

1. "Values imparted in Indian Society are contributing to the elevation of many Indians to the
leadership role in many Silicon Valley Firms." Explain.
E
Hints:
• Indians were the most numerous of the immigrant techcompany founders in Silicon Valley.
OR
They had founded more startups than the next four groups (from Britain, China, Taiwan,
and Japan) combined.
• Indian immigrants are standing shouldertoshoulder with the world’s most innovative tech
workers, and are matching them in entrepreneurship. For example: Satya Nadela as CEO
of Microsoft and Sunder Pichai of Google.
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• There are several reasons for the success of Indians. Knowledge of English is important but
cannot be assumed to be the main reason. There are several ethnic groups with equal or
better command over English the Irish and Filipinos are obvious examples who have not
had the same success in Silicon Valley.
• Some of the Indian values mentioned below have contributed to their success:
a) Cooperation: It is highly valued in India. The value placed on cooperation is strongly
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rooted in the past, when cooperation was necessary for the survival of family and
group. Because of strong feeling of group solidarity, competition within the group is
rare. There is security in being a member of the group and not being singled out and
placed in a position above or below others.
b) Group Harmony: Emphasis is placed on the group and the importance of maintaining
harmony within the group. The needs of the group are considered over those of the
individuals.
c) Willingness to Sacrifice: Emphasis is placed on societal good than individual good.
d) Communitarian approach: Indian society teaches to have faith in the community that
leads to requirement of better networking.
e) Soft speaking and cool temper.
• In lieu of this value system they have formed extensive ethnic professional associations. The
Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and the Silicon Valley Indian Professionals Association (SIPA) are
the two main networks around which the engineers tend to coalesce.
• The ethnic professional associations are important, especially for the newcomer to Silicon
Valley, because they enable rapid entry into the ecosystem of Silicon Valley.
[124] Hints: Society
• The first generation of successful entrepreneurs also served as visible, vocal, role models and
mentors. They also provided seed funding to members of their community. This helped
Indians in achieving extraordinary success.
2. "In any society, Gender is fundamentally about power". Discuss in context with the Indian
Society.
Hints:
• “Gender” refers not to male and female, but to masculine and feminine that is, to qualities
or characteristics that society ascribes to each sex.
• Whereas Power refers to the access to resources that enhance one’s chance of getting what
one needs in order to lead a comfortable, productive, and safe life.
• There is a correlation between Gender and Power.
• One’s level of power or access to power is heavily dependent on his/her social status or
social location, i.e. their membership in various social categorizations including race, class,
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sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, religion, nationality, immigrant status,
ability, weight, etc.
•
OR
Women have less access than men to productive resources, services and opportunities, such
as land, livestock, financial services and education because of historical skewness and
patriarchal society.
• Although women make substantial contributions to agricultural production and household
wellbeing, men largely control the sale of crops and use of the income. The failure to value
their work limits women’s bargaining power in economic transactions, the allocation of
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household resources, and wider community decisionmaking.

• The decision making power are in the hands of males.
• Numerous studies underscore the social costs of rural women’s lack of education and assets,
linking it directly to high rates of undernutrition, infant mortality and in some countries
HIV/AIDS infection.
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• There are also high economic costs, wasted human capital and low labour productivity that
stifle rural development and progress in agriculture, and ultimately threaten food security
both for women and men.
• Hence, women deserve equal access to health, education, earning power and political
representation. Their views and values are critical in ensuring a more prosperous and inclusive
common future as humanity’s collective progress depends on it.
3. Do you agree that Indian families are losing control over their younger generation due to
the massive exposure made possible by the digital technology? What could be done to
preserve the uniqueness of the Indian family system?
Hints:
• The Indian family system has been under an onslaught from the sweeping changes that the
globalization has brought due to communication revolution. However, it would be
inappropriate to say that the changes are deteriorating the system.
• Such changes can be disruptive in shortrun, particularly when they occur at a fast pace.
Indian system currently suffers from the problem of too many disruptive changes occurring
at a very fast pace. The social changes that western society went through over the course
of century have occurred in India in a matter of 23 decades.
Hints: Society [125]
• One of the most important impact that such changes have made is on Indian Family system,
particularly due to urbanization and breakdown in joint family system.
• While nuclear family system is also a stable system, it is new experience for millions of people
undergoing this change.
• Teenagers are very vulnerable to technology and communications systems in the nuclear
families, especially since they lack the company of cousins that they have in the joint family
system. Technology thus, has filled the newly emerged void in human life. That’s why
particularly city dwellers appear to be more engaged with technology and gadgets.
• Technology is not going to suddenly disappear, nor is the family. The family unit, like
technology, is constantly changing. In the end, it is the role of the parents is to moderate,
how much technology is allowed to permeate the core of family communication. Family
communication will not be adversely affected by technology if it is monitored and controlled.
• Similarly, overall society also has an important role to play as parents alone can’t ensure
minimum intervention of technology. Schools and colleges in particular have an important
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role to play. They must engage youngsters in healthy routine and conversation mode.
• Sports must also be encouraged among the teenagers, as it develops the spirit of competition
OR
and cooperation, which can push them out of online world to fields and playground with
friends. Offices must also encourage group activity.
Supplementary Notes
In India, the old traditional joint family system no longer continues. It was patriarchal in nature, its
size was large, status of women in the family was very low, members of family had no individual
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identity, and the decisionmaking power lied exclusively with the eldest male member of the family.
The members were the blood relations, and had property, residence and hearth, and even worship,
in common The members in a joint family could be of three or more generations, and were morally
bound to one another by rights and duties.
Indian family system has undergone drastic change in response to development in terms of
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industrialization, education and urbanization. Industrialization and urbanization, leading to

accelerated rate of ruralurban migration, diversification of gainful economic activities and individual
friendly property laws, have had consequential impact in terms of drastic reduction in the size of
family in the country.
Most families, particularly in urban areas, have only one or two generation members (i.e., parents
and their unmarried children). But, it does not mean that the Indian family is becoming nuclear.
Actually, the existence of nuclear family in India is only circumstantial.
The culture and attitude of people is still in favour of the joint family system. Existing nuclear
families in the country (whatsoever is the number) are only a temporary phase. In reality, the joint
family has been a tradition of India. The nuclear families also existed though it is not an Indian
tradition.
The family in the country is no longer patriarchal in true sense of the term; it exists as a patrilocal
household. There is a lot of individual autonomy and no longer is decisionmaking the exclusive
right of the eldest male member of the family.
The family is now essentially democratic and most of the decisions in the family are taken collectively.
However, the extent of autonomy and democracy may vary from region to region, community to
community and caste to caste, depending upon the degree of its adaptation of the modern values
and the urban way of life.
The family in India is passing through a contradiction. Even educated males, though are in favour
of modern education for their girl children, continue to expect them to remain inside homes and
have their decisions be taken by the elder male members, particularly their parents. They also wish
them to be working women but continue to expect them to work in the house and, in some cases,
observe purdah.
As most people have now started taking up jobs in different parts of the country leaving their
parental family behind, they are having separate households. Such small households look forward
to maintaining relationship with the parental family and extending help and support to it.
Changes in the structure and function of joint families in India are thus following a reconciliatory
pattern, a pattern common in the structural changes in the Indian society. In mate selection, the
principle of personal choice, especially in urban families, is today increasingly reconciled with parents’
approval; the wife’s freedom in middleclass homes to work outside in offices and schools operates
within the traditional framework of the husband’s approval and sometimes the approval of
husband’s or even wife’s parents. Such reconciliations are, however, not without tension which is
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an inalienable aspect of social change. Despite these changes, traditional views on joint family still
prevail.
OR
The significant trends in the modern family may be discussed under the following points:
(1) Decreased Control of the Marriage Contract:

Marriage is the basis of family. In traditional family the marriage was settled by the parents. The
marriage ceremony was based on the principle of male dominance and female obedience. In modern
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family people is less subject to the parental control regarding marital affairs. The marriage is now
settled by the partners themselves. It is the choice of mate by mate usually preceded by courtship or
falling in love.
Today more stress is being laid on romantic love but love is no more sacramental now. Marriage
also has become a civil contract rather than a religious sacrament. It can be dissolved easily at any
time as it is settled by mutual consent of the partner. The authority of religion over the conditions of
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marriage has markedly declined. Divorce, desertion and separation are frequent occurrence in
modern family where as it was rare phenomenon in traditional family.
(2) Changes in Relationship of Man and Woman:
In modern family the woman is not the devotee of man but an equal partner in life with equal
rights. The husband does not dictate but only requests to the wife to do a task for him. She is now
emancipated of the man’s slavery. She can divorce her husband as the husband can divorce her.
Democratic ideas have provided equality and liberty to even women too. As a result women are not
playing domestic role but also economic and political roles. They have now become property owners
and business managers. They have right to vote and can actively participate in politics.
They are now liberated from the chains of traditionalism and they are now able enough to move
from kitchen to cabinet. They stand on an equal footing with men. Aggressive leaders of the women’s
liberation movement have attacked the standard of morality. They are demanding more rights and
liberty in the family, society as well as in the country.
Due to the employment opportunity the women has become an earning member of the family, free
to work in offices, factories, banks and schools etc. This economic independence has increased her
status but has affected her attitude in the family as well as in society.
(3) Reduced Size of Family:
Due to industrialization and urbanisation the family size has been reduced and parents no longer
desire more children rather develop a tendency to have a smaller family with the help of modern
contraceptives. So the reproductive function of modern family has suffered a setback. However the
very survival of the human race is based on reproduction.
(4) Decline of Religious Control:
The modern family is secular in attitude. The religious rites of the traditional family such as early
prayer, yagya, etc. are no longer performed in modern family. The elders do not read spiritual
books such as Ramayana, Bhagabata rather they watch T.V. They are not interested to celebrate
any religious festivals. Religious sentiments, beliefs and attitudes have come to be disassociated
with the family.
(5) Filo Centric Family:
In the modern family the trend is towards the filo centric family, where the wishes of children
determine the policy of the family. The social control activities of family over children have been
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lessened as physical punishment is rarely awarded to children.
(6) Parent Youth Conflict:
OR
Interpersonal conflicts in the family are increasing. An unusual amount of conflict between parents
and their adolescent children are taking place. Kingsley Davis says, “The stress and strain in our
culture is symptomatic of the functionless instability of the modern small family.”
(7) Separation of Non-Essential Functions:
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The modern family has given up many functions which were performed by the traditional family.
Educational, procreation and care of sick persons functions have been shifted to certain external
agencies like hospitals, maternity homes, nurseries kindergarten and schools etc. Apart from it the
family is no longer an economic unit. More families rely upon prepared and manufactured goods
for consumption.
Families are no more the place of protection for the physically handicapped, mentally retarded,
aged, diseased, infirm and insane people. Other agencies have taken over this function. But for the
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young children it continues to provide physical and emotional protection.

Thus the family has been subjected to profound modifications of an economic, social and biological
nature. The size and functions of the family have been reduced. It has suffered a change in regard
to both its structure and functions. Its functions have been taken over by several specialized agencies.
The modern family is more individualized and democratic where women enjoy a high prestige and
position and children enjoy more independence as well. From an institution it has moved towards
companionship. Many sociologists have expressed their grave concern regarding the rapid changes
that are taking place in it. Some have said that “Family has gone to the digs.” While some others
lamented that family is leading towards disorganization. But it would be more appropriate to say
that it is merely seeking to adopt itself to changed conditions.
4. According to many sociologists, in contemporary India, the traditional joint families are
being replaced by functional joint families. What do you understand by functional joint
families? Why such trend is on increase in recent years?
Hints:
• Features of Traditional joint family include common residence, common kitchen, common
property and participation in common family worship etc. Indian family system since ancient
period was basically traditional joint family system.
• However in recent years it has been replaced by functional joint family. Functional joint
family, according to sociologist IP Desai, means a family where even though the members
of family are living separately, but each individual gives importance to fulfilment of obligation
towards kin, even if residence is separate and there is no common ownership of property.
• Fulfilment of obligation refers to identifying oneself as members of a particular family rendering
financial and other kinds of help and following joint family norms.
• Thus sociologists believe that breakdown of traditional joint family in India has not resulted
into rise of nuclear families, instead mostly it is being replaced by functional joint family
where each male even though living separately has obligation to look after the parents, his
teenage brothers and sisters.
• In functional joint family, the jointness of the family is reflected by common place of residence
but by the nature and quality of social interaction.
Why is it increasing in recent years?
E
Sociologists accord two reasons for the rise of functional joint family:
(1) Industrialization is one of the major factors behind the rise of functional joint families since
OR
due to setting up of industries, workers in rural areas tend to migrate to cities to find job.
However even though they live separately from their parents and other kins, they continue
to maintain relations with their kins by sending money or taking care of studies of their
younger siblings. Some even finally return and settle in village after retirement.
(2) Modernization is the second major factor. Since with education, generally younger women
of the family are impressed by the modern family life. They have become conscious of their
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rights and equality with men. They, therefore feel suffocated in traditional joint family as
they have to live their life within the norms of patriarchy. Therefore, they opt for separate
residence. However, even then the unit continues to fulfil their financial, social and other
obligations towards the kins specially parents.
Supplementary Notes
Other factors responsible for weakening of traditional joint family
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1. Rapid growth of population:

Rapid growth of population brought corresponding increase of the pressure on land. Agriculture
being the prime occupation of the villagers, the rural youths faced the problem of unemployment
due to the imbalance of man and land equation. People began to move into urban and industrial
centres in search of jobs. Thus they had to leave the traditional joint families which resulted in the
breakdown of jointness.
2. Family Quarrels:
Differences in the interest of members of a joint family, disparities relating to earning of the members
and clash of personalities caused quarrels. Conflicts also occurred due to unequal distribution of
work at house, extra economic burden and emotional strain and same type of treatment to the lazy
members. These spoiled the happiness in the family and caused dissatisfaction among the members
of the family and many a time it became so intolerable that the breakdown of joint family appeared
to be the only way out.
3. Accommodation-Problems:
In the urbanindustrial matrix the problem of accommodation is very acute. Due to the great density
of population, and the high cost of living the migrants are not in a position to afford a big house
which can accommodate all the members of a joint family, small houses become insufficient to
accommodate all the members of the joint family. Hence single families are only maintained in the
place of work.
4. Developed means of transport and communication:
In the past, people were less mobile because of lack of transport and poor communication. Since
they were relatively immobile, they had to stay in the joint family and village community. But with
the rapid development of the means of transportation and communication, people have become
more and more mobile. They now move from one place to another within no time. In the past, the
caste system was very rigid and people were taking to their family occupation. But now due to the
improved means of transport and communication, people move to different places in search of
various kinds of jobs and employment.
5. The family system and values associated with them has put India on a higher level of
cultural ladder from times immemorial; but in recent decades families have shown signs of
crack under the pressure of modern life? What are those pressures and what is the way out
to protect family and family values?
E
Hints:
•
OR
Family is the fundamental and longest surviving institution of our societal existence. Indian
family system is one of the pillars which have preserved the Indian culture over the ages
irrespective of political, religious and other transformations. Joint family system in which
two or more generation lives under one roof is its hallmark. It generally consists of
grandparents, parents and their offspring. Extended family and kinship are two key aspect
of Indian family system.
SC
• The values associated with Indian family system are:

a) Loyalty, integrity and unity are the three pillars upon which Indian families and Indian
culture stand. From family, Indians learn the first letters of collectivism and sacrificing
individualism for collective interest.
b) In a traditional Indian joint family, though the decisions are taken collectively after
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proper discussion among the elders, the words of the head of the family are final. This
unites the whole family.
c) Utmost care is taken to improve the personality of the child in a positive manner by all
elders of the family.
d) Due care and respect is given to the grandparents.
e) Financial and labour support to each other, and especially to weak members of the
house sustains the entire family during time of distress and maintains the social status.
Pressures of modern life on Indian family:
• In recent time due to effect of modernization Indian family system is transforming itself and
this transformation is leading to disruption in the key values of Indian family. Major challenges
and pressure associated with modern time are:
a) With the advent of urbanisation and modernisation, cut throat competition in urban
areas for survival is cutting on the root of joint family. Younger generation is leaving
their parents behind to stay alone. Trend of nuclear family is increasing. This is depriving
children from the love of their grandparents.
b) Geriatric issues are increasing. Grandparents are feeling aloof, deprived and vulnerable.
c) Pseudo westernization and consumerism is increasing day by day. This leads to wastage
of resources and cutting on the saving habits of Indian family which is still propelling
the growth of Indian economy.
d) Cases of domestic violence and divorce are increasing and this in turn affecting the
rearing of children.
e) Materialism is destroying the values like sacrifice, support and care for other members.
There is increase in numbers of cases related to fight over property between brothers.
f) Authority structure is changing & especially financially independent younger generation
is not taking consideration of the advice extended by elders.
g) Increasing individualism especially due to modern education system, change in marital
practices, decline in agriculture and village industries, problem of accommodation in
urban areas, changes in social legislation especially related to marriage, inheritance and
empowerment of women has affected the Indian family system.
E
• This all are having negative consequences on the whole family system. Divorce is the most
obvious symptom of family disintegration. Economic freedom, new life style, new idealities
together create an idea of free life. Modern education affected joint family in several ways.
OR
It has brought about a change in the attitude, beliefs, values and ideologies of the people.
• Hence, modified extended family which is functional extension of traditional joint family can
be a one way out to confront the current challenges of modernization. In that it does not
demand geographical proximity or occupational involvement and does not have a hierarchal
authority structure. This new family form encourages frequent visits; financial assistance; aid
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and support in childcare and household chores; and involvement and participation in life
cycle events such as births, marriages, deaths, and festival celebrations.
• The familial and kinship bonds are thus maintained and sustained. Even in the more modern
and nuclear families in contemporary India, many functional extensions of the traditional
joint family have been retained, and the nuclear family is strongly embedded in the extended
kinship matrix. Indian education system needs to promote the values of family system,
communication gap between generations need to bridged especially between children &
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grandparents and adoption of liberal attitude toward children for their growth oriented
future is need of the hour to save the values of Indian family system.
6. There is a general tendency in our country to fix the blame of failures on others and also
to wait for somebody else to solve the challenges and problems that everyday peep into our
eyes and stir our hearts. What explains this societal behavior which is marked by lack of
leadership and attitude to be an agent of change and progress?
Hints:
• The general tendency to blame others for our failures has both psychological, i.e., attitudinal
and societal aspect. The very reasons for lack of leadership and attitude to be an agent of
change and progress which are reflected in our societal behaviour can be explained by
following:
a) Seek higher Status: One have a deep need for a sense of identity, and one way we do
this is through social comparison, contrasting oneself against others. As a part of this,
if one can place oneself higher in the pecking order of society then one can feel more
important and have a greater sense of control. In order to seek higher status than others,
blame is one of the tools one uses to this end. If the other person is bad, then it seems
one must be relatively good.
b) Loss of control: Some people panic when they lose control of a situation and so they
try to restore the sense of being in control by blaming others. So behind the act of
blaming others fear might exist.
c) They learned it from their parents: Some parents have failed to teach their children
how to take responsibility for their actions and so they grew up as adults who blame
others whenever something bad happens.
d) Refusing to admit that they are responsible: Some people can't admit failures and
mistakes so they blame others for them in order to escape from the responsibility. One
common example is saying "I was late because the streets were crowded" instead of
admitting that you should have taken the traffic jam into account.
e) Blaming others and feelings helpless: People who blame others usually try to hide
their feelings of helplessness. If they didn't blame anyone they would admit that they
are not in control and that there is nothing they can do. By blaming others the helpless
person assumes the position of the accuser and feels more in control.
E
f) Explaining: When something goes wrong, our deep need to explain what caused the
problem to occur is triggered. A way of finding cause is to blame someone. This is a
surprisingly common approach in organizations where a 'blame culture' assumes someone
OR
is at fault for every problem and issue. As a result, people are quick to judge others and
equally quick to avoid or deny responsibility.
• In order to be an undisputed leader, taking responsibility for the failures and ponder upon
them to remove them is key element.
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• However, this attitude of taking the responsibility is nourished by social institution like
family, schools, organization both social & work and individual learning through experience.
• Affirming core values and personal competencies is the best way to eliminate defensiveness.
Creating an environment where one can shed his fear of failure and admit his mistakes
reduces the blame culture.
• There is a need to create individuals who can face the challenges and problems and resolve
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them without blaming others. This needs the overhauling of our existing social blame game
problem.
SECULARISM, REGIONALISM AND COMMUNALISM
7. Discuss the impact of media on Indian society? How media could play a constructive role
in bringing communal harmony?
Hints:
The media, known as the fourth pillar of democracy, has a huge impact on the society. Media’s
impact on society can be judged from three perspectives social, economic and political. Generating
awareness on various social evils like dowry, female foeticide and infanticide etc. this has led to the
decline in the incidence of them. Bringing into focus any atrocities faced by weaker sections of the
society this has brought in a sense of security to the weaker sections in the long run this will bring
peace and tranquility among communities. Generating awareness on good practices like health,
hygiene, nutrition etc thereby improving the living standards. Media has been bringing out corrupt
practices practiced by our political leaders this has enabled people to make more rational choices
when electing their representatives.
Media owes a very special responsibility to the country in promoting communal peace and amity.
In times of conflict the onus is primarily on the Government and also on various other agencies to
try and restore normalcy in the country. Among all these agencies the Media is probably the most
powerful single influence today, helping mould public opinion with regard to the need of fostering
friendly and harmonious relations between various communities and religious groups and thereby
also promoting national solidarity.
News, views or comments relating to communal or religious disputes/clashes should be published
after proper verification of facts and presented with duecaution and restraint in a manner which is
conducive to the creation of anatmosphere congenial to communal harmony, amity and peace.
Sensational, provocative and alarming headlines are to be avoided.
Acts of communal violence or vandalism should be reported in a manner and may not undermine
thepeople’s confidence in the law and order machinery of the state.
8. What are the basic tenets of secularism? Do you think secularism is a potential slogan than
constitutional necessity, not only in India but in many other countries too? Critically
Examine.
Hints:
E
The main belief of secularism is that all religions are equal and that moral, logical, reasonable
judgments and opinions made in the interest of law should not be affected by religious doctrine but
OR
by the morality, logic and reason of those involved in the decision. The main purpose for having a
country, state, society, etc. as being secular is that nobody can be persecuted for their beliefs or their
belief system.
Generally, secularism has two constituent aspects:
1. the modern state is strictly separated from religion; and
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2. the modern state always observes a neutral stand toward religion

Especially in India, where religious groups are utilised in the official structure of society, the second
aspect of secularism arises as a realistic problem in dealing with strife among religious groups.
The realities of human existence now challenge the validity of modernity, under which it has been
believed that reason can control even religion. The phenomena of communalism can be interpreted
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as an immature form of the challenge. The issues they raise seem unclear and even retrogressive,
but what is called for now is reform of perceptions that will allow people to firmly grasp the true
meaning of secularism, not pseudosecularism. In the Indian context, the term pseudosecularism is
used to describe the policies that involve appeasement.
Secularism is not just a potential slogan, howsoever important it is for mobilizing electoral support.
Secularism is a post renaissance phenomenon and a liberal idea promoted by the Western democracies
in the interest of creating a modern social and economic system based on the principles of freedom
and dignity as well as equal opportunity to all.
Secularism is of course a constitutional necessity because the modern states are not confined to
religious nationalities or a particular language group. The modern nations extend their boundaries
to a variety of people and nationalities following different religions, speaking different languages,
having different historical and anthropological origins. But when they come under one umbrella of
a 'nation' they have to be guided by the same constitution that gives all of them an equal opportunity
in the arena of polity, economy and society. No doubt, in modern states it is a constitutional
obligation. In France, for example, the law makers want that no citizen should wear anything
related to their individual identity in public, say sword or scarf. In Nepal the state has announced
itself to be secular state after the revolution of 1990s, but still there is a constitutional debate going
on how to organise the state whether on ethnic lines or a modern federation comprising states
with a variety of ethnic identities.
State making is a difficult art. Reconciling a variety of identities to a shared national dream and
mission is a stupendous task. People have attraction to maintain their individual identities, yet
enjoy the fruits of a modern secular state. The Crimean Crisis is a case in point. Ukraine is alleged
not to have given equal opportunity to Russian speaking eastern part. The eastern part is alleged to
have a cessionist tendency based on their cultural proximity with Russia. The result is a civil war.
Secularism cannot remain based on relinquishing religion or caste identities in public and national
interest alone. It is not just a slogan. People in real lives aspire equal treatment before law. In Sri
Lanka a civil war lasted for more than a decade simply because, the state was not able to ensure
equality before law between the Singhalese and Tamil population. It is therefore important for the
constitution to be secular in this sense, only then a national state could be made and sustained. In
England a referendum held to decide whether England and Scotland would be separated, despite
that the two regions follow the same religion and state is neutral to religion while making decisions.
This strengthens that for a nation to stand united and strong it is important to have a constitution
which makes space for different religious identities and at the same time ensures equality before
law. So secularism is not just a slogan, but it is a constitution necessity.
E
9. Intolerance to any viewpoint or eating habit or culture is not only alien to Indian way of
life, but it is unscientific, irrational, & threatens India's rise as global super-power. Do you
agree with the statement? Discuss with respect to certain incidents in recent past which
OR
has displayed signs of intolerance.
Hints:
• India since ages has been a symbol of tolerance. It has given refuge to every single group
which has faced persecution in any part of world. For example Parsis who were persecuted
in Iran after the rise of Islam were welcomed with open heart by India, even the Jews who
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were persecuted in both west Asia and Europe was welcomed and accepted by India, and
India was the only country in the world where antiSemitism feeling has never been prevalent.
• In ancient India also in Hinduism there were many streams of thought which were completely
antagonistic to each other. Thus in Hinduism we had different school of thought which had
firm belief in existence of god and also power of rituals on the other hand we had schools
like Charvakha who completely denied existence of god, however, all these conflicting
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viewpoints were tolerated in India.

• The Mauryans and Guptas respected and tolerated religions other than those practiced by
them. Thus, eventhough Guptas were vaishnaivites still they gave equal patronage to Buddhism
and Jainism.
• Intolerance therefore is alien to Indian way of life.It is irrational and unscientific since there
is no systematic analysis based on real facts for perpetuating intolerance instead it sustains
on rumours, myths and claiming your way, culture and traditions as the best.
• In recent times, several incidences took place in India which has displayed a sense of
intolerance towards food habits, traditions and culture and religious practices of other religious
group and this intolerance is perpetuated by both the majority and minority community. For
example a man is killed near Delhi on the suspicion of eating beef is a prime example of
increasing intolerance in India. Repeatedly we hear incidents of harassment of many people
eating beef.
• There has also been increasing intolerance with respect to criticism of any political leader,
with followers of the leader trolling and harassing those who criticize any act of a leader
or who didn’t share the viewpoint of general masses. India has great tradition of healthy
debates however somehow the space for debate on public forum is shrinking. Recently a
student in UP was arrested for writing something about a powerful leader in UP.
• There are also increasing incidents of minority intolerance which could be seen from cutting
hands of professor in Kerala for writing something against Islam and also the recent Malda
violence also symbolize increasing intolerance among minority community.
• Intolerance also threatens India’s rise as global superpower because intolerance gives bad
name to India, it also disturbs peace and harmony of a country, it will also make India
vulnerable to radicalization of minority community and rise of ISIS and no foreign investor
would come to India if the atmosphere is not harmonious and peaceful, also the dream
projects of this government like Make in India could only become successful if there is
tolerance in society.
10. Communalism puts the Indian society in a very conflicting situation and has disrupted
national unity, shattered religious brotherhood, and has endangered political stability. Do
you agree? Discuss in context of the growth of communalism in India since independence.
Hints:
• India is a secular State. Secular means nonreligious, but in the context of Indian polity, it
E
means the coexistence of all religions without any kind of discrimination. But as India has
been a multireligious society since more than Millennia, the religious pluralism and the
contradictions between the faiths tend to create communal identities, which in turn develop
OR
to a stage of communalism, when passing through the democratic process. Religion, when
deliberately used as a tool for attaining political gains nourishes the growth of communalism
further.
• The causes of Communalism in modern era are competition for share in political power or
government jobs. Religion is not its fundamental cause but an instrumental cause which is
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deliberately formed using religious indifferences and misconceptions, economic disparities,

feeling of insecurity, etc.
• Communalism puts the Indian society in a very conflicting situation and disrupts the social
unity due to distrust and animosity among different communities of India.
• Communal violence takes innocent lives, destroys individual and national property and kills
the spirit of love, affection and humanism. Cultural unity lapses. The thread of cultural,
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socioeconomic and political unity has been cut into pieces by incidents of communal violence.
Religious places have been used as the stage for the political artists to exhibit the skill for the
communal disharmony.
• The pressure and persistence of strong negative feelings and their manifestations in attitudes
and behaviours of the relevant sections of the dominant, have adverse effects on the socio
economic and political life of the minority.
• Growth of communalism in India is ingrained in the British Policy of Divide and Rule.
• The Independence was accompanied by partition of the country on the basis of religion. It
delivered a major blow to the national unity & territorial integrity. It legitimized the 'two
nation theory' of Jinnah that was patronized by the British to serve their colonial interests.
Simultaneously, it destroyed the religious brotherhood so painstakingly built up by freedom
fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Azad etc.
• Millions of people including children & women were butchered in the communal riots
that followed the partition. The migration that occurred after the partition of British India
is one of the largest in human history.
• Since independence the class division of society and the backwardness of our economy
resulted in unequal and unbalanced economy.
• It is the upper classes of the less developed communities that have enjoyed the fruits of
limited growth and have hence enjoyed the political power.
• In order to draw support from their own communities, these leaders have always encouraged
communal feelings to strengthen their political support.
• In the recent years, the hazards of communalism have reached an alarming height.
In order to bring down such incidents, there is a need for a radical change in mentality, and
one must learn to respect all other religions. It is important to create a faith in all minor
religious communities, that their feelings, faiths, ways, and places of worship would be
tolerated anyway. Respect for their thoughts and customs should be aroused. Political parties
should keep themselves away from the communal issues, or the issues that threat the
communalism. This is the only easy way, that the unity and integrity can be kept safe and
secure.
11. Lack of employment in India is leading to growth of regionalism in India than the affiliation
E
to particular region. Do you agree with the statement?
Hints:
•
OR
Regionalism describes situations in which different religious or ethnic groups with distinctive
identities coexist within the same state boundaries, often concentrated within a particular
region and sharing strong feelings of collective identity. Regionalism stands for the love of
a particular region or an area in preference to the nation or any other region. It often
involves ethnic groups whose aims include independence from a nationstate and the
development of their own political power.
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• In Indian context, regionalism refers to assertion of distinct ethnic, linguistic or economic

interests by various groups within the nation. Since the roots of regionalism lie in linguistic,
ethnic, economic and cultural identities of the people living in specific geographical area,
political scholars have treated various forms of regionalism which include economic
regionalism, linguistic regionalism, political regionalism and even subregional movements in
the general frame of regionalism.
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• In other words, it is the manifestation of those neglected sociopolitical elements which fail
to find expression in the mainstream polity and culture. These feelings of frustration and
anger resulting from exclusion and neglect find expression in regionalism.
• This is leading to rise of conflicts within the society more because of unequal regional
development rather than affiliation for particular region.
• The friction has been more intense in states and cities where 'outsiders' have greater access
to higher education and occupied more middleclass positions in government service,
professions and industry and engaged in small businesses, such as smallscale industry and
shop keeping.
• The economy's failure to create enough employment opportunities for the recently educated
created an acute scarcity of jobs, and led to intense competition for the available jobs during
the sixties and seventies. The major job opportunities that opened up after 1952 were in
government service and the public sector enterprises. Popular mobilization and the democratic
political process could therefore be used by the majority linguistic group to put pressure on
the government to appropriate employment and educational avenues and opportunities.
Some groups could then take advantage of 'the sons of the soil' sentiment for gaining
political power.
• The problem was aggravated in a number of cities or regions because the speakers of the
state language were in a minority or had a bare majority. For example, in Mumbai, in 1961,
the Marathispeakers constituted 42.8 per cent of the population. In Bangalore, the Kannada
speakers were less than 25 per cent. In Calcutta, the Bengalis formed a bare majority. In the
urban areas of Assam, barely 33 per cent were Assamese. After 1951 the rate of migration
into the cities accelerated.
• Thus, the need of the hour is to develop a realistic perception of regionalism at the conceptual
level focusing on righteousness and judicious outlook maintaining unity in diversity.
POPULATION POLICY
12. What are the main indicators of quantity and quality of population of a country? On the
basis of standard indicators, evaluate India's demographic progress.
Hints:
Population is one of the most important variables that determine the growth of a country. Population
E
is strength of an economy on the one hand if it is optimum, healthy, skillful and productive.
Population is a burden if it is far higher in comparison to resources a country has or it is a constraint
OR
if it is far less in comparison to the resources.
Population of a country could be viewed in its quantitative dimension, i.e., the total population
(absolute number), birth rate, death rate, its rate of growth decadal as well as annual growth rate,
number of males, females, dependency ratio, spatial distribution of population etc.
The qualitative dimensions of population include sex ratio, life expectancy, literacy, poverty, economic
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activities, urbanization etc. telling us respectively about the status of girl children, health, education,
standard of living, occupational pattern, modernization etc.
India has come a long way in its demographic transition. Its demographic transition, started since
the great dividing year 1921before that it was in the first stage of demographic transition high
birth rate and high death rate. After independence as clinical and health facilities and living standard
of people increased, India entered into the second stage of demographic transition with high birth
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rate and low death rate.

India started its family planning and community development programme since 1950s, it helped
improve both the quantitative as well as its qualitative dimensions. The annual growth rate of
population increased to 2.3 per cent by 1961and a stage came when the gap between the birth rate
and death rate became the highest. India's population This stage of population explosion was seen
in India very clearly in the decade of 19611971. India's population increased from 30 crore at the
time of independence to about 60 crore in 1971.Thereafter India pursued a coercion based population
policy for some seven years to contain its ballooning population. This policy boomeranged and the
government had to give political price for the same.
After 1977, India embraced a development oriented and people's participation based population
policy. This policy improved both the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of the population.
The population growth rate decadal as well as annual came down.
Today rate of population growth stands at 1.5 per cent per annum. Infant mortality and mortality
ratios have come down. The literacy ratio and life expectancy have increased. Population below the
poverty line is continuously declining and per capita income has increased at the rate of 67 per
cent as compared to the period before 1971. The dependency ratio has gone down while working
population age group1560) has increased and India is poised to reap the advantages of demographic
transition.
The occupational pattern has shifted away from agriculture and people are now getting an increased
amount of employment in the services sector and industrial sector, although agriculture still remains
to be largest employer. Although sex ratio in India had been continuously falling, the Census 2011
shows that it has improved a little bit; still sex ratio among children has deteriorated.
The greatest matter of concern however today is that India has an adverse sex ratio and high
maternal and infant mortality ratio indicating towards both social discrimination as well as lack of
health facilities and poor nutrition. The level of urbanization has also stagnated for last three decades
or grown sluggishly remaining at 30 per cent of population.
13. Delineate transition in India's population policy and critically analyze its social effects.
Hints:
India has a long history of a population control policy with marked shifts in every decade throughout
the twentieth century. The population policy in India started in 1952 with the objective of family
planning. It focussed on educating public about family planning and making family planning
counseling an integral part of services in hospitals & health centres.
E
Fertility control was seen as a sole aim of population programmes, and sterilization was chosen as
the easiest way of achieving it. The focus was clearly articulated on incentive based, target oriented
& sterilization focused family planning.
OR
During emergency in 1976, government went out for a massive drive for compulsory sterilization.
It led to widespread misuse of power to round up people for mass vasectomy camps.
Thus the government changed its population policy from family planning to family welfare. The
family welfare programme worked on voluntary methods for solving population problem and
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integrated family planning services with those of health, maternity, child care and nutrition. This
led to paradigm change that addressed the population issue through an integrated lens of social
and economic development and not just as a means to lower fertility.
Further in tune with human development approach, the framework for the Reproductive and
Child Health programme was developed which spoke of a women's right to quality services for safe
delivery as well as information and access to family planning services. The programme linked
maternal health services with immunization and public health interventions. It planned responsible
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parenthood, with a two child norm, through an independent choice of the family planning method
best suited to the acceptor based on economic limits of the family.
Currently family welfare programme places more thrust on spacing methods (especially PPIUCD
and IUCD) which encompasses the maternal and child health, adolescent health along with Family
Panning.
The change in population policies highlighted the importance of the overall goal of raising individuals'
well being and quality of their lives and to identity such issues as population size, the national
population growth rate, gender equality as instrument & interventions to promote individual welfare.
But the recent sterilization deaths in Bilaspur highlighted the dark side of the population policy in
which cash incentives to women, physicians & health workers are provided for family planning
programmes but the basic women and child health are ignored to meet the target set by the
government.
Supplementary Notes
Key Indicators under Family Planning
• Total Fertility Rate (TFR) 2.5: Average number of children that would be born to a woman
over her reproductive span.
• Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) 54%: Percentage of eligible couples protected by
some method of contraception.
• Unmet Need 21.3%: Percentage of women who do not want to have next child but are
not using any contraception.
National Population Policy, 2000
The National Population Policy, 2000 (NPP 2000) provides a policy framework for advancing goals
and prioritizing strategies to meet the reproductive and child health needs of the people of India,
and to achieve net replacement levels of fertility (i.e., TFR 2.1) by 2010. National SocioDemographic
Goals formulated to achieve the objectives of NPP, envisaged to
• Address the unmet needs for basic reproductive and child health services, supplies and
infrastructure and to promote vigorously the small family norm to achieve replacement
levels of TFR.
• Achieve 80 percent institutional deliveries and 100 percent deliveries by trained persons.
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• Reduce infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1000 live births, maternal mortality ratio to
below 100 per 100,000 live births, 100% registration of all births, deaths and pregnancies
OR
and achieve universal immunization of children against all vaccine preventable diseases.
• Promote delayed marriage for girls, not earlier than age 18 and preferably after 20 years of age.
• Achieve universal access to information/counselling, and services for fertility regulation and
contraception with a wide basket of choices.
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• Bring about convergence in implementation of related social sector programs so that family
welfare becomes a people centred programme.
Total Fertility Rate is still 2.6 at National level and scenario is diverse across states. Nine states are
well above the replacement level fertility (TFR >3); twelve states/UTs are at threshold of achieving
the replacement level of fertility (TFR 2.13) while 11 state and 3 UTs have already achieved the
replacement level of fertility, i.e., <2.1.
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The States also differ widely in terms of health indicators, nutritional status and socioeconomic
situation. Practice of family planning is also low in the states where the other indicators are poor.
Therefore, addressing population growth in the states with high fertility require a comprehensive
approach to population stabilization based on social and economic development and improvements
in the quality of life of people.
Key Thrust Areas - 12th Five Year Plan : Family Planning
• Addressing the unmet need in contraception through introduction of newer contraceptives.
• Strengthening family planning service delivery, especially PostPartum Sterilisation in high
case load facilities.
• Enlisting private/NGO facilities to improve the provider base for family planning services.
• Community based distribution of contraceptives through ASHAs.
• Vigorous advocacy of family planning at all levels specially at the highest political level.
Strategies to Achieve Thrust Areas:
• Strengthening human resource structures (for programme management) at all levels (national,
state and district).
• Introduction of a dedicated counsellor for family planning at district hospitals and high case
load facilities.
• Marketing of contraceptives at households through ASHAs at nominal charges.
• Improving compensation package (both for providers and acceptors) for sterilisation services.
• Introducing Multi load IUD (375) as a short term spacing method to improve IUD acceptance.
• Performance Linked Payment Plan to ASHAs for improving retention and usage of IUDs.
• Enlisting more number of private providers/NGOs for provision of services.
• Ensuring vigorous advocacy.
14. Critics point out that India's Population Control Policy is soft towards the male participant,
which has led to many negative implications for women. Highlight those implications and
also point out what changes are required in India's population policy?
E
Hints:
The objectives of National Population Policy 2000 is to stabilize the country’s population by 2045,
OR
creating health care infrastructure, increasing institution deliveries & bring TFR to replacement
level by 2010.
To achieve population control objectives government’s excessive reliance on women sterilizations
has negatively affected the women.
• Setting of targets & quota for states & districts for women sterilization has resulted in
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increasing number of botched surgery. Recent death of 14 women in government run

sterilization camp in Chhattisgarh highlighted the issue, however, central government had
denied of any such targets after 1998.
• Statistics show that despite female sterilization being invasive is more timeconsuming and
risky, the government has failed to encourage male sterilization, which is less invasive and
safer and needs little postoperative care. This factor contributed to pressure on women
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sterilization.
• Women get up to Rs.1000 (depending upon category) for sterilization, while men get up to
Rs.1500, but health advocates worry that paying women may be dangerous. ‘The payment
is a form of coercion, especially when you are dealing with marginalized communities.’
• There is a lack of counseling and poor management of side effects for women who undergo
permanent and temporary contraception. This has led to increased number of postsurgery
infection & health issues among uneducated women of remote communities.
Suggested changes in India’s National population policies:
• Government should focus on expansion of the bouquet of temporary contraceptive measures
like oral pills, copper T, condoms, Implants (silicon rods) & enhance literacy of rural women
on heath & pregnancy issues.
• New population policy must address the issue of unplanned migration to the metros and
large cities which puts pressure on the infrastructure, housing and water availability. If this
is factored into of the population policy, it would make for more foresight and greater
coordination, and avoid the inevitable outcome of mushrooming slums and unplanned
habitations.
• Universal social security for elders & the business opportunity to match the growing needs
of this population cohort after factoring in their growing disability needs to be a part of the
population policy.
• Population policy must address the skewed female and child sex ratio which is spreading
from urban into rural areas.
• Citing data, activists and healthcare professionals are demanding that the Centre focus on
male sterilization.
National Population Policy 2000 has resulted in several positive outcomes like increased number of
institutional deliveries, improved health infrastructure, however, it missed on several key targets of
IMR, MMR,& TFR. Worsening child sex ratio is an emerging issue in population dynamics. New
Population Policy should take care of these challenges & provide a realistic solution for these.
Supplementary Notes
What is National Population Policy?
E
• Measures formulated by a range of social institutions including Government which may
influence the size, distribution or composition of human population (Driver, 1972).
OR
• A deliberate effort by a national government to influence the demographic variables like
fertility, mortality and migration.
National Population Policy –Milestones:
• 1946 Bhore Committee Report
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• 1952 Family Planning Programme

• 1976 Statement of National Population Policy
• 1977 Policy Statement of Family Welfare Programme
• 1983 National Health Policy emphasized the need
• 1991 National Development Council appointed a Committee
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• 1993 Dr. Swaminathan group prepared a Draft and discussed by cabinet and then Parliament
• 1991 Circulated and requested comments from Central and State Agencies
• 1997 Promised to announce this policy in near future
• 1999 Another Draft Policy was finished and finalized it on 19th Nov.
NPP 2000:
Immediate Objective
To address the unmet needs for contraception, health care infrastructure and health personnel and
to provide integrated service delivery for basic reproductive and child health care.
Medium- term Objective
To bring the TFR to replacement level by 2010, through vigorous implication of intersectorial
operational strategies
Long – term Objective
To achieve a stable population by 2045, at a level consistent with the requirements of sustainable
economic growth, social development and environmental protection.
NATIONAL SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC GOALS FOR 2010:
1. Address the unmet needs for basic RCH services, supplies and infrastructure.
2. Make school education up to age 14 years free and compulsory, and reduce drop outs rate
from primary and secondary school levels to below 20 percent for both boys and girls.
3. Reduce IMR to 30/1000 live births
4. Reduce maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to less than 100 per 1000 live births
5. Achieve universal immunization of children against all Vaccine Preventable Disease (VPD).
6. Promote delayed marriage for girls, at age not less than 18 andpreferable after 20 years.
7. Achieve 80% institutional delivery and 100% by trained personnel’s
8. Achieve universal access to information/ counseling services for fertility regulation and
contraceptive with wide basket of choices
E
9. Achieve 100% registration of births, deaths, marriage, and pregnancy.
10. Containment of AIDS,and greater integration between the management of AIDS and STD.
OR
11. Prevention and control of communicable diseases.
12. Integration of Indian system of medicine in provision of RCH services, and in reaching out
to households.
13. Promote small family norm to achieve replacement level of Total Fertility Rate 2.1.
SC
14. Bring about convergence in implementation of related social sector programmes so that
family welfare become people centered programme
MAJOR STRATEGIC THEMES FOR THE NPP-2000:
Strategic themes must be simultaneously pursued in “stand alone” or intersectoral programmes in
order to achieve the national sociodemographic goals for 2010. Following strategic themes are
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presented in the policy:

• Decentralized planning and programme implementation
• Availability of services delivery at village levels
• Empowering women for improved health and nutrition
• Child survival and child health
• Meeting the unmet needs for Family Welfare Services
• Greater emphasis for underserved population group
• Urban Slums, Tribal communities, Hill Area populations and displaced and migrant
populations, adolescents ,increased participation of men in planned parenthood
• Diverse health care providers
• Collaboration with the commitments from private agencies and NGOs
• Involvement of Indian system of medicine in delivery of RCH services
• Contraceptive technology and research in RCH
• Providing health care and support for the older population
• Information, Education and Communication.
15. What do you understand by the replacement fertility rate? When India is expected to
achieve this as per latest statistical estimate? What are the major impediments in achieving
this target?
Hints:
• Replacement level fertility is achieved when the total fertility rate is such that numbers of
new born are equal to number of people dying during a given time frame. At this rate,
population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next, without migration. This
rate is roughly 2.1 children per woman for most countries, although it may modestly vary
with mortality rate.
• According to the 2013 data for the Sample Registration Survey (SRS) conducted by the
Registrar General of India, the country is on track to reach replacement levels of fertility as
E
soon as 2020.
Impediments in achieving this target:
OR
(a) Weak performance of BIMARU States: In 2013, for instance, the states with a TFR higher
than the national average were (in descending order were) Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Due to lack of political will, traditional
thinking and low literacy level it is difficult for these states to reduce their fertility rate.
(b) Lack of alternative options of birth control: In India, government gives maximum attention
SC
to promoting vasectomy and tubectomy method of birth control. Other methods of birth
control like condoms, CopperT, IUD, Oral pills,etc. are largely ignored by government. Even
common people’s awareness about other methods is largely limited. Since surgery is generally
considered burdensome by people this leads to large population in India using no methods
of protection.
(c) Poverty and illiteracy: Poverty is rampant in India, though it has decreased in recent years
but still according to Rangarajan panel reports, 29% of the population in India is poor. In
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poor families, there is a myth that more family members mean more workers which means
more income therefore they go for large number of children. Despite drastic reduction in
illiteracy in India still 26% of Indians are illiterate and generally illiterate people have high
fertility rate.
(d) Preference for male child: In India, people generally keep on having children till they don’t
get male child which leads to high fertility rate. This problem is rampant in north Indian
states. Though in recent years due to number of schemes like Beti bachao Beti padhao,Sukanya
Samriddhi Yojana, Dhanlaxmi government is trying to change the attitude of the people.
Still lot of efforts are needed to actually change the attitude of people towards the birth of
girl child.
Supplementary Notes
Other reasons of High fertility rate in India
1. Early and Universal Marriage:
In India, marriage is a social compulsion. It is not only universal but takes place at an early age.
About 80 per cent girls are married during the most fertile period of 15 to 20 yrs. of age. But in
developed countries like U.K., the percentage of unmarried girls aged 30 and aged 41 in USA is
quite high.
2. Joint Family System:
India is mainly an agricultural country. The social structure is dominated by the joint family system.
An additional child born causes no immediate hardships to the parents. This factor is also responsible
for high birth rate.
3. High Infant Mortality:
Infant mortality rate is very high in India due to hunger, malnutrition and poor living conditions.
So the fear of early death of their infants encourages the parents to have more children.
4. Effect of Religion:
In India, religion plays a major role in large size families. A son is must to provide continuity to
family legacy. Even after so many girls in the family, the desire for one son prompts parents to
continue with their child producing activity.
5. Inadequate Recreational Facilities:
E
Due to poverty, people have very little entertainment facilities. Sex is the only entertainment with
most of the people. So birth rate increases. OR
16. While Family planning is an important aspect of career planning for women, lack of
sensitivity and social support can affect her decision making. Discuss in light of recent
decision of government to increase the maternity leaves for working women?
Hints:
Family planning is the practice of controlling the number of children one has and the intervals
SC
between their births, particularly by means of contraception or voluntary sterilization.

In India even though number of working women has increased in recent years but still the women
labour participation ratio is one of the lowest in the world.
Most of working women generally go for family planning, however, in India due to lack of social
support and maternity leaves it affects her career negatively. One of the reasons for low labour
participation of women in India is lack of social support and maternity leave and facilities for
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women which forces her to quit her job and which ultimately affects her career progression negatively.
Recently the union government has proposed to increase the maternity leave for women employed
in private firms from the existing 12 weeks to 26 weeks. In that maternity leave period women will
be given full wages.
Along with this ministry of labour is to require ensuring that all establishments with 30 women
workers or 50 total workers to provide crèche facilities for their employees, either at the premises or
within half a kilometre.
Benefits of this decision
• This would positively affect career progression of the women, since it would incentivize
women not to leave their job in order to raise children adequately.
• Secondly it would create a right balance between the duties of the motherhood and working
professional.
Issues
• While the government’s move is a positive one, private companies could accuse it of too
much interference. It would make companies think twice before hiring women employees,
especially because maternity leaves would be paid leaves.
So, in order to balance the professional and personal decision making of women it is necessary to
ensure that she gets family and social support in the society. Only then the larger purpose of this
move will be achieved.
Supplementary Notes
While male participation is high, the female labour force participation (FLFP) has been dropping at
an alarming rate. According to data from National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), it fell
from a high point above 40 per cent in the earlytomid 1990s to 29.4 per cent in 200405, 23.3 per
cent in 200910 and 22.5 per cent in 201112.
Using different data, a report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) found that by 2009
10, India’s FLFP was ranked 11th from the bottom out of 131 countries.
Why are women dropping out?
• Research suggests it’s driven by both the demand and supply side of the labour market. On
the supply side, economists have long noted a Ushaped relationship between years of
E
education and FLFP, not just in India but elsewhere.
• At very low levels of education and income, women have no choice but to work to help
OR
support the family. But as men in the family start earning more income, women tend to cut
back their work in the formal economy to concentrate more on household activities. It is the
women in the middle those who are literate but have at most some schooling or have only
completed high school who are squeezed both by the pressure to stay at home and by a
lack of plentiful jobs that match their intermediate level of skills and education. But then, at
higher levels of education and income, women reenter the workforce through wellpaying
jobs that match their education and skills
SC
• Lack of maternity leaves and benefit also a contributing factor in decreasing Female labour
participation rate.
• Social mores play a major role. For instance, women’s economic participation is highest in
the northeastern states, where women traditionally enjoy a higher status in society.
• Increasing opportunities of education for women has led to women continuing with education
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for much larger period leading to reduction in female labour participation rate.
IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON SOCIETY
17. Globalization has brought out a structural transformation in Urban India, right at the level
of family, increasing the social conflicts and their content. Discuss.
Hints:
• With the advent of globalisation, the world has, in words of Friedman, become ‘flat’ bridging
the gap between ‘time’ and ‘space.’
• Due to globalization, the movement of people from rural to urban areas has accelerated, and
the growth of cities in the developing world especially is linked to substandard living for
many.
• Impact of globalization:
a) Family disruption and social and domestic violence are increasing as family values are
deteriorating due to globalisation.
b) Concepts of national identity, and of family, job and tradition are changing rapidly and
significantly.
c) Competitiveness introduced by globalization is leading to more individualistic societies.
d) Threats to the human rights of less able people have increased.
e) Migration of younger generation from rural to urban areas and from one urban center
to another as well as transnational migration has resulted in the elderly being left to
feed themselves at a time when family support becomes more crucial.
f) Rapid change is encouraging fundamentalism, a desire for the past, and a loss of
tolerance for differences in religion and culture.
g) Globalization and marginalization go hand in hand as millions of poor farmers, rural
laborers, urban unemployed, slumdwellers, refugees, street children, and the millions
displaced by ‘the development’ projects are leading a miserable life.
h) It is also redefining women’s relationship to family and larger society bringing in new
conflicts.
18. While Globalization has destroyed many traditional practices and Industries in India, it
E
has also given new lease of life to some of them, who were on the ventilator. Examine.
Hints:
OR
Globalization (or globalisation) is the process of international integration arising from the interchange
of world views, products, ideas and mutual sharing, and other aspects of culture
• Though largescale globalization began in the 19th century however globalization in modern
sense entered India after 1991 reforms.
SC
• Globalization in India has destroyed many Traditional Practices and industries. For example,
under the influence of globalization joint family system is breaking down, as concept of
individualism is becoming popular due to greater access to western culture and norms as
promoted by globalization. Similarly premarital sex and livein relationships were taboo in
India, but they have been becoming more prevalent as a result of globalization.
• Similarly some traditional handloom industries were wiped out due to globalization as they
could not face the international competition unleashed by the forces of globalization. Industries
GS
like jute suffered badly due to competition from Bangladesh and South EastAsian countries.
• However, though Globalization has badly affected many traditional practices and industries,
it has also given a lease of life to many on ventilator. Yoga is the biggest example of this
because almost all of India had forgotten this ancient Indian practice. However, due to
globalization, it became popular in the west, which attracted attention of Indians themselves
towards this almost extinct meditational practice and today Yoga has again regained its lost
glory and today it employs a lot of people as a section of health care industry.
• Similarly we had almost forgotten wearing of our ethnic and traditional dresses, but due to
globalization it became popular in the west which reignited our attention to these wardrobes
and currently they are again wore by Indians in marriages and functions and thus, has
given employment to small town skilled textile workers, for example, jari and embroidery
based works.
• Even Indian classical music which had almost lost its audience in India was given relief
because of globalization. Since due to globalization it spread much quickly into the west and
Sitar and Sarod had currently become very popular instrument in the west. Due to this new
generation of musicians are emerging in these classical instruments.
• Outsourcing Industry was given a new lease due to globalization and currently 3 million
people are employed in IT sector.
Supplementary Notes
Effect of globalization on Indian economy and society
(1) Effect of Globalisation on Students and Education Sectors:

Due to globalisation, the availability of study books and information on the internet or the World
Wide Web (www) have increased tremendously. However, the exorbitant cost factors have made
higher and specialised education beyond the reach of poor and middle class students. Hundreds of
foreign universities have started collaborating with Indian universities and study institutions. This
has affected the course fees. For Engineering, Medical and Management studies, the course fees are
hovering around Rs.20 to Rs.50 lakhs. Intelligent students from middle and poor class may have to
settle for daily wages earning in future as they cannot afford for the same.
(2) Effect on Health Sectors:
It is unbelievable that in India, poor people have to spend a minimum of Rs.200 for a mere seasonal
E
cold or minor stomach ailments, thanks to the multinationals pharmaceutical companies engaged
in sky rocketing cost of common medicines under their brand names. The private sector hospitals
like Apollo, Medicare will be only too happy to prepare a bill of Rs.5 lakh to Rs.10 lakh for heart or
OR
Kidney operation. The monitoring of health electronically through the internet will worsen the
situation further in the years to come. Death will be the easiest option for poor following the effect
of globalisation in health sector.
(3) Effect on Agricultural sector:
SC
The globalisation of trade in the agricultural sector is perhaps proving to be a big blunder. The
farmers will have to pay a very heavy price, for better variety of imported seeds having resistance to
diseases, because of the patent rights imposed by WTO. Over and above, the Indian farmer cannot
export their products to rich countries because of inferior technology and stringent quality parameters
imposed by foreign consumers. The large scale suicide by Indian farmers in Karnataka, Punjab and
Haryana under the burden of heavy loans is directly attributed to this.
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(4) Effect on Employment sector:
The employment scenario in India is probably the worst in recent years due to globalisation. The
restrictions of use of child labour and fair pay to workers have a badly affected the traditional
industries like cottage, handloom, artisans and carving, carpet, jewellery, ceramic, and glassware
etc., where the specialised skills inherited for generations were passed on to the next generation
from the early age of 6 to 7 years. The globalisation and trade restrictions under the influence of
WTO have virtually killed business in these sectors.
Other impacts on society
Impact
1. Nuclear families are emerging.
2. Divorce rates are rising day by day.
3. Men and women are gaining equal right to education, to earn, and to speak.
4. ‘Hi’, ‘Hello’ is used to greet people in spite of Namaskar and Namaste.
5. American festivals like Valentine ’s Day, Friendship day etc. are spreading across India.
19. "The pattern of employment and labour market has undergone some significant changes
under the forces of globalization and liberalization". What are these and what are their
social and cultural implications for India?
Hints:
Broadly speaking, the term ‘globalization’ means integration of economies and societies through
cross country flows of information, ideas, technologies, goods, services, capital, finance and people.
Cross border integration can have several dimensions – cultural, social, political and economic. The
current wave of globalization, which started after 1991 had profound effects on the labour market
and the employment situation of workers all over the world.
The processes of globalisation and privatisation, with their emphasis on growth as the primary
objective and employment generation as a trickledown effect, have affected labour and employment
conditions in India in several ways.
The changes in pattern of employment and labour market are described as below:
E
• The rate of growth of the labour force has been in tune with the growth of population but
there are low female work participation, though the opportunities are increasing.
OR
• The post reform period has witnessed an increasing tendency towards flexible employment.
Even in the public sector the share of informal employment increased from 29.6% in 1999
2000 to 33.6% in 20042005. The rate of growth of female employment in the public sector
turned negative. The process of informalisation has become entrenched.
• The share of conduct workers in the organized manufacturing sector increased to 30% in
200607.
SC
• More jobs have been created in the services sector and construction for the skilled and semi
skilled population but the main employing sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing
are characterized by sluggish growth in employment.
• The new employment opportunities have been created mostly in selected regions where
globalization and liberalisation has brought new investments.
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The social & cultural implications of the change in pattern of employment are discussed as follows.
• Deregulation & privatisation of state enterprises has resulted in job insecurity of the labourer
& worsening of labour welfare, since due to evolution of vender system of subcontracting
there is no checking system for their welfare.
• Further, the inequality in canings has increased between ‘blue colour’ workers & clerical,
supervisory and managerial staff known as white colour workers. The only silver lining is
that there has been a rise in real wages, though with wide, variations across the board.
• Women have entered the labour force in large numbers but this did not ensure better states
for women as the industries where women were mostly engaged happened to the highly
labour intensive, service omitted & poorly paid.
• Globalisation has increased the trend of migration both domestic international which has
social & cultural implications on both source & destination region. This, had lead to a drastic
change in cultural exposure of people as urban housing patterns are much different from
religiously and caste segregated households in rural areas making people more tolerant
towards other religions and caste.
• However, ghettoization of some communities in few cities has also lead to increase in social
unrest and cultural clashes.
• A number of jobs have emerged in BPO and other services sector, where workshifts often
go till late in night and thus, women security has also become a big issue, with increase in
crimes against such women.
Supplementary Notes
Measure of employment in India
The NSSO has defined ‘work’ or ‘gainful activity’ as the activity pursued for pay, profit or family
gain or in other words, the activity which adds value to the national product. Normally, it is an
activity, which results in production of goods and services for exchange. However, all activities in
‘agricultural sector’ in which a part or whole of the agricultural production is used for own
consumption and does not go for sale are also considered as gainful. The unemployment rate in
India is measured in three ways based on National Sample Survey (NSS) data: based on usual
status (US), current weekly status (CWS) and current daily status (CDS). The unemployment rate
based on usual status indicates the magnitude of the persons unemployed for a relatively longer
period and approximates to an indicator of the chronically unemployed. The weekly status includes
E
both chronic and intermittent unemployment of workers categorized as usually employed, caused
by seasonal fluctuations in the labour market. The daily status concept gives an average picture of
unemployment on a day during the survey year. Unlike US and CWS which refer to unemployed
OR
persons, CDS refers to the person days unemployed.
The labour force participation rate indicates about the percentage of population who are already
engaged in any kind of work and those who are ready to work given the employment opportunity.
In other words the labour force includes both the workers or the employed and the unemployed.
India would be the second largest country in the world in terms of the size of the labour force.
SC
Further the measure of work participation rate presents the percentage of persons who actually
worked or employed in the total population. The WPR at All India level based on usual principal
status is estimated at 508 persons out of 1000 persons; which signifies that about 51 per cent of the
population of age 15 years & above is employed.
Whereas the proportion of workers in organised and unorganised workers measures the quality of
employment in India. Increasing share of employment in unorganised sector reflect deterioration in
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the quality of employment because workers’ earnings, regularity of employment, work environment
and social security vastly differ between organised and unorganized sector. Workers in organised
sector have better wages and salaries, job security, reasonably decent working conditions and social
protection against risks such as sickness, injuries, disability and death arising out of hazards, accident
at works, separations and old age. Those in the unorganised sector apart from insecurity of job
generally have no protection against these risks, have low earning, often lower than the modest
statutory minimum wages and have no regularity. An increase in the share of unorganised
employment obviously means an overall deterioration in the quality of employment.
Another dimension of deterioration in the quality of employment can be examined in terms of low
earning, irregularity and uncertainty of work availability, poor condition of work and lack of social
protection and vulnerability to the risks and hazards is seen in the increase in the casualisation of
the work force.
In the 12th Five Year Plan the thrust of the Government is in bringing about an inclusive growth
strategy that will provide job opportunities as well as make the youth of the country employable.
The main focus areas are:
a. Thrust on Manufacturing Sector to make it the engine of employment growth that would
create 100 million additional jobs by 2025.
b. To bring in supportive policies to incentivise labour intensive manufacturing sectors such as
textile & garments, leather & footwear, food processing, gems & jewellery to generate more
employment opportunities.
c. Expanding employment in services like IT, finance & banking, tourism, trade & transport.
d. Prioritizing skill training for the informal sector; creation of appropriate skill sets among
rural migrants and urban poor to make growth inclusive.
e. Ensuring the employability of skilled persons by involving Sector Skill Councils in preparation
of Skill Modules matching market demand.
f. Building on the potential of Modular Employable Skill Programme by ensuring combination
of modules to ensure employability.
g. Extending Social Security benefits to Unorganized sector Workers.
h. Enable skill loans for poor students (Credit Guarantee Fund)
E
i. Streamlining the skill development programs for disadvantaged sections to ensure much
larger funding for skill development. OR
j. Setting up of National Skill Registry to link data bases across Ministries/States to provide a
platform linking people who seek/provide employment.
20. Tribals in India have been on the receiving end of the globalization process. Critically
examine the effects of globalization on the tribal population in India.
Hints:
SC
Tribals are part of the Indian society, at the same time they are different. Age old exploitation and
repression of the tribals, have cut them off from the main stream of socioeconomic development of
the country as a whole.
The gains of globalization have so far accrued to those who already have education and skill
advantage, easier market access and possession of assets for use as collateral to access credit. For
the tribals, globalization is associated with rising prices, loss of job security, lack of healthcare and
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tribal development programmes.

The new economic policies have serious impact on the adivasi lives whose right over access to
natural resources, livelihood opportunities, right to primary education and health, protection from
atrocities and human rights abuses and the right to uphold their traditional and customary practices,
are under series threat due to the changes in laws and policies.
One of the ways of globalization in India is disinvestment or privatization. Many Public sector
Enterprises are being sold off to private sectors with the objective of raising revenues to meet the
fiscal deficits and to improve efficiency. Profit making enterprises like BALCO, which are in the
tribal belt, have been privatized.
Public Sector Enterprises in the tribal belt were beneficial to tribal people giving them employment
and livelihood. Privatization of these enterprises adversely affected the tribal people and disturb
the regional balance in terms of industrialization.
The new Industrial policy paved the way for Tribal Land alienation. This results in the alienation of
tribal lands for various purposes, like construction dams, mining projects, setting up of wildlife
sanctuaries, construction of government infrastructure and encroachments by nontribals.
The most serious threat to the adivasi people on the country today is the pressure on the Fifth
Schedule. Both Central and Several state governments are seriously making efforts to amend the
laws prescribed under Fifth Schedule and their corresponding state laws in order to allow private
and corporate players to take over tribal and forest lands.
Violation of the Fifth Schedule has occurred in many states like in Andhra Pradesh where the Land
Transfer Regulation Act was ignored while giving mining leases in Scheduled Areas to private
companies. Private mining has been taking place in Rajasthan, M.P, Odisha, Maharashtra and
other Fifth Schedule States.
While the adivasis have been displaced and pushed into the fringes of globalization, the natural
resources were victim to large scale destruction directly for industry purposes and indirectly by the
non tribals.
As a result the tribals ended up as debris in the globalised policies unable to access the resources
which were their life sustaining forces or to compete with the mainstream society to be absorbed
into alternate economies. Those absorbed in the new industries and projects were minimal compared
to the extent of displacement and the destruction of traditional livelihood.
Example:
E
Several Adivasi communities or indigenous people are spread over the Eastern Ghats across the
southern and eastern region of the Indian subcontinent. The macro economic and political policies
OR
of the state with their active promotion of globalisation have driven the adivasi people to the brink
of survival. The effects of globalisation have had far reaching consequences in the Eastern Ghats.
Over 360 families in the Lanjigada block of Orissa's Kalahandi district in eastern India have been
forcefully pushed to a cultural extinction. Though government policy decision prescribes that "all
development projects must be accompanied by a sensitive rehabilitation and employment package",
these indigenous people continue to suffer as the rehabilitation measures are not adequate.
SC
Supplementary Notes
Jawahar Lal Nehru's Tribal Policy of India
Nehru stood for economic and social development of the tribal people in multifarious ways, especially
in the fields of communication, modern medical facilities, agriculture and education. In this regard,
he laid down certain broad guidelines for government policy.
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First, the tribals should develop along the lines of their own genius; there should be no imposition or
compulsion from outside. The nontribals should not approach them with a superiority complex.
Rather, the understanding should be that they had an equal contribution to make to the evolution
of the common culture and social and political life of the country.
Second, tribal rights in land and forests should be respected and no outsider should be able to take
possession of tribal lands. The incursion of the market economy into tribal areas had to be strictly
controlled and regulated.
Third, it was necessary to encourage the tribal languages which 'must be given all possible support
and the conditions in which they can flourish must be safeguarded.'
Fourth, for administration, reliance should be placed on the tribal people themselves, and
administrators should be recruited from amongst them and trained. As few as possible outsiders
should be introduced as administrators in tribal areas and they should be carefully chosen. They
should have a sympathetic and understanding approach, and should not consider themselves superior
to or apart from the tribal people. They should be prepared to share their life with the tribal people
among whom they work.
Fifth, there should be no overadministration of tribal areas. The effort should be to administer and
develop them through the tribals own social and cultural institutions.

SOCIETY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE - II

Practice Questions
POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT

Q1. Critically discussed the government policies on unemployment in India. How we can
move from manual employment to quality employment?
E
Q2. Indian women are the main victims of poverty and malnutrition? Explain.
Q3. Growth is always accompanied by inequality, however, development is much more

OR
equitable and participatory. Do you agree and why? Explain with the help of examples.
Q4. The gap between rich and poor will further increase if environmental conservation is
ignored. Explain by illustrating the dynamics of relation between sustainability and
development.
SC
Q5. The poor are not simply lacking resources, but they also acquire a poverty-perpetuating
value system. Do you agree? Explain your stance with examples from Indian society.
INCLUSIVE GROWTH
Q6. Without inclusive growth, social empowerment will remain a pipe dream. Comment.
GS
Q7. The demographic dividend is fast becoming a demographic liability in India due to lack
of vocational education, skill formation and employment. Discuss.
WELFARE OF WEAKER SECTION

Q8. "Minority in India is not minority in terms of their absolute number, but their social,
economic and political stakes". Elucidate the statement with reference to Muslim
Community in India.
Q9. Drug Abuse has become a major social ill in some of the most prosperous regions of
India. Evaluate the social reasons for such widespread entrenchment of drugs in society,
particularly in youth and suggest ways to reduce its demand among the targeted group?
Q10. One of the most suffering lot in the rural and urban India today are the ageing people,
mostly the parents of migrating skilled and unskilled workers. Enumerate some of the
governmental and non-governmental initiatives to ameliorate their plight and suggest
measures for their improvement.
Q11. Women remain the 'second sex' even if they were economically empowered. Do you
agree? Give arguments in favour of your opinion.
[152] Society
Q12. 'A number of separate states have been carved out for Tribal population of India,
ranging from northeast to central India, but these steps have not been able to address
the real issues on ground'. Examine the major issues that affect Tribes of India and
explain how the laws that were created to protect them have alienated them from rest
of the society?
Q13. "Bringing attitudinal change is far more difficult than designing a law". Illustrate the
statement with respect to transgender rights in India and list out steps needed to bring
attitudinal changes in society related to their rights.
Q14. Internal displacement is not a natural, but a political calamity. Do you agree? Discuss
with example.
Q15. Who are the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in India? Examine why they
are classified as such and discuss their characteristics and social conditions?
E
VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS
OR
Q16. "NGOs are the agents of the state when looked from the broader perspective of
maintaining faith in the state." Comment.
Q17. Why the Civil Society interventions in India for development need to be increased?
Discuss whether the Civil Societies can be described as "development alternatives".
SC
Q18. Self-help groups (SHG) have contributed to a change in the role of rural women from
symbolic participation in social developmental process to empowerment. Critically
examine.
Q19. Women organizations in India have failed to reach out to the downtrodden and poor
rural women, rather they have succeeded mostly in addressing the issues of educated
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and urban women. Do you agree? Assess.
Q20. CSR in India has traditionally focused on education, healthcare, etc. however, by focusing
on improving livelihood, it may become a perfect opportunity for companies to achieve
two goals simultaneously, i.e., improve the well-being of the poor, while serving the
short and long term of companies. Illustrate.
Society [153]
SOCIETY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE - II

Answer
POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT

1. Critically discussed the government policies on unemployment in India. How we can move
from manual employment to quality employment?
E
Hints:
The employment situation in the Indian context has not been quite impressive particularly keeping
in view the unskilled and semiskilled work force. During 195070, Indian economy grew by 3.5 per
OR
cent against the projected growth of 5 per cent .per annum. Employment grew by 2 per cent per
annum while the growth in labor force was 2.5 per cent, thus, resulting in overall increase in
unemployment. During 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, a number of employment generation and poverty
alleviation schemes were implemented with thrusts on gainful employment to the people in the
labour force on one hand and improvement in level of income on the other.
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Some such schemes like Integrated Rural Development Programme, National Rural Employment
Programme and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) etc.
being presently pursued emerged as a vehicle to provide wage employment through public works
programme. It also saw emergence of schemes to promote selfemployment and entrepreneurship
through provision of assets, skills and other support to the unemployed and the poor. These steps
led to steady expansion of employment levels.
However, the rate of growth of employment lagged behind the rate of growth of labour force. A
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notable rising trend has been observed in unemployment among educated youth. Another area of
major concern has been the quality of employment and level of productivity. These developments
are indicative of the fact that growth alone cannot generate sustainable and quality employment
opportunities.
Government has adopted a policy to expand employment opportunities especially in the
manufacturing sector, which has huge potential in terms of employment generation both semi
skilled and skilled. However manufacturing sector requires large scale capital investment along
with land.
Skill development is critical for achieving faster, sustainable and inclusive growth on the one hand
and for providing decent employment opportunities to the growing young population on the
other.The general education level of over 50 per cent of India's labour force in the age group 1559
remains extremely low. There is need to improve the overall education level in the country.
Overall 10 per cent of the workforce in the age group of 1559 years received some form of vocational
training, which is a major hindrance in getting quality employment. Dependence on nonformal
vocational training highlights the grossly inadequate system of vocational training that currently
exists in the country. The National Skill Development Policy formulated envisions empowering all
individuals through improved skills, knowledge, and nationally and internationally recognised
qualification to gain access to decent employment and ensure India's competitiveness in the global
market.
2. Indian women are the main victims of poverty and malnutrition? Explain.
Hints:
The persistence of hunger and abject poverty in India and other parts of the world is due in large
measure to the subjugation, marginalization and disempowerment of women. Women suffer from
hunger and poverty in greater numbers and to a great degree than men. At the same time, it is
women who bear the primary responsibility for actions needed to end hunger: education, nutrition,
health and family income.
India has exceptionally high rates of child malnutrition, because tradition in India requires that
women eat last and least throughout their lives, even when pregnant and lactating. Malnourished
women give birth to malnourished children, perpetuating the cycle.
Females receive less health care than males. Many women die in childbirth of easily prevented
complications. Working conditions and environmental pollution further impairs women's
health.Families are far less likely to educate girls than boys, and far more likely to pull them out of
school, either to help out at home or from fear of violence.
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In women's primary employment sector agriculture extension services overlook women. Women
work longer hours and their work is more arduous than men's, yet their work is unrecognized.
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Looking through the lens of hunger and poverty, there are some major areas of discrimination
against women in India:
• Malnutrition: India has exceptionally high rates of child malnutrition, because tradition in
India requires that women eat last and least throughout their lives, even when pregnant and
lactating. Malnourished women give birth to malnourished children, perpetuating the cycle.
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• Poor Health: Females receive less health care than males. Many women die in childbirth of
easily prevented complications. Working conditions and environmental pollution further
impairs women's health.
• Lack of education: Families are far less likely to educate girls than boys, and far more likely
to pull them out of school, either to help out at home or from fear of violence.
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• Overwork: Women work longer hours and their work is more arduous than men's, yet their
work is unrecognized. Men report that "women, like children, eat and do nothing."
• Unskilled: In women's primary employment sector agriculture extension services overlook
women.
• Mistreatment: In recent years, there has been an alarming rise in atrocities against women
in India, in terms of rapes, assaults and dowryrelated murders. Fear of violence suppresses
the aspirations of all women. Female infanticide and sexselective abortions are additional
forms of violence that reflect the devaluing of females in Indian society.
India has a long history of activism for women's welfare and rights, which has increasingly focused
on women's economic rights. A range of government programs have been launched to increase
economic opportunity for women, although there appear to be no existing programs to address the
cultural and traditional discrimination against women that leads to her abject conditions.
3. Growth is always accompanied by inequality, however, development is much more equitable
and participatory. Do you agree and why? Explain with the help of examples.
Hints:
• Growth is a narrower concept than economic development. It is an increase in a country’s
real level of national output which can be caused by an increase in the quality of resources
(by education etc.), increase in the quantity of resources & improvements in technology or
in another way an increase in the value of goods and services produced by every sector of
the economy. Economic Growth is measured by an increase in a country’s GDP (gross
domestic product).
• Whereas Economic development is a normative concept A country’s economic development
is usually indicated by an increase in citizens’ quality of life. ‘Quality of life’ is often measured
using the Human Development Index, which is an economic model that considers intrinsic
personal factors not considered in economic growth, such as literacy rates, life expectancy
and poverty rates.
• While economic growth often leads to economic development, it’s important to note that a
country’s GDP doesn’t include intrinsic development factors, such as leisure time,
environmental quality or freedom from oppression. Using the Human Development Index,
factors like literacy rates and life expectancy generally imply a higher per capita income and
therefore indicate economic development.
• Economic Growth does not take into account the size of the informal economy. The informal
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economy is also known as the black economy which is unrecorded economic activity and
impact the development initiatives of the state. Development alleviates people from low
standards of living into proper employment with suitable shelter.
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• Economic Growth does not take into account the depletion of natural resources which might
lead to pollution, congestion & disease. Development however is concerned with sustainability
which means meeting the needs of the present without compromising future needs. These
environmental effects are becoming more of a problem for Governments now that the pressure
has increased on them due to Global warming.
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• Economic growth is a necessary but not sufficient condition of economic development, thus
Growth is always accompanied by inequality; however, development is much more equitable
and participatory.
4. The gap between rich and poor will further increase if environmental conservation is ignored.
Explain by illustrating the dynamics of relation between sustainability and development.
Hints:
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Environment is a macro concept that covers everything, living and non living objects, the interactions
between these and the product of these interactions. There is a close linkage between human and
natural environment.
Poor people depend heavily on natural resources for sustenance and livelihood. Land is used for
cultivation and fodder, wood and other forest products for fuel, food & medicines; crop & animal
waste for fuel; water for drinking, cooking & irrigation and local fisheries for human consumption
& export.
Products & services derived from natural resources also provide an ever expanding range of income
generating opportunities.
But population growth, market forces & industrialization has led to over exploitation of natural
resources.
In addition to this common or community resources have also degraded. On an average, 48% of
rural households collect materials from CPRs mostly fuel wood and the livestock of 20% of households
graze on CPRs. Significant households are dependent on common water resources for irrigation,
livestock & other household enterprises. Thus, the degradation of CPRs have severe consequences
on the poor who lack other income generation options and depend heavily on CPRs for their
livelihood.
Hence, if environmental conservation is not promoted then poor people will suffer more because
while the rich can afford to buy things in short supply at higher prices from the market, the poor
cannot.
Thus, judicious and sustainable management of CPRs could play an important role in reducing the
gap between rich & poor.
Example:
Northeast India is the biogeographical gateway to India's richest biodiversity zone and is unique
for its genetic resources. However, the rapid growth in population is creating a number of
environmental problems because of uncontrolled urbanization, industrialization and massive
intensification of agriculture and destruction of forests.
According to experts environmental degradation is a major factor in perpetuating poverty,
particularly among the rural poor in the biorich northeastern region of the country. Experts point
out that environmental degradation has adverse effects on soil fertility, quantity and quality of
water, forests, wildlife and fisheries and makes air all the more impure. And as the rural poor and
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tribal societies are more depended on natural resources, thus, they are more vulnerable to the adverse
impacts of degradation of natural resources.
5.
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The poor are not simply lacking resources, but they also acquire a poverty-perpetuating
value system. Do you agree? Explain your stance with examples from Indian society.
Hints:
• Many argue that poor are not simply lack resources, but also acquire a povertyperpetuating
value system because of what happens to the worldview, aspirations, and character of the
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children who grow up in it.

• The people in the culture of poverty have a strong feeling of marginality, of helplessness &
hopelessness and dependency. They think that the existing institutions do not serve their
interests and needs. Along with this feeling of powerlessness there is a widespread feeling
of inferiority and personal unworthiness. Thus they don't make any effort to come out of
poverty.
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• People with a culture of poverty have very little sense of history. They are a marginal people
who know only their own troubles, their own local conditions, their own neighborhood, and
their own way of life. Usually, they have neither the knowledge, vision nor the ideology.
• They have a tendency to have short term approach, which leads to focus on consumption
with little interest in education and other investment in human capital.
• But this is not completely true. It has been argued that living in conditions of prevalent
poverty leads to the development of a culture or subculture adapted to those conditions,
and characterized by prevalent feelings of vulnerability, dependency, marginality, and
feebleness.
• This approach also characterizes the psyche of "blamingthevictim" of those involved in
policy making. They fail to see that many have been able to come out of poverty when
provided with appropriate support system in the form of education, employment etc.
• It serves as a political tool of not providing assistance to vulnerable sections of society and
diverting those resources for the benefit of rich. For example historically land acquisition has
taken place at very low rates and those who have been disposed of their lands have been
forced to migrate and live in slums in urban areas. Whereas, those who acquired land with
government support have become rich. So such instances of poverty are not because of sub
culture but exploitation by the system.
• Therefore it is false to say that it is because of their value system that poor remain poor, but
it is because of absence of efforts on the part of institutions to support such people that they
are poor. For example the step of online price discovery of minor forest produce is of no
relevance to ST people who don't have access to internet. Therefore there is a need to change
the culture of policy making this will change the culture of poverty stricken people.
INCLUSIVE GROWTH
6. Without inclusive growth, social empowerment will remain a pipe dream. Comment.
Hints:
Notwithstanding, high growth observed in the past years a major weakness in the economy is that
the growth is not perceived as being sufficiently inclusive for many groups, especially Scheduled
Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and minorities. Gender inequality also remains a pervasive
problem and some of the structural changes taking place have an adverse effect on women.
The percentage of the population below the official poverty line has come down from 36% in 1993
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94 to less than 25%. However, not only is this still high, the rate of decline in poverty has not
accelerated along with the growth in GDP, and the incidence of poverty among certain marginalized
groups, for example the STs, has hardly declined at all. Indicators of human development such as
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literacy and education, and maternal and infant mortality rates, show steady improvement, but
they also suggest that the progress is slow and we continue to lag behind several other Asian
countries.
Agriculture has grown very slowly from the Ninth Plan onwards and this has widened the rural
urban divide and also contributed to the severe distress in rural areas in some regions. Permanent
employment in the organized sector has decreased, although organized sector firms may be increasing
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their informal employment. Also, economic growth across regions has not been balanced, with
some of the most backward areas yet to experience any significant growth. The delivery of essential
social services at the grass roots level is also poor and this is a major causative factor in unequal
development.
Rapid growth that is inclusive and reduces poverty and creates employment opportunities, access
to essential services in health and education especially for the poor, equality of opportunity,
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empowerment through education and skill development, employment opportunities, environmental

sustainability, recognition of women's agency and good governance is necessary for the inclusive
development of the country.
7. The demographic dividend is fast becoming a demographic liability in India due to lack of
vocational education, skill formation and employment. Discuss.
Hints:
• “Demographic Dividend” means that as compared to other large developing and developed
countries, India has a higher proportion of working age population visàvis its entire
population.
• More than 50% of India’s population is in the age group of 1559 years. With such a young
population, it has a huge demographic dividend waiting to be capitalized. This places India
at a huge strategic advantage against other developed nations and a huge window of
opportunity for fuelling economic growth. But unfortunately we haven’t been able to harness
this capital.
• According to a Mckinsey study, 51% of this working age population, i.e., more than 350
million people require some form of vocational/skill based training in order to make them
more employable.
• So while we are growing at an unprecedented rate in few aspects, we are way behind global
standards in others. A report by FICCI shows that India has fewer than 10,000 vocational
training institutes with a capacity of just 1.3 million. Just a tenth of those looking to join the
workforce receive any training, as compared to 60%96% of workers in developed nations
in Asia and the West.
• Because of lack of necessary training facilities, potential workers are either unemployed or
underemployed, while industries are being forced to employ untrained youngsters whose
number and quality doesn’t match their requirements. Automobile, construction, retail,
healthcare, banking, electronics hardware, media, tourism and IT are few of the sectors that
are in immediate need of skilled workers.
• As a result, the productivity levels of Indian industrial sector are very low compared to
standard of major exporters, such as China, Japan, and Germany. Not only India suffers
from Industrial sickness, it also has a much skewed occupational structure, which doesn’t
reflect its comparative advantage.
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Measures
A solution could be introducing vocational training at the high school level. An important reason
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for high school dropout rates after class tenth is disconnect between industry requirements and
education. When students realize that what they study in school will not help them earn a livelihood
immediately, they quit school to take up a job. If instead, they are also trained in income generating
activities, they could continue school while also pursuing a job.
Also, Private Sector needs to ramp up its contribution towards creating a skilled manpower. Presently
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many private sector companies run Industrial Training Institutes on a small scale as part of their
CSR activities. If they form a consortium of industries working in the similar space to scale up such
training activities, a larger impact can be achieved.
Industrial revival and tourism growth are very important source of employment for masses, however,
both of the sectors require huge overhaul in the present education system and mindset of people.
Supplementary Notes
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“Demographic dividend, as defined by the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) means, “the
economic growth potential that can result from shifts in a population’s age structure, mainly when
the share of the workingage population (15 to 64) is larger than the nonworkingage share of the
population (14 and younger, and 65 and older).” In other words, it is “a boost in economic
productivity that occurs when there are growing numbers of people in the workforce relative to the
number of dependents.” UNPF stated that, “A country with both increasing numbers of young
people and declining fertility has the potential to reap a demographic dividend.
A 2011 International Monetary Fund Working Paper found that substantial portion of the growth
experienced by India since the 1980s is attributable to the country’s age structure and changing
demographics. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that India will surpass China as the world’s largest
country by 2025, with a large proportion of those in the working age category. Over the next two
decades the continuing demographic dividend in India could add about two percentage points per
annum to India’s per capita GDP growth. Extreme actions are needed to take care of future basic
minimum living standards including food, water and energy. As per Population Reference Bureau,
India’s population in 2050 is projected to be 1.692 billion people.
Mechanisms for Growth in the Demographic Dividend: During the course of the demographic
dividend there are four mechanisms through which the benefits are delivered. They are:
1. The first is the increased labour supply. However, the magnitude of this benefit appears to
be dependent on the ability of the economy to absorb and productively employ the extra
workers rather than be a pure demographic gift.
2. The second mechanism is the increase in savings. As the number of dependents decreases,
individuals can save more. This increase in national savings rates increases the stock of
capital in developing countries already facing shortages of capital and leads to higher
productivity as the accumulated capital is invested.
3. The third mechanism is human capital. Decreases in fertility rates result in healthier women
and fewer economic pressures at home. This also allows parents to invest more resources per
child, leading to better health and educational outcomes.
4. The fourth mechanism for growth is the increasing domestic demand brought about by the
increasing GDP per capita and the decreasing dependency ratio.
Low fertility initially leads to low youth dependency and a high ratio of working age to total
population. However, as the relatively large working age cohort grows older, population aging sets
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in. There is a strategic urgency to put in place policies which take advantage of the demographic
dividend for most countries. This urgency stems from the relatively small window of opportunity
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countries have to plan for the demographic dividend when many in their population are still young,
prior to entering the work force. During this short opportunity, countries traditionally try to promote
investments which will help these young people be more productive during their working year.
Failure to provide opportunities to the growing young population will result in rising unemployment
and an increased risk of social upheaval.
The urgency to put in place appropriate policies is magnified by the reality that what follows the
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“demographic dividend” is a time when the dependency ratio begins to increase again. Inevitably
the population bubble that made its way through the most productive working years creating the
“demographic dividend” grows old and retires. With a disproportionate number of old people
relying upon a smaller generation following behind them the “demographic dividend” becomes a
liability. With each generation having fewer children population growth slows, stops, or even goes
into reverse. This is currently seen most dramatically in Japan with younger generations essentially
abandoning many parts of the country. Other regions, notably Europe and North America, will
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face similar situations in the near future with East Asia to follow after that. China’s current
independence ratio of 38 is unprecedentedly low. This represents the number of dependents, children,
and people over 65, per 100 working adults. This implies that there are nearly twice as many
working age people as the rest of the entire population combined. This historically low dependency
ratio has been extremely beneficial for China’s unprecedented period of economic growth. This
dramatic shift was brought about largely in part due to China’s onechild policy. As a result, China
is currently aging at an unprecedented rate. China will be older than the United States by 2020 and
by Europe by 2030. Combined with the sexselective abortions widely practiced as a result of the
onechild policy – China will have 96.5 million men in their 20s in 2025 but only 80.3 million young
women – China’s future demography holds many challenges for the Communist Party. But, recently
keeping in view of the demographic future challenges of their country, China government is quitting
one child policy and going to adopt two child policy per family.
Demographic Dividend in India:
• Census 2011 data shows that India’s working age population (1564 years) is now 63.4% of
the total population, as against just short of 60% in 2001. In 2015, it is 52.45 (per 100populaion
1564).
• The numbers also show that the ‘dependency ratio’ the ratio of children (014) and the
elderly (65100) to those in the working age has shrunk further to 0.55.
• India’s median age has risen from around 22 years in 2001 to over 24 years in 2011.
• India is poised to become the world’s youngest country by 2020, with an average age of 29
years, and account for around 28% of the world’s workforce.
• In comparison, during the same period, the average age is expected to be 37 years in China
and the US and 45 years in Western Europe.
• The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has predicted that by 2020, India will have 116
million workers in the workstarting age bracket of 20 to 24 years, as compared to China’s
94 million. In 20 years the labour force in the industrialized world will decline by 4%, in
China by 5%, while in India it will increase by 32%.
• IMF, in 2011, reported that India’s demographic dividend has the potential to add 2
percentage points per annum to India’s per capita GDP growth over the next two decades.
WELFARE OF WEAKER SECTION
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8. "Minority in India is not minority in terms of their absolute number, but their social,
economic and political stakes". Elucidate the statement with reference to Muslim Community
in India.
Hints:
OR
Minority is a group distinguished by being on the margins of power, status or the allocation of
resources within the society. Minority group is a small group of people differing from the rest of a
community in ethnic origin, religion, language, or culture; a member of such a group. In India,
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muslims and christians are minority as a group. Minorities in India form something around 1415
per cent of total population of 125 crore. Their absolute population of nearly 1819 crore is very big
and compares with total population of many small and medium sized countries. So they are not
minority in the sense of their meager number. Muslims, the major component of minority population
in India, constitute the second largest population in any country after Indonesia. But this does not
reflect in their socioeconomic progress despite several constitutional provisions for the same. Even
in political institutions minorities are not represented adequately.
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Minorities in India face some of the following problems-

Problem of Prejudice and Discrimination: despite Articles 15(1) and 15(2) of constitution prohibit
discrimination on grounds of religion. Article 25 promises the right to profess, propagate and practice
religion. Minorities face the problem of discrimination in various areas such as employment,
amenities, public services etc. As far as prejudices are concerned, prejudices and stereotyped thinking
are common features of a complex society. India is not an exception to this. Such prejudices further
widen the social distance among the religious communities.
Problem of Preserving Distinct Social and Cultural Life: India is one among the very few nations
which have given equal freedom to all the religious communities to pursue and practice their religion.
Article 25 of the Constitution provides for such a right. Added to this, Article 3D (1) states all
minorities whether based on religion or language shall have the right to establish and administer
educational institutions of their choice. Yet there are ample evidences to suggest that minorities are
deprived of their fundamental rights.
Problem of Communal Tensions and Riots: Communal tensions and riots have been incessantly
increasing since independence. Whenever the communal tensions and riots take place for whatever
reason, minority interests get threatened; fears and anxieties become widespread. It becomes a
tough task for the government in power to restore the confidence in them.
Problem of Lack of Representation in Civil Service and Politics: Though the Constitution provides
for equality and equal opportunities to all its citizens including the religious minorities, the biggest
minority community, that is, Muslims in particular, have not availed themselves of these facilities.
There is a feeling among them that they are neglected.
In order to improve the condition of the religious minorities in India, the government in power
should make every effort to restore their confidence. It is also necessary to create conditions in
which the minorities are assured that their constitutional and legal rights are safeguarded. The
government should seriously respond to the real needs and requirements of the poor and needy
minority groups. The government should seriously consider the Sachar Committee Report without
any delay and implement its recommendations.
Peopletopeople contact, social consciousness, abolition of illiteracy etc. may prove useful confidence
building measures. The secular values must be internalised by the people and political parties.
Efforts should also be made to promote liberal social reforms to deal effectively with communalism
and the influence of communalist leaders. The secular political class of India should campaign for
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widening the base of education for Muslims. The religious minorities have to be empowered
educationally and economically. The progress of the country can be achieved if all the religious
communities in India live in perfect harmony.
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9. Drug Abuse has become a major social ill in some of the most prosperous regions of India.
Evaluate the social reasons for such widespread entrenchment of drugs in society, particularly
in youth and suggest ways to reduce its demand among the targeted group?
Hints:
SC
• The incidence of drug abuse among children and adolescents is higher than the general
population. In India an NGO survey revealed that 63.6% of patients coming in for treatment
were introduced to drugs at a young age, i.e. below 15 years. According to another report
13.1% of the people involved in drug and substance abuse in India, are below 20 years.
• It has become a serious social ill even in prosperous regions of India, i.e. Punjab, which is
referred as the granary of India for its agricultural prosperity. It is now roiling its society,
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economy and politics.

• Punjab accounted for almost half of all cases registered in India under the Narcotic Drugs
and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) in 2013, up from just 15% in 2009.
• The growing popularity of brown sugar/smack/heroin can be attributed to Punjab’s close
proximity to the Golden Crescent region covering Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. Similarly,
the availability of drugs is not the only issue, demand side factors are also there.
• General acceptance of alcohol in Punjab’s society is also one of the factor behind rise in
substance abuse as per some studies, most drug addicts shifted to cheaper drugs from
alcohol initially in order to get more intoxication at lower costs.
• Similarly the boom in NRI remittances since 1980’s and almost complete transfer of manual
work to migrant labour has created a vacuum, which was then easily filled by the drug
abuse.
• As per some recent reports the substance abuse among young women is increasing at a
higher rate than men.
• The lack of relative higher education also leads to this sort of behavior.
• Steps needed:
A mix of various strategies must being tried as there is nosingle course solution, including
increasing the consultancy services from psychologists, opening rehabilitation centres,
increasing awareness about longterm impact of drugabuse in schools, to legal actions
against the chemist shops, which have become the primary source for the drugs. Further
measures can include absolute sealing of border with Pakistan and exemplary punishment
for the politicians and bureaucrats involved in the supply chain.
10. One of the most suffering lot in the rural and urban India today are the ageing people,
mostly the parents of migrating skilled and unskilled workers. Enumerate some of the
governmental and non-governmental initiatives to ameliorate their plight and suggest
measures for their improvement.
Hints:
• Providing care for the aged has never been a problem in India where a value based joint
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family system was dominant. However, with a growing trend towards nuclear family set
up, and increasing education, urbanization and industrialization, the vulnerability of elderly
•
is rapidly increasing.
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Problems of the aged people are as follows :
a) Economic problems, include problems such as loss of employment, income deficiency
and economic insecurity.
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b) Physical and physiological problems, include health and medical problems, nutritional
deficiency, and the problem of adequate housing, etc.
c) Psychosocial problem which cover problems related with their psychological and social
maladjustment as well as the problem of elder abuse, etc.
• Government has taken many initiatives to ameliorate their plight. Some are discussed below:
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a) National Policy on Older Persons has been announced which seeks to assure older
persons that their concerns are national concerns and they will not have to live
unprotected, ignored and marginalized. The National Policy aims to strengthen their
legitimate place in the society and to help older people to live the last phase of their life
with purpose, dignity and peace.
b) An Integrated Programme for Older Persons (Plan Scheme) provide financial assistance
and upto 90% of the project cost is provided to NGOs for establishing and maintaining
Old Age Homes, Day Care Centres, Mobile Medicare Units and to provide non
institutional services to older persons.
c) The Scheme of Assistance to Panchayati Raj Institutions/Voluntary Organizations/Self

Help Groups for Construction of Old Age Homes/MultiService Centres for older persons
(Non Plan Scheme) provide one time construction grant for Old Age Homes/Multi
Service Centre is provided to nongovernmental organizations on the recommendation
of the State Governments/UT Administrations.
d) Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) provides for old age
pension of Rs. 200/ per month to persons above the age of 60 years and for the persons
above the age of 80 years the amount of pension has been raised to Rs. 500/ per month.
e) Annapurna Scheme provides food security in the form of 10 kg of foodgrains per month
free of cost to destitute senior citizens with little or no regular means of subsistence from
his/her own source of income or through financial support from family members or
other sources.
f) The Centre has extended concessions for the benefit of the aged. Senior citizens of the
age of 65 years and above have been given 30 per cent travel fare concession for all
classes of rail journey. An income tax rebate up to Rs.10,000 has been allowed and the
income limit to pay tax also has been done away with to help the aged person to be
financially secure.
g) An exclusive health insurance scheme for senior citizens is to be offered by the National
Insurance Company. Three other public sector insurance companies as mentioned in the
Medical Insurance section, are to offer a similar product to senior citizens.
h) The Maintenance of Parents and Senior Citizens Bill of 2007 provides for the maintenance
of parents, establishment of old homes, provision of medical care and protection of life
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and property of senior citizens.
i) The NonGovernment Organizations (NGOs) are also undertaking the work of taking
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care of the aged mostly in urban areas, although in a limited way.
In spite of the government’s and NGO’s efforts in rehabilitating the aged in India, they are still the
most vulnerable group facing multiple problems and hence require proper care and attention.
• Steps needed:
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a) Policies are to be developed based on the diversity of older people and free from
conventional stereotypes of older people as physically and financially impoverished.
b) Policies are not to be limited to resolving health, financial, and social problems only after
these problems emerge and are to be developed systematically throughout citizens’ lives.
Government is to support citizens’ selfhelp efforts to build up their financial assets,
improve health, learn, and participate in social activity from a young age in order to
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prevent and prepare for problems that may occur in their old age.
c) The required infrastructure is to be set up to foster the proactive participation of elderly
citizens in local communities and to activate community functions such as mutual
support.
d) Policies need to be developed from a gender equality perspective so that both men and
women can enjoy vitality and security throughout their lives.
e) The research development and application of high technology in the fields of medical
care, welfare, information, and communications need to be promoted so that their
benefits can also be enjoyed by older people.
11. Women remain the 'second sex' even if they were economically empowered. Do you agree?
Give arguments in favour of your opinion.
Hints:
• In the 21st century, women enjoy more economic freedom and power than ever before.
• Increased income controlled by women gives them self confidence, which helps them obtain
a voice and vote in:
a) Household decisions such as domestic wellbeing decisions. For instance, women tend
to use income clout for more equitable decisions about sons and daughters’ diet, education
and health.
b) Economic decisions: acquiring, allocating, and selling assets.
c) Fertility decisions: economically empowered women tend to have fewer children.
d) Land use and conservation decisions: rural women tend to favor sustainable
environmental practices since they are usually the ones that collect the families’ natural
resources such as water and firewood.
• But women’s economic empowerment must not be examined in a vacuum. They are still
disadvantaged when compared to men in virtually all aspects of life. Widespread cultural
and economic practices work to prevent empowerment. Factors impacting women’s economic
empowerment include:
a) Women are the predominant victims of conflict, sexual violence, injury, death, intimidation
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and human trafficking.
b) Lack of adequate access to education, training and technology.
c)
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Lack of access to clean water, sanitation.
d) The patriarchal mindset has entered the workplace.
e) Feminization of few jobs as that of reception, caller, counselor, etc.
f) Lack of access to responsible health care/reproductive health (one of the costs of widely
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available prenatal screening in India has been the selective abortion of female fetuses,
10 million in the past two decades this has led to one of the most skewed gender ratios
in the world with 927 girls to every 1000 boys in 2001).
g) Lack of access to credit/finance, safe working conditions, living/minimum wages.
h) Cultural practices, tradition, religious interpretations of women’s status.
i) Lack of adequate representation in decisionmaking positions and governance structures.
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j) Glass ceiling at workplace that hinders their progress to the higher decision making
body in the organization.
k) The extra works of daily chores along with job are factors responsible for her being
rendered as ‘second sex’.
12. 'A number of separate states have been carved out for Tribal population of India, ranging
from northeast to central India, but these steps have not been able to address the real issues
on ground'. Examine the major issues that affect Tribes of India and explain how the laws
that were created to protect them have alienated them from rest of the society?
Hints:
• Tribes of India are varied in terms of their socioeconomic and political development. Some
of them have changed through assimilation and integration with mainstream, and some
through conversion to Christianity or other routes.
• Some tribal people are in the transitional phase, while others are adhering to their old
lifestyles. This shows an uneven process of change and development among the tribal people
in India. Only a small number of tribal people have been benefited by the policies and
programmes meant for their development.
• There are two principle issues that affect tribal population, land alienation and exploitation
and the economic backwardness.
• The land alienation and exploitation has been happening ever since they have came in
contact with the mainstream population and particularly rose in British rule, the British and
subsequent Indian Government’s failure to recognize community propriety rights over land
of tribal communities in the Indian Forests Act, 1927 that rendered them encroachers on
their own land and is highly unjust and oppressive features of the 19th century Land
Acquisition Act. All talk of their welfare is futile without amending these two laws.
• However, instead of addressing the real issues, the solution chosen was a mix of two strategies,
‘No change and revivalism’ and ‘Isolationism and preservation’. This was further materialized
through Schedule V and VI of the Constitution and later through separate states. But,
prevention and isolation hasn’t stopped the exploitation and rather merely alienlised them
from rest of India even further.
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• Instead of mixing with rest of Indians they only saw their worst face in terms of exploiters
and land grabbers and have developed a lopsided view of mainstream population which
made assimilation even further difficult.
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• The dilemma for the tribal people in India is the choice between isolation and contact.
Isolation keeps the tribals away from forces of change and development and contact with
the wider society creates problems of adjustment, cultural shock and disintegration of tribal
social organisation and community living.
• The tribal youths are also getting attracted towards extremist ideas to fight for their rights.
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13. "Bringing attitudinal change is far more difficult than designing a law". Illustrate the
statement with respect to transgender rights in India and list out steps needed to bring
attitudinal changes in society related to their rights.
Hints:
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Transgender people are individuals of any age or sex whose appearance, personal characteristics,
or behaviors differ from stereotypes about how men and women are "supposed" to be. They are
economically and socially marginalized.
Most families do not accept if their male child starts behaving in ways that are considered feminine
or inappropriate to the expected gender role. Consequently, family members may threaten, scold or
even assault their son/sibling from behaving or dressingup like a girl or woman. Some parents
may outright disown and evict their own child for crossing the prescribed gender norms of the
society and for not fulfilling the roles expected from a male child.
Sometimes, the child or teenager may decide to run away from the family not able to tolerate the
discrimination or not wanting to bring shame to one's family. Some of them may eventually find
their way to Hijra communities. This means many Hijras are not educated or uneducated and
consequently find it difficult to fulfill their basic needs of life. Even from police, they face physical
and verbal abuse, forced sex, extortion of money and materials; and arrests on false allegations.
Absence of protection from police means ruffians find Hijras/TG people as easy targets for extorting
money and as sexual objects.
Though the abuses towards transgenders are violation of fundamental rights but attitude of society
towards them creates a big problem in enforcement of laws.
Steps for bringing attitudinal changes are:
Families: Awareness and information are needed for parents to support their gendernonconforming
or transgender children, setting aside their discomfort and deeply held normative attitudes. Such
information could be made available in health settings (pediatrics, child development specialties),
as well as through educational institutions.
Educational institutions: Awareness of gender diversity and the need to safeguard transgender
youth from hostile school environments is a dire need. The recommended interventions include
formation of groups of transgender children for meetings, holding film screenings, setting up of
resource centre, augmenting libraries with books and audiovisual materials on transgender issues,
holding periodical sensitization events, and adopting policies for preventing sexual harassment
and bullying of transgender children.
Workplace: Antidiscrimination policies must be instituted and meaningfully applied to the processes
of hiring, retention, promotion, and employee benefits. Workplace sexual harassment policies should
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be made transgenderinclusive.
Law enforcement agencies: The police at all levels should undergo sensitization workshops by human
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rights groups/queer groups in order to break down their social prejudices and to train them to
accord hijras and kothis the same courteous and humane treatment as they should towards the
general public.
Supplementary Notes
The Supreme Court judgement on Transgender Rights
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This judgement covers persons who want to identify with the third gender as well as persons who
want to transition from one identity to another, i.e. to male to female or vice versa. The Court has
directed Centre and State Governments to grant legal recognition of gender identity whether it be
male, female or third gender.
• Legal Recognition for Third Gender: In recognizing the third gender category, the Court
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recognizes that fundamental rights are available to the third gender in the same manner as
they are to males and females. Further, nonrecognition of third gender in both criminal and
civil statutes such as those relating to marriage, adoption, divorce, etc is discriminatory to
the third gender.
• Legal Recognition for Persons transitioning within male/female binary : As for how the
actual procedure of recognition will happen, the Court merely states that they prefer to
follow the psyche of the person and use the "Psychological Test" as opposed to the "Biological
Test". They also declare that insisting on Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) as a condition for
changing one's gender is illegal.
• Public Health and Sanitation : Centre and State Governments have been directed to take
proper measures to provide medical care to Transgender people in the hospitals and also
provide them separate public toilets and other facilities. Further, they have been directed to
operate separate HIV/ Serosurveillance measures for Transgenders.
• Socio-Economic Rights : Centre and State Governments have been asked to provide the
community various social welfare schemes and to treat the community as socially and
economically backward classes. They have also been asked to extend reservation in educational
institutions and for public appointments.
• Stigma and Public Awareness: These are the broadest directions Centre and State
Governments are asked to take steps to create public awareness so that Transgender people
may feel that they are also part and parcel of the social life and not be treated as untouchables;
take measures to regain their respect and place in society; and seriously address the problems
such as fear, shame, gender dysphoria, social pressure, depression, suicidal tendencies and
social stigma.
• Challenging 377: The judgment contradicts the findings of the Supreme Court in Suresh
Kumar Koushal in various ways. The main points include:
I. The judgement notes that Section 377, though associated with specific sexual acts,
highlighted certain identities, including Hijras. It also recognises that sec 377 has been
used as an instrument of harassment and physical abuse against Hijras and transgender
persons. The judgment only says that this amounts to a misuse of the Section as opposed
to what it actually dictates, thus refusing to meaningfully apply a fundamental rights
analysis to it.
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II. It argues against Koushal's infamous "miniscule minority" argument noting that
Transgenders, even though insignificant in numbers, are still human beings and therefore
they have every right to enjoy their human rights.
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III. The Court finds that discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity
violates Article 14, and that transgenders are extremely vulnerable to harassment, violence
and sexual assault in public spaces, at home and in jail, also by the police.
14. Internal displacement is not a natural, but a political calamity. Do you agree? Discuss with
example.
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Hints:
According to the report of Working Group on Human Rights in India and the UN (WGHR), between
60 and 65 million people are estimated to have been displaced in India since Independence, the
highest number of people uprooted for development projects in the world. This amounts to around
one million displaced every year since Independence. Of these displaced, over 40% are tribals and
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another 40% consist of dalits and other rural poor.

Not taking into account displacement due to armed and ethnic conflict, India is estimated to have
the highest number of people displaced annually as a result of ostensible development projects.
Internal displacement is not a natural but a political calamity. It has not been due to natural disasters
or pull migration forces from rural to urban, it is due to unsustainable and unplanned development
which was carried out deliberately so that a handful of people can grab resources at the cost of the
livelihood of millions. It is a phenomenon that can easily be stopped. But instead of ensuring an
equitable distribution of resources, those ruling the country are facilitating land grab, resulting in
displacement.
Only around 2025% of those internally displaced are ever resettled in India, as the vast majority of
those forcibly evicted from their habitat are not recognized as internally displaced people. Many
poor people have faced multiple displacements. They are often displaced from their villages due to
projects such as dams or SEZs. With no land and no livelihood, they head to cities where they live
in jhuggis that are considered illegal and demolished.
For example:
Acquisition of agricultural land for industrial purposes in India is not new. The proximity to market
cumphysical infrastructure for location of industries means people settled by housing are displaced.
While landowners give up land in the process of acquisition by the State, landless people are deprived
twice, once by not getting the opportunity to work on land as agricultural labourers and the other
by not being in the net of compensation. Obviously, the landless people are mainly dependent on
Common Property Resources (CPRs) and are outside the purview of compensation of any type. The
land area required, in turn, is directly proportional to the type of projects undertaken. Example is
cited below:
To set up a 3500 MW gasbased power plant with an estimated project cost of Rs. 25,000 cr in Dadri
Region in Ghaziabad District, Hapur Tehsil, in western UP, the Government of Uttar Pradesh
acquired about 1,011 hectare of land in the year 2004. Most of the land acquired was earlier used
for agricultural purposes.The major assets covered in land acquisition were canals, ponds and
wells. Land acquisition in Dadri was estimated to have led to displacement of over 6,000 families.
Government needs to accelerate economic growth and development for improving efficiency in
production and living standards of the people. In the past five years it had been observed that all
big infrastructure projects including those based on the PPP model either could not take off or got
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stuck mid way due to controversies or delays in land acquisition. Development cannot be jeopardized
or halted because of the complexities in land acquisition.
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It is therefore government approved an ordinance on December 29, 2014 to make some amendments
in the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and
Resettlement Act. The ordinance aim at easing the land acquisition process and help restart the
stalled projects due to hitches in land acquisition. The government has relaxed the requirements of
consent and Social Impact Assessment survey for projects in the following areas:
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1. Defence and defence production

2. Rural infrastructure (including rural electrification)
3. Affordable housing
4. Industrial corridors
5. Social infrastructure projects including PPPs in which ownership rests with the government
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One of the most controversial amendments to the act incorporated in the ordinance is that the
requirement of written consent from 70 per cent of landowners for PPP projects in the infrastructure
and social infrastructure. However, the ordinance remains sensitive to the plight of landowners
and keeps compensation clause intact. But even in land compensation clause the 5 years' period for
giving full compensation has been relaxed to 10 years. It is not in the interest of land owners.
The scope of companies has also been broadened to include more entities for which land acquisition
could be done under the act.
Moreover, the ordinance seems to be skewed in favour of the corporate entities by removing the
clause of social impact assessment. This caused delay in projects no doubt, but sustainable
development and equitable development requires this. Even other amendments regarding green
audit elsewhere have been diluted.
In conclusion, however, it may be said that government needs to accelerate growth and development
and the amendments would help in realizing this goal, but the stakeholders interest should not be
left at the mercy of market (compensation or fruits of growth like employment of local people). The
amendments certainly add more woes to the issue of displacement and plight of the displaced
cannot be reduced by an unequal ordinance with no social or green impact assessment.
Government decides about projects with the intent of development but with each development
policy some destitution or displacement is associated, which a politically balancing act can mitigate
and compensate. Eradication of poverty, providing proper compensation and rehabilitation packages
to the displaced population, provision of security at the time of civil strife can go a long way in
mitigating the effects of internal displacement. But all this depends on how bipartisan and sensitive
the political masters are whether they have a political will or not.
15. Who are the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in India? Examine why they are
classified as such and discuss their characteristics and social conditions?
Hints:
• PVTG are a special class of tribal groups, present in pockets and confined to far flung
inaccessible areas with precarious living conditions. These were classified under the Dhebar
Commission (196061) as Primitive Tribal Groups, so as to better facilitate their growth, on
par with other STs on national scale, and help them include in the mainstream development,
while using their indigenous knowledge.
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• In 2006, the Government of India renamed the PTGs as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups
(PVTGs). At present, they are 75 in number. PVTGs are scattered in different geographical
areas of the country with their population varying from one place to another. The PVTG of
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Sahariyas has the highest population of 4,50,217, while the PVTGs of Sentinelets and
Andamanese has a very small population of 39 and 43, respectively.
• They are classified as such by the government of India, due to their especially low development
indices when compared to other local tribes. They have been given special status so as to
take some additional measures in order to bring them at par with other groups in the area.
And so that government directly can take measures and monitor the development of those
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groups especially, and not as a part of total Scheduled tribes development.

• PVTGs have some basic characteristics which can be discussed as–
• They are mostly homogenous, with a small population.
• They are relatively physically isolated.
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• Characterized by absence of written language, relatively simple technology and a slower

rate of change.
• Pre agricultural system of existence, i.e. hunting or gathering.
• Zero or negative population growth.
• Extremely low level of literacy.
• Being distributed over the whole country in small groups, their cultural practices vary
widely. They have their own traits of governance. Due to such isolated living, their
development level varies widely from region to region, along with a high inequality index
found in economic and social conditions. Their problems are also very different from group
to group. The growth of PVTGs’ population is either stagnating or declining, compared to
the general population growth.
• Health is an essential component in wellbeing of humankind. The health status of PVTGs
is in an awful condition because of multiple factors like poverty, illiteracy, lack of safe
drinking water, bad sanitary conditions, difficult terrain, malnutrition, poor maternal and
child health services, unavailability of health and nutritional services, superstition and
deforestation. The diseases like anaemia, upper respiratory problem, malaria; gastrointestinal
disorders like acute diarrhoea, intestinal protozoan; micro nutrient deficiency and skin infection
diseases are common among PVTGs.
• The condition of education is also very poor, with an average literacy rate of 10% to 44%
in PVTGs.
• Though Government is taking lot of measures for the development and upliftment of scheduled
tribes, still some groups are far away from the development. To help the tribes develop, the
ground level implementation needs attention, due to lack of infrastructure for them. A
holistic approach of the government is needed for preserving their culture, along with
modernising them, by preparing a long term Conservation cum Development plan, which
includes their needs, as well as imparts them vocational knowledge.
Supplementary Notes
Scheme for PVTGs, 2008
• The Scheme for Development of Primitive Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) came into
effect from April 1, 2008. The Scheme defines PVTGs as the most vulnerable among the
Scheduled Tribes and the Scheme therefore seeks to prioritise their protection and
development. It identifies 75 PVTGs. The Scheme seeks to adopt a holistic approach to the
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socioeconomic development of PVTGs and gives state governments flexibility in planning
initiatives that are geared towards the specific sociocultural imperatives of the specific
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groups at hand. Activities may thus include housing, land distribution, land development,
agricultural development, cattle development, construction of link roads, installation of non
conventional sources of energy, social security, etc. Funds are available only for activities
essential for the survival, protection and development of PVTGs and not already funded by
any other Scheme of the central/state governments. Each state and the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands’ administration, is required to prepare a long term Conservationcum
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Development (CCD) plan, valid for a period of five years for each PVTG within its territory,
outlining the initiatives it will undertake, financial planning for the same and the agencies
charged with the responsibility of undertaking the same. The CCD Plan has to be approved
by an Expert Committee, appointed by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The Scheme is funded
entirely by the Central government.
• In April 2015 Tribal Affairs Ministry revised the Scheme for Development of Particularly
Vulnerable Tribal Groups under which the Ministry will provide 100% financial assistance
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through State Governments for activities including housing, land distribution and land
development, agricultural development, animal husbandry, construction of link roads,
installation of nonconventional sources of energy or other innovative activity, for the
comprehensive socioeconomic development of PVTGs, based on Conservationcum
Development (CCD) Plan prepared by the concerned State Governments on the basis of
assessment of their requirements. Under the Scheme, priority is accorded for their protection
and improvement in terms of the social indicators like livelihood, health, nutrition and
education, so as to decrease their vulnerability.
VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS
16. "NGOs are the agents of the state when looked from the broader perspective of maintaining
faith in the state." Comment.
Hints:
• NGOs are defined as the “formally registered notfor profit association of groups of individuals
founded on the principles of equality, altruism and voluntary work spirit to promote human
development (including environment and biodiversity) and nation building”.
• The NGOs can influence mainstream development in the following ways:
a. Encouraging official aid agencies and government ministries to adopt successful
approaches developed within the voluntary sector;
b. Educating and sensitizing the public as to their rights and entitlements under state
programs;
c. Attuning official programs to public needs by acting as a conduit for public opinion and
local experience;
d. Operational collaboration with official bodies;
e. Influencing local development policies of national and international institutions; and
f. Helping government in forming a more effective development strategy through
strengthening institutions, staff training and improving management capacity.
• But in broader framework NGOs also act as support system to the State in delivering welfare
and developmental services to the community and also act as the agent of state in removing
the trust deficit and democratic deficit in the society.
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• NGOs can facilitate communication upward from the people to the government and
downward from the government to the people. Communication upward involves informing
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government about what local people are thinking, doing and feeling while communication
downward involves informing local people about what the government is planning and
doing.
• The presence of a healthy and vibrant NGO is the hallmark of a healthy democracy. It is the
nursery in which new ideas take their roots and grow, which are the basis of a dynamic
democratic society.
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• Let us take an example of Teesta Stelvad. Her NGO fights for the justice for those affected
by communal riots. She is stopping some of the people from fighting and becoming extremists
by keeping their faith in the system.
17. Why the Civil Society interventions in India for development need to be increased? Discuss
whether the Civil Societies can be described as "development alternatives".
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Hints:
Optimal development requires the harnessing of a country's assets, its capital, human and natural
resources to meet demand from its population as comprehensively as possible. The state plays a
very important role in the development process of the nation through its implementation hand, i.e.,
bureaucracy, but Indian bureaucracy is known for red tape, inefficiency and corruption. Therefore,
Civil Society can fill the gap between government institutions and people. It can encourage people,
it can speed up government agencies, it can create pressure for transparency and accountability,
etc.
Civil Society intervention may create right kind of reality check and generate pressure for delivering
development commitments. Civil Society can give voice and expression to people's aspiration seeking
sections. They can also mobilize favorable public opinion on government reform policies and
programmes, which would go a long way in smooth implementation.
Civil society can make people aware about their rights and duties and thus make democracy stronger
by their participation.
The civil societies can influence main-stream development in the following ways:
1. Encouraging official aid agencies and government ministries to adopt successful approaches
developed within the voluntary sector;
2. Educating and sensitizing the public regarding their rights and entitlements under state
programs;
3. Attuning official programs to public needs by acting as a conduit for public opinion and
local experience;
4. Operational collaboration with official bodies;
5. Influencing local development policies of national and international institutions; and
6. Helping government in designing a more effective development strategy through strengthening
institutions, staff training and improving management capacity.
However, there are several problems crippling the Civil Societies. Ideally Civil Society should be
apolitical. But in practice, these groups often side with certain political group or ideology. Civil
Society is often led by vested interests. The Civil Society intervention often leads to delay in project
implementation due to obduracy and irrational protests. These societies are often less prepared for
reconciliation. As far as supplementing government's development efforts are concerned, despite
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their goodwill the civil societies lack proper human resources and sufficient funds.
Further the question arises, whether civil societies can be equated as development agencies which
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can supplement and not supplant government. The dictionary defines "alternative" as meaning
"either of two or more possible courses; ...mutually exclusive." The population of any country does
not have a choice between the development model offered by government and that by civil societies.
Civil societies can play an important role in helping certain population groups, or filling in the gaps
in state services, or in pressing for a change in the national development strategy, but they do not
offer realistic alternative pathways. Their innovations may test out new approaches, but these only
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become sustainable or of significant scale if they influence national development. Therefore, to

describe them as development alternatives is a narrow view. Civil societies are although not elected
by people unlike governments; they also represent people's aspirations and fill up the gap in
government's development initiatives.
18. Self-help groups (SHG) have contributed to a change in the role of rural women from
symbolic participation in social developmental process to empowerment. Critically examine.
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Hints:
Development is not just about offering the opportunity of a livelihood and access to basic social
services: it is also concerned with creating an environment where people can realize their rights
and participate meaningfully in society. Thus SHG provide a platform for holistic development.
SelfHelp Groups are informal associations of people who choose to come together to find ways to
improve their living conditions. They help to build Social Capital among the poor, especially women.
SHGs have been recognized as useful tool to help the poor and as an alternative mechanism to meet
the urgent credit needs of poor through saving. SHG is a medium for the development of saving
habit among the women. SHGs enhance the equality of status of women as participants, decision
makers and beneficiaries in the democratic, economic, social and cultural spheres of life.
Impact of SHG on Women life is immense, it is clearly understood that the SHGs are tool to promote
rural savings and gainful employment. Through this, the rural poverty is reduced considerably.
Therefore, women members are economically independent and their contribution to household
income is also increased.
However, the challenges to translate the very purpose of SHG are also very high. Apart from weak
market linkages in the context of incomegenerating activities, there are also a few other concerns
in relation to women's empowerment.
First is the capacity building of SelfHelp Groups, which are in need of support in accounting,
financial management, and organisational development.
The second concern is about the gender focus in rural financial services. Despite the focus in project
design, there were gaps during implementation. In Maharashtra Rural Credit Project, women tended
to be small borrowers and were able to capture only 32 per cent of the bank credit that was provided.
Therefore, gender focus in designing and implementing rural microfinance services should be
enhanced.
The third challenge is about how to link selfhelp groups to agricultural activities, which are of key
importance for the livelihoods of small farm holders in India, but at the moment selfhelp groups
have not taken much agricultural activities, as the decisions on agriculture are mainly taken by
men.
Supplementary Notes: Poverty and unemployment are the major problems of any under developed
country, to which India is no exception. In India along with this issue the women related problems
like discrimination, malnutrition, female infanticide are very high. In India, at the end of tenth five
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year plan 26.1% of the population was living below poverty line.
The more attractive scheme with less effort (finance) is "Self Help Group". It is a tool to remove
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poverty and improve the rural development. The origin of SHGs is from the brainchild of Grameen
Bank of Bangladesh, which was founded by Mohammed Yunus. SHGs were started and formed in
1975. In India, NABARD was initiated in 198687. But the real effort was taken after 199192 from
the linkage of SHGs with the banks.
A SHG is a small economically homogeneous affinity group of the rural poor voluntarily coming
together to save small amount regularly, which are deposited in a common fund to meet members
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emergency needs and to provide collateral free loans decided by the group. SHGs have been
recognized as useful tool to help the poor and as an alternative mechanism to meet the urgent
credit needs of poor through thrift. SHG is a medium for the development of saving habit among
the women. SHGs enhance the equality of status of women as participants, decisionmakers and
beneficiaries in the democratic, economic, social and cultural spheres of life.
The basic principles of the SHGs are group approach, mutual trust, organization of small and
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manageable groups, group cohesiveness, sprit of thrift, demand based lending, collateral free, women
friendly loan, peer group pressure in repayment, skill training, capacity building and empowerment.
SHGs are working in democratic manner. The upper limit of members in a group is restricted to 20.
Among them a member is selected as an administrator and two members are selected as the
representatives. The group members meet every week. They discuss about the group savings, rotation
of sangha funds, bank loan, repayment of loan, social and community action programmes. Functions
of SHGs are to create a common fund by the members through their regular savings. Flexible working
system and pool the resources in a democratic way.
SHG movement created an institutional framework. Participation of women in SHGs have improved
their access to credit culture of thrift and disciplined loan repayment thus winning confidence of
mainstream financial sector as credit worthy institutions.
19. Women organizations in India have failed to reach out to the downtrodden and poor rural
women, rather they have succeeded mostly in addressing the issues of educated and urban
women. Do you agree? Assess.
Hints:
Urban educated women started women organisations, but their goal was to address women issues
in general and not particularly of urban women. Women organisations are marking their presence
in both rural and urban areas due to both private as well as government initiatives. It will be,
therefore not right to say that women organisations have failed in uplifting rural and downtrodden
women and have remained confined only to the welfare of urban women. Of course the presence
of such organisations and their effective interventions are still very limited.
Most important government initiative in this regard was NCW. The National Commission for Women
(NCW) is a statutory body of the Government of India, generally concerned with advising the
government on all policy matters affecting women. It was established in January 1992 under the
provisions of the Indian Constitution, as defined in the 1990 National Commission for Women Act.
The objective of the NCW is to represent the rights of women in India and to provide a voice for
their issues and concerns. The subjects of their campaigns have included dowry, politics, religion,
equal representation for women in jobs, and the exploitation of women for labour. However, its
effectiveness also remained limited in the initial phase.
If we see the history of evolution of women organisations in India, two broad kinds of institutions
have grown in the country the first set has been ideologically driven and the second set is driven by
the objective of women empowerment. Among the ideologically driven groups we see that there is
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inclination in favour of rural, tribal and women workers. One such example is Nari Mukti Sangh
(Women's Liberation Association), founded in March 1990, which is having a weighty and
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momentous mass base and considerable membership from the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, West Bengal and Delhi.
The organisation is influenced from believes that national problems can be solved through people's
struggle and on the basis of independence, democracy, equality, women's liberation and socialism.
The organisation strives to generate "space to women's voice" and motivates them to participate in
"economic, political and social activity and decision making processes.
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As far as women organisations involved in empowerment of women is concerned, the first institution
that comes to our mind is the All India Women's Conference (AIWC) founded in 1927 by Margaret
Cousins, as an organization dedicated to upliftment and betterment of women and children. The
AIWC has since diversified into various social and economic activities involving women. Then
comes a great initiative called SEWA. The SelfEmployed Women's Association of India (SEWA) is
a trade union for poor, selfemployed women workers in India. The noted Gandhian and civil
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rights leader Dr Ela Bhatt founded SEWA in 1972. SEWA's main office is located in Ahmedabad,
Gujarat, and it works in several states of India. SEWA members are women who earn a living
through their own labour or small business. SEWA's main goals are to organize women workers for
full employment and selfreliance. SEWA aims to mainstream marginalized, poor women in the
informal sector and lift them out of their poverty.
Of course some of the empowerment based women organisations came up later such as COWE,
AIFW and BMB, which had more access in urban areas but even these organisations were not
excluding the poor and the rural women. The Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs (COWE),
established in 2004 in Hyderabad is a NGO/social organization engaged in the social and economic
"upliftment of women through entrepreneurship".
The slogan "Gearing women power" stands for the democratic structure of COWE and stands for
"Of the women, for the women and by the women." COWE's mission is to enhance women's
opportunities by creating a resource base of technical knowhow, management, marketing skills,
finance, infrastructure and equipment to promote entrepreneurship. On the other hand, the All
India Federation of Women Lawyers is an association of Indian women lawyers, established in
2007 and affiliated with International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA). For the increased
financial inclusion government of India started Bharatiya Mahila Bank. Bharatiya Mahila Bank
was inaugurated on 19 November, 2013 on the occasion of the 96th birth anniversary of former
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
When it comes to rural presence of women organisations, we can never forget a beautiful organisation
called Gulabi Gang. The Gulabi gang is a group of Indian women vigilantes and activists originally
from Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh, but reported to be active across North India as of 2010. The
Gulabi gang was founded by Sampat Pal Devi, a mother of five and former government health
worker (as well as a former child bride), as a response to widespread domestic abuse and other
violence against women.
The Government of India and state authorities alike have increasingly realized the importance of
devoting attention to the economic betterment and development of rural women in India. Self help
groups of women are being promoted. Key instruments for supporting women's empowerment are
selfhelp groups, whereby 1020 rural women from the same village, mostly poor women, come
together to contribute twoweekly or monthly dues as savings and provide group loans to their
members. Selfhelp groups are generally facilitated by NGOs, and increasingly advise and train
members in a variety of on and offfarm incomegenerating activities. Indeed, in a number of recent
projects, NGOs were substituted by trained facilitators and animators drawn from selfhelp groups.
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In the Rural Women's Development and Empowerment Project, for example, 90 per cent of the
beneficiaries reported increased access to and control over resources such as land, dwellings and
livestock. Under the Livelihoods Improvement Project in Himalayas, women selfhelp group members
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in Uttarakhand were even elected as gram pradhans (heads of the local governments at the village
or small town level) in 170 out of 669 panchayats in villages. In those operations, the country
programme evaluation also found unequivocal advances in the selfconfidence and assertiveness of
selfhelp group members.
In the Tamil Nadu Women's Development Project, 50 per cent of women selfhelp group members
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reported that, for the first time in their lives, they had visited new places and travelled longer
distances, while 90 per cent had interacted with institutions such as banks, NGOs and project
agencies. The impact study on the Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh Project reveals that access to finance
through group savings and lending to members had allowed women to become increasingly involved
in economic activities such as the collection and sale in local markets, of nontimber forest products.
However, the study also noted that greater effectiveness would have been achieved if the project
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had stressed valueaddition and promoted market linkages. Another important feature of selfhelp
groups has been the establishment of links between selfhelp groups and the formal microfinance
institutions and commercial banks.
It is, therefore, not right to say that women organisations have failed to reach out to the downtrodden
and poor rural women though there are certain limitations in terms of achieving the goals.
20. CSR in India has traditionally focused on education, healthcare, etc. however, by focusing
on improving livelihood, it may become a perfect opportunity for companies to achieve two
goals simultaneously, i.e., improve the well-being of the poor, while serving the short and
long term of companies. Illustrate.
Hints:
A robust and thriving development sector is central to India's quest for equitable, inclusive and
sustainable growth. India's development sector has evolved substantially over the last few decades
and is now witnessing unprecedented interest and investments across the value chain.
With the passage of the Companies Act, 2013 the mandate for CSR has been formally introduced to
the Boards of Indian companies. In the face of these external pressures, companies will need to
adapt their business models in order to manage risk and create value for their organizations. Yet
companies cannot become sustainable on their own without a sustainable society.
A focus on enhancing sustainable livelihood of poor would appreciate the income of poor people. It
can be used in planning new development activities and in assessing the contribution that existing
activities have made to sustaining livelihoods in around company or industry locations.
The SL framework put people, particularly rural poor people, at the centre of thought that affect
how these people create a livelihood for themselves and their households, along with the resources
and livelihood assets that they have access to and use. People in SLA are the main concern, rather
than the resources or assets. For example, Unilever has increased the number of smallholders trained
in sustainable practices to around 450,000 between 20052010, which increased their incremental
income, it particularly include people, who earlier faced seasonal unemployment.
Benefits for Companies: Long-run
• Longterm welfare for society is ultimately beneficial for companies themselves as a more
equitable society is expected to be more peaceful and law abiding. This causes fewer damages
due to disruptions and rioting.
• Similarly, the companies earn from society itself and poverty alleviation and increase in
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middle class headcount will only increase their business in long run.
Benefits for Companies: Short-run OR
• An association's CSR and sustainability program demonstrates the sector's commitment to
sustainable practices and leadership. It can build positive stakeholder relationships with
customers, communities, NGOs, and builds brand recognition in positive way.
• Associations with CSR programs are able to attract and retain the best and brightest employees
who prefer to work for organizations aligned with their values.
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The practice of CSR is not new to companies in India. However, what this Act does is that it bring
more companies into the fold. Also, it is likely that the total CSR spends will increase. What is clear
to many companies is that if this increased spending is to achieve results on the ground which is
the intent of the Act then it needs to be done strategically, systematically and thoughtfully.
Supplementary Notes
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Additional Information on New CSR Law

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has notified Section 135 and Schedule VII of the Companies Act
2013 as well as the provisions of the Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules,
2014 came into effect from April 1, 2014.
With effect from April 1, 2014, every company, private limited or public limited, which either has a
net worth of Rs 500 crore or a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore or net profit of Rs 5 crore, needs to spend
at least 2% of its average net profit for the immediately preceding three financial years on corporate
social responsibility activities. The CSR activities should not be undertaken in the normal course of
business and must be with respect to any of the activities mentioned in Schedule VII of the 2013
Act. Contribution to any political party is not considered to be a CSR activity and only activities in
India would be considered for computing CSR expenditure.
The net worth, turnover and net profits are to be computed in terms of Section 198 of the 2013 Act
as per the profit and loss statement prepared by the company in terms of Section 381 (1) (a) and
Section 198 of the 2013 Act. While these provisions have not yet been notified, is has been clarified
that if net profits are computed under the Companies Act, 1956 they needn't be recomputed under
the 2013 Act. Profits from any overseas branch of the company, including those branches that are
operated as a separate company would not be included in the computation of net profits of a
company. Besides, dividends received from other companies in India which need to comply with
the CSR obligations would not be included in the computation of net profits of a company.
The CSR Rules appear to widen the ambit for compliance obligations to include the holding and
subsidiary companies as well as foreign companies whose branches or project offices in India fulfill
the specified criteria. There is a need for clarity with respect to the compliance obligations of a
company as well as its holding and subsidiary companies.
The activities that can be undertaken by a company to fulfill its CSR obligations include eradicating
hunger, poverty and malnutrition, promoting preventive healthcare, promoting education and
promoting gender equality, setting up homes for women, orphans and the senior citizens, measures
for reducing inequalities faced by socially and economically backward groups, ensuring
environmental sustainability and ecological balance, animal welfare, protection of national heritage
and art and culture, measures for the benefit of armed forces veterans, war widows and their
dependents, training to promote rural, nationally recognized, Paralympic or Olympic sports,
contribution to the Prime Minister's national relief fund or any other fund set up by the Central
Government for socio economic development and relief and welfare of SC, ST, OBCs, minorities
and women, contributions or funds provided to technology incubators located within academic
institutions approved by the Central Government and rural development projects.
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However, in determining CSR activities to be undertaken, preference would need to be given to
local areas and the areas around where the company operates.
To formulate and monitor the CSR policy of a company, a CSR Committee of the Board needs to be
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constituted. Section 135 of the 2013 Act requires the CSR Committee to consist of at least three
directors, including an independent director. However, CSR Rules exempts unlisted public companies
and private companies that are not required to appoint an independent director from having an
independent director as a part of their CSR Committee and stipulates that the Committee for a
private company and a foreign company need have a minimum of 2 members.
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A company can undertake its CSR activities through a registered trust or society, a company
established by its holding, subsidiary or associate company or otherwise, provided that the company
has specified the activities to be undertaken, the modalities for utilization of funds as well as the
reporting and monitoring mechanism. If the entity through which the CSR activities are being
undertaken is not established by the company or its holding, subsidiary or associate company, such
entity would need to have an established track record of three years undertaking similar activities.
Companies can also collaborate with each other for jointly undertaking CSR activities, provided
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that each of the companies are able to individually report on such projects.
A company can build CSR capabilities of its personnel or implementation agencies through institutions
with established track records of at least three years, provided that the expenditure for such activities
does not exceed 5% of the total CSR expenditure of the company in a single financial year.
The CSR Rules specify that a company which does not satisfy the specified criteria for a consecutive
period of three financial years is not required to comply with the CSR obligations, implying that a
company not satisfying any of the specified criteria in a subsequent financial year would still need
to undertake CSR activities unless it ceases to satisfy the specified criteria for a continuous period of
three years. This could increase the burden on small companies which do not continue to make
significant profits.
International practices and guidelines regarding CSR
• The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
The UN guiding principles provide assistance to states and businesses to fulfill their existing obligations
towards respecting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and comply with the
existing laws. These principles act as global standards for addressing the risk of human rights
violation related to business activity. In circumstances, when these laws are breached or the guidance
is not adhered to, suitable remedies have also been recommended.
The primary focus is on the protection of human rights by both, the state and the business enterprises,
and the principles broadly outline the manner in which the framework can be implemented.
• ILO's tripartite declaration of principles on multinational enterprises and social policy
This is another voluntary declaration whose adoption by governments, employers and multinational
organisations is encouraged, with the intention of further ensuring labour and social standards.
This is particularly for organizations that operate across multiple countries. Focus is on core labour
standards such as (i) freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining (prohibition of
discrimination, bonded and forced labour); (ii) industrial relations (no trade union restrictions,
regular discussions between management and labour, and the provision of a forum to lodge
complaints in case of labour standard violation); (iii) employment opportunities (creation of job
security, improved living and working conditions and ensuring that wages are on par with those of
other enterprises in the same country).
• OECD Guidelines for multinational enterprises
These elaborate on the principles and standards for responsible business conduct for multinational
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corporations. These guidelines were recently updated in 2011. They cover areas such as employment,
human rights, environment, information disclosure, combating bribery, consumer interests, science
OR
and technology, competition and taxation. They contain defined standards for socially and
environmentally responsible corporate behaviour, and also provide procedures for resolving disputes
between corporations and communities or individuals adversely impacted by business activities.
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 Indian Culture Test with Hints .... 1-12

 Modern History Test with Hints .... 13-26

 Modern History + Post Independence Test with Hints .... 27-39

 World History Test with Hints .... 40-53

 Society Test-1 with Hints .... 122-151

 Society Test-2 with Hints .... 152-179

 Indian Culture Test with Hints .... 1-12

 Modern History Test with Hints .... 13-26

 Modern History + Post Independence Test with Hints .... 27-39

 World History Test with Hints .... 40-53

 Society Test-1 with Hints .... 122-151

 Society Test-2 with Hints .... 152-179

Q1. Critically evaluate the contribution of British rule to Indian architecture.

Q5. Elaborate the contribution of following in development of Indian Music.

iii. Purandara Dasa

iv. Allauddin Khan

Q11. Vedanta is not a static philosophy or religion. It is a highly dynamic, ever-growing

1. Critically evaluate the contribution of British rule to Indian architecture.

major Indian cities like Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras.

to western dramatic classics through English. Translations started appearing simultaneously of

5. Elaborate the contribution of following in development of Indian Music.

(Achaemenid) imperial influence.

achieve liberation through physical and mental discipline.

a chamber to house the deity and a roof to shelter the devotee.

[12] Hints: Indian Culture

meant different things for different people'. Elaborate

various empires. Critically analyze.

Modern History [13]

[14] Modern History

• Federal court (now supreme court)

• Reserve Bank of India

• Office of governor, which was subservient to centre

• Introduction of centre & state lists

• Directive principles of state policy

Hints: Modern History [15]

• Often Violent in nature

last decade of 19th century.

[26] Hints: Modern History

MODERN HISTORY + POST INDEPENDENCE

Q6. In anticipation of independence and the accompanying changes in agrarian relations,

[28] Modern History + Post Independence

MODERN HISTORY + POST INDEPENDENCE

understood that 'united they stand and divided they fall'.

on the secular concept of religion.

reasons of the war.

• Emergency was seen as a black spot because:

Hints: Modern History + Post Independence [39]

[40] World History

Economic Weakness of Britain and France

• In place of the old Confederation, he united 22 states of Germany.

countries were vacated by their colonial masters that harmed them.

America. In 1867 it set up the Dominion of Canada, a confederation of British colonial

Why they attacked privileges?

• Democratic capitalism is said to be an amalgam of three systems: (1) an economy based

Hints: World History [53]

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY (WORLD

Q7. Discuss the economic and strategic significance of Indian islands.

Q12. Discuss the main features of Plate Tectonic Theory.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY (WORLD

civilizations grew along deltas.

Factors responsible for sinking of deltas

not cause appreciable damage.

2. Promote R&D technologies for production, postharvest management and processing.

3. Enhance acreage, coverage, and productivity through:

• Extension of appropriate technology to the farmers for hightech horticulture cultivation