CIVICS
Chapter – 5
Democratic Rights
NCERT Solutions
1. Which of the following is not an instance of an exercise of a fundamental right?
(a) Workers from Bihar go to the Punjab to work on the farms
(b) Christian missions set up a chain of missionary schools
(c) Men and women government employees get the same salary
(d) Parents’ property is inherited by their children
Answer:
(d) Parents’ property is inherited by their children
2. Which of the following freedoms is not available to an Indian citizen?
(a) Freedom to criticise the government
(b) Freedom to participate in armed revolution
(c) Freedom to start a movement to change the government
(d) Freedom to oppose the central values of the Constitution
3. Which of the following rights is available under the Indian Constitution?
(a) Right to work
(b) Right to adequate livelihood
(c) Right to protect one’s culture
(d) Right to privacy
Answer:
(c) Right to protect one’s culture
4. Name the Fundamental Right under which each of the following rights falls:
1. Freedom to propagate one’s religion
2. Right to life
3. Abolition of untouchability
4. Ban on bonded labour
Answer:
1. Right to freedom of religion
2. Right to freedom
3. Right to equality
4. Right against exploitation
5. Which of these statements about the relationship between democracy and rights is more valid?
Give reasons for your preference.
(a) Every country that is a democracy gives rights to its citizens.
(b) Every country that gives rights to its citizens is a democracy.
(c) Giving rights is good, but it is not necessary for a democracy.
Answer:
The most valid statement is (a).
This is because every country that is democratic is a system wherein the government is elected by
the people. Therefore, it is essential for it to provide rights to its citizens.
6. Are these restrictions on the right to freedom justified? Give reasons for your answer.
1. Indian citizens need permission to visit some border areas of the country for reasons of
security.
2. Outsiders are not allowed to buy property in some areas to protect the interest of the local
population.
3. The government bans the publication of a book that can go against the ruling party in the
next elections.
Answer:
1. This statement is justified as the citizens are protected from loss of life or property.
2. This statement is not justified as it infringes on the right to freedom of citizens from other
parts of the country.
3. This statement is not justified as it violates the right to freedom of speech and expression.
7. Manoj went to a college to apply for admission into an MBA course. The clerk refused to take his
application and said You, the son of a sweeper, wish to be a manager! Has anyone done this job in
your community? Go to the municipality office and apply for a sweeper’s position. Which of
Manoj’s fundamental rights is being violated in this instance?
Answer:
In this case, the Right to Freedom and Right to Equality is being violated.
a. Right to Equality – Everyone is equal inf the eyes of law. No one can be denied admission on the grounds of
his birth. The person is also practising untouchability which is a punishable offence. His right to opportunity is
also being violated.
b. Right to Freedom – Manoj has the right to apply for any job anywhere as long as he is qualified for it. No one
can force him to do a certain job against his wishes.
8. When Madhurima went to the property registration office, the Registrar told her. “You can’t
write your name as Madhurima Banerjee d/o A. K. Banerjee. You are married, so you must give
your husband’s name. Your husband’s surname is Rao. So your name should be changed to
Madhurima Rao.” She did not agree. She said “If my husband’s name has not changed after
marriage, why should mine?” In your opinion who is right in this dispute? And why?
Answer:
In this dispute, Madhurima’s opinion is correct as Madhurima has got all the right to retain her
maiden name to ensure gender equality. In a democratic country like India, every citizen enjoys the
right to equality. Therefore, whether it is the marital status or unmarried a girl has all the right to
retain her father’s name.
Economics
Chapter – 4
Food Security In India
NCERT Solutions
Question-1
How is food security ensured in India?
Solution:
Food security is ensured in India on the basis of the two components, i.e., Buffer Stock and Public
Distribution System (PDS).
1. Buffer Stock. It is the stock of food grains like wheat and rice procured by the government
through Food Corporation of India (FCI).
2. Public Distribution System. The food procured by the FCI is distributed through government
regulated ration shops called Fair Price Shops (FPS) among the poorer sections of the society.
Question-2
Which are the people more prone to food insecurity?
Solution:
Although a large section of people suffers from food and nutrition insecurity in India, the worst
affected groups are landless or land-poor households in rural areas and people employed in ill-paid
occupations and casual labourers engaged in seasonal activities in the urban areas.
Question-3
Which states are more food insecure in India?
Solution:
The economically backward states with high incidence of poverty are more food insecure in India.
The states of Uttar Pradesh (eastern and south-eastern parts), Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal,
Chhattisgarh, parts of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra account for the largest number of food-
insecure people in the country.
Question-4
Do you believe that the green revolution has made India self-sufficient in food grains? How?
Solution:
After independence, India adopted a new strategy in agriculture, which resulted in the ‘Green
Revolution’ especially in the production of wheat and rice. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of
India, officially recorded the impressive strides of the Green revolution in agriculture by releasing a
special stamp entitled ‘Wheat Revolution’ in July 1968. The success of wheat was later replicated in
rice. The increase in food grains was, however, disproportionate. The highest rate of growth was
achieved in Punjab and Haryana, where food grain production jumped from 7.23 million tonnes in
1964–65 to reach an all-time high of 30.33 million tonnes in 1995-96.
Question-5
A section of people in India is still without food. Explain?
Solution:
Despite achieving self-sufficiency in food grains, as a result of the Green Revolution, a section of
people in India are still without food because of poverty. Thus, the landless labourers, casual urban
workers, SCs, and STs who are below the poverty line find it impossible to get two square meals a
day.
The Public Distribution System is not functioning properly because the ration shop owners are
diverting the grains to the open market. Low-quality grains are available at ration shops which often
remain unsold.
Corruption in the Public Distribution System and extreme poverty are the two basic reasons of why
some people are still without food in India.
Question-6
What happens to the supply of food when there is a disaster or a calamity?
Solution:
The poorest section of the society might be food insecure most of the times while persons above the
poverty line might also be food insecure when the country faces a national disaster/calamity like
earthquake, drought, flood, tsunami, widespread failure of crops causing famine, etc.
Question-7
Differentiate between seasonal hunger and chronic hunger?
Solution:
Seasonal hunger is related to cycles of food growing and harvesting whereas chronic hunger is a
consequence of diets persistently inadequate in terms of quantity or quality.
People suffer from seasonal hunger in rural areas because of the seasonal nature of agricultural
activities and because of causal labour in the urban areas whereas poor people suffer from chronic
hunger because of very low income and thereby inability to buy food even for bare survival.
Question-8
What has our government done to provide food security to the poor? Discuss any two schemes
launched by the government?
Solution:
In order to help the poor, and provide food security to them ,two special schemes were launched in
2000. They were, Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and the Annapurna Scheme (APS) with special target
groups of ‘poorest of the poor’ and ‘indigent senior citizens’, respectively. The functioning of these
two schemes was linked with the existing network.
Question-9
Why is a buffer stock created by the government?
Solution:
To ensure availability of food to all sections of the society the Indian government carefully designed a
food security system, which is composed of two components: (a) buffer stock and (b) public
distribution system. This is done to distribute foodgrains in the deficit areas and among the poorer
strata of society at a price lower than the market price.
Question-10
Write notes on Minimum Support Price, Buffer Stock, Issue Price and Fair Price Shops.
Solution:
a. Minimum Support Price
The farmers are paid a pre-announced price for their crops. This price is called Minimum Support
Price. The MSP is declared by the government every year before the sowing season to provide
incentives to the farmers for raising the production of these crops.
b. Buffer Stock
Buffer Stock is the stock of food grains, namely wheat and rice procured by the government through
Food Corporation of India (FCI).
C .Issue Price
Buffer stock is created to distribute food grains in the deficit areas and among the poorer strata of
society at a price lower than the market price also known as Issue Price. This also helps resolve the
problem of shortage of food during adverse weather conditions or during periods of calamity.
d. Fair Price Shops
The food procured by the FCI is distributed through government-regulated ration shops among the
poorer section of the society. This is called the public distribution system (PDS). Ration shops are now
present in most localities, villages, towns and cities. There are about 4.6 lakh ration shops all over the
country. Ration shops also known as Fair Price Shops keep stock of food grains, sugar, kerosene oil for
cooking. These items are sold to people at a price lower.
Question-11
Write a note on the role of cooperatives in providing food and related items.
Solution:
The cooperative societies set up shops to sell low priced goods to poor people, such as Mother Dairy
in Delhi is rapidly growing in providing milk and vegetables to the consumers at controlled prices,
announced by the government of Delhi.
Another success story of cooperatives lies in Amul, a cooperative, dealing with milk and milk
products from Gujarat. It has brought about the ‘White Revolution’ in the country.
These cooperatives are functioning in various parts of the country to ensure food security to various
sections of the society.
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