DEVELOPMENT
1. What is development? What are two aspects of
development?
Ans. Development is such a situation that can fulfill the aspiration or
desires of people. It is the progress or improvement in the lifestyle of the
people.
Two aspects of development are:
Different people can have different development goals.
What may be development for one may not be development for
others.
2. Why do different people have different notions of
development? Explain.
Ans. It is because the life situations of people are different. People
see things that are most important for them or that can fulfill their
aspirations or desires. For example, the development goal of a boy
from a rich urban family would be to get admission to a reputed
college whereas the development goal of a girl from a rich urban
family would be to get as much freedom as her brother.
3. “Conflicting goals can be development goals.” Elaborate
with examples.
Ans. At times two people or groups of people may seek things that are
conflicting. A girl expects as much freedom and opportunity as her brother
and he also shares in the household work. Her brother may not like this.
Similarly, to get more electricity, industrialists may want more dams but
this may submerge the land and disturb the lives of people who are
displaced, such as tribals.
4. Explain how the development goals and aspirations of
landless rural laborers, prosperous farmers, and poor
farmers who depend only on rain are different.
Ans.
Landless rural laborers: They would like to have more days of work
and better wages, and local schools to provide quality education to
their children there should not be any social discrimination so that
they too can become leaders in the village.
Prosperous farmers: They should have an assurance of high family
income through higher support prices for their crops through
hardworking and cheap labor.
Farmers who depend only on rain: This kind of farmer’s main goal is
to have irrigational facilities, crop insurance at less premium, and
water facilities of life for them as well as their children.
5. Give examples to prove that there are other important
development goals than income.
Ans. Besides income, the development goals of various categories of
people are different from person to person. Some examples of
developmental goals other than income are:
For rich farmers: High support price for crops, cheap labor, and
subsidized inputs.
For landless rural laborers: More days of work, schools for their
children, and no social discrimination.
For Adivasi: No social discrimination, year-round employment,
school education for children, and PDS shop in his village.
For urban youth: Opportunity for higher education, availability of an
office job, and a self-owned house.
For an urban girl from a rich family: Freedom to decide her
profession and be able to pursue her higher studies abroad.
6. “Money in your pocket may not buy all goods and services
you need to live well.” Is it true or not? Elucidate.
Ans. Money in our pockets cannot buy all the goods and services that we
may need to live well.
Money cannot buy us a pollution-free environment.
Money cannot buy us a disease-free life and might not be able to
get protection from infectious diseases.
Besides money, people also like to have equal treatment in society,
freedom, dignity, and honor in their lives, which money cannot buy
them.
7. In what respects is the criterion used by the UNDP for measuring
development different from the one used by World Bank? ( SELF
STUDY)
8. What is the main norm used by the World Bank in classifying
different countries as rich and poor countries? What are the
restrictions of such norms?
Ans. The main norm used by the World Bank in classifying different
countries as rich and poor countries is per capita income.
Average income hides the disparity.
Average income does not tell us the distribution of income among
people.
It is just a material criterion for the comparison.
9. Explain the meaning of HDI. Mention three components of
measuring HDI.
Ans. United Nations Development Programme has used the criterion of
the Human Development Index to measure the development of countries.
The human development index is a composite index of the achievements
of a nation in terms of three important variables (longevity, knowledge,
and standard of living, quality of life).
HDI is calculated on the basis of:
Per capita income: It is calculated by dividing the total national
income of a country by the total population.
Life expectancy: It is the average expected length of life of a person
at the time of birth in a country.
Gross enrolment ratio for three levels: It means the enrolment ratio
for primary schools, secondary schools, and higher education
beyond the secondary level.
10. “The issue of sustainability is important for
development.” Examine the statement.
Ans.
Sustainable development aims at fulfilling the needs of today
without compromising the needs of the future generation.
Sustainability is the capability to use resources judiciously and
maintain the ecological balance.
It lays emphasis on environmental protection and checks
environmental degradation.
11. How is the issue of sustainability important for
development? Explain with three examples.
Or,
‘We have not inherited the world from our forefathers – we have
borrowed it from our children.’ explain the above statement with
an example.
Ans. Development, at present, without harming the environment and also
keeping it safe for future generations is termed sustainable development.
Groundwater, which is a renewable resource, is getting depleted
because of its overuse. People are facing the problem of a water
crisis due to its indiscriminate use.
The development that emerged from the fast industrialization leads
to the cutting of forests and its result is a polluted- environment for
the present as well as for future generations.
Crude oil which is a non-renewable resource with limited stock is
depleting gradually. So we need to use it wisely.
12. Why does Kerala have a better Human Development
Index ranking in comparison to Punjab? Explain with three
reasons.
Ans. Kerala has a better Human Development Index ranking in
comparison to Punjab.
The three reasons are:
Kerala has better provisions of health facilities and therefore the IMR
in Kerala is very low.
Kerala has better educational facilities. Therefore, the literacy rate is
high there and the net attendance ratio is also high.
Kerala has better provisions for PDS.
NOTE: Refer text book and self study for other questions