CHAPTER 1- DEVELOPMENT

QUESTION ANSWERS

Q1) What is development? (1)

Ans. Development is a process by which nation escapes poverty and achieves economic and social
progress. It has been the subject of extensive examination for hundreds of years. The notion of
development itself has evolved from a preoccupation with incomes and economic growth to a much
broader understanding of development.

Q2) With the help of two examples explain how developmental goals can be different for different
individuals. OR “What may be development for one may not be development for the other.” Elucidate
this statement with the help of two examples. (2)

Ans.

• Different people have different notions of development based on their needs. They seek things
that are most important for them, ie. that which can fulfill their aspirations or desires. Thus,
different people can have different developmental goals.

• At times, two persons or group of persons may seek things which are conflicting. What may be
development for one may not be development for the other. It may even be destructive for the
other.

• Example 1: A girl expects as much freedom and opportunity as her brother, and that he also
shares in the household work. Her brother may not like this.

• Example 2: To get more electricity, industrialists may want more dams. But this may submerge
the land and disrupt the lives of people who are displaced- such as the tribals. They might resent
this and may prefer small check dams or tanks to irrigate their land.

Q3) “For development, people look at a mix of goals.” Examine the various goals apart from income that
constitute development. (3)

Ans.

• FOR DEVELOPMENT, PEOPLE LOOK AT A MIX OF GOALS. For example, if women are engaged in
paid work, their dignity in the household and society increases. A safe and secure environment
may allow more women to take up a variety of jobs or run a business.

• Thus, developmental goals are not only about better income but also about other important
things in life.

• Besides income, people also seek things like equal treatment, freedom, friendship, security,
health, education, and respect for others. They resent discrimination.
 • All these are important goals and may be more important than more income or more
consumption because one needs more than material goods. These determine the quality of life.

• For example: Facilities for family, working atmosphere, opportunity to learn, regular
employment, security etc are more important than merely income while choosing a job.

Q4) “Different persons could have different as well as conflicting notions of a country’s
development.” Explain with the help of an example.’

ANS. While for the industrialists, national development would mean development of industries and
setting up of multi- purpose dam for production of electricity, for the tribals and people living in the
catchment areas of the industry this might mean pollution, health problems and environmental
disasters. For these people development would mean living in a pollution free environment.

Q5) Why is income considered to be an important attribute while comparing countries. OR ‘Average
income is considered as important criterion of development.’ Comment.

Ans. For comparing countries, their income is one of the most important attributes. Countries with
higher income are considered more developed as more income would ensure all basic human needs.
Whatever people like, and should have, they will be able to get with greater income. Therefore, greater
income is considered to be one important goal.

Q6) Why is total income of countries not used to make comparison between them?

Ans.

➢ One way of calculating the income of the country is by calculating the total income of the
country which is the income of all the residents of the country.

➢ But the total income is not such a useful measure. Since countries have different populations,
therefore we compare Average Income which is total income of the country divided by its total
population. The Average Income is also called Per Capita Income.

Q7) What is average income / per capita income? How does the World Development Report classify
countries on the basis of their per capita income?

Ans.

• The Average Income is also called Per Capita Income. Average income is calculated by dividing
total income by total population.
• In the WORLD DEVELOPMENT REPORT, brought out by the WORLD BANK, the average income is
used for classifying countries. World bank has used the criterion of PER CAPITA INCOME for
classifying into high income and low income.
• Countries with per capita income of US$ 49,300 per annum and above in 2019 are called rich
countries.
• Countries with per capita income of US$ 2500 or less are called low –income countries.
 • India comes in the category of low- middle income countries because its per capita income in
2019 was just US$ 6700 per annum.
• The rich countries excluding countries of Middle East and certain other small countries are
generally called developed countries.

Q8) What are the limitations of using average income/ per capita income to compare the economies of
various countries?

Ans.

1. The average income does not indicate the disparities in the distribution of income. Eg. the wide gap
between the incomes of extremely rich and very poor people.

2. It does not indicate long-term sustainability as non-renewable resources are liable to be exhausted.

3. It also does not consider the other factors such as infant mortality rate, literacy levels, healthcare, etc.

Q9) Define the following terms:

a) Infant Mortality Rate- It indicates the number of children that die before the age of one year as a
proportion of 1000 live children born in that particular year.

b) Net Attendance Ratio- It is the total number of children of age group 6-10 attending school as a
percentage of total number of children in the same age group.

c) Literacy Rate- It measures the proportion of literate population in the 7 and above age group.

d) Life Expectancy- This denotes the average expected length of life of a person.

Q10) Explain with reason why state of Haryana with a very high per capita income has a low literacy
rate? (Module 3)

Ans.

➢ Money in your pocket cannot buy all the goods and services that you may need to live well.

➢ So, income by itself is not a completely adequate indicator of material goods and services that
citizens are able to use.

➢ In many regions, education, health and sanitary facilities are not adequately available to educate
and prevent from infectious diseases.
➢ People are not aware about the importance of literacy for their betterment of life.
➢ In rural areas, they prefer to educate boys and discriminate against girl to give them school
education.
➢ Also, many parents themselves are illiterate and not given priority for education. They send
children to work for wages instead of school.
Q11) “Money cannot buy all the goods and services that one needs to live well”. Do you agree with this
statement? Justify your answer with suitable arguments.

Ans.

➢ The answer to this is that- Money in your pocket cannot buy all the goods and services that you
may need to live well.

➢ So, income by itself is not a completely adequate indicator of material goods and services that
citizens are able to use.

➢ If we look at individuals’ aspirations and goals, we found that people not only think of better
income but also about the goals such as security, freedom, equality, respect, etc. Similarly for a
nation besides the average income we think of other important attributes.

➢ For example: Money cannot buy you a pollution free environment or ensure that you get
unadulterated medicines. Money may also not be able to protect you from infectious diseases
unless the whole of your community takes preventive steps.

➢ Most important things like health and education indicators are significant to measure
development apart from income.

➢ Thus, though the level of income is important, yet it is an inadequate measure of the level of
development.

Q12) Give a reason why:

a) Kerala has a low infant mortality rate. - Kerala has a low Infant Mortality Rate because it has
adequate provision of basic health and educational facilities.

b) In Tamil Nadu 90% of the rural people use a ration shop. - In some states Public Distribution
System (PDS) functions well. Health and nutritional status of people of such states is certainly
likely to be better. For example, in Tamil Nadu, 90% of rural people use a ration shop as
compared to West Bengal where only 35% of rural people do so.

Q13) What is Human Development Report? Mention and explain the parameters used to determine the
Human Development Index.

Ans. HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT (HDP) published by UNDP compares countries based on
educational level of the people their health status and per capita income.

➢ The Human Development Index (HDI) is calculated by considering the following:

• LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH- This denotes the average expected length of life of a person at the
time of birth.

• MEAN YEARS OF SCHOOLING OF PEOPLE AGED 25 AND ABOVE.

 • PER CAPITA INCOME- This is calculated in dollars for all countries so that it can be compared. It
is also done in a way so that every dollar would buy the same amount of goods and services in
any country.

These indicators/ parameters help in calculating the HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX (HDI).

Q14) How is Body Mass Index calculated? How do you think it indicates the health status of a country?

Ans.

❖ One way of calculating if adults are undernourished is to calculate what nutrition scientists call
Body Mass Index (BMI).

❖ For calculating the BMI, the weight of a person is divided by the squares of the height.

❖ If a girl student is 14 years and 8 months old, and the BMI is 15.2, then she is undernourished.

❖ If a boy is 15 years and 6 months old, and the BMI is 28, then he is overweight.

Q15) As per the HDR of 2019, which neighbouring countries of India fare better than it and in what
terms?

Ans.

➢ A small country in our neighbourhood, Sri Lanka is much ahead than India in every aspect.

➢ Though, Nepal and Bangladesh have low per capita income than that of India, yet they are
better than India in life expectancy.

➢ Many improvements have been suggested in calculating HDI and many new components have
been added to the Human Development Report, in development what is more important is the
health and wellbeing of the people.

Q16. Name the report published by UNDP which compares countries based on educational level of the
people, their health status and per capita income?

Ans. HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT

Q17. Why is per capita income of different countries calculated in dollar by the World Bank?

Ans. Per capita income of different countries are calculated in Dollars and not in their own currency
by the World Bank to facilitate comparison. Per capita income of each country is estimated in its
own currency then it is converted into dollars at the current rate of exchange. This makes
comparison of different currencies of world possible and help in setting of accounts between
different countries.

Q18. Based on which three indicators of HDI Sri Lanka has better rank than India?
 Ans. The HDI index of Sri Lanka is better than India in terms of:

➢ Life Expectancy at Birth

➢ Literacy Rate for 15+ population
➢ Mean years of schooling of people aged 25 years and above.

Q19. “We have not inherited the world from our forefathers, we have borrowed it from our
children.” In the light of the above statement, highlight the significance of sustainable development.

Ans. “We have not inherited the world from our forefathers, we have borrowed it from our
children.” It means that the resources that you are using today are not given to you by elder
generations, they belong to the future generations. So, we must use them in such a way that they
are sufficient for the present as well as the future. Just think that you are using something that is
borrowed.

➢ Since the second half of the 20th century, several scientists have been warning that the present
type and levels of development are not sustainable.

➢ Renewable resources like ground water are replenished by nature.

➢ However even this resource may be overused. We are using more than what can be replenished
by rain.

➢ Non-renewable resources like fossil fuels cannot be replenished as they have a fixed stock on
earth. They get exhausted after years of use.

➢ We do discover new resources, but over the time, even this will get exhausted.

Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state boundaries, this issue
is no longer nation or state specific. Our futures are linked together, and sustainability of
development is the call of the hour for the entire world.

Q20. “Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state boundaries.” Explain
with examples. (3)

Answer:

Sustainable development refers to carefully utilising resources so that besides meeting the requirements
of the present, it also takes care of the future generations. It is essential to practice judicious and
optimum use of resources in order to conserve the resources for the next generations.

➢ Since the second half of the 20th century, a number of scientists have been warning that the
present type and levels of development are not sustainable.

➢ Renewable resources like ground water are replenished by nature.

 ➢ However even this resource may be overused. We are using more than what can be replenished
by rain.

➢ Non-renewable resources like fossil fuels cannot be replenished as they have a fixed stock on
earth. They get exhausted after years of use.

➢ We do discover new resources, but over the time, even this will get exhausted. It will affect the
whole world.

➢ The impact of environmental pollution is not limited to one region or even a country. It has
detrimental impact on the climate and resources of the entire world.

➢ CONSEQUENCES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION DO NOT RESPECT NATIONAL OR STATE

BOUNDARIES, THIS ISSUE IS NO LONGER NATION OR STATE SPECIFIC. Our futures are linked
together, and sustainability of development is the call of the hour for the entire world.

Q21. With the help of two examples, explain how sustainable development is the need of the hour. (2
½ + 2 ½ =5 marks) (The answer will be the same as Q19)

Sustainable development is the need of the hour. The resources, whether exhaustible or inexhaustible,
will not be available indefinitely if we do not practice sustainability. This is evident from the following
examples:

Example 1:

➢ RENEWABLE RESOURCE

Groundwater in India

• Recent studies have suggested that ground water is under serious threat of overuse in many
parts of the country.

• About 300 districts have reported a water level decline of over 4 meters during the past 20
years.

• Nearly 1/3rd of the country is overusing their ground water reserves and in another 25 years, 60
percent of the country would be doing the same.

• Ground water overuse is particularly found in the agriculturally prosperous regions of Punjab
and Western UP, hard rock plateau areas of Central and South India, some coastal areas, and
the rapidly growing urban settlements.

• Thus, if we want to conserve our ground water reserves and avoid drought situations, it is
essential to conserve the ground water resources.

EXAMPLE 2:
 ➢ NON- RENEWABLE RESOURCE

Crude Oil

• Crude oil that which we extract from the earth is a non- renewable resource. However, we may
find a source of oil that we did not know of earlier as explorations are being undertaken all the
time.

• The reserves of crude oil across the world are depleting at a very fast pace and might not last
for beyond 50 years.

• Countries like India depends on importing oil from abroad because they do not have enough
stocks of their own.

• The increase in prices would become a burden for everyone.

• Countries like USA which have low reserves want to secure oil through military or economic
power.

• The need to conserve our non- renewable resources and adopt renewable and sustainable
energy resources like solar, tidal, nuclear energy is the need of the hour. This will not only
ensure non- deficiency of energy resources in future, but also ensure world peace and security.

TEXT QUESTIONS

Q5. In what respects is the criterion used by the UNDP for measuring development different from
the one used by the World Bank?

Ans.

• The World Bank determines development on the basis on the average income/ per
capita income. On the other hand, UNDP determines development not just based on
the per capita income, but also based on life expectancy, literacy rate and Gross
Enrolment Ratio.
• Development is not just about increase in income, but also includes better healthcare
and education that leads to Human Resource Development.

Q6. Why do we use averages? Are there any limitations to their use? Illustrate with examples.

Ans. Averages are used to compare the development levels of the various countries in the world.
They do away the problems presented by the total income, which does not consider the differences
in populations in various countries.

Limitations of average income:

1.It does not indicate the disparities in the distribution of income. Eg. the wide gap between the
incomes of extremely rich and very poor people.2. It does not indicate long-term sustainability as
 non-renewable resources are liable to be exhausted. 3. It also does not consider the other factors
such as infant mortality rate, literacy levels, healthcare, etc.

Example:

➢ Let us consider two countries, A and B. We have assumed that they have only 5 citizens each.
Both countries have identical average income. But country A has more equitable distribution.
People are neither very rich nor very poor.

➢ While in country B most of the citizens are poor and only one person is extremely rich.

➢ Thus, while average income is useful for comparison it does not tell us how this income is
distributed among people. Thus, they hide income disparities.

Q9. Why is the issue of sustainability important for development?

Ans. Sustainable economic development means that development should take place without
damaging the environment and exploitation of resources and development in the present should not
compromise with the needs of future generation.

1. Sustainability is the capability to use the resources judiciously and maintain the ecological
balance.
2. It is important for the future generation requirement: We must use non-renewable sources
judiciously. They also need extra care as they can pot be renewed. Dependency on non-
renewable sources should be reduced.
3. Optimum utilization and reducing wastage of resource takes care of future needs and may sustain
the environment. It avoids exploitation and overuse of resources.
4. There is acute shortage or deficiency of some resources: Investing in alternative sources of
energy which are environment friendly may prove helpful.
5. It lays emphasis on environmental protection and check environmental degradation.

Q10. ‘The earth has enough resources to meet the needs of all but not enough to satisfy the greed
of even one person.’ How is this statement relevant to the discussion of development? Discuss.

Ans. ‘The earth has enough resources to meet the needs of all but not enough to satisfy the greed of
even one person.’ This statement is given by Mahatma Gandhi:

(i) It means that the earth has abundant resources to satisfy everyone’s needs but, in our greed, and
hurry to develop, we have been recklessly exploiting these resources.

(ii) In the name of development, we have indulged in activities such as deforestation, overgrazing,
encroachment into forest lands, overuse of ground water, use of plastics, etc.

(iii) The exploitation of natural resources not only harms the environment but may cripple the future
generations of the development process itself.

(iv) If fossil fuels are exhausted, the development of all countries would be at risk.
 (v) Thus, there is a need for conservation and judicious use of resources for development.

CATEGORY OF PERSON DEVELOPMENTSL GOALS/ ASPIRATIONS

LANDLESS RURAL LABOURERS More days of work and better wages; local school is
able to provide quality education for their children;
there is no social discrimination, and they too can
become leaders in the village.

PROSPEROUS FARMERS FROM PUNJAB Assured a high family income through higher
support prices for their crops and through
hardworking and cheap labourers; they should be
able to settle their children abroad.

FARMERS WHO DEPEND ONLY ON RAIN FOR Irrigation facilities provided by the government.
GROWING CROPS. Agricultural loans and seed banks to be established.
Crops to be insured from natural disasters like
droughts and floods. Minimum support price to be
ensured for the crops. Education and health
facilities.

A RURAL WOMAN FROM A LAND- OWNING Equal opportunities as the men in the family.
FAMILY Opportunities for education and economic
independence. Gender equality at home. Going to
city to pursue education/ employment.

CATEGORY OF PERSON DEVELOPMENTAL GOALS/ ASPIRATIONS

URBAN UNEMPLOYED YOUTH Employment opportunities, better wages, and

reasonable working hours. Regular employment and
economic ability to sustain in the city. Skill enhancing
opportunities.
A BOY FROM A RICH URBAN FAMILY Opportunity to study abroad, high paying jobs or
starting an enterprise. Expanding the family business
or enterprise. Getting more skills to enhance profits.

A GIRL FROM A RICH URBAN FAMILY She gets as much freedom as her brother and is able
to decide what she wants to do in life. She is able to
pursue her studies abroad.

AN ADIVASI FROM NARMADA VALLEY Getting good agricultural yield. Not getting displaced
from their villages and native lands. Not being
affected by floods due to the construction of dams.
Having schools and medical facilities in their villages.