Development

Q1. Why do different people have different notions of development?

• Different people have different notions of development because life situations of
persons are different and therefore their aspirations and desires and goals.

Q2. What may be development for one may not be development for the other, it may even be
destructive for the other. Justify with suitable example.

• At times, two persons or groups of persons may seek things which are conflicting.
• 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.
• Similarly, 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 tribals.
• They might resent this and may prefer small check dams or tanks to irrigate their land.

Q3. Do people only seek Income as desired goal for development?

• No, Besides seeking more income, one- way or the other, people also seek things like
equal treatment, freedom, security, and respect of others.
• They resent discrimination.
• All these are important goals.
• In fact, in some cases, these may be more important than more income or more
consumption because material goods are not all that you need to live.
• People look at mix of goals for development.

Q4. Elaborate the two criteria used to compare development between countries and states.

• Since, countries have different populations, comparing total income will not tell us
what an average person is likely to earn.
• Hence, we compare the average income which is the total income of the country
divided by its total population. The average income is also called per capita income.
• In World Development Reports, brought out by the World Bank, this criterion is
used in classifying countries.
• Countries with per capita income of US$ 63,400 per annum and above in 2023, are
called high income or rich countries.
• Those with per capita income of about US$ 2400 or less are called low-income
countries.
• India comes in the category of low middle income countries because its per capita
income in 2023 was just about US$ 10030 per annum.
• Human Development Report published by UNDP compares countries based on the
educational levels of the people, their health status and per capita income.
Q5. Why do we say that Average income hides income and other disparities?

• The defect of average as a measure is that it does not show the distribution
(dispersion) of income between the rich and the poor.
• Two countries may have the same average income but in one country almost every
family may enjoy more or less the same kind of income, whereas in the other, some
may be very rich and others very poor.
• The disparity between rich and poor is an important feature that the average measure
(per capita income) does not consider.
• Example: In terms of development, we can take the example of India, where the
metro towns are full of high-rise buildings and shopping malls while some villages
have not yet been provided with a basic necessity like electricity.

Q6. What is per capita income? Mention any two limitations of per capita income as an
indicator of development.

• The total income of a country divided by its total population gives the Per Capita
Income.
• Money cannot buy all the goods and services that are needed to live well. So income
by itself is not a completely adequate indicator of material goods and services that
citizens are able to use. For example, money cannot buy a pollution-free environment
or ensure that one gets unadulterated medicines, unless one can afford to shift to a
community that already has all these things.

Q7. Kerala, with lower per capita income, has a better human development ranking than
Punjab. Hence, per capita income is not a useful criterion at all and should not be used to
compare States. Do you agree?

• Per capita income is not a useful criterion at all to measure the human development
ranking of a state. High per capita income is not the only attribute to a good quality
life. Money cannot buy all the essential things required for a good life. Pollution-free
atmosphere to ensure good health, protection from infectious diseases, lowering of
mortality rate, promotion of literacy, etc. are essential for a good standard of living. In
order to achieve these, joint efforts have to be made by all members of a community,
be it rich or poor.
Kerala ranks higher compared to Haryana even with a lower per capita income
because—

1. mortality rate is lower

2. literacy rate is higher
3. Total number of children attending school (Classes I-V) is higher.

Q8. Explain any five fields other than income where development is needed. (2012)

Fields other than income where development is needed:

 1. Education. The government must provide adequate education facilities in all
rural and urban areas. The government must necessarily focus on education for
girls so that all girls are able to acquire atleast secondary level schooling.
Running proper schools and providing quality education, particularly
elementary education, is the duty of the Government.
2. Health. Basic health care facilities are a must for all. Establishment of
government hospitals, clinics and dispensaries, especially in rural areas, to
provide subsidized and unadulterated medicines to the poorer sections of
society.
3. Nutrition. An effective Public Distribution System—proper functioning of
ration shops and equitable distribution of foodgrains is very essential.
4. Transportation. A well-developed public transport system to make it easy for
general public to commute.
5. Electricity. It is the duty of the government to provide electricity and water at
reasonable rates to the common man and prevent him from exploitation by
private companies.

Q9. Define:

Infant Mortality Rate (or IMR) 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.
Literacy Rate measures the proportion of literate population in the 7-and-above age group.
Net Attendance Ratio is the total number of children of age group of 15-17 years attending
school as a percentage of total number of children in the same age group.

Q10. Why is sustainable development essential? Give one reason.

• Sustained development aims at economic development without damaging the

environment and at the same time conserving for the future. Resources are to be used
in such a way that they are not overexploited.

Q11. “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?

• “The Earth has enough resources to meet the needs of all but not enough to satisfy the
greed of even one person” highlights the importance of using resources carefully and
responsibly. It means that nature has provided enough for everyone's basic needs like
food, water, shelter, and clothing. However, if individuals or countries become greedy
and start overusing or wasting resources for their own selfish desires, it leads to
problems like resource depletion, environmental damage, and inequality.
• In the discussion of development, this idea is very important because real
development should be sustainable — it should meet the needs of the present without
harming the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. If people focus only
on increasing wealth and consumption without caring for the environment, it leads to
unsustainable development.
• Therefore, development must balance economic growth with environmental
protection and social well-being.