Chapter 25. Socio-economic Development and Empowerment of Disadvantaged Groups Textbook Solutions

NIOS Social Science Class 10 Chapter 25 Solutions

INTEXT QUESTIONS 25.1

1. Why do GDP and per capita income not effectively measure the quality of people’s lives?

Ans: The GDP is a specific measure of economic welfare that does not take into account important aspects such as leisure time, environmental quality, freedom, or social justice or gender equality, and similarly, the per capita income numbers also do not indicate the level of income equality among people.

2. How is the concept of human development different from the traditional concept of social and economic development?

Ans: It covers almost all aspects of human life. It places people at the centre of the concerns of development and emphasizes that the purpose of development is to enlarge all human choices, and not just income.

3. Define Sustainable Development.

Ans: Sustainable development is defined as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.

4. Why is it said that development and under-development co-exist in India? Identify the major reasons.

Ans: It is said because:

(i) The Indian economy is the 12th largest in the world by market exchange rates and the fourth largest by GDP.
(ii) India’s rank in HDI is 128 out of 177 countries in the year 2007-08
(iii) 27.5% Indians still live below the poverty line.
(iv) Approximately 80% of India’s population lives on less than $ 2 a day (ppp).

INTEXT QUESTIONS 25.2

1. Differentiate between disparities and diversities with suitable examples.

Ans: There are certain differences which are already created by nature. The differences created by nature are called diversity. But there are certain differences created by human beings. The inequalities created by human beings are called disparities.

2. How is Colonialism one of the important factors in creating regional disparities in India?

Ans: During the pre-independence era, areas which were not important from commercial or political interests received little attention, and it continued even after independence.

3. Which one of following States can be grouped under economically developed States?

(A) Bihar

(B) Orissa

(D) Haryana

Ans: (D) Haryana

4. Why are tribal areas of Central India underdeveloped in comparison to most of the areas in the country? Write below the correct statements selecting out of the following:

(A) The areas do not have much natural resources.

(B) They do not have any major industries in this area.

(D) None of the above.

Ans: (C) The economic as well as human development for local people is very low.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 25.3

1. Which are the major socially disadvantaged groups?

Ans: The major socially disadvantaged groups are Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Minorities and Women.

2. Do you think that the steps taken so far have been empowering Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to reap the benefits of socio-economic development? Give three reasons.

Ans: The steps taken so far have been empowering the SCs and STs. The reasons are:

(i). Different programmes have been initiated, such as mid-day meal, supply of books, etc.
(ii) Schools for SCs and STs, such as Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, and special treatment in Navodaya Vidyalaya, National Talent Search Schemes, Scholarships are also provided.
(iii) NSFDC, NSKFDC, NSTFDC, SCDC and STDC have been opened to provide financial support to SCs and STs.
(iv) TRIFED provide marketing assistance to STs for their products.

3. Why are the efforts made so far have not been able to empower women in our society?

Ans: The efforts made so far have not been able to empower women in our society because

(i) The access of women, particularly those belonging to weaker sections of society, to education, health and productive resources is inadequate.
(ii) They remain largely marginalised, poor and socially excluded.

4. Do a survey of at least 5 families in your neighbourhood and collect data in respect of the following. It will be better if you do it on more families, maybe 10.

(i) Number of adult male and female members; (ii) Number of male and female children; (iii) Number of male and female children born in the last two years; (iv) Number of male and female children dead in the last two years; (v) Number of male and female children above the age of 5 attending schools or colleges/university; (vi) Number of females working outside the home in offices or in some business.

Based on the analysis of collected data, try to find the answers to the following questions:

(a) What is the number of male and female children, and how many of them are attending schools/colleges? Are the male and female children of a family studying in the same school? And if not, what are the reasons?

(b) Are females working outside home? If yes, where? If not, why?

(c) Do you find the environment of gender discrimination in families? If yes, why? If not, how?

Ans:

INTEXT QUESTIONS 25.4

1. Identify the target groups for Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and National Literacy Mission.

(i) ……………………………………………. and (ii) …………………………………………….

Ans: (i) Children of school-going age but not attending the school (ii) adult illiterates.

2. Describe any two achievements of the health sector during the last fifty years.

Ans: (i)Death rate has declined from 27.4 per thousand at the time of independence to 8.5 in 2001 (ii) infant mortality rate has been brought down from 134 per thousand live births to 71 in 2001 (iii) Life expectancy has risen from a mere 32 years in 1947 to 65 in 2001 (iv) There has been a steady progress towards elimination of leprosy, polio, neonatal tetanus, and iodine deficiency disorders. (Any two)

3. What is the latest approach adopted under the National Literacy Mission?

Ans: The Government of India has decided that an integrated approach to literacy would be followed now. This means the Total Literacy Campaign and the Post Literacy Programme will now operate under one literacy Project. This approach would enable the enormous illiteracy problem to be tackled in a holistic manner.

4. Why has the Government of India started the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)?

Ans: There is a highly unequal distribution of health facilities in the country, and most of the facilities are concentrated around major cities and towns. To reduce the inequality, the Government of India started an ambitious project called the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

TERMINAL EXERCISES

1. Why does the concept of socio-economic development not take care of all aspects of development? Give any two reasons.

Ans:

Its major indicator, the GDP, is a specific measure of economic welfare that does not take into account important aspects such as leisure time, environmental quality, freedom, social justice, or gender equality.
The per capita income also does not indicate the level of income equality among people. These indicators do not ensure that the benefits of development have been equally distributed and have reached the disadvantaged groups of society.

2. Why are there regional imbalances and socio-economic disparities in India? Analyze any six factors responsible for this.

Ans:

1. Per Capita Income: For the year 2005-06, the national average of per capita income was Rs. 25,716. There were only eleven States which had per capita income higher than the national average. The bottom seven poorest States that had per capita income below the national average are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. These States are home to more than half of India’s population.
2. Poverty: State-wise poverty ratios have witnessed a decline over the years. The poverty ratio is still relatively high in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. Poverty
rates in rural Orissa (43%) and rural Bihar (40%) are some of the worst in the world. On the other hand, rural Haryana (5.7%) and rural Punjab (2.4%) compare well, even at the global level, with some of the middle-income countries.
3. Industrial growth: The initial distribution of industries in India was determined by the historical process of growth driven primarily by the interests of the British Rulers. As a result, most of the industries were concentrated in a few centres. This pattern has continued in the post-independence period as well, despite all attempts made so far to expand the process of industrialization of various regions.
4. Agricultural growth: The per capita average food grain production has been the highest in Punjab and the lowest in Kerala. Mizoram and Maharashtra are at the lowest level in respect of irrigated areas. States like Punjab and Haryana achieved a high rate of agricultural productivity because of having extensive irrigation facilities and intensive use of fertilizers. In the majority of the States agricultural growth is yet to pick up the needed pace and come up to their potential.
5. Literacy: It is one of the major indicators of socio-economic development but there are great disparities in this respect in various regions. According to the Census 2001, the literacy rate is the highest in Kerala and the lowest in Bihar. Whereas the all-Indian average literacy rate was 65.38 per cent, it was 90.92 per cent in Kerala and only 47.53 per cent in Bihar. There are significant variations among the rest of the States also.
6. Transport and Communications: In respect of road length, there are some States that are at a very advanced level, whereas there are some in which the road situation is very poor. Concerning total road length per 100 km. Kerala tops the list, whereas the State of Jammu and Kashmir is at the bottom.

3. Explain any six social empowerment measures adopted by the Government of India for the disadvantaged sections of the society.

Ans:

Post-Matric Scholarships are awarded to promote higher education beyond matriculation.
Pre-Matric Scholarships are given to encourage children of scavengers and those engaged in menial work to pursue education.
Upgradation of the Merit Scheme is aimed at extending remedial and special coaching.
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowships for SC students provide special incentives to pursue higher studies and research.
Coaching facilities are provided to students preparing for various competitive examinations.
Hostel facilities are provided to both girls and boys for pursuing education from the upper primary stage onwards.
The National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) provides financial and other support to beneficiaries for taking up various income-generating activities.
The National Safai Karamchari Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) provides financial and other support to safai karamcharis for taking up various income-generating activities.
The National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) supports various income and employment-generating activities through loans, marketing support, training and so on.
The Scheduled Castes Development Corporations (SCDCs) finance employment-oriented schemes that cover agriculture and allied activities, including minor irrigation, small-scale industry, transport, trade and the service sector.
The Scheduled Tribes Development Corporations (STDCs) function as channellizing agencies and extend financial and other assistance to beneficiaries. The Tribal
Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED) provides marketing assistance to STs for collection of minor forest produce and surplus agricultural produce.

4. Describe various measures undertaken by the Government of India for reducing the drop-out rates and to improve the levels of achievements in education.

Ans: The Central and State governments, over a period of time, evolved strategies to reduce drop-out rates and improve levels of achievement in schools. The steps taken in this direction are as follows:

Creating parental awareness and community mobilisation;
Involvement of community and Panchayati Raj Institutions;
Economic incentives such as free education, free books and free uniforms;
Improvement in the content and process of schooling;
National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (Mid-day Meal Scheme).

5. What is Literacy Campaign? Describe various strategies adopted for the success of the programme.

Ans: The Total Literacy Campaign imparts basic literacy to the adult non-literates. It was followed by the Post Literacy Programme to reinforce the literacy skills of the neo-literates. And then the Continuing Education Programme was aimed at providing facilities like rural libraries and reading rooms for the non-literate and other sections of the community. In addition, vocational training was also provided to the non-literate and other disadvantaged sections of society through the Jan Shikshan Sansthans.

Literacy campaigns would continue to run in those areas where there are large pools of residual illiteracy. At the same time, for those who have crossed the basic learning phase, programmes of consolidation, vocational skills, integration with life skills and such other aspects would be given priority.