You are residing in a village. If you are asked to advice the village panchayat, what kinds of activities would you suggest for the improvement of your village which would also generate employment.
The following are the suggestions that can generate employment opportunities in village:
i. Increase Production: It is of prime importance to increase production in the agricultural and industrial sectors in order to increase employment. For this purpose, small scale and cottage industries should be promoted. This will not only generate new employment opportunities but also assist the industrial sector, as the production of the small scale and cottage industries act as subsidiaries to the industrial sector.
ii. Increase Productivity: The demand and productivity for labour are directly related to each other. The higher productivity generates higher profits that in turn implies higher investment and generates higher demand for labour. Rural workers should be imparted technical knowledge and modern know-how that will not only increase their productivity but also enhance their acceptability of modernisation.
iii. Control over Population: Population explosion is one of the important concerns for India. It hinders economic growth prospects. The rising population leads to the rise in unemployment and, therefore, poverty. Thus, rural people should be made aware of various birth control measures and also the benefits associated with family planning and nuclear-family.
iv. Creating Non-agricultural Employment: India being an agrarian economy employs a major proportion of workforce in the agricultural sector. The development of this sector is still a far cry and, consequently, suffers from disguised unemployment. Moreover, as agriculture is a seasonal occupation, so, many farmers remain unemployed for three to four months in a year. Thus, it is necessary to engage these people in non-agricultural sectors for the phase they are off from cultivation. Creation of non- agricultural job like pottery, handicrafts, not only reduces disguised unemployment but also contributes to enhanced income to the farmers in the off-season, which could be invested in the farm to improve farm productivity and farm products.
v. Easy Credit and Finance: Often, the rural people find it difficult to access finance due to the lack of sufficient financial institutions in the rural areas. Even if the finance or the credit is available, then this is provided at higher lending rates. The lack of credit acts as a bottleneck for the rural growth. Thus, financial institutions and banks should be set up to provide easy credit to the rural people.
vi. Education and Health Facilities: Rural areas have always lagged behind in education and health care facilities. This not only impedes their productivity but also reduces their life expectancy and quality of standard of living. Along with primary and secondary schools, night schools for adults, imparting technical education and technical know-how, proper sanitation and hospitals should be established in the rural areas.
Find the odd man out (i) owner of a saloon (ii) a cobbler (iii) a cashier in Mother Dairy (iv) a tuition master (v) transport operator (vi) construction worker.
Why are regular salaried employees more in urban areas than in rural areas?
Why are less women found in regular salaried employment?
Compared to urban women, more rural women are found working. Why?
Analyse the recent trends in sectoral distribution of workforce in India.
Define worker-population ratio.
The following table shows distribution of workforce in India for the year 1972-73. Analyse it and give reasons for the nature of workforce distribution. You will notice that the data is pertaining to the situation in India 30 years ago!
Place of Residence | Workforce (in millions) | ||
Male | Female | Total | |
Rural Urban |
125 32 |
69 7 |
195 39 |
Is it necessary to generate employment in the formal sector rather than in the informal sector? Why?
Who is a casual wage labourer?
An establishment with four hired workers is known as (formal/informal) sector establishment.
What was the focus of the economic policies pursued by the colonial government in India? What were the impacts of these policies?
What are the two major sources of human capital in a country?
What do you mean by rural development? Bring out the key issues in rural development.
Define a plan?
Explain the term ‘infrastructure’.
What is meant by environment?
Why are regional and economic groupings formed?
Why were reforms introduced in India?
Why calorie-based norm is not adequate to identify the poor?
Name some notable economists who estimated India’s per capita income during the colonial period?
What is the Green Revolution? Why was it implemented and how did Does it benefit the farmers? Explain in brief.
Highlight the salient features of India’s pre-independence occupational structure.
Mention the salient demographic indicators of China, Pakistan and India.
Why did India opt for planning?
Is there any relationship between unemployment and poverty? Explain.
Why was it necessary for a developing country like India to follow self-reliance as a planning objective?
India has abundant natural resources —substantiate the statement.
Fill in the blanks
(a) First Five Year Plan of ________________ commenced in the year 1956. (Pakistan/China)
(b) Maternal mortality rate is high in _____________. (China/Pakistan)
(c) Proportion of people below poverty line is more in __________. (India/Pakistan)
(d) Reforms in ______________ were introduced in 1978. (China/Pakistan)
Were there any positive contributions made by the British in India? Discuss.
What was the focus of the economic policies pursued by the colonial government in India? What were the impacts of these policies?