State any four pressing environmental concerns of India. Correction for environmental damages involves opportunity costs — explain.
Air pollution, water contamination, soil erosion, deforestation and wildlife extinction are some of the most pressing environmental concerns for India. But the priority issues include global warming, land degradation, ozone depletion and management of freshwater. Opportunity cost is the cost that is foregone when we make a choice or a decision. If a piece of land is to be used for wheat production then the production of say, rice, is to be sacrificed. The loss of rice production is the opportunity cost of producing wheat. In the similar way, the opportunity cost of correction for environmental damages refers to the huge amount of expenditure incurred on searching for new efficient alternatives. The heavy intensive and extensive extraction of both renewable and non-renewable resources demands expenditure for exploring new alternative resources in order to avoid an environmental crisis. The discovery of such resources requires heavy investment by the government. Also, implementation and maintenance of these alternative resources involve very high cost. The best example is the advent of CNG in order to reduce the rising problem of pollution in Delhi. The government has incurred heavy investment to popularise CNG and to make the consumers aware regarding its uses. Therefore, the correction for environmental damages involves opportunity cost that is very high.
What are the functions of the environment?
Highlight any two serious adverse environmental consequences of development in India. India’s environmental problems pose a dichotomy — they are poverty induced and, at the same time, due to affluence in living standards — is this true?
Explain the supply-demand reversal of environmental resources.
What happens when the rate of resource extraction exceeds that of their regeneration?
India has abundant natural resources —substantiate the statement.
Give two instances of
(a) Overuse of environmental resources
(b) Misuse of environmental resources.
Identify six factors contributing to land degradation in India.
Is environmental crisis a recent phenomenon? If so, why?
Explain how the opportunity costs of negative environmental impact are high.
How do the following factors contribute to the environmental crisis in India? What problem do they pose for the government?
(i) Rising population
(ii) Air pollution
(iii) Water contamination
(iv) Affluent consumption standards
(v) Illiteracy
(vi) Industrialisation
(vii) Urbanisation
(viii) Reduction of forest coverage
(ix) Poaching
(x) Global warming
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?
Who is a worker?
Explain the term ‘infrastructure’.
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 are the various non-commercial sources of energy?
Raj is going to school. When he is not in school, you will find him working in his farm. Can you consider him as a worker? Why?
Group the following features pertaining to the economies of India, China and Pakistan under three heads
• One-child norm
• Low fertility rate
• High degree of urbanisation
• Mixed economy
• Very high fertility rate
• Large population
• High density of population
• Growth due to manufacturing sector
• Growth due to service sector.
Do you think outsourcing is good for India? Why are developed countries opposing it?
Why was it necessary for a developing country like India to follow self-reliance as a planning objective?
What do you mean by transmission and distribution losses? How can they be reduced?
Discuss the importance of credit in rural development.
Explain the Great Leap Forward campaign of China as initiated in 1958.
What are the major factors responsible for the high growth of the service sector?
Why should plans have goals?