Were there any positive contributions made by the British in India? Discuss.
Yes, there were various positive contributions that were made by the British in India. The contributions were not intentional but purely the effects of colonial exploitation of the British. The following are the positive contributions made by the British:
1. Introduction of Railways: The introduction of railways by the British was a breakthrough in the development process of Indian economy. It opened up the cultural and geographical barriers and facilitated commercialisation of Indian agriculture.
2. Introduction of Commercialisation of Agriculture: The introduction of commercial agriculture is an important breakthrough in the history of Indian agriculture. Prior to the advent of the British, Indian agriculture was of subsistence nature. But with the commercialisation of agriculture, the agricultural production was carried out as per the market requirements. It was due to this factor that today India can aim at attaining self-sufficiency in food grains production.
3. Introduced Free Trade to India: British forced India to follow a free trade pattern during colonial rule. This is the key concept of globalisation today. The free trade provided the domestic industry with a platform to compete with the Britain industries. The introduction of free trade led to an increase in the volume of India's export rapidly.
4. Development of Infrastructure: The infrastructure developed in India by the British proved as a useful tool to check the spread of famines. The telegram and postal services served Indian public.
5. Promoted Western Culture: English as a language promoted a westernised form of education. The English language acted as a window to the outside world. This has integrated India with the rest of the world.
6. Role Model: The way and the technique of British administration acts as a role model for the Indian politicians and planners. It helped Indian politicians to govern the country in an efficient and effective manner.
Indicate the volume and direction of trade at the time of independence.
Critically appraise some of the shortfalls of the industrial policy pursued by the British colonial administration.
What do you understand by the drain of Indian wealth during the colonial period?
When was India’s first official census operation undertaken?
Name some notable economists who estimated India’s per capita income during the colonial period?
Name some modern industries which were in operation in our country at the time of independence?
Highlight the salient features of India’s pre-independence occupational structure.
What were the main causes of India’s agricultural stagnation during the colonial period?
Give a quantitative appraisal of India’s demographic profile during the colonial period.
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?
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Define a plan?
Who is a worker?
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?
What are the indicators of educational achievement in a country?
Keeping in view your locality, describe any four strategies of sustainable development.
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Explain the term ‘infrastructure’.
Differentiate the six systems of Indian medicine.
What do you mean by agricultural marketing?
An establishment with four hired workers is known as (formal/informal) sector establishment.
Are the following workers — a beggar, a thief, a smuggler, a gambler? Why?
Compare and contrast the development of India, China and Pakistan with respect to some salient human development indicators.
Comment on the growth rate trends witnessed in China and India in the last two decades.
Discuss the main drawbacks of our health care system.