ECONOMICS- CH2: PEOPLE AS RESOURCE

Q1. List the demerits of increase in population.

Answer:
The demerits of population increase are :

 The per capita income drops.

 Non-productive force increases.
 The people below poverty line increases.
 Resources like land, factories or other tools and machinery are divided into more persons
so profit becomes divided.
 Slums come up.
 Unemployment increases.

Q2. What is the importance of education?

Answer:
The importance of education is as follows :

 It helps a person to realise his potential and the ability to do work.

 It provides new aspiration. It develops values of life. It contributes towards the growth of
society also.
 It enhances the national income, cultural richness and increases the efficiency of
governance.

Q3. List down the disadvantages of unemployment.

Answer:
The disadvantages of unemployment are :

 It leads to wastage of manpower resource. People who are an asset for the economy, turn
into liability Inability of educated people who are willing to work to find gainful
employment implies a great waste.
 Unemployment is a social evil. Unemployed people are frustrated class. There is a
feeling of helplessness and despair among the youth. Unemployment creates social
unrest and tension. It leads to oppression and exploitation in the society.
 It tends to increase economic overload. The dependence of the unemployed on the
working population increases.

Q4. Distinguish between market activities and non-market activities.

Or
What are the two types of economic activity? Explain.
Answer:

 Market Activities: Market activities involve remuneration to anyone who performs, i.e.,
activity performed for pay or profit. These include production of goods or services
including government service.
 Non-market Activities: Non-market activities are the production for self-consumption.
These can be consumption and processing of primary product and own account
production of fixed assets.
Q5. Suggest any three ways to transform population load into an asset.
Answer:
The three ways to transform population load into an asset are :

 To improve literacy rate: Education provides new aspiration and develops values of life.
Education helps in enhancing the national income, cultural richness and increases the
efficiency of governance.
 Health: The health of a person helps him to realise his potential and the ability to fight
illness. Increase in longevity of life in an indicator of good quality of life marked by self-
confidence. It involves the protection of children from infection, ensuring nutrition and
along with mother and the child and child care.
 Formation of skills: Providing vocational and skill-based education helps the people to
get employment and therefore, they contribute to the national income later.

Q6. What are the measures taken by the government to improve literacy conditions in
India?
Answer:
The following the measures have been taken by the government to improve literacy
conditions in India

 Opening of Navodaya Vidyalayas: Government has started to establish Navodaya

Vidyalayas in each district. Vocational streams have been developed to equip large
number of high school students with occupations related to knowledge and skills.
 Sarva Siksha Abhiyan: It is a significant step towards providing elementary education to
all the children of age group 6-14 years. It is an initiative of the Central Government in
partnership with the States, the local government and the community for achieving the
goal of universalisation of elementary education.
 Mid-day Meal Scheme: It is a programme aimed to encourage attendance and retention
of children in schools and improve their nutritional status.

Q7. Why did Japan emerge as a developed country inspite of its poor natural resource?
Answer:
Japan emerged as a developed country inspite of its poor natural resource because :

 As they did not have any other resource they invested in the development of human
resource.
 They import the natural resource needed in their country. They have invested on people,
especially in the field of education and health.
 These people have made efficient use of other resources, like land and capital. Efficiency
and the technology evolved by people have made these countries rich and developed.

Q8. What different the strategies should be made by the government to solve the
unemployment in India.
Answer:
The strategies made by the government to solve the problem of unemployment in India:

 Heavy Investment in Basic Industries: Investment in heavy and basic industries and
consumer goods industries should be increased. They provide more employment along
with the supply of consumer goods.
 Development of Cottage and Small-scale Industries: They provide more employment by
adopting labour intensive techniques.
 Change in Educational System: More emphasis should be given to vocational education.
 Checking of Population Explosion: Rapidly rising population should be checked by
adopting family planning and welfare schemes.
 Modernisation of Agriculture: Modernisation of agriculture should be done. Waste lands
should be utilised.
 Introduction of Rural Works Programmes: Rural works programmes should be increased.
 Developing Infrastructure of Economy: Infrastructure of the economy should be
developed.
 Subsidies to Private Sector: Subsidies and other incentives should be given to private
sector.
 Stress on Self-employment: Young entrepreneurs should be encouraged for sell-
employment by giving proper training and financial assistance.

Q9. What is an economic activity? What cue various activities undertaken in the
primary sector, secondary sector and tertiary sector?
Answer:
Economic activities: All the activities which give us some income are called economic
activities. Pulling cycle-rickshaw, cleaning houses, selling vegetables and working in schools,
factories, banks, etc. are economic activities.
Activities undertaken in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sectors are:

 Primary Sector: Activities concerned with collecting or making available material

provided by nature are included in primary sector like agriculture, poultry farming,
mining, fishing, etc.
 Secondary Sector: The activities which are associated with transforming raw material or
primary products into commodities useful to man such as manufacturing, etc.
 Tertiary Sector: The activities which are essential for running modern factories in a big
way are termed as tertiary sector. Activities like trading, banking, health, education,
insurance, etc. are included in tertiary sector and all there providing services.

Q10. What are the different types of unemployment found in India?

Answer:
The different types of unemployment found in India are :

 Disguised unemployment: In disguised unemployment, people appear to be employed.

They have agricultural plot where they find work. This usually happens among family
members engaged in agricultural activity.
 Seasonal unemployment: Seasonal unemployment happens when people are not able to
find jobs during some months of the year. People dependent upon agriculture usually
face such land of problem. There are certain busy seasons when sowing, harvesting,
weeding and threshing is done. Certain months do not provide much work to the people
dependent on agriculture.
 Educated unemployment: Educated unemployment has become a common phenomenon
in urban areas. Many youths with matriculation, graduation and post-graduation degrees
are not able to find job. A study showed that unemployment of graduate and post-
graduate has increased faster than among matriculates.
Q11. How does Sarva Siksha Abhiyan help in improving elementary education in
India?
Answer:
Sarva Siksha Abhiyan is a significant step towards providing elementary education to all
children in the age group of 6-14 years by 2010. It is a time-bound initiative of the
Central Government, in partnership with the States, the local government and the
community for achieving the goal of universalisation of elementary education.

Along with it, bridge courses and back-to-school camps have been initiated to increase
the enrolment in elementary education. Mid-day meal scheme has been implemented to
encourage attendance and retention of children and improve their nutritional status. It is
because of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan that there has been a significant growth in literacy \
rates in India from 18% in 1951 to 74% in 2010-11. These policies have added to the
literate population of India.