HVS 3200

HUMAN VALUES DEVELOPMENT

UNIT - V
Environmental Issues

a) Pollution [Air, Water, Sound, Soil]

b) Global Warming
c) Deforestation
d) Over Exploitation of Resources

Overexploitation of resources

Some of the adverse effect of over-exploitation of natural resources and industrial revolution are:

1. It has led to the large-scale consumption of fossil fuels.

2. It has led to large-scale mining of ores.
3. It has led to pollution of air, water and soil.
4. It has led to depletion of ozone layer.
5. It has led to bio-concentration of harmful chemicals in the bodies of living organisms.
6. It has led to large-scale deforestation.
7. It has led to construction of many large dams in order to get hydro-power.

Why resources are under pressure

Increase in the sophistication of technology enabling natural resources to be extracted quickly and
efficiently. E.g., in the past, it could take long hours just to cut down one tree only using saws. Due
to increased technology, rates of deforestation have greatly increased.

A rapid increase in population that is now decreasing. The current number of 7.132 billion humans
consume many natural resources. Cultures of consumerism. Materialistic views lead to the mining
of gold and diamonds to produce jewelry, unnecessary commodities for human life or
advancement.

Excessive demand often leads to conflicts due to intense competition. Organizations such as
Global Witness and the United Nations have documented the connection.

Non-equitable distribution of resources.

Natural resources may be divided into regenerative resources such as land (arable and grazing
land), air, ground water, forests, plants and animals, etc. on the one hand, and non-renewable
resources such as oil, coal, natural gas, metals, minerals, etc. on the other hand. The exploitation
of both regenerative resources and non-renewable resources is increasing, as more countries
embark on industrialization and consume more resources.

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Human Activities and Loss of Biodiversity

Both regenerative and non-renewable resources have always been exploited by human activities
for our livelihood. But until recently, the exploitation of natural resources has not been a
significant concern for humankind, because the scale of exploitation has been moderate due to
limited productive capacity, and the demand for natural resources was restricted by a low level of
industrialization.

Environmental degradation used not to be a very widespread concern, until scientists revealed
that the diverse biological species of our world influence each other and the degradation of some
species may trigger off a chain reaction, jeopardizing our living surroundings. Although
biodiversity is vital to human existence, its impoverishment is mainly caused by human activities.
For animals, destruction by people, overexploitation, and the introduction of new species have all
played an equal role in the extinction of existing species. For plants, land transformation played
the major part.

Poverty, lack of means, lack of knowledge, and institutional in efficiency may cause environmental
degradation in developing countries. To some extent, the overexploitation of natural resources
has similar origins, but it is a particularly significant phenomenon in developing countries, because
in terms of international economic division, developing countries are in an unfavorable position;
and from the point of view of development strategy, some developing countries that produce raw
materials seem to have made certain mistakes that have contributed to the overexploitation of
natural resources.

Problems arising from the exploitation of natural resources

1. Deforestation
2. Desertification
3. Extinction of species
4. Forced migration
5. Soil erosion
6. Oil depletion
7. Ozone depletion
8. Greenhouse gas increase
9. Extreme energy
10. Water pollution
11. Natural hazard/Natural disaster

Destruction of Natural Resources in the Name of Development?

Many economists have shown that international trade is favorable to economic growth
everywhere in the world. David Ricardo, a British economist, is considered an important theorist
of international trade. According to him, if every country participates actively in international
trade, focusing on it s strengths, the full comparative advantages of every country will be
achieved. And the outputs of all these countries will exceed the simple sum of each country’s
production.

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Countries with a high level of manufacturing capacity should export their manufactured products,
those endowed with fertile land should produce grains, those with rich natural resources should
export their raw materials, etc. As most developing countries do not have the capital, the skilled
labor, or the techniques to develop efficient manufacturing sectors, the only comparative
advantage they can exploit is often the natural resources at their disposal. After decolonization in
the 1950s and 1960s, many newly independent countries maintained their trade links sector in
order to produce manufactured goods and replace imported goods. This process is called import-
substituting industrialization.

Import substituting strategy aims to straighten out the uneven exchange situation between richer
developed countries with manufacturing skills and poorer developing countries that lack
manufacturing experience. But the development of a manufacturing sector in developing
countries went through a painful period, the lack of capital, techniques, skilled labor, and other
factors hampering this strategic sector.

To support this sector, developing countries are often forced to resort to exporting more natural
resources to obtain the necessary hard currency to import the manufacturing equipment and
spare parts needed in production.
Thus, paradoxically the pressure to exploit natural resources was increasing as these countries
tried to develop their own industries and become less dependent on the export of natural
resources.

This paradoxical situation worsened when some developing countries wanted to rush to produce
more expensive raw materials for international markets to gain more revenue instead of better
managing the exploitation of their traditional resources.

CORRUPTION
“Misuse of entrusted power or authority for private gain”

• Reasons for corruption

I) Excessive rules and regulations
II) Opaque law
III) Complicated tax regime
IV) Complicated licensing system

Whistle Blower’s Protection Act 2011

a) India is 94th corrupted country among the list of 176 countries

b) Almost 64% of Indians have direct experience with corruption
c) About 20 Trillion dollors of money go unaccounted every year.
d) Indian loses 1.7 Trillion dollors every year

Fields of corruption:

a) Poor and Welfare programs of government

b) RTO

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 c) Oil and Gas companies
d) Defense Sector
e) PWD
f) Private Sector

Social Values

Social Values consist of things like peace, justice, freedom, equality, and bettering our community.
Examples of social values include:

Some important values:

1. Patriotism
2. Sacrifice
3. Tolerance
4. Honesty
5. Respect
6. Courage
7. Perseverance
8. Cooperation

Needs Values Behaviour Results /

Outcome

• Not hurting others and also standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves
• Being respectful and courteous in your interactions
• Volunteering time and skills in the community
• Being generous with what you have
• Being honest with others
• Participating in teamwork whenever possible

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Social Justice

“Justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.”

Social justice is the ability that people have to realize their potential inside of the society in which
they live. Classically, "justice" (especially corrective justice or distributive justice) referred to
ensuring that individuals both fulfilled their societal roles, and received what was due from
society. "Social justice" is generally used to refer to a set of institutions which will enable people
to lead a fulfilling life and be active contributors to their community. The goal of social justice is
generally the same as human development.

The relevant institutions can include education, health care, social security, labour rights, as well
as a broader system of public services, progressive taxation and regulation of markets, to ensure
fair distribution of wealth, equality of opportunity, and no gross inequality of outcome.

“The fair and proper administration of laws conforming to the natural law that all persons,
irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, possessions, race, religion, etc., are to be treated equally and
without prejudice.”

Social Justice Issues

Social justice issues occur globally, nationally, regionally, locally, and within groups. These issues
are a result of unequal wealth and resource distribution, unfair treatment of individuals with
differing traits (race, culture, sexual orientation, religion, etc), and laws that support segregation.

What is social justice, anyway?

Social justice is the movement towards eliminating oppression and ultimately achieving equality in
the distribution of goods and wealth among all groups in a society. Oppression involves:

• Exploitation: unfair labor practices that benefit management at the expense of workers
• Marginalization: groups pushed out of society who then struggle to earn a living
• Powerlessness: lack of social authority and power
• Cultural imperialism: using a dominant group’s experience as the norm for all other groups
• Violence: when one person or group makes another submit to their acts of force

Social justice is important everywhere, especially in developing countries. It has been shown that
through corruption and discrimination some people gain unequal benefits from large-scale
government programs. In order to build better futures for everyone, we should remove barriers
that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.

The Concept of Social Justice

The term social justice was first used in 1840 by a Sicilian priest, Luigi Taparelli d'Azeglio, and given
prominence by Antonio Rosmini Serbati in La Costitutione Civile Secondo la Giustizia Sociale in
1848. It has also enjoyed a significant audience among theorists since John Rawls book. A Theory
of Justice has used it as a pseudonym of distributive justice.

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The concept of social justice is a revolutionary concept which provides meaning and significance to
life and makes the rule of law dynamic. When Indian society seeks to meet the challenge of socio-
economic inequality by its legislation and with the assistance of the rule of law, it seeks to achieve
economic justice without any violent conflict. The ideal of a welfare state postulates unceasing
pursuit of the doctrine of social justice. That is the significance and importance of the concept of
social justice in the Indian context of today.

The Constitution of India And Social Justice

The Constitution of India has solemnly promised to all its citizens justices-social, economic and
political; liberty of thought expression, belief, faith and worship; equality of status and of
opportunity; and to promote among the all fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the
unity of the nation. The Constitution has attempted to attune the apparently conflicting claims of
socio-economic justice and of individual liberty and fundamental rights by putting some relevant
provisions.

Article 19 enshrines the fundamental rights of the citizens of this country. The seven sub-clauses
of Article 19(1) guarantee the citizens seven different kinds of freedom and recognize them as
their fundamental rights. Article 19 considered as a whole furnishes a very satisfactory and
rational basis for adjusting the claims of individual rights of freedom and the claims of public good.

Articles 23 and 24 provide for fundamental rights against exploitation. Article 24, in particular,
prohibits an employer from employing a child below the age of 14 years in any factory or mine or
in any other hazardous employment. Article 31 makes a specific provision in regard to the
fundamental right to property and deals with the vexed problem of compulsory acquisition of
property.

Article 38 requires that the state should make an effort to promote the welfare of the people by
securing and protecting as effectively as it may a social order in which justice social, economic and
political shall inform all the institutions of national life.

Article 39 clause (a) says that the State shall secure that the operation of the legal system
promotes justice, on a basis of equal opportunity, and shall, in particular provide free legal aid, by
suitable legislation or schemes, or in any other way, to ensure that opportunities for securing
justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities.

Article 41 recognizes every citizen's right to work, to education & to public assistance in cases of
unemployment, old age, sickness & disablement and in other cases of undeserved want.

Article 42 stresses the importance of securing just and humane conditions of work & for
maternity relief.

Article 43 holds before the working population the ideal of the living wage and Article 46
emphasizes the importance of the promotion of educational and economic interests of schedule
castes, schedule tribes and other weaker sections.

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The social problem presented by the existence of a very large number of citizens who are treated
as untouchables has received the special attention of the Constitution as Article 15 (1) prohibits
discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.

The state would be entitled to make special provisions for women and children, and for
advancement of any social and educationally backward classes of citizens, or for the SC/STs. A
similar exception is provided to the principle of equality of opportunity prescribed by Article 16 (1)
in as much as Article 16(4) allows the state to make provision for the resolution of appointments
or posts in favour of any backward class of citizens which, in the opinion of the state, is not
adequately represented in the services under the state.

Article 17 proclaims that untouchability has been abolished & forbids its practice in any form & it
provides that the enforcement of untouchability shall be an offence punishable in accordance with
law. This is the code of provisions dealing with the problem of achieving the ideal of socio-
economic justice in this country which has been prescribed by the Constitution of India.

Where Does The Solution Lie?

The solution to social injustice lies within us only. We should be aware of the expressions - the
poor, the backwards, social justice which are being used to undermine standards, to flout norms
and to put institutions to work. We should subject every claim whether it is made in the name of
the poor, the backward, whosoever to rational examination. After it has been in effect for a while,
subject every concession to empirical evidence. We should shift from equality of outcomes to
equality of opportunities. And in striving towards that, nudge politicians to move away from the
easy option of just decreeing some reservations, etc to doing the detailed and continuous work
that positive help requires, the assistance that the disadvantaged need for availing of equal
opportunities. We must bear in mind that if the majority disregards smaller sections in the
community, it drives them to rebellion. We should try to refashion the policies of state on truly
secular and liberal principles.

The individual and not the group should be the unit of state policy. Since no society is static, and
social processes are constantly changing, a good legal system is one which ensures that laws adapt
to the changing situations and ensure social good. Any legal system aiming to ensure good should
ensure the basic dignity of the human being and the inherent need of every individual to grow
into the fullness of life. The hope of the Indian masses does not lie in the legal system alone, but in
their conscious awakening and fight for social and economic justice. Knowledge of their legal
rights however, can be an important motivating force in this.

Many NGO's and individuals are emerging in different parts of the country to take up the cause of
social change and change for a more just India, where justice will not merely be talked about in
intellectual discussions on the intricacies of law, or written about in books, which the masses can't
read, or exchanged for good old money, but actually lived and experienced by the majority of the
people.

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Poverty and Marginalization under globalization

Poverty – (History):

Poverty in India is a historical reality.

From late 19th century through early 20th century, under British colonial rule, poverty in India
intensified, peaking in 1920s. After India gained its independence in 1947, mass deaths from
famines were prevented, but poverty increased, peaking post-independence in 1960s.

A variety of welfare and food security initiatives, along with rapid economic growth since 1991,
has led to sharp reductions in extreme poverty in India.

[However, those above poverty line live a fragile economic life. Lack of basic essentials of life such
as safe drinking water, sanitation, housing, health infrastructure as well as malnutrition impact the
lives of hundreds of millions.]

The World Bank reviewed and proposed revisions in May 2014, to its poverty calculation
methodology and purchasing power parity basis for measuring poverty worldwide, including India.
According to this revised methodology,

The world had 872.3 million people below the new poverty line. Of which 179.6 million people
lived in India. In other words, India with 17.5% of total world's population 20.6% share of world's
poorest in 2013.

Five main causes of poverty in India are as follows:

It is said that “a country is poor because it is poor.” This idea has come down from Ragnar Nurkse
who pinpointed the problem of the vicious circle of poverty. Low level of saving reduces the scope
for investment; low level of investment yields low income and thus the circle of poverty goes on
indefinitely.

Rural poverty is a multi-dimensional social problem. Its causes are varied. They are as follows:

1. Climatic factors:

Climatic conditions constitute an important cause of poverty. The hot climate of India
reduces the capacity of people especially the ruralites to work for which production
severely suffers. Frequent flood, famine, earthquake and cyclone cause heavy damage to
agriculture. Moreover, absence of timely rain, excessive or deficient rain affect severely
country’s agricultural production.

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2. Demographic factors: The following demographic factors are accountable for poverty in
India.

(i) Rapid growth of population:

Rapid growth of population aggravates the poverty of the people. The growth of
population exceeds the rate of growth in national income. Population growth not only
creates difficulties in the removal of poverty but also lowers the per capita income which
tends to increase poverty. The burden of this reduction in per capita income is borne
heavily by the poor people. Population growth at a faster rate increases labour supply
which tends to lower the wage rate.

(ii) Size of family:

Size of the family has significant bearing on rural poverty. The larger the size of family, the
lower is the per capita income, and the lower is the standard of living. The persistence of
the joint family system has contributed to the health and earning capacity of the ruralites.

3. Personal causes:

(i) Lack of motivation:

Lack of motivation is an important cause of rural poverty. Some ruralites do not have a
motive to work hard or even to earn something. This accounts for the poverty of the
ruralites.

(ii) Idleness:

Most of the rural people are lazy, dull and reluctant to work. Hence they rot in poverty.

4. Economic causes:

(i) Low agricultural productivity:

Poverty and real income are very much interrelated. Increase in real income leads to
reduction of the magnitude of poverty. So far as agricultural sector is concerned, the
farmers even today are following the traditional method of cultivation. Hence there is low
agricultural productivity resulting in rural poverty.

(ii) Unequal distribution of land and other assets:

Land and other forms of assets constitute sources of income for the ruralites. But,
unfortunately, there has been unequal distribution of land and other assets in our
economy. The size-wise distribution of operational holdings indicates a very high degree of
concentration in the hands of a few farmers leading to poverty of many in the rural sector.

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 (iii) Decline of village industries:

At present consequent upon industrialization new factories and industries are being set up
in rural areas. Village industries fail to compete with them in terms of quality and price. As
a result they are closed down. The workers are thrown out of employment and lead a life
of poverty.

(iv) Immobility of labour:

Immobility of labour also accounts, for rural poverty. Even if higher wages are offered,
labourers are not willing to leave their homes. The joint family system makes people
lethargic and stay-at-home.

The ruralites are mostly illiterate, ignorant, conservative, superstitious and fatalistic.
Poverty is considered as god-given, something preordained. All these factors lead to
abysmal poverty in rural India.

(v) Lack of employment opportunities:

Unemployment is the reflection of poverty. Because of lack of employment opportunities,

people remain either unemployed or underemployed. Most of these unemployed and
underemployed workers are the small and marginal farmers and the landless agricultural
labourers.

5. Social causes:

(i) Education:

Education is an agent of social change and egalitarianism. Poverty is also said to be closely
related to the levels of schooling and these two have a circular relationship. The earning
power is endowed in the individual by investment in education and training. But this
investment in people takes away money and lack of human investment contributes to the
low earning capacity of individuals.

In this way people are poor because they have little investment in themselves and poor
people do not have the funds for human capital investment.

(ii) Caste system:

Caste system in India has always been responsible for rural poverty. The subordination of
the low caste people by the high caste people caused the poverty of the former. Due to
rigid caste system, the low caste people could not participate in the game of economic
progress.

A Shudra was not allowed to become a trader and a Vaisya could earn his bread only by
trade. Birth would decide their occupation and their economic fate. K. V. Verghese rightly
observes, “Caste system acted as a springboard for class exploitation with the result that
the counterpart of the poverty of the many is the opulence of the few. The second is the
cause of the first.”

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 (iii) Joint family system:

The joint family system provides social security to its members. Some people take undue
advantage of it. They live upon the income of others. They become idlers. Their normal
routine of life consists in eating, sleeping and begetting children. In this way poverty gets
aggravated through joint family system.

(iv) Social customs:

The ruralites spend a large percentage of annual earnings on social ceremonies like
marriage, death feast etc. As a result, they remain in debt and poverty.

(v) Growing indebtedness:

In the rural sector most of the ruralites depend on borrowings from the money-lenders
and land-lords to meet even their consumption expenses. Moneylenders, however, exploit
the poor by charging exorbitant rates of interest and by acquiring the mortgaged land in
the event of non-payment of loans.

Indebted poor farmers cannot make themselves free from the clutches of moneylenders.
Their poverty is further accentuated because of indebtedness. Such indebted families
continue to remain under the poverty line for generations because of this debt-trap.

Marginalization (Social Exclusion)

“Social exclusion (or marginalization) is social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of
society.”

“Social exclusion is a multidimensional process of progressive social rupture, detaching groups and
individuals from social relations and institutions and preventing them from full participation in the
normal, normatively prescribed activities of the society in which they live.”

[Relegation: To assign to an obscure place, position, or condition.]

Individual exclusion

"The marginal man...is one whom fate has condemned to live in two societies and in two, not
merely different but antagonistic cultures....his mind is the crucible in which two different and
refractory cultures may be said to melt and, either wholly or in part, fuse."

Social exclusion at the individual level results in an individual's exclusion from meaningful
participation in society. An example is the exclusion of single mothers from the welfare system
prior to welfare reforms of the 1900s. The modern welfare system is based on the concept of
entitlement to the basic means of being a productive member of society both as an organic
function of society and as compensation for the socially useful labor provided.

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A single mother's contribution to society is not based on formal employment, but on the notion
that provision of welfare for children is a necessary social expense. More broadly, many women
face social exclusion.. Today, women are still marginalized from executive positions and continue
to earn less than men in upper management positions.

Another example of individual marginalization is the exclusion of individuals with disabilities from
the labor force. An employer's viewpoint about hiring individuals living with disabilities as
jeopardizing productivity, increasing the rate of absenteeism, and creating more accidents in the
workplace.

Employer concerns about the excessively high cost of accommodating people with disabilities. The
marginalization of individuals with disabilities is prevalent today, despite the legislation intended
to prevent it in most western countries, and the academic achievements, skills and training of
many disabled people.

Meaning of Deprived / Marginalized Groups

Marginalization/deprived is generally described as the overt actions or tendencies of human

societies, where people who they perceive to be undesirable or without useful function are
excluded, i.e., marginalized. The people who are Deprived/ Marginalized are outside the existing
systems of protection and integration. This limits their opportunities and means for survival.

Reasons responsible for Deprived / Marginalized Groups

Some of the important factors that are responsible for marginalization are exclusion, globalization,
displacement, and disaster both natural, and manmade.

i) Exclusion: Marginalization is a process that denies opportunities and outcomes to ‘those ‘living
on the margins’, while enhancing the opportunities and outcomes for those who are ‘at the
centre’. Deprived/ Marginalized combines discrimination and social exclusion.
It offends human dignity, and it denies human rights. Caste and class prejudice, in many societies
across the globe, exclude many groups and communities, and hinder their active participation in
economic and social development.

ii) Globalization: Globalization has increased openness which has promoted development at the
cost of equity. It is viewed that globalization has enhanced the gap between haves and have-nots
and thus boosted marginalization. While it is true that some middle income developing countries,
as well as the most populous countries, India and China, are gaining out of globalization, yet the
impact is not equally universal.

iii) Displacement: The development programmes implemented by the government and increasing
construction of development projects consistently displace a massive number of tribal, poor, and
weaker sections. This results in marginalization of already marginalized people.

iv) Disasters - Natural and Unnatural: Disasters are a global phenomena and a serious challenge to
development. Vulnerability is linked to broader social issues such as poverty, social exclusion,
conflict, education, health, gender issues and marginalization.

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Some of the most vulnerable marginalized groups in almost every society are:

i) Women: Under different economic conditions, and under the influence of specific historical,
cultural, legal and religious factors, marginalization of women can be seen from their exclusion
from certain jobs and occupations. Women belonging to lower classes, lower castes, illiterate, and
the poorest region have been marginalized more than their better off counterparts.

ii) People with Disabilities: People with disabilities have had to battle against centuries of biased
assumptions, harmful stereotypes, and irrational fears.
The stigmatization of disability resulted in the social and economic marginalization of generations
with disabilities, and thus has left people with disabilities in a severe state of impoverishment for
centuries.

iii) Elderly: Being past middle age and approaching old age; rather old. S Ageing is an inevitable
and inexorable process in life. For most nations, regardless of their geographic location or
developmental stage, the 80 year olds, or over-age group is growing faster than any younger
segment of the older population. Elderly women form the majority of marginalized groups among
them.

iv) Ethnic minority: – a group that has different national or cultural traditions from the majority of
the population the term, ethnic minority, refers to marginalized people of the same race or
nationality who share a distinctive culture. A minority is a sociological group that does not
constitute a politically dominant voting majority of the total population of a given society. It may
include any group that is subnormal with respect to a dominant group, in terms of social status,
education, employment, wealth, and political power. Every large society contains ethnic
minorities. They may be migrant, indigenous or landless nomadic communities, or religious
minorities that have a different faith from the majority.

v) Caste Groups: The caste system is a strict hierarchical social system based on underlying
notions of purity and pollution. Brahmins are on the top of the hierarchy and Shudras or Dalits
orthe Scheduled Castes constitute the bottom of the hierarchy. The marginalization of Dalits
influences all spheres of their life, violating basic human rights such as civil, political, social,
economic and cultural rights.

Literacy rates, purchasing power and poor housing conditions among Dalits are very low. Physical
segregation of their settlements is common. However, in recent years due to affirmative action
and legal protection, the intensity of caste-based marginalization is reducing.

vi) Tribes: In India, the population of Scheduled Tribes is around 84.3 million and is considered to
be socially and economically disadvantaged group. They are mainly landless with little control over
resources such as land, forest and water.
They constitute agricultural, casual, plantation and industrial labourers. This has resulted in
poverty, low levels of education and poor access to health care services. In the Indian context the
marginalized are categorized as the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, denoted tribes, nomadic
tribes, and other backward classes.

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Nation building and Good Governance

• Cast your vote

• Be informed (read news papers, watch TV news, track major issues of state, national and
international on the NET0

• Create awareness in yourself about the things happening around you every day.

• Be up to date on day to day happenings

• Social Involvement: Get involved in social activities. Step out from your comfort zones.

• Keep your area clean where you live and stay

• Observe Traffic rules

• Voice your opinion publicly. If you want to intimate government about societal problems
due to alcohol, create some activity to bring government’s attention. / Write your opinion
in various forums on the NET

• Career option: Participate in nation building by joining any of government service. Civil
services, Armed forces, Para military forces, etc.

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