NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Economics Chapter 1 Development

NCERT Solutions For Class 10 Economics Chapter 1 Development Long Answer Questions

Question 1. Which is the most suitable measure of economic development?

Answer:

Economic development has been seen from different angles which are discussed below;

1. Gross National Product: Every rise in GNP indicates the development of the nation. A higher growth rate of GNP will mean higher development.
2. Per Capita Income: It is an average income of a national resident which considers both income and population of the country.
3. Human Development Index (HDI): It considers an improvement in per capita income, health status as well as educational standards. It is considered as the most suitable index of development.
4. Sustainable Development: Recently economic development has been studied in the form of sustainable development.

In such a development, natural resources and the environment are safely protected for future generations.

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Recently HDI is acknowledged as the most suitable measure of economic development.

Question 2. What do you mean by national development? What are the aspects covered under this concept?

Answer:

1. Under individual development, emphasis is laid on the development of an individual while under national development government decides what would be good for all people.
2. Under national development, only those programs policies, and schemes are implemented that would benefit a large section of society.
3. Under national development, it is very important to decide about conflicts and their remedies.
4. Under national development, we have also to think about whether there are other better ways of doing things and solving the problems that confront the nation and the masses.

Question 3. Write a paragraph of what India should do, or achieve, to become a developed country.

Or

What should India do to become a developed nation? Give your arguments.

Answer:

At present, India is one of the fastest developing economies in the world, though we have still to do a lot to become a developed country.

However, it is the crying need of the hour that we should increase and accelerate the pace of development further. To achieve our goal, we can suggest the following:

1. We must build a strong infrastructure, for example, a network of transportation and communication, power generation, financial institutions, etc.
2. We must increase the rate of saving and investment; and attract FDI in the core sector of the economy. Huge capital formation should be our, top priority.
3. Educational and medical facilities should be extended to all sections of the society. This will result in human and social development.
4. The private sector should be given more room to expand. All restraints and bottle-necks should be removed. Rules and regulations should be made simple.
5. We must strengthen our industrial base, encourage research work, and develop our own techniques, scientific work should be made broad-based; talent of the youth should be tapped; brain-drain should be discouraged.
6. We should stop the export of raw materials and encourage the export of finished goods.
7. We must expand our tertiary sector and modernize our agriculture.
8. We must explore new sources of energy and reduce our dependence on imported oil.

Question 4. Write the major features of sustainable development.

Answer:

Sustainable development does not mean that natural resources should not be used at all.

It implies that natural resources should be used in such a way that there is no environmental degradation so that long-term objectives such as increase in income and employment, abolition of poverty and improvement, and standard of living should be achieved.

No compromise with the interests of future generations—Sustainable development aims at making use of natural resources and the environment to raise the standard of living of the masses in such a manner as not to lower the quality of life of the future generation.

No increase in pollution or environmental degradation—Sustainable development denounces these activities which lower the existing standard of living, and prove detrimental to natural resources and the environment.

So one must desist from undertaking such activities as an increase in pollution and a decrease in the quality of life of future generations.

Question 5. How can you say that environmental degradation is not just a national issue? Illustrate with examples.

Answer:

There is no doubt that environmental degradation is not just a national issue. Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state boundaries, this issue is no longer region or nation-specific.

Our future is linked together. For example, global warming, deforestation, climatic change, war, and even famine in one part of the world have a worldwide impact.

Question 6. Before accepting a job in a far-off place what factor, would you try to consider, apart from income?

Answer:

Facility for your family. Working atmosphere or opportunity to learn. Regular employment that enhances your sense of security.

Question 7. What indicators have come to be widely used as a measure of development? Support your answer by giving examples.

Answer:

Over the past decades or so health and education indicators have come to be widely used along with income as a measure of development.

Example: The Human Development Report published by the UNDP compares countries on the following basis:

1. Per capita income
2. Their health status
3. The educational level of the people

Question 8. Do the following two statements mean the same? Justify your answer.

1. People have different developmental goals,
2. People have conflicting developmental goals.

Answer:

People have different developmental goals simply mean an overall improvement in the various spheres of their life.

• Conflicting goals, on the other hand, imply that the developmental goals of one individual may be harmful or destructive to the developmental goals of another individual (s).
• Thus, the given two statements do not mean the same. For example, the construction of a highway is the developmental goal for the cities it is connecting.
• However, a large-scale demolition of houses, trees, etc., takes place to facilitate its construction.
• This might negatively affect those who are displaced due to demolition.
• While highway construction was a developmental goal for almost each and every individual, it also conflicts with the developmental goal of certain categories of people.

Question 9. How can you say developmental goals are conflicting goals also?

Answer:

Some developmental goals are conflicting in nature. It may be developmental for one person or for a group but it may be harmful or destructive for the other.

For example, industrialists want more electricity and to develop dams. But this may submerge the land and disrupt the lives of people who are displaced from their land.

Question 10. State some examples where factors other than income are important aspects of our lives.

Or

Mention any two important aspects of our lives other than income.

Answer:

Though regular work, better wages, high income, and decent prices for their crops or other products are important factors in our lives, they may not at all make our lives happy and contented. There are also other factors which are even more important in life.

Besides seeking more income, people prefer to seek things like equal treatment, freedom, security, respect for others, good education, better health facilities, and a friendly and cordial neighborhood. Even a rich man cannot purchase these non-material necessities of life.

Question 11. How can education play an important role in development?

Answer:

Education increases the quality of labor and quality enhances total productivity.

• Total productivity adds to the growth of the economy. This, in turn, pays an individual through salary or in some other form of his choice.
• It opens new scopes for people, provides new aspirations, and develops values of life, aptitudes, knowledge, and skills.
• It provides capacity and flexibility to the people and enables them to contribute to the economic development of the country.
• General education raises the levels of understanding of the people while technical education makes a significant contribution in raising efficiency and productivity by encouraging science and technology in the country.
• It promotes a rational and scientific outlook for the solutions to problems faced by the country.
• The government should take steps to increase employment opportunities for the solution to problems faced by the country.

Question 12. Explain the role of per capita income and economic welfare as indicators of development.

Answer:

Per Capita Income: It is obtained by dividing the national income by the total population of the country.

• Per capita income cannot be a true measure of development because if the per capita income of a country increases over a period, we cannot conclude that all sections of the society have become better off as there may not be an equitable distribution of income.
• The gap between rich and poor may become wider. Rich may become richer while poor may become poorer.

Economic Welfare: If with the increase in average income the gap between rich and poor shortens, this will definitely indicate the economic welfare of the country.

The equitable distribution of income and wealth indicates that economic welfare can be a true indicator of development.