Cla

ss X

- So

cial

Sci

ence

II

126

8

8DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIETY

Sector Picture 8.1a Picture 8.1b

Good Bad Good Bad

Housing

Sanitation

Health

Food

The aim of the modern governments is thewelfare of the people. The increase in theproduction of goods and services isdirected towards this goal. Thegovernments not only increase productionbut also ensure just distribution of wealth.As a result the welfare of the people willbe promoted. The general standard ofliving is improved on the basis of all these.

Comparing the two living situations, point out the differences in the table given below.Tick the suitable ones.

Development and growthDo you think that the standard of livingof all people living around us is the same?There are differences. What are thereasons for this?

Look at the figures given below.

What are the differences you come acrosswhen you compare the two figures?

Figure - 8.1

Dev

elop

men

t and

Soc

iety

127

8You have now found out the differences.Who has a better standard of living?

In which of the fields are qualitativechanges required for the improvementof the standard of living of the peoplein figure 1?

We know that many people similar tothose in Figure 8.1a live around us. Thesepeople intend to attain a better conditionin their life. For these, the needs like

They help the people to attain a betterincome and improved living conditions.

Ecnomic development is generally theprocess of increase in the income and thequality of life.

Apart from income, economicdevelopment includes food, housing,health and by education. Thereforedevelopment is both an economic andsocial process.

Development is realized through theproduction of necessary goods andservices and ensuring social justicethrough the just distribution of the same.

Development should also consider the

opportunities for social security,

equality, human rights, gender

equality, etc. Do you agree with this

argument? Why? Prepare and present

a note on this.

The Government provides food,medical facilities, etc free of cost or atconcessional rates to the poor andweaker section of society, etc. Whatare the objectives behind this?

Have you noticed that governmentsat different levels give top priority tomedical facilities, education, publicdistribution, food security programs,social welfare schemes, drinking waterprojects, etc?

$ What are the objectives of theseschemes?

$ How do they help to improve thequality of life of the people?

$ Conduct a discussion in the classand present the findings.

These basic needs can be met byproviding:

Cla

ss X

- So

cial

Sci

ence

II

128

8Let us now understand the meaning of'Economic Growth'.

‘Economic growth’ is the process ofincrease in production or income for aparticular year as compared to theprevious year. As a result of economicgrowth, a country gets the ability to satisfythe wants of the people.

Economic Growth RateEconomic growth is measured on the basisof increase in national income. When theincrease is measured for a year withreference to the previous year, it is calledeconomic growth rate.

For example:

National income during

2006 - 07 = ` 4283979 crores

National income during

2007 - 08 = ` 4947857 crores

Growth Rate = 4947857 4283979100

4283979−

×

Can you make a formula for measuringeconomic growth?

Developing countriesThe countries with low or moderateincome are called developing countries.They have a poor standard of living whencompared with developed countries. Theyare witnessing changes on economic andsocial fronts. India, Pakistan, China,Nigeria, Brazil, etc. are examples ofdeveloping countries.

We have now understood 'Growth andDevelopment'. Identify which of thefollowing statements representgrowth. and which of them representdevelopment.

The food production increased from50.85 million tonnes during 1950-51to 230. 78 million tonnes during2007-08 in India.

The people below poverty line camedown from 56.44 per cent during1973-74 to 27 per cent during 2007-2008.

The infant mortality rate declined from129 in 1971 to 66 (per1000) in 2001.

The number of electrified housesincreased from 26.19 per cent in 1981to 55. 85 per cent in 2001.

It is now made clear how developingcountries are different from developedcountries. While developed countries tryto maintain their achievements,developing countries try to achievedevelopment.

It means that development is the ‘ends’and economic growth is the ‘means’towards development.

The realization of economic developmentis possible through the just distributionof the benefits of economic growth.

Developed countries

The countries with high per capita incomeand good standard of living are consideredas 'Developed Countries'. WesternEurope, United States of America, Canada,Australia, New Zealand etc are examplesfor this.

In which part of the globe are most of

the developed countries situated? See

the globe.

Dev

elop

men

t and

Soc

iety

129

8In short, economic development is aqualitative change along with economicgrowth.

In this background, prepare a notebased on the statement: 'Growth isinevitable for attaining development;but growth alone will not ensuredevelopment'.

Development IndicesHow can development of a country bemeasured? How will we compare thedevelopment of a country with that ofanother? It is possible only on the basisof certain criteria. The indicators used forevaluating the development are called'development indices'. When theapproach to development gets changed,new indices will also be developed tomeasure development. The importantdevelopment indices are the following:

Per capita incomePer capita income was earlier regarded asthe index of 'development'. Per capitaincome is obtained by dividing nationalincome by the population. The higher theper capita income, the higher thedevelopment will be.

As a measure of development, per capitaincome suffers from a number oflimitations. Let us discuss some of them.

Suppose, the income of five persons is asfollows:

Find out the following from Figure 8.1

Figure - 8.2

• What is their average income?

• How many of them have incomebelow the average?

It is made clear that there is no relationbetween actual income and per capitaincome.

Per capita income, being an average, doesnot help us to get a clear picture of theactual income of a person.

Based on the information given in 8.2, findout the following:

• How much of the income of the firstperson is greater than the averageincome?

• How much is the difference betweenthe income of fifth person and theaverage income?

Cla

ss X

- So

cial

Sci

ence

II

130

8• What is the difference between the

income of the first person and the fifthperson?

What do the differences indicate?

It shows the variations in incomedistribution. In short, per capita incomedoes not help us to understand hownational income is distributed among thepeople. This is another limitation of percapita income.

Suppose the income of the first personis doubled and the income of the otherpersons is halved. Can we say that thereis economic growth in this situation?Will it lead to an increase in the qualityof life?

Physical quality of life index (PQLI)It was recognized during the 1980s that themeasurement of development based onper capita income alone is unscientific.Social factors like health, education, etc.

are also given emphasis in the calculationof development. Accordingly, changeshave taken place in developmentindicators. As a result , Physical Qualityof Life Index was recognized in the placeof per capita income. The indicatorsconsidered for measuring PQLI are:

Basic literacy

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy

PQLI has neglected income as an indicatorof measuring development. This is aserious limitation.

Human development index(HDI)United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) defines human development asfollows:

Human development is the process ofpromoting human capability by providingopportunities to the people.

EndsHuman Development

Figure - 8.3

Means : Economic growthEconomic Growth Possible Factors

Human DevelopmentPossible Factors

• Health Services

• Educational Facilities

• EmploymentOpportunities

• Democracy

• Environment Protection

• Capability andKnowledge of people

• Utilisation of HumanResources

• Economic Policies

Dev

elop

men

t and

Soc

iety

131

8UNDP has been publishing humandevelopment report every year since 1990.

Can you say that HDI as a development

index is superior to PCI? Substantiate

your argument.

From the above discussion, we have

understood that the human

development indices become sharperand holistic in the course of the. Whyis it so?

Let us see the position of India in humandevelopment.

India is in the 34th

position as perH u m a nD e v e l o p m e n tReport 2009 (basedon 2007 statistics).Observe the HDIof India forvarious yearsgiven in Figure 8.4.1990 1995 2000 2005 2006 2007

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0

0.489 0.5110.556 0.596 0.604 0.612

Figure - 8.4Source : Human Development Report Year

HD

I

The mutual relation between humandevelopment and economic growth isillustrated in Figure 8.3:.

It is now clear that economic growth leadsto human development and vice versa.Human development is measured on thebasis of the following factors:

• Life expectancy

• Literacy and gross school enrollment

• Per capita income

By taking the average of the value of eachcomponent, we get 'Human Development'Index.

The value of HDI ranges between zero andone. While one (1) represents the highestpossible human development, zero(0)represents the absence of humandevelopment.

All countries of the world are classified intodifferent categories on the basis of humandevelopment index. (See Table 8.2)

Category HDI

High HDI 0.8 - 1.0

Medium HDI 05 - 0.79

Low HDI <0.49

Table- 8.2

Find the following from Figure 8.4 andTable 8.2.

• To which category did India belong inthe year 1990, based on the informationgiven in Table 8.2?

• High

• Medium

• Low

• HDI of India is continuously rising inFigure 8.4. What does it indicate?

Cla

ss X

- So

cial

Sci

ence

II

132

8Sustainable developmentYou have learned how industrial andagricultural revolutions influenced socialand economic sectors. They changed:

• Production system

• Diversified products

• Volume of production

• Organisation of production

This has resulted in:

Figure - 8.5 - Oil RefiningFigure 8.7

Air Pollution from factories

Figure - 8.8Use of Pesticides

Figure 8.6 - Coal Mining

• Tremendous increase in theconsumption of fossil energy like coal,petrol, etc

• Faster urbanization

• Drastic jump in transport sector

Following commercialization ofagriculture, there is:

• Deforestation for the cultivation ofcommercial crops

• Reckless/excessive use of fertilizer forboosting production

• Large scale use of pesticides

No doubt, all the above factors have ledto a manifold increase in production. Atthe same time, environment has been

affected adversely. What are theenvironmental problems due to thechanges in the production system?

Dev

elop

men

t and

Soc

iety

133

8• Fall in the stock of fossil energy

• Diminishing of the natural fertility of the soil?

Figure - 8.9 - Polluted water bodies

Rachel Carson with herfamous book

Environmental Protection

Sustainable development gained importance after World War II.Drastic changes in technology and increase in efficiency led toa manifold increase in production. At the same time, it led todevastation of environment. Extensive use of pesticidesdestroyed different types of birds and polluted the rivers andwetlands. This followed the famous book "Silent Spring" writtenby Rachel Carson in 1962. It caused widespread protest againstthe use of pesticides. As a result a number of organizations inthe world expanded their activities with the aim of environmentalprotection. Rachel Carson is recognized as the Mother of modernenvironment movement.

Did it affect the living organisms? If so, explain

What is the way out for this? Write the answers.

We are now aware of the circumstances that lead to environmental degradation. What arethe ways in which environment affects human beings?

Cla

ss X

- So

cial

Sci

ence

II

134

8Overutilization of resources for rapideconomic growth worsened environmentproblems. In this background, there arosewider discussions on the relation betweeneconomic growth and environment.

The deliberations established the fact thatnatural resources are not only meant forthe present generation but also for thefuture generation. This vision is theessence of sustainable development.

the ability of future generation to meettheir requirements."

This ensures smooth availability andutilization of resources which providessocial justice.

As against the above, there are a numberof instances that deny social justice todifferent societies and generations. Theactivities of a society or nation can harmthe interests of another society or nation.Let us watch some instances:

The" green house gases" that cause globalwarming are emitted by developedcountries. The severe consequences ofthis phenomenon adversely affect thepeople living in regions close to the sealevel.

Developed countries emit gases (CFC)

that cause ozone depletion. The

consequences of this are borne by the

people the world over.

How do these activities stand in the wayof sustainable development?

In this background, the importance ofsustainable development gainsimportance. Today sustainabledevelopment is used in a wider sense tomean the realization of economic, socialand environmental goals. It is illustratedin figure 8.10.

Are these goals mutually helpful? See anexample.

• When production system isenvironment friendly, economicgrowth is sustainable and helps tomaintain societal relationships.

Add more examples.

In 1987 Brundtlanol Commission definedsustainable development for the first time.Accordingly, sustainable development is"the approach of the present generation tomeet their requirements without affecting

Non-RenewableResources

Those resources which arescarce and can be renewed onlythrough long term naturalprocess. e.g. Petrol, coal.

Natural Resources

Renewable resourcesDepleted when they are used butrenewed through natural process.e.g. water, forest resources

Dev

elop

men

t and

Soc

iety

135

8

There are various activities around us that adversely affect sustainable development. Findout such activities from the following. Explain how they prevent sustainable development.Prepare a note and present it in the class.

Figure - 8.10

Economic Goals• Growth• Efficiency• Stability

Social Goals• Equality• Social Mobility• Participation• Cultural Identity• Social Interdependence

Environmental Goals• Healthy environment• Proper utilisation of renewable

resources.• Conservation of non-renewable

natural resources.

Cla

ss X

- So

cial

Sci

ence

II

136

8Prepare suggestions for tackling the

above issues. Display placards showing

the do's and don'ts for the protection

of environment in public places under

the banner of environment clubs.

By undertaking various activities as part

of ozone day, earth day, environment

day etc we become the propagators as

well as beneficiaries of sustainable

development. Prepare and present an

essay so as to justify this statement.

India and sustainable developmentDevelopment goals backed by socialjustice got importance in the post-independence India. We adopted adevelopment strategy giving thrust toplanning and public sector. Accordingly,efficient utilization of resources was madepossible.

Howerver, policies centered on marketgained importance since 1990s. This ledto the over utilization of resources. As aresult, social and economic inequalitieshave widened.

Our father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi,expressed his opinion about theavailability and use of resources like this:

"Earth provides enough to satisfy everyman’s need but not every man’s greed.”

What do you understand from this

regarding the use of natural resources?

Is there any careless use or misuse of

resources in our everyday living?

• Food • Water • Electricity

How can you solve this?

Display your suggestions in posters in

proper places-[e.g. Public tap, kitchen,switchboards, etc]

The first world conference on the'Environmental Protection andDevelopment' took place in 1972 atStockholm, the capital of Sweden. Whileparticipating in the conference, Smt IndiraGandhi, the then Prime Minister of India,spoke:

Mahatma Gandhi

Indira Gandhi

The environmental problems ofdeveloping countries are not side effectsof excessive industrialization, but theyreflect the inadequacy of development.The rich countries may look upondevelopment as the cause of

Dev

elop

men

t and

Soc

iety

137

8environmental destruction. But to usdeveloping countries it is one of theprimary means of improving theconditions of life or providing food, water,sanitation and shelter, etc. and of makingthe desert green and the mountainshabitable.

What have you understood about the

relation between the goal of resource

utilization and environment from

this?Can you connect it with the

opinion of Mahatmaji?

India started enacting EnvironmentalLaws after the 1972 Stockholm conference.Official bodies like Ministry of Forest andEnvironment, Pollution Control Boards,etc. function for the protection ofenvironment. There are a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs)operating with this goal in India. As aresult, there are many efforts for thepromotion of the idea of sustainabledevelopment. Still, there exist a numberof problems to be addressed at nationaland regional level. Only when we solvethese issues can we say that the ultimategoal of sustainable development has beenrealized.

Cla

ss X

- So

cial

Sci

ence

II

138

8Follow up activities

Who will face more difficulties, when sustainable development is discarded? [Rich, poor] why?

Points arrived at through discussion can be presented.

Seminar

Conduct a seminar on" Economic Activities and Environment" which should includefactors that hinder sustainable development, the process of hindering it and theremedies.

Exhibition

Make an album, consisting of notes, photos including industrial disasters and theother threats to human life due to environmental impact. Based on this ,conduct anexhibition under the banner of social science club.

Group discussion

Rich countries consume 57 per cent of oil produced in the world in a year.

• Does this consumption pattern support sustainable development?

• Does this over- consumption affect environmental problems like climate change?

Project

Are there any activities that hinder sustainable development in our panchayatsmunicipalities?

• What are the changes in environment in our region, in the last 20 years?

• What are the remedies for them?

• What are the alternatives?

Prepare a report containing all the points and submit it to your administrators.