Chapter - 2

People as Resource

PEOPLE AS RESOURCE

Economic Activities Quality of Population

By Men & Women Unemployment

Health
3 Sectors Two Parts

Education

Primary
Sector
(Agriculture, Marketing
Forestry, Activities
Fishing etc.) (Performed for Helps a person Contributes
Secondary profit or pay) to realize his towards the
Sector potential and growth of the
(Manufacturi the ability to society.
ng) fight against Enhances
Tertiary illness. National
Sector(Trad Unhealthy Income,
e, Banking, person is a cultural
Insurance, liability to an richness and
Banking) organisation. increases the
efficiency of
government.
 Meaning Types Effects

Unemploymen
t when an individual Rural Urban Leads to wastage
who is not employed of manpower
and is seeking resource.
employment, cannot Increase economic
find work. overload.
Unemployment is a Quality of life
key indicator of the Educated unemployment: adversely affected.
health of an economy. Educated people are not
able to find the jobs.

Seasonal Unemployment
Seasonal unemployment occurs
when people are unemployed at
particular times of the year when the
demand for labor is lower than usual. In
INDIA. This Unemployment that occurs
during certain seasons of the year.
Disguised unemployment : People
appears to be employed
Question & Answer

1) What is human capital?

Ans: Human capital is the stock of skilled and productive workforce of a nation.

2) How can the population of a nation become human capital?

Ans: Population of a nation becomes human capital through education, training and
medical care.

3) Which type of investment is known as human capital investment?

Ans: The investment made in the form of education, training and medical care is known as human
capital investment.

4) Countries like Japan did not have any natural resources, still they are developed countries.’Give
reasons.
Ans:

● They have invested in people especially in the field of education and health.
● The skilled and trained people have made efficient use of other resources like land
and capital. Efficiency and technology evolved by people have made these countries
rich/developed.

6) “People are the greatest resource that a country has.” Explain.

Or
Why is human resource important for development? Explain.
Answer:

● It is a way of referring to a country’s working people in terms of their existing

productive skills and abilities. Land, capital and natural resources etc. form the
important resources of a country because these help in further production, but all these
are useless if a country does not have human resources. It is a human resource which
converts all the other sources into useful form.
● Countries like China, Japan etc. have achieved a high growth rate due to human capital.
● A skilled and trained person generates more than an uneducated and unskilled worker.

7) How are children of educated parents different from those of uneducated parents? Give three
points of difference.
Ans:
 Children of Educated Parents Children of Uneducated Parents

(i) These parents realise the importance of Uneducated parents often fail to realise the
importance of education. They are seen as
education. So, they are found to invest more
reluctant to spend heavily on the education of
heavily on the education of their children. their children.

(ii) They are conscious of proper nutrition and These parents are themselves uneducated and

hygiene. So, they properly look after their lacking in hygiene. So, they are not expected to

children’s health and nutritional needs. properly look after their children’s health and

hygiene needs.

(iii) Being better educated and healthy, these Their children are also not expected to receive

children are always expected to yield a high higher education and yield a high return in the

return in the future. future.

(iv) Their earnings are higher and they Their earnings are generally expected to be less

provide a greater contribution to society. and insufficient. So, their contribution to society

is also likely to be lower.

(v) As educated parents better look after As these parents are found deficient in
looking after their children’s health, hygienic
their children’s education and health, a conditions form a vicious cycle. Their
children also remain in a similarly
virtuous cycle is created.
disadvantaged state.

8) Mention any one advantage of education. How can an educated woman improve her family’s
condition?
Ans: The key to education is learning. A solid education gives us a base level of understanding that
allows us to actively participate in intellectual conversations, and makes us aware and open minded in
any situation. An educated woman improves her family’s condition in the following manner:

● An educated woman tends to desire a smaller family size and seek the health care necessary to
do so.
● An educated woman has high educational and career expectations of her children, both boys
and girls. For females, education profoundly changes their lives, how they interact with society, and
their economic status.
Educated women create more equitable lives for women and their families and increase their ability
to participate in community decision-making and work towards achieving local sustainability goals.

9) Describe five main features of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

Or
Write a short note on ‘SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN.’
Ans:

● To strengthen the primary school system, the scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) was
started in 2001.
● All 6-14 age children were expected to complete eight years of schooling by 2010.
● It began as a time-bound initiative or programme of the Central Government in partnership
with the state, the local government and the community to achieve the goal of universalisation
of elementary education.
● This programme has covered the entire country with special focus on the educational needs of
girls, SCs/STs and other children.
● Along with it, bridge courses and back-to-school camps were started to increase the enrolment
in elementary education. The Mid-day Meal Scheme has been implemented to encourage
attendance and retention of children as well as to improve their nutritional status.

10) Describe the provisions made by the Indian government for the development of
education and health care sector for the growth of society.

Ans:

The three steps taken by government in the field of education are as follows

(i) There is a provision made for providing universal access, retention and quality in
elementary education with a special emphasis on girls.

(ii) There is also an establishment of pace setting of schools like Navodaya Vidyalaya in
each district.
 (iii) Vocational streams have been developed to equip students with occupation related
knowledge and skills.

11) What are the major factors responsible for unemployment in India?
Answer:

● Rapid Growth of Population: Our population has been continuously rising. From a
population of about 361 million in 1951, it has risen to around 1210.2 million in 2011,
but due to slow economic growth employment opportunities have not risen at the same
pace.
● Overdependence on Agriculture: Even after more than 50 years of independence,
more than 60% of our population still depends upon the primary sector for its livelihood.
● Underdevelopment of Cottage and Small-scale Industry: Our rural sector is facing
problems of disguised and seasonal unemployment. This is due to underdevelopment of
the cottage and the small-scale industry.
● Underdevelopment of Industries: Due to the shortage of capital and other essential
inputs, the industrialisation process is very slow. So the industrial sector has failed to
provide enough job opportunities to the unemployed workers.
● Slow pace of Infrastructure Growth: Slow pace of infrastructure growth is one of the
major factors responsible for the slow growth of the Indian economy.

12) What is unemployment? What kind of unemployment is found in India? Explain any
two of them.
Ans: It is a situation under which a worker is ready to work at the prevailing wages but he/she is
unable to find any useful work.

● Disguised unemployment
● Seasonal unemployment
● Structural unemployment
● Technical unemployment

Disguised Unemployment:

● It is a type of unemployment under which people appear to be employed, but actually

they are not.
● It is mostly found in agriculture.
● It is mainly found in rural areas.

Seasonal Unemployment:
 ● It is a type of unemployment under which workers are employed only for a particular
season.
● It is mostly found in agro based industries.
● It is found both in rural as well as urban areas.

13) What are the disadvantages of unemployment? Explain.

Or
“Unemployment leads to a depressed economy.” Justify the statement with five arguments.
Ans:

● Wastage of Resource: Human capital is one of the most important resources.

Unemployment leads to wastage of manpower resources. People who are an asset for the
economy turn into a liability.
There is a feeling of hopelessness and despair among the youth.
● Poverty: The basic cause of poverty is unemployment. People do not have enough money
to support their family. Inability of educated people, who are willing to work to find
gainful employment, implies a great social waste.
● Increase in Dependent Population: Unemployment tends to increase the economic
overload. The dependence of the unemployed on the working population increases.
● Poor Quality of Life: The quality of life of an individual as well as of the society is
adversely affected. When a family has to live on a bare subsistence level, there is a
general decline in its health status and rising withdrawal from the school system.
● Class Struggle: Unemployment divides the society into haves and have-nots. Accordingly,
there is class conflict that compounds the problem of social turmoil.

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