Q1)
What is development?
Answer
Development means moving ahead from the current situation to a situation that is much better than the previous one. Development refers to the growth of an individual, a region, a country or the world as a whole. Development has different meanings for different persons. What is development for one need not be the same for the other. Development, in the context of a nation, refers to the progress of the nation, which involves the creation of better living conditions for its citizens. Development on the whole is a balancing activity that needs to accommodate the interests and aspirations of all the people.
Q2)
How is a country’s development measured?
Answer
The development of a country is measured on the basis of its total income. The total income of a country refers to the total value of all the goods and services produced in the country in one year. This is termed as the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of a country. Higher the value of GDP, more developed the country is. Countries are ranked on development index on the basis of their GDPs. India has a GDP of over one trillion dollar and it ranks as the tenth biggest economy in the world.
Q3)
What do you understand by per capita income? Why is it calculated?
Answer
Per capita income (PCI) can be defined as the average annual income of each individual of a country. PCI denotes how much, on an average, each citizen of a country earns in a year. Thus, PCI can be calculated by dividing the total income of the country in a year with the total population of the country. PCI is calculated for classifying countries as rich and low-income countries by the World Development Report.
Q4)
Growth and development are different aspects. How?
Answer
Economic growth and economic development are two different aspects of the progress of a country. Development is a much broader concept than economic growth. Economic growth is a quantitative concept that in itself comprises the increase in the values of GDP and PCI of a country. Development, on the other hand, is an all-inclusive concept. It is more concerned about the quality of life of people in a country. Apart from factual figures such as GDP and PCI, economic development also takes into account literacy rate, life expectancy, health measures, infrastructural facilities etc. Economic growth presents a surface picture as to where our economy is heading, whereas economic development checks whether this economic growth is reaching the masses or not.
Q5)
What is infant mortality rate? How does it affect development?
Answer
Infant mortality rate can be defined as the number of deaths of children below one year of age per thousand live births. It is an important indicator for measuring the economic development of a country. It is an indicator used by the United Nation’s Human Development Report for measuring human development in various countries. Infant Mortality is mostly caused because of dehydration or pneumonia owing to the lack of proper medical facilities. India has an infant mortality rate of 52 i.e., out of every 1000 births, 52 children die in India before attaining the age of one year.
Q6)
What is the reason behind the sorry state of literacy in India?
Answer
India has an overall literacy rate of about 65%, which is poor. India is a developing country that is scaling new heights of economic growth. Nonetheless, literacy rate in India remains low. Male literacy rate in India is about 76%, while that of females is only 54%. The reason behind such low literacy levels is the enormous population of the country and widespread poverty. People are poor and have big families. As all money goes into feeding the family, no money is left for educating the children. In a lot of cases, children are forced to work in order to contribute to the family income. Education is not considered necessary as a lot of people earn without being educated.
Q7)
What is Human Development Report? How is it prepared?
Answer
The Human Development Report is an annual global measure of human development prepared by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) since 1990. HDR compares all countries in the world and ranks them on the basis of three indicators i.e., life expectancy at birth, literacy rate and per capita income. The Human Development Report gives a fair idea of how a country has progressed and what it needs to do for furthering its development.
Q8)
What is sustainable development?
Answer
Sustainable development is a recent concept. It means that development should be such that it can be sustained for longer period of time and must cater to the needs of the coming generations. It is mostly used in terms of the non-renewable sources of energy, which face depletion because of over-use by human beings. Sustainable development seeks to promote a judicious use of non-renewable energy sources such as coal and petroleum so that they do not get depleted beforehand and our future generations do not have these resources at their disposal. Sustainable development thus means developing in such a way that not only our present but our future is also secured.
Q9)
What are the development goals that India needs to achieve?
Answer
India is a fast developing country that is predicted to soon join the league of developed nations. However, there are still many goals that need to be achieved before India can be called a developed nation.
The first goal is of achieving hundred-percent literacy. India’s population is largely illiterate. Although literacy levels are rising, the momentum is very slow. The alleviation of poverty is another important goal. The government has launched various schemes such as the Public Distribution System and Antodaya Anna Yojna etc. in this regard. However, one-fourth of Indian population still lives below the poverty line. Unemployment is a direct cause of poverty. India needs to provide employment to millions of its unemployed youth. Improvement in health and hygiene is another major challenge that India needs to tackle. Most Indian villages do not even have the basic health facilities. This results in high death rates and infant and maternal mortality rates.
On the whole, development in India is a major task. The large population of the country makes it all the more difficult. Even after 60 years of independence, some parts of India lack even the basic facilities. India needs to achieve a lot on the developmental front to be called a developed nation.
Q10)
What steps can be taken for achieving total literacy in India?
Answer
The Indian education scenario is very grim. The overall literacy rate of India is only about 65% with female literacy rate being only 54%. Even in the twenty-first century, one-third of Indian population is illiterate.
The government has started many literacy programs such as Total Literacy Campaign and Mid-Day Meal Scheme in order to promote literacy. However, these programs must be implemented will full vigour. People, especially rural people who form a large portion of illiterates in the country, must be made aware of the benefits of education. Women’s literacy must be promoted and people must be encouraged to send their daughters to school just like their sons. Government schools must be opened in each village and town. These schools must be equipped with the necessary infrastructure and good teachers who are willing to educate.
All this and more should be done in order to improve the level of literacy in India and achieve the goal of total literacy.
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