Development

Short and long questions answers

1. What may be development for one may not be development for the other.” Explain with a suitable
example.
Answer:
Developmental goals are different for different categories of people because of their different aspirations.
Aspirations are based on their needs. At times people may have conflicting developmental goals also. What
may be development for one may not be development for another. It may even be destructive for the other.

 Example, Industrialists may want construction of more dams for more electricity, but this may lead to
displacement of tribals who live in those areas and thereby disrupt their lives.
 Example, The inhabitants of Nandigram in West Bengal are mainly agriculturists and their aspirations are to
see development in the field of agriculture, whereas to some it may appear that industrial advancement is
more necessary for national development.
2. Why do we use averages? Are there any limitations to their use? Illustrate with your own examples related to
development.
Answer:
 Total income is not a useful measure for comparison between countries. Since countries have different
populations, comparing total income does not tell what an average person is likely to earn. Hence, we use
average income which is total income of the country divided by total population.
 The defect of average as a measure is that it does not show the distribution (dispersion) of income between
the rich and the poor.
 Two countries may have the same average income but in one country almost every family may enjoy more
or less the same kind of income, whereas in the other, some may be very rich and others very poor. The
disparity between rich and poor is an important feature that the average measure (per capita income) does
not consider.
Example: In terms of development, we can take the example of India, where the metro towns are full of
high-rise buildings and shopping malls while some villages have not yet been provided with a basic
necessity like electricity.

3. Kerala, with lower per capita income, has a better human development ranking than Punjab. Hence, per
capita income is not a useful criterion at all and should not be used to compare States. Do you agree? Discuss.
Answer:
Per capita income is not a useful criterion at all to measure the human development ranking of a state. High per
capita income is not the only attribute to a good quality life. Money cannot buy all the essential things required
for a good life. Pollution-free atmosphere to ensure good health, protection from infectious diseases, lowering of
mortality rate, promotion of literacy, etc. are essential for a good standard of living. In order to achieve these,
joint efforts have to be made by all members of a community, be it rich or poor.
Kerala ranks higher compared to Punjab even with a lower per capita income because—
 mortality rate is lower
 literacy rate is higher and
 total number of children attending school (Classes I-V) is higher.

4. ‘Conflicting goals can also be developmental goals’. Elaborate with examples.

Answer:
All persons do not have the same notion of development or progress. Each one of them seeks different things. The
seek things that are most important for them, i.e., that which can fulfil their aspirations or desires. In fact at times
two persons or groups of persons may seek things which are conflicting.
A girl expects as much freedom and opportunity as her brother and that he also shares in the household work. Her
brother may not like this.
To get more electricity, industrialists may want more dams. But this may submerge the land and disrupt the lives of
people who are displaced, such as tribals. They might resent this and may prefer small check dams or tanks to
irrigate their land.
5. “Money cannot buy all the goods and services that one needs to live well” Do you agree with this statement?
Justify your answer with any three suitable arguments.
Answer:
Yes, I agree with the statement because money income and material goods alone are not an adequate indicator of
a good quality of life. Money cannot buy all the goods and services one needs to live well.

 Money cannot buy a pollution free and dean environment with fresh air.
 It cannot protect us from infectious diseases and guarantee good health for us.
 Money cannot assure that medicines available in the market are not adulterated.
To live well one needs non-material factors such as equal treatment, freedom, security, equal opportunity to
learn, a pollution free environment, good and safe working conditions etc.

6. One what basis the rich and low income countries have been categorized in the world? What are the limitations
of this approach? According to the World Development Report, 2006, India comes in which category? Give reason
for the same.
Answer:
The World Bank uses average income or per capita income as a criterion for classifying different countries.
Countries with per capita income of 4,53,000 per annum and above (in the year 2004) are called rich countries and
those with per capita income of 37,000 or less are called low income countries (India comes under low income
countries; the per capita income in India is 28,000 per annum). Those falling in between ₹37,000 – ₹4,53,000 are
placed in the middle category.
Limitations of this criterion.
 While averages are useful for comparison, they also hide disparities. Two countries may have identical
average income, but one country may have equitable distribution where people are neither very rich nor
very poor, while in the other country most citizens are very poor and very few are extremely rich,
 Better income cannot ensure a good quality life. Criterion set by the World Bank has ignored certain
attributes of a good life which do not depend on income or cannot be bought with money.
Example, freedom, equal treatment, equal opportunities, free atmosphere, provision of unadulterated
medicines, etc.
7. Explain any five fields other than income where development is needed.
Answer:
Fields other than income where development is needed:
 Education. The government must provide adequate education facilities in all rural and urban areas. The
government must necessarily focus on education for girls so that all girls are able to acquire atleast
secondary level schooling. Running proper schools and providing quality education, particularly elementary
education, is the duty of the Government.
 Health. Basic health care facilities are a must for all. Establishment of government hospitals, clinics and
dispensaries, especially in rural areas, to provide subsidized and unadulterated medicines to the poorer
sections of society.
 Nutrition. An effective Public Distribution System—proper functioning of ration shops and equitable
distribution of foodgrains is very essential.
 Transportation. A well developed public transport system to make it easy for general public to commute.
 Electricity. It is the duty of the government to provide electricity and water at reasonable rates to the
common man and prevent him from exploitation by private companies.

8. What does HDI stand for? Explain the main criteria of measuring HDI according to UNDP Report of 1990. (2015)
Answer:
HDI Stand for Human Development Index.
Main criteria of measuring HDI:
 HDI published by UNDP compares countries based on the educational levels of the people, their health
status and per capita income.
 HDI determines the rank of a country by its overall achievement in three areas, i.e., life expectancy,
educational level and per capita income.
 Many improvements have been suggested in calculating HDI and many new components have been added
to Human Development Report.
 Pre-fixing Human to Development, it has made it clear that what is important in development is what is
happening to citizens of a country, i.e., the health and well being of the people is most important

9. Explain with examples that there are other important development goals also besides income.
Answer:
 More income or more material goods do not always give us a good quality life. There are other aspects such
as equal treatment, freedom, security, opportunity to learn, good working conditions, pollution-free
atmosphere, job security and good social life which are very important for a good quality life.
 Money or material things that one can buy with it, is one factor on which our life depends. But quality of our
life also depends on non-material things, for example, the role of our friends in our life which cannot be
measured but mean a lot to us. Another example, if we get a job in a far off place, before accepting it we
would try consider many factors apart from income such as facilities for our family, working atmosphere, or
opportunity to learn. Similarly, for development, people look at a mix of goals. It is true that if women are
engaged in paid work, their dignity increases. However, it is also the case that if there is respect for women
there would be more sharing of house work and greater acceptance of women.
 The developmental goals that people have are not only about better income but also about other important
things in life.