NCERT Solutions for Chapter 1 The Story of Village Palampur Class 9 Economics
Book Solutions1
Every village in India is surveyed once in ten years during the Census and some of details are presented in the following format. Fill up the following based on information on Palampur.
a. LOCATION:
b. TOTAL AREA OF THE VILLAGE:
c. LAND USE (in hectares):
Cultivated Land | Land not available for cultivation (Area covering dwellings, roads, ponds, grazing ground) | |
Irrigated | Unirrigated | |
- | - | 26 hectares |
d. FACILITIES:
Educational | - |
Medical | - |
Market | - |
Electricity Supply | - |
Communication | - |
Nearest Town | - |
Answer
a. LOCATION: Bulandshahar district, Western Uttar Pradesh
b. TOTAL AREA OF THE VILLAGE: 226 hectares
c. LAND USE (in hectares):
Cultivated Land | Land not available for cultivation (Area covering dwellings, roads, ponds, grazing ground) | |
Irrigated | Unirrigated | |
200 hectares | - | 26 hectares |
d. FACILITIES:
Educational | 2 primary schools and 1 high school |
Medical | 1 primary health centre and 1 private dispensary |
Market | Raiganj and Shahpur |
Electricity Supply | Most of the houses have electric connections. Electricity powers all the tube wells in the fields and is used in various types of small businesses. |
Communication | Well-connected with neighbouring villages and towns. 3 kms from Raiganj. All-weather road connects it to Raiganj and further on to Shahpur. Many kinds of transport like bullock carts, tongas, bogeys, motorcycles, jeeps, tractors and trucks are present. |
Nearest Town | Shahpur |
Exercises
Page Number 14
2
Modern farming methods require more inputs which are manufactured in industry. Do you agree?
Answer
Modern farming methods involve the use of high-yielding variety seeds. These seeds require a combination of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, agricultural implements like tractors, and proper irrigation facilities like electric tube wells to produce the best results. All these elements are manufactured in industries. Hence, it would be right to say that modern farming methods make use of a greater number of industrial outputs as compared to traditional farming methods.
Exercises
Page Number 14
3
How did the spread of electricity help farmers in Palampur?
Answer
The spread of electricity has helped the farmers of Palampur village in the following ways:
• Most of the houses have electric connections.
• Electricity is used to run tubewells in the fields.
• Electricity is used in various types of small business.
• Most of the houses have electric connections.
• Electricity is used to run tubewells in the fields.
• Electricity is used in various types of small business.
Exercises
Page Number 14
4
Is it important to increase the area under irrigation? Why
Answer
India is an agricultural country. Nearly two-thirds of the people are dependent on farming for their livelihood. But of the total cultivated area in the country, a little less than 40 per cent is irrigated even today. In the remaining areas, farming is largely dependent on rainfall which is irregular and uncertain. Modern farming methods cannot be used in the absence of assured adequate water supplies. India cannot achieve the goal of self-sufficiency in food grains unless the area under irrigation is increased.
Exercises
Page Number 14
5
Construct a table on the distribution of land among the 450 families of Palampur.
Answer
Number of families | Land (hectare) |
150 | 0 |
240 | Less than 2 |
60 | More than 2 |
Exercises
Page Number 14
6
Why are the wages for farm labourers in Palampur less than minimum wages?
Answer
Farm workers at Palampur village get lower wages than the minimum wages fixed by the government. The minimum wages for a farm labourer is fixed at Rs 300 per day. But farm labourers get only Rs 160. This happens because of heavy competition for work among the farm labourers at Palampur village.
Exercises
Page Number 14
7
In your region, talk to two labourers. Choose either farm labourers or labourers working at construction sites. What wages do they get? Are they paid in cash or kind? Do they get work regularly? Are they in debt?
Answer
The different ways of increasing production on the same piece of land are:• Multiple Cropping : It is the most common way of increasing production on a given piece of land. Under it, more than one crop is grown on the same piece of land during the year. Indian farmers should grow at least two main crops in a year. In India, some farmers are growing a third crop in the past fifteen to twenty years.
• Modern Farming Methods : Production on the same piece of land can also be increased by adopting modern farming methods. The Green Revolution in India is a remarkable example of it. Under modern farming, more cultivable areas should be brought under HYV seeds and irrigation. The use of simple wooden plough must be replaced by tractors. The increasing use of farm machinery like tractors, threshers, harvesters, etc. make cultivation faster.
Exercises
Page Number 14
8
What are the different ways of increasing production on the same piece of land? Use examples to explain.
Answer
• Multiple cropping should be done to grow more than one crop on a piece of land during the year.
• All land is to be cultivated, no land to be left vacant.
• During the kharif season crops like jowar and bajra can be grown, followed by cultivation of potato between October and December.
• In the winter season, rabi fields are sown with wheat. A part of the land can be used for growing sugarcane, which is harvested once every year.
• For all these variety of crops, a well-developed irrigation system is required which can be acquired with the help of electric-run tubewells.
• All land is to be cultivated, no land to be left vacant.
• During the kharif season crops like jowar and bajra can be grown, followed by cultivation of potato between October and December.
• In the winter season, rabi fields are sown with wheat. A part of the land can be used for growing sugarcane, which is harvested once every year.
• For all these variety of crops, a well-developed irrigation system is required which can be acquired with the help of electric-run tubewells.
Exercises
Page Number 14
9
Describe the work of a farmer with 1 hectare of land.
Answer
A farmer with 1 hectare of land shall put under the category of small farmer. Most of the work would be done by the farmer and his family members. The farmer will normally use a pair of bullocks to plough the field. His family members would assist him in sowing the seeds. During harvest time, he may require to hire some labourers.
Exercises
Page Number 14
10
How do the medium and large farmers obtain capital for farming? How is it different from the small farmers?
Answer
Medium and large farmers usually have surplus cash by selling their farm produce. Since they have land and house, they easily get loan from banks. Small farmers, on the other hand, may not be able to get bank loans. They have to depend on the local merchant and moneylender for loan.
Exercises
Page Number 14
11
On what terms did Savita get a loan from Tajpal Singh? Would Savita’ s condition be different if she could get a loan from the bank at a low rate of interest?
Answer
Savita required money for buying seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, and water for irrigation. She also needed money for repairing her farm instruments. So, she decided to borrow money from Tejpal Singh, a large farmer in her village. Tejpal Singh agreed to give the loan of Rs. 3000 at an interest rate of 24 per cent for four months. He also got her to agree to work on his field during the harvest season for Rs. 35 a day.
Savita’s condition would have been better if she could get a loan from the bank. The bank would have provided her the loan at a low rate of interest. Moreover, Savita could have devoted more time on her own field instead of working for Tejpal Singh as farm labourer.
Savita’s condition would have been better if she could get a loan from the bank. The bank would have provided her the loan at a low rate of interest. Moreover, Savita could have devoted more time on her own field instead of working for Tejpal Singh as farm labourer.
Exercises
Page Number 14
12
Talk to some old residents in your region and write a short report on the changes in irrigation and changes in production methods during the last 30 years. (Optional)
Answer
Before 30 years there was no advanced irrigation facilities in the region. Agriculture was merely depended on rain. Method of production was also traditional, there was no use of HYV techniques and hence production yield was very low.
But today, in the region Government policies has provided various types of irrigation methods and HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides etc. which has increased production many-fold in the region.
Exercises
Page Number 14
13
What are the non-farm production activities taking place in your region? Make a short list.
Answer
Shop Keeping, Transport, Carpenter, ironsmith, educational institute, etc.
Exercises
Page Number 15
14
What can be done so that more non-farm production activities can be started in villages?
Answer
Three things that need to be done to encourage non-farm production activities in villages:
• The government should set up schemes whereby landless labourers and small farmers are able to get cheap loans to start small individual/community businesses.
• In addition to financial assistance, the government should set up rural workshops to enable the villagers to build on their skill levels.
• The government should also work towards improving the infrastructure of villages so that the rural parts of the country are well connected to the urban areas.
• The government should set up schemes whereby landless labourers and small farmers are able to get cheap loans to start small individual/community businesses.
• In addition to financial assistance, the government should set up rural workshops to enable the villagers to build on their skill levels.
• The government should also work towards improving the infrastructure of villages so that the rural parts of the country are well connected to the urban areas.
Exercises
Page Number 15