NCERT Textbook: Resources & Development | Geography for UPSC CSE PDF Download

 Page 1


Everything available in our environment
which can be used to satisfy our needs,
provided, it is technologically accessible,
economically feasible and culturally
acceptable can be termed as ‘Resource’.
The process of transformation of things
available in our environment involves an
interactive relationship between nature,
technology and institutions. Human beings
interact with nature through technology and
create institutions to accelerate their
economic development.
Do you think that resources are free
gifts of nature as is assumed by many?
They are not. Resources are a function of
human activities. Human beings themselves
are essential components of resources. They
transform material available in our
environment into resources and use them.
These resources can be classified in the
following ways–
(a) On the basis of origin – biotic and abiotic
(b) On the basis of exhaustibility – renewable
and non-renewable
(c) On the basis of ownership – individual,
community, national and international
(d) On the basis of status of development –
potential, developed stock and reserves.
Can you identify and name the various items
used in making life comfortable in our villages
and towns. List the items and name the
material used in their making.
Fig. 1.1:  Interdependent relationship between
nature, technology and institutions
Fig. 1.2:  Classification of resources
Reprint 2024-25
Page 2


Everything available in our environment
which can be used to satisfy our needs,
provided, it is technologically accessible,
economically feasible and culturally
acceptable can be termed as ‘Resource’.
The process of transformation of things
available in our environment involves an
interactive relationship between nature,
technology and institutions. Human beings
interact with nature through technology and
create institutions to accelerate their
economic development.
Do you think that resources are free
gifts of nature as is assumed by many?
They are not. Resources are a function of
human activities. Human beings themselves
are essential components of resources. They
transform material available in our
environment into resources and use them.
These resources can be classified in the
following ways–
(a) On the basis of origin – biotic and abiotic
(b) On the basis of exhaustibility – renewable
and non-renewable
(c) On the basis of ownership – individual,
community, national and international
(d) On the basis of status of development –
potential, developed stock and reserves.
Can you identify and name the various items
used in making life comfortable in our villages
and towns. List the items and name the
material used in their making.
Fig. 1.1:  Interdependent relationship between
nature, technology and institutions
Fig. 1.2:  Classification of resources
Reprint 2024-25
2 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II
DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES
Resources are vital for human survival as well
as for maintaining the quality of life. It was
believed that resources are free gifts of nature.
As a result, human beings used them
indiscriminately and this has led to the
following major problems.
• Depletion of resources for satisfying the
greed of a few individuals.
• Accumulation of resources in few hands, which,
in turn, divided the society into two segments
i.e. haves  and have nots or rich and poor.
• Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has
led to global ecological crises such as, global
warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental
pollution and land degradation.
An equitable distribution of resources has
become essential for a sustained quality of life
and global peace. If the present trend of
resource depletion by a few individuals and
countries continues, the future of our planet
is in danger.
Therefore, resource planning is essential for
sustainable existence of all forms of life.
Sustainable existence is a component of
sustainable development.
Sustainable development
Sustainable economic development means
‘development should take place without
damaging the environment, and development
in the present should not compromise with the
needs of the future generations.’
Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992
In June 1992, more than 100 heads of states
met in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, for the first
International Earth Summit. The Summit was
convened for addressing urgent problems of
environmental protection and socio-
economic development at the global level.
The assembled leaders signed the
Declaration on Global Climatic Change and
Biological Diversity. The Rio Convention
endorsed the global Forest Principles and
adopted Agenda 21 for achieving
Sustainable Development in the 21
st
 century.
Agenda 21
It is the declaration signed by world leaders
in 1992 at the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development (UNCED),
which took place at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It
aims at achieving global sustainable
development. It is an agenda to combat
environmental damage, poverty, disease
through global co-operation on common
interests, mutual needs and shared
responsibilities. One major objective of the
Agenda 21 is that every local government
should draw its own local Agenda 21.
RESOURCE PLANNING
Planning is the widely accepted strategy for
judicious use of resources. It has importance
in a country like India, which has enormous
diversity in the availability of resources. There
are regions which are rich in certain types of
resources but are deficient in some other
1. Imagine, if the oil supply gets exhausted
one day , how would this affect our life style?
2. Plan a survey in your colony/village to
investigate people’s attitude towards
recycling of the domestic/agricultural
wastes. Ask questions about :
(a) What do they think about resources
they use?
(b) What is their opinion about the
wastes, and its utilisation?
Reprint 2024-25
Page 3


Everything available in our environment
which can be used to satisfy our needs,
provided, it is technologically accessible,
economically feasible and culturally
acceptable can be termed as ‘Resource’.
The process of transformation of things
available in our environment involves an
interactive relationship between nature,
technology and institutions. Human beings
interact with nature through technology and
create institutions to accelerate their
economic development.
Do you think that resources are free
gifts of nature as is assumed by many?
They are not. Resources are a function of
human activities. Human beings themselves
are essential components of resources. They
transform material available in our
environment into resources and use them.
These resources can be classified in the
following ways–
(a) On the basis of origin – biotic and abiotic
(b) On the basis of exhaustibility – renewable
and non-renewable
(c) On the basis of ownership – individual,
community, national and international
(d) On the basis of status of development –
potential, developed stock and reserves.
Can you identify and name the various items
used in making life comfortable in our villages
and towns. List the items and name the
material used in their making.
Fig. 1.1:  Interdependent relationship between
nature, technology and institutions
Fig. 1.2:  Classification of resources
Reprint 2024-25
2 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II
DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES
Resources are vital for human survival as well
as for maintaining the quality of life. It was
believed that resources are free gifts of nature.
As a result, human beings used them
indiscriminately and this has led to the
following major problems.
• Depletion of resources for satisfying the
greed of a few individuals.
• Accumulation of resources in few hands, which,
in turn, divided the society into two segments
i.e. haves  and have nots or rich and poor.
• Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has
led to global ecological crises such as, global
warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental
pollution and land degradation.
An equitable distribution of resources has
become essential for a sustained quality of life
and global peace. If the present trend of
resource depletion by a few individuals and
countries continues, the future of our planet
is in danger.
Therefore, resource planning is essential for
sustainable existence of all forms of life.
Sustainable existence is a component of
sustainable development.
Sustainable development
Sustainable economic development means
‘development should take place without
damaging the environment, and development
in the present should not compromise with the
needs of the future generations.’
Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992
In June 1992, more than 100 heads of states
met in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, for the first
International Earth Summit. The Summit was
convened for addressing urgent problems of
environmental protection and socio-
economic development at the global level.
The assembled leaders signed the
Declaration on Global Climatic Change and
Biological Diversity. The Rio Convention
endorsed the global Forest Principles and
adopted Agenda 21 for achieving
Sustainable Development in the 21
st
 century.
Agenda 21
It is the declaration signed by world leaders
in 1992 at the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development (UNCED),
which took place at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It
aims at achieving global sustainable
development. It is an agenda to combat
environmental damage, poverty, disease
through global co-operation on common
interests, mutual needs and shared
responsibilities. One major objective of the
Agenda 21 is that every local government
should draw its own local Agenda 21.
RESOURCE PLANNING
Planning is the widely accepted strategy for
judicious use of resources. It has importance
in a country like India, which has enormous
diversity in the availability of resources. There
are regions which are rich in certain types of
resources but are deficient in some other
1. Imagine, if the oil supply gets exhausted
one day , how would this affect our life style?
2. Plan a survey in your colony/village to
investigate people’s attitude towards
recycling of the domestic/agricultural
wastes. Ask questions about :
(a) What do they think about resources
they use?
(b) What is their opinion about the
wastes, and its utilisation?
Reprint 2024-25
3 RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
resources. There are some regions which can
be considered self sufficient in terms of the
availability of resources and there are some
regions which have acute shortage of some vital
resources. For example, the states of
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya
Pradesh are rich in minerals and coal deposits.
Arunachal Pradesh has abundance of water
resources but lacks in infrastructural
development. The state of Rajasthan is very well
endowed with solar and wind energy but lacks
in water resources. The cold desert of Ladakh
is relatively isolated from the rest of the
country. It has very rich cultural heritage but
it is deficient in water, infrastructure and some
vital minerals. This calls for balanced resource
planning at the national, state, regional and
local levels.
technology and institutions may hinder
development. There are many regions in our
country that are rich in resources but these
are included in economically backward
regions. On the contrary there are some regions
which have a poor resource base but they are
economically developed.
Can you name some resource rich but
economically backward regions and some
resource poor but economically developed
regions? Give reasons for such a situation.
The history  of colonisation reveals that
rich resources in colonies were the main
attractions for the foreign invaders. It was
primarily the higher level of technological
development of the colonising countries that
helped them to exploit resources of other
regions and establish their supremacy over
the colonies. Therefore, resources can
contribute to development only when they are
accompanied by appropriate technological
development and institutional changes. India
has experienced all this in different phases of
colonisation. Therefore, in India, development,
in general, and resource development in
particular does not only involve the
availability of resources, but also the
technology, quality of human resources and
the historical experiences of the people.
Conservation of Resources: Resources are
vital for any developmental activity. But
irrational consumption and over-utilisation
of resources may lead to socio-economic and
environmental problems. To overcome these
problems, resource conservation at various
levels is important. This had been the main
concern of the leaders and thinkers in the
past. For example, Gandhiji was very apt in
voicing his concern about resource
conservation in these words: “There is enough
Resource Planning in India
Resource planning is a complex process
which involves : (i) identification and
inventory of resources across the regions of
the country. This involves surveying,
mapping and qualitative and quantitative
estimation and measurement of the
resources. (ii) Evolving a planning structure
endowed with appropriate technology, skill
and institutional set up for implementing
resource development plans. (iii) Matching
the resource development plans with overall
national development plans.
India has made concerted efforts for
achieving the goals of resource planning right
from the First Five Year Plan launched after
Independence.
The availability of resources is a necessary
condition for the development of any region,
but mere availability of resources in the
absence of corresponding changes in
What resources are being developed in your
surroundings by the community/village
panchayats/ward level communities with the
help of community participation?
Prepare a list of resources found in your state
and also identify the resources that are
important but deficit in your state.
Reprint 2024-25
Page 4


Everything available in our environment
which can be used to satisfy our needs,
provided, it is technologically accessible,
economically feasible and culturally
acceptable can be termed as ‘Resource’.
The process of transformation of things
available in our environment involves an
interactive relationship between nature,
technology and institutions. Human beings
interact with nature through technology and
create institutions to accelerate their
economic development.
Do you think that resources are free
gifts of nature as is assumed by many?
They are not. Resources are a function of
human activities. Human beings themselves
are essential components of resources. They
transform material available in our
environment into resources and use them.
These resources can be classified in the
following ways–
(a) On the basis of origin – biotic and abiotic
(b) On the basis of exhaustibility – renewable
and non-renewable
(c) On the basis of ownership – individual,
community, national and international
(d) On the basis of status of development –
potential, developed stock and reserves.
Can you identify and name the various items
used in making life comfortable in our villages
and towns. List the items and name the
material used in their making.
Fig. 1.1:  Interdependent relationship between
nature, technology and institutions
Fig. 1.2:  Classification of resources
Reprint 2024-25
2 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II
DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES
Resources are vital for human survival as well
as for maintaining the quality of life. It was
believed that resources are free gifts of nature.
As a result, human beings used them
indiscriminately and this has led to the
following major problems.
• Depletion of resources for satisfying the
greed of a few individuals.
• Accumulation of resources in few hands, which,
in turn, divided the society into two segments
i.e. haves  and have nots or rich and poor.
• Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has
led to global ecological crises such as, global
warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental
pollution and land degradation.
An equitable distribution of resources has
become essential for a sustained quality of life
and global peace. If the present trend of
resource depletion by a few individuals and
countries continues, the future of our planet
is in danger.
Therefore, resource planning is essential for
sustainable existence of all forms of life.
Sustainable existence is a component of
sustainable development.
Sustainable development
Sustainable economic development means
‘development should take place without
damaging the environment, and development
in the present should not compromise with the
needs of the future generations.’
Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992
In June 1992, more than 100 heads of states
met in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, for the first
International Earth Summit. The Summit was
convened for addressing urgent problems of
environmental protection and socio-
economic development at the global level.
The assembled leaders signed the
Declaration on Global Climatic Change and
Biological Diversity. The Rio Convention
endorsed the global Forest Principles and
adopted Agenda 21 for achieving
Sustainable Development in the 21
st
 century.
Agenda 21
It is the declaration signed by world leaders
in 1992 at the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development (UNCED),
which took place at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It
aims at achieving global sustainable
development. It is an agenda to combat
environmental damage, poverty, disease
through global co-operation on common
interests, mutual needs and shared
responsibilities. One major objective of the
Agenda 21 is that every local government
should draw its own local Agenda 21.
RESOURCE PLANNING
Planning is the widely accepted strategy for
judicious use of resources. It has importance
in a country like India, which has enormous
diversity in the availability of resources. There
are regions which are rich in certain types of
resources but are deficient in some other
1. Imagine, if the oil supply gets exhausted
one day , how would this affect our life style?
2. Plan a survey in your colony/village to
investigate people’s attitude towards
recycling of the domestic/agricultural
wastes. Ask questions about :
(a) What do they think about resources
they use?
(b) What is their opinion about the
wastes, and its utilisation?
Reprint 2024-25
3 RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
resources. There are some regions which can
be considered self sufficient in terms of the
availability of resources and there are some
regions which have acute shortage of some vital
resources. For example, the states of
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya
Pradesh are rich in minerals and coal deposits.
Arunachal Pradesh has abundance of water
resources but lacks in infrastructural
development. The state of Rajasthan is very well
endowed with solar and wind energy but lacks
in water resources. The cold desert of Ladakh
is relatively isolated from the rest of the
country. It has very rich cultural heritage but
it is deficient in water, infrastructure and some
vital minerals. This calls for balanced resource
planning at the national, state, regional and
local levels.
technology and institutions may hinder
development. There are many regions in our
country that are rich in resources but these
are included in economically backward
regions. On the contrary there are some regions
which have a poor resource base but they are
economically developed.
Can you name some resource rich but
economically backward regions and some
resource poor but economically developed
regions? Give reasons for such a situation.
The history  of colonisation reveals that
rich resources in colonies were the main
attractions for the foreign invaders. It was
primarily the higher level of technological
development of the colonising countries that
helped them to exploit resources of other
regions and establish their supremacy over
the colonies. Therefore, resources can
contribute to development only when they are
accompanied by appropriate technological
development and institutional changes. India
has experienced all this in different phases of
colonisation. Therefore, in India, development,
in general, and resource development in
particular does not only involve the
availability of resources, but also the
technology, quality of human resources and
the historical experiences of the people.
Conservation of Resources: Resources are
vital for any developmental activity. But
irrational consumption and over-utilisation
of resources may lead to socio-economic and
environmental problems. To overcome these
problems, resource conservation at various
levels is important. This had been the main
concern of the leaders and thinkers in the
past. For example, Gandhiji was very apt in
voicing his concern about resource
conservation in these words: “There is enough
Resource Planning in India
Resource planning is a complex process
which involves : (i) identification and
inventory of resources across the regions of
the country. This involves surveying,
mapping and qualitative and quantitative
estimation and measurement of the
resources. (ii) Evolving a planning structure
endowed with appropriate technology, skill
and institutional set up for implementing
resource development plans. (iii) Matching
the resource development plans with overall
national development plans.
India has made concerted efforts for
achieving the goals of resource planning right
from the First Five Year Plan launched after
Independence.
The availability of resources is a necessary
condition for the development of any region,
but mere availability of resources in the
absence of corresponding changes in
What resources are being developed in your
surroundings by the community/village
panchayats/ward level communities with the
help of community participation?
Prepare a list of resources found in your state
and also identify the resources that are
important but deficit in your state.
Reprint 2024-25
4 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II
available land for various purposes with careful
planning.
India has land under a variety of relief
features, namely; mountains, plateaus, plains
and islands. About 43 per cent of the land area
is plain, which provides facilities for agriculture
and industry. Mountains account for 30 per
cent of the total surface area of the country and
ensure perennial flow of some rivers, provide
facilities for tourism and ecological aspects.
About  27 per cent of the area of the country is
the plateau region. It possesses rich reserves
of minerals, fossil fuels and forests.
LAND UTILISATION
Land resources are used for the following
purposes:
1. Forests
2. Land not available for cultivation
(a) Barren and waste land
(b) Land put to non-agricultural uses, e.g.
buildings, roads, factories, etc.
3. Other uncultivated land (excluding
fallow land)
(a) Permanent pastures and grazing land,
(b) Land under miscellaneous tree crops
groves (not included in net  sown area),
(c) Cultruable waste land (left uncultivated
for more than 5 agricultural years).
4. Fallow lands
(a) Current fallow-(left without cultivation
for one or less than one agricultural year),
(b) Other than current fallow-(left
uncultivated for the past 1 to 5
agricultural years).
5. Net sown area the physical extent of land
on which crops are sown harvested is
known as net sown area.
Area sown more than once in an
agricultural year plus net sown area is
known as gross cropped area.
LAND USE PATTERN IN INDIA
The use of land is determined both by physical
factors such as topography, climate, soil types
as well as human factors such as population
density, technological capability and culture
and traditions etc.
for everybody’s need and not for any body’s
greed.” He placed the greedy and selfish
individuals and exploitative nature of modern
technology as the root cause for resource
depletion at the global level. He was against
mass production and wanted to replace it with
the production by the masses.
At the international level, the Club of Rome
advocated resource conservation for the first
time in a more systematic way in 1968.
Subsequently, in 1974, Gandhian philosophy
was once again presented by Schumacher
in his book Small is Beautiful. The seminal
contribution with respect to resource
conservation at the global level was made
by the Brundtland Commission Report, 1987.
This report introduced the concept of
‘Sustainable Development’ and advocated
it as a means for resource conservation,
which was subsequently published in a book
entitled Our Common Future. Another
significant contribution was made at the Earth
Summit at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992.
LAND RESOURCES
We live on land, we perform our economic
activities on land and we use it in different
ways. Thus, land is a natural resource of
utmost importance. It supports natural
vegetation, wild life, human life, economic
activities, transport and communication
systems. However, land is an asset of a finite
magnitude, therefore, it is important to use the
Fig 1.3: India :  Land under important Relief
Features
Reprint 2024-25
Page 5


Everything available in our environment
which can be used to satisfy our needs,
provided, it is technologically accessible,
economically feasible and culturally
acceptable can be termed as ‘Resource’.
The process of transformation of things
available in our environment involves an
interactive relationship between nature,
technology and institutions. Human beings
interact with nature through technology and
create institutions to accelerate their
economic development.
Do you think that resources are free
gifts of nature as is assumed by many?
They are not. Resources are a function of
human activities. Human beings themselves
are essential components of resources. They
transform material available in our
environment into resources and use them.
These resources can be classified in the
following ways–
(a) On the basis of origin – biotic and abiotic
(b) On the basis of exhaustibility – renewable
and non-renewable
(c) On the basis of ownership – individual,
community, national and international
(d) On the basis of status of development –
potential, developed stock and reserves.
Can you identify and name the various items
used in making life comfortable in our villages
and towns. List the items and name the
material used in their making.
Fig. 1.1:  Interdependent relationship between
nature, technology and institutions
Fig. 1.2:  Classification of resources
Reprint 2024-25
2 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II
DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES
Resources are vital for human survival as well
as for maintaining the quality of life. It was
believed that resources are free gifts of nature.
As a result, human beings used them
indiscriminately and this has led to the
following major problems.
• Depletion of resources for satisfying the
greed of a few individuals.
• Accumulation of resources in few hands, which,
in turn, divided the society into two segments
i.e. haves  and have nots or rich and poor.
• Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has
led to global ecological crises such as, global
warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental
pollution and land degradation.
An equitable distribution of resources has
become essential for a sustained quality of life
and global peace. If the present trend of
resource depletion by a few individuals and
countries continues, the future of our planet
is in danger.
Therefore, resource planning is essential for
sustainable existence of all forms of life.
Sustainable existence is a component of
sustainable development.
Sustainable development
Sustainable economic development means
‘development should take place without
damaging the environment, and development
in the present should not compromise with the
needs of the future generations.’
Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992
In June 1992, more than 100 heads of states
met in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, for the first
International Earth Summit. The Summit was
convened for addressing urgent problems of
environmental protection and socio-
economic development at the global level.
The assembled leaders signed the
Declaration on Global Climatic Change and
Biological Diversity. The Rio Convention
endorsed the global Forest Principles and
adopted Agenda 21 for achieving
Sustainable Development in the 21
st
 century.
Agenda 21
It is the declaration signed by world leaders
in 1992 at the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development (UNCED),
which took place at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It
aims at achieving global sustainable
development. It is an agenda to combat
environmental damage, poverty, disease
through global co-operation on common
interests, mutual needs and shared
responsibilities. One major objective of the
Agenda 21 is that every local government
should draw its own local Agenda 21.
RESOURCE PLANNING
Planning is the widely accepted strategy for
judicious use of resources. It has importance
in a country like India, which has enormous
diversity in the availability of resources. There
are regions which are rich in certain types of
resources but are deficient in some other
1. Imagine, if the oil supply gets exhausted
one day , how would this affect our life style?
2. Plan a survey in your colony/village to
investigate people’s attitude towards
recycling of the domestic/agricultural
wastes. Ask questions about :
(a) What do they think about resources
they use?
(b) What is their opinion about the
wastes, and its utilisation?
Reprint 2024-25
3 RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
resources. There are some regions which can
be considered self sufficient in terms of the
availability of resources and there are some
regions which have acute shortage of some vital
resources. For example, the states of
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya
Pradesh are rich in minerals and coal deposits.
Arunachal Pradesh has abundance of water
resources but lacks in infrastructural
development. The state of Rajasthan is very well
endowed with solar and wind energy but lacks
in water resources. The cold desert of Ladakh
is relatively isolated from the rest of the
country. It has very rich cultural heritage but
it is deficient in water, infrastructure and some
vital minerals. This calls for balanced resource
planning at the national, state, regional and
local levels.
technology and institutions may hinder
development. There are many regions in our
country that are rich in resources but these
are included in economically backward
regions. On the contrary there are some regions
which have a poor resource base but they are
economically developed.
Can you name some resource rich but
economically backward regions and some
resource poor but economically developed
regions? Give reasons for such a situation.
The history  of colonisation reveals that
rich resources in colonies were the main
attractions for the foreign invaders. It was
primarily the higher level of technological
development of the colonising countries that
helped them to exploit resources of other
regions and establish their supremacy over
the colonies. Therefore, resources can
contribute to development only when they are
accompanied by appropriate technological
development and institutional changes. India
has experienced all this in different phases of
colonisation. Therefore, in India, development,
in general, and resource development in
particular does not only involve the
availability of resources, but also the
technology, quality of human resources and
the historical experiences of the people.
Conservation of Resources: Resources are
vital for any developmental activity. But
irrational consumption and over-utilisation
of resources may lead to socio-economic and
environmental problems. To overcome these
problems, resource conservation at various
levels is important. This had been the main
concern of the leaders and thinkers in the
past. For example, Gandhiji was very apt in
voicing his concern about resource
conservation in these words: “There is enough
Resource Planning in India
Resource planning is a complex process
which involves : (i) identification and
inventory of resources across the regions of
the country. This involves surveying,
mapping and qualitative and quantitative
estimation and measurement of the
resources. (ii) Evolving a planning structure
endowed with appropriate technology, skill
and institutional set up for implementing
resource development plans. (iii) Matching
the resource development plans with overall
national development plans.
India has made concerted efforts for
achieving the goals of resource planning right
from the First Five Year Plan launched after
Independence.
The availability of resources is a necessary
condition for the development of any region,
but mere availability of resources in the
absence of corresponding changes in
What resources are being developed in your
surroundings by the community/village
panchayats/ward level communities with the
help of community participation?
Prepare a list of resources found in your state
and also identify the resources that are
important but deficit in your state.
Reprint 2024-25
4 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II
available land for various purposes with careful
planning.
India has land under a variety of relief
features, namely; mountains, plateaus, plains
and islands. About 43 per cent of the land area
is plain, which provides facilities for agriculture
and industry. Mountains account for 30 per
cent of the total surface area of the country and
ensure perennial flow of some rivers, provide
facilities for tourism and ecological aspects.
About  27 per cent of the area of the country is
the plateau region. It possesses rich reserves
of minerals, fossil fuels and forests.
LAND UTILISATION
Land resources are used for the following
purposes:
1. Forests
2. Land not available for cultivation
(a) Barren and waste land
(b) Land put to non-agricultural uses, e.g.
buildings, roads, factories, etc.
3. Other uncultivated land (excluding
fallow land)
(a) Permanent pastures and grazing land,
(b) Land under miscellaneous tree crops
groves (not included in net  sown area),
(c) Cultruable waste land (left uncultivated
for more than 5 agricultural years).
4. Fallow lands
(a) Current fallow-(left without cultivation
for one or less than one agricultural year),
(b) Other than current fallow-(left
uncultivated for the past 1 to 5
agricultural years).
5. Net sown area the physical extent of land
on which crops are sown harvested is
known as net sown area.
Area sown more than once in an
agricultural year plus net sown area is
known as gross cropped area.
LAND USE PATTERN IN INDIA
The use of land is determined both by physical
factors such as topography, climate, soil types
as well as human factors such as population
density, technological capability and culture
and traditions etc.
for everybody’s need and not for any body’s
greed.” He placed the greedy and selfish
individuals and exploitative nature of modern
technology as the root cause for resource
depletion at the global level. He was against
mass production and wanted to replace it with
the production by the masses.
At the international level, the Club of Rome
advocated resource conservation for the first
time in a more systematic way in 1968.
Subsequently, in 1974, Gandhian philosophy
was once again presented by Schumacher
in his book Small is Beautiful. The seminal
contribution with respect to resource
conservation at the global level was made
by the Brundtland Commission Report, 1987.
This report introduced the concept of
‘Sustainable Development’ and advocated
it as a means for resource conservation,
which was subsequently published in a book
entitled Our Common Future. Another
significant contribution was made at the Earth
Summit at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992.
LAND RESOURCES
We live on land, we perform our economic
activities on land and we use it in different
ways. Thus, land is a natural resource of
utmost importance. It supports natural
vegetation, wild life, human life, economic
activities, transport and communication
systems. However, land is an asset of a finite
magnitude, therefore, it is important to use the
Fig 1.3: India :  Land under important Relief
Features
Reprint 2024-25
5 RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
Total geographical area of India is 3.28
million sq km. Land use data, however, is
available only for 93 per cent of the total
geographical area because the land use
reporting for most of the north-east states
except Assam has not been done fully.
Moreover, some areas of Jammu and Kashmir
occupied by Pakistan and China have also not
been surveyed.
of such land is very high. Hence, these lands
are cultivated once or twice in about two to
three years and if these are included in the
net sown area then the percentage of NSA in
India comes to  about 54 per cent of the total
reporting area.
The pattern of net sown area varies greatly
from one state to another.  It is over 80 per
cent of the total area in Punjab and Haryana
and less than 10 per cent in Arunachal
Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Andaman
Nicobar Islands.
Fig. 1.4
Source : Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture, 2017
Find out reasons for the low proportion of
net sown area in these states.
Forest area in the country is far lower than
the desired 33 per cent of geographical area,
as it was outlined in the National Forest Policy
(1952). It was considered essential for
maintenance of the ecological balance. The
livelihood of millions of people who live on the
Try to do a comparison between the two pie
charts (Fig. 1.4 ) given for land use and find
out why the net sown area and the land
under forests have changed from 1960-61
to 2014-15 very marginally.
The land under permanent pasture has
also decreased. How are we able to feed our
huge cattle population on this pasture land
and what are the consequences of it? Most of
the other than the current fallow lands are
either of poor quality or the cost of cultivation
Reporting Area: 100 Per cent
Reprint 2024-25