Important Questions: Politics of Planned Development | Political Science Class 12 - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Q1: What is meant by planned development?
Ans: Planned development means to develop a design or plan for development.

Q2: Who was P.C. Mahalanobis?
Ans: The second five-year plan was drafted by a team of economists and planners under the leadership of P.C. Mahalanobis.

Q3: What was the ‘Bombay Plan’?
Ans: The ‘Bombay Plan’ was a joint proposal of big industrialists (1944) for setting up a planned economy in the country.

Q4: Differentiate between the main objectives of the First and the Second Five Year Plans.
Ans: There was a big debate whether more importance should be given to Industries or Agriculture. The First Five-Year Plan stressed on development of agriculture while the Second Five-Year Plan stressed heavy industries.

Q5: Which are the two models of development? Which model of development was adopted by India?
Ans: The two models of development are the liberal-capitalist model and the socialist model. The Socialist model was adopted by India.

Q6: Mention any two merits of the Green Revolution.
Ans:

• The major achievement of the Green Revolution was to boost the production of major cereals viz. wheat and rice.
• As a result of the Green Revolution, the crop pattern in India has undergone significant changes.

Q7: How was Kerla’s plan based on decentralized planning?
Ans: Kerala’s plan was based on decentralized planning because peoples directly involved in development activities through voluntary citizen organizations. The officials took the initiative to involve people in making plans at the Panchayat, block, and district level.

Q8: Who was the founder of Indian Statistical Institute?
Ans: P.C. Mahalanobis to initiate Second Five Year Plan to support industrialisation and positive role of public sector.

Q9: What is ‘Left’ and ‘Right’ in politics?
Ans: These refer to position of concerned party in the group. The left signifies to favour the poor and downtrodden section of society through government politics whereas the ‘Right’ favours free economy in the market not to be intervened unnecessarily by the government.

Q10: What is ‘Development’?
Ans: Development refers to the process of improving living standard of country people and economic level in reference of industrialisation and modernisation to be judged by the improvements in the quality of life.

Q11: Mention the primary responsibilities of India immediately after independence.
Ans: 

• Development of agriculture
• Poverty alleviation of rural and urban level both.
• Social and economic redistribution.

Q12: Why did India adopt planning?
Ans: Because:

• To bring a socio-economic changes.
• It was to provide a controlled and faster growth rate.
• To resolve contradictions between societies.

Q13: What is composition of Planning Commission of India?
Ans: 

• It consists Prime Minister as its Chairman.
• Some ministers or incharges of economic portfolios.
• The members of Planning Commission have a high public image alongwith an administrative and educational background.

Q14: Mention the various interests associated with Orissa Reserved Iron Resource.
Ans: The reserved iron resource of Orissa is an important investment destination due to rise a global demand of Iron. The state government signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with both international and domestic steel makers in order to bring in capital investment and employment opportunities.

Q15:  What are the key conflicts associated with Orissa reserved Iron Resources?
Ans: 

• These iron resources lie in some most underdeveloped and predominant tribal districts.
• Tribal population feared that the setting up of industries would mean displacement from their name and livelihood.
• The environmentalist feared to be polluted the environment due to mining and industrial activities.

Q16: What was Bombay Plan?
Ans: Bombay Plan was drafted in 1944 in the want of states to take major initiatives in industrial and other economic investment through a joint proposal of a section of the big industrialist for setting up a “Planned Economy”.

Q17: What are the objectives of planning?
Ans: 

• To make economy self reliant and self generating through planned strategies.
• To activate distributive justice among various sectors of economy.

Q18: Differentiate between the main objectives of the First and Second Five Year Plans.
Ans: 
Objectives of First Five Year Plan:

• It focused on land reforms for the development in rural areas.
• It aimed to increase level of National Income.

The First Five Year Plan differed from the Second Five Year Plan:

• The second five year plan stressed on heavy industrialisation.
• Second five year plan wanted to bring quick structural transformations in all possible directions in place of slow and steady growth like first five year plan.

Q19: Differentiate between the capitalist and socialist models of development.
Ans: The capitalist model of development refers to the strategies in which the private sectors are prioritised in place of social welfare whereas socialist model of development aims at public sector and planning to establish egalitarian society.

Q20: What is meant by decentralized planning?
Ans: Decentralized planning is designed to involve the peoples through voluntary citizens organisation in making plans at the panchayats, blocs and districts level. Its example is the ‘Kerala Model’.

Q21: Highlight the two areas on which the First Five Year Plan focused.
Ans: The first five year plan was commenced in 1951 to be drafted by young economist K.N. Raj with the emphasis on poverty alleviation. Its main thrusts were as follows:

• To invest in dams and irrigation to improve agricultural sector with the urgent attention.
• Huge allocations were made for large scale projects like Bhakra-Nangal Dam.

Q22: Which are the two models of development? Which model of development was adopted by India?
Ans: Two models of development are the capitalist and socialist models of development, India adopted the elements from both these models together to be known as “Mixed Economy”.

Q23: What were the fears of tribal population of Orissa and environmentalist about setting up industries in tribal areas?
Ans: 

• These iron resources lie in some most underdeveloped and predominant tribal districts.
• Tribal population feared that the setting up of industries would mean displacement from their home and livelihood.
• The environmentalists feared to be polluted the environment due to mining and industrial activities.

Q24: What is the meaning and importance of economic planning in Indian context?
Ans: Economic planning in India refers do a systematic regulation of economic activities by government to reduce the wastage of time and resources:

• Economic planning helps to achieve national goals in a continuous process of development.
• It is a rational process to associate with the future needs and goals to evaluate alternate proposals also.

Q25: What was Kerala Model?
Ans: Kerala model is an example of decentralised planning at the state level:

• It is the initiative taken by Kerala for planning and development strategies.
• It targeted on education, health, land reform, effective food distribution and poverty alleviation.
• Kerala model initiated to implement Panchayati Raj, blocs and district level of government.

Q26: Which state was prone to food crisis in the early years of independence?
Ans: Bihar was prone to food crisis in the early years of independence

• It was due to a near famine situation.
• The food shortage was very much acute in all districts of Bihar.
• Food shortage led to acute and widespread malnutrition.
• The zoning policies of government prohibited trade of food across states, which reduced availability of food in Bihar.

Q27: Who was J.C. Kumarappa?
Ans:

• J.C. Kumarappa was originally known as J.C. Cornelius.
• He was an economist and chartered accountant.
• He was the follower of Mahatma Gandhi to apply Gandhian Principles of Economic Policies.
• He was the author of ‘Economy of Permanence’ and a member of planning commission.

Q28: What is Plan Holiday?
Ans: 

• Plan Holidays is a gap between two five years plan, i.e. 1979-1980 and 1990-92.
• It was a stop gap arrangements by the provisions of annual plans.
• Plan holidays took place due to change in government to be locked in development-goals and priorities etc.
• Those five year plans were supposed to be reviewed and changed by the succeeding government.

Q29: What results were revealed by Planned Economy?
Ans:

• Big industrialists continued to benefit.
• The land owning classes became politically powerful.
• Land reforms could not take place effectively.
• The early initiatives for planned development were realising the goals of economic development.

Q30: Which methods were used to implement the development process in a mixed economy?
Ans: 

• Planning and governmental regulation to control economy.
• Licensing, subsidies, progressive taxing, price control and reforfhs etc. were also implemented.
• To make a significant role of public sector.
• To ensure a political democracy.

Q31: What is ‘Mixed Economy’?
Ans: Mixed economy is an economy to co-exist private and public sector both:

• Both the sectors work within invisible lands of market forces and visible lands of planning set by government.
• ‘State own’ means of production to aim social welfare and ‘private own’ means of production to be regulated by states.

Q32: How did Indian lay down the foundation of future economic growth?
Ans: 

• Some of the largest developmental projects in India’s history were undertaken during this period to include mega dams like Bhakra- Nangal and Hirakud for irrigation and power generation.
• Heavy industries were started in the public sector like steel plants, oil refineries, manufacturing units and defence production etc.
• Infrastructure and communication were also improved.

Short Answer Type Questions

Q33: Describe the strategy adopted by the Government of India to promote the Green Revolution.
Ans: In the 1960s, India was facing a food crisis due to many reasons. India was dependent on the U.S.A. for food which was putting many limitations on India’s policies. Indian Government decided to make India self-sufficient in food. Hence the government adopted a new strategy for agriculture in order to increase food production. Since the mid-1960s, the traditional agricultural practices were gradually replaced by modern technology.
The use of high-yielding variety seeds and the increased use of fertilizers and irrigation are simply called Green Revolution or modern agricultural technology. As a result of the Green Revolution, the area under improved seeds has gone up from about 15 million hectares during 1970-71 to nearly 75 million hectares in 1995-96. The new varieties are of a short term duration and consequently, instead of growing one crop, two crops and sometimes even three crops are grown.

Q34: Write a note on the mixed economy.
Ans: The economy is generally considered of two types. One is a capitalist economy and the other is a socialist economy. A mixed economy is based on the co-existence of these two types of economy.
In most of the poor countries of the world, a mixed economy prevails. A mixed economy is an economy where there is public and private ownership of the means of production. Production is undertaken for both welfare and profit motive. Production in the private sector is a for-profit motive while in the public sector, it is for a welfare motive. Thus, the pattern of mixed economy is the co-existence of public and private sector units.

Q35: State any two differences between the First Five Year Plan and the Second Five Year Plan.
Ans: In the First Five Year Plan, priority was given to the development of agriculture. The target of increased production of foodgrains, jute, and cotton was mainly achieved by bringing more land under cultivation. But in the Second Five Year Plan (1956-61), the top priority was accorded to the setting up of ‘Socialistic Pattern of Society’ on the basis of Industrial Policy statement 1956. In the Second Plan, the major thrust was to accelerate the process of industrialization by laying emphasis on basic and heavy industries.
The success of the First Five Year Plan was primarily due to a good harvest in the last two years of the plan. During the Second Five Year Plan, prices increased by 30% against a decline of 13% during the First Plan.

Q36: Critically examine the major outcomes of the Indian model of a mixed economy.
Ans:

• The foundations of India’s future economic growth were laid.
• Mega dams like Bhakhra-Nangal and Hirakund for irrigation and power generation were undertaken.
• Abolition of the colonial system of Zamindari.
• The tenants who worked on someone else’s land were given greater legal security against eviction.

Q37: Explain any two merits and two demerits each of the Green Revolution.
Ans: Merits of Green Revolution

• The major achievement of the Green Revolution was to boost the production of major cereals viz wheat and rice.
• As a result of the Green Revolution, the crop pattern in India has undergone significant changes.
• The green revolution largely increased the growth of the local manufacturing sector which created new jobs and contributed to the country’s GDP.
• India became self-sufficient in food and India was in a position to pay back all loans it had taken from the World Bank for the purpose of the Green Revolution.

Demerits of Green Revolution

• Green Revolution had widened the gap between poor and small farmers and rich landlords.
• Green Revolution has proved beneficial to the medium category peasants because they can receive the advantage of mediation between small farmers and rich landlords.

Q38: Explain any two merits and two demerits each of the Green Revolution.
Ans: Two Merits of the Green Revolution:

• The Green Revolution ensured food sufficiency in the country. In many parts, the stark contrast between the poor peasantry and the landlords produced conditions favourable for left wing organisations to organise the poor peasants.
• The Green Revolution resulted in the rise of middle peasant sections.
  These were farmers with medium size holding, who benefited from the changes and soon emerged politically influential in many parts of the country.

Two Demerits of the Green Revolution:

• The Green Revolution delivered only moderate agricultural growth and raised the availability of food in the country but also increased polarisation between classes and regions.
• Some regions like Punjab, Haryana and Western UP became agriculturally prosperous while others remained backward.

Q39: List any two merits and two demerits of Green Revolution.
Or
What is Green Revolution? Highlight any two of its effects?
Ans: Green Revolution was introduced to bring about revolutionary changes in agriculture especially in foodgrains like wheat and Rice to increase production:

• Production was increased by the use of high yielding varieties of seeds.
• Scientific irrigation and fertilisers were also applied.

Merits of Green Revolution:

• The government offered various irrigational facilities at a subsidised prices.
• It resulted in the rise of ‘Middle Peasant Section’ who soon emerged politically influential.

Demerits of Green Revolution:

• This created a stark contrast between the poor peasantry and the landlords.
• It increased polarisation between the classes and regions like northern states i.e. Punjab, Haryana, West UP, became agriculturally rich but other remained backward.

Q40: How was Planning Commission of India : set up? Mention its scope of work.
Ans:Planning Commission was set up as:

• It consists Prime Minister as its chairman.
• Some ministers or incharges of economic portfolios.
• The members of planning commission have a high public image alongwith an administrative and educational background

Its scope of work:

• To bring socio-economic change.
• It was to provide a controlled and faster growth rate.
• To resolve contradictions between societies.

Q41: describe the main functions of planning commission of India.
Ans: Planning commission was set up in 1950 by a cabinet resolution as an extra constitutional body:

• It look advisory in nature but it is very powerful to be known as economic cabinet of country.
• Planning commission prepares a document to have plan for income and expenditure for five year plans.
• Planning commission prepares strategies to provide adequate means of livelihood for every man and woman.
• It also ensures not to concentrate wealth and means of production into few hands only.

Q42: What was the protest against Posco plants in Orissa?
Ans: In Orissa, Posco is the state plant. The government of Orissa signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Korean Company for enhancement of the plant. But this displaced many workers working in the plant.
 Hence, the workers demonstrated outside Korean Company’s office to cancel the memorandum. This demonstration was organised by Rashtriya Yuva Sanghtan and Navmirmana Samithi.

Q43: Which part of constitution helps the planning commission to ensure socioeconomic justice? 
Ans: The directive principles of state policy ensure the welfare through securing and protecting them from any kind of social, economic and politieal industries:

• Men and women equally have the right to adequate means of livelihood.
• Prevent concentration and means of production into the few hands only.
• Equal distribution of resources.

Q44: What do you know about land reforms in India during planning period?
Ans: 
1. Zamindari system was abolished to release land from big landlord who were least interested in agriculture.
2. Lands were consolidated to bring small pieces together to increase the farm size.
Drawbacks:

• Despite a ‘ceiling’, people with excess land managed to violate the laws.
• The tenants, who worked on
   someoneelse’s land were given greater legal security which rarely implemented.
• Landowners were very powerful and wielded considerable political influence.

Q45: What is meant by White Revolution in Gujarat?
Ans: The White Revolution in Gujarat was started by ‘Varghese Kurien’ known as milkman of India to launch Gujarat Cooperative Milk and Marketing Federation Ltd., which further launched ‘AmuF.
 Amul is a dairy cooperative movement based in ‘Anand’ town of Gujarat to become a unique appropriate model for rural development and poverty alleviation.

Q46: Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions:
It was in Bihar that the food-crisis was most acutely felt as the state faced a near-famine situation. The food shortage was significant in all districts of Bihar, with 9 districts producing less than half of their normal output. Five of these districts, in fact, produced less than one- third of what they produced normally. Food deprivation subsequently led to acute and widespread malnutrition. It was estimated that the calorie intake dropped from 2200 per capital per day to as low as 1200 in many regions of the
state (as against the requirement of2450 per day for the average person.). Death rate in Bihar in 1987 was 34% higher than the number of deaths that occurred in the following year. Food prices also hit a high in Bihar during the year, even when comp
states. For wheat and rice the prices in the state were twice or more than their prices in more prosperous Punjab. The government had ‘honing” policies that prohibited tra.de of food across states* tins reduced the availability of food in Bihar dramatically. In situations such as this, the poorest sections of the so. . most.
(i) What is food-crisis?
(ii) What were the reasons of food crisis in Bihar?
(iii) What do you understand by ‘Zoning’ policies of government?
Ans:
1. When any state or country face the problem of insufficiency of food in the region or food shortage is known as food crisis.
2. 
(i) Famine situation occurred there.
(ii) Food prices also hit a high in Bihar than other states.
(iii) Government policies of‘Zoning1 also caused it.
3. Zoning policies of government prohibit trade of food across the states which reduced the availability of food in Bihar.

Q47: Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions:
Decentralized Planning: It is not necessary that all planning always lias to be centralised; nor is it that planning is only about big industries and large projects. The ‘Kerala modle’ is the name given to the path of planning and development charted by the Stats of Kerala .There has been a focus model on education, health, land refoiin, effective food distribution, and poverty alleviation. Despite low per capita incomes,
and a relatively weak industrial base, Kerala achieved nearly total literacy,long life expectency ,low infant and female mortality, low birth rates and Mgb access to medical care. Between 1987 and 1991, the government launched the New Democratic Initiative which involved campaigns for development (including total literacy especially in science and environment) designed to involve people directly in development activities through voluntary citizens’ organisations. The State has also taken initiative to involve people in making plans at the Panchavat, block and district level.
1. What is meant by decentralisation?
2. Which state is the best example for this?
3. Which methods were used by state of Kerala for decentralisation?
Ans:
1. Decentralisation shares the powers even among the states and its subordinate units to run the administration in efficient manner i.e. at the Panchayats, blocs and district level.
2. Kerala which is known as ‘Kerala Model’ also.
3. 
(i) Campaigning for development especially in Science and environment.
(ii) To involve people in making plans at Panchayat, blocs and district level.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q48: Elaborate any three arguments are given by the critics against the mixed model of the economy adopted by India.
Ans: The following are the arguments given by the critics against the mixed model of the economy adopted by India.

• Critics argue that the planners have not provided sufficient space for the private sector to grow.
• Enlarge public sector have their own interests as they invested more and they create hurdles for the private small sectors.
• State policies also put restrictions on the export items and domestic market due to lesser competition do not have the incentive to improve their products. The state instead of helping the poor, help the private sector to make more profit and thus create a new ‘middle class’ with high salaries and perks.

Q49: What was Green Revolution? Mention its any two positive and two negative consequences.
Ans: Green Revolution was introduced to bring about revolutionary changes in agriculture especially in foodgrains like wheat and rice to increase food production through high yielding varieties of seeds, fertilisers and scientific irrigation. 
Positive Consequences:

• In many parts, the stark contrast between the poor peasantry and the landlords produced conditions favourable for left wing organisations to organise the poor peasants.
• It resulted in the rise of what is called the ‘Middle Peasant Sections’ who were farmers with medium size holdings who benefitted from the changes and soon emerged politically influential in many parts of country. 

Negative Consequences:

• This created a stark contrast between the poor peasantry and the landlords.
• It delivered only a moderate agricultural growth i.e. a rise in rice and wheat production by raising availability of foodgrains in country. On the other hand it increased polarisation between the classes and regions like Northern States i. e. Punjab, Haryana, West-U.P. became agriculturally rich but others remained backward.

Q50: Explain the main arguments in the debate that ensued between industrialisation agricultural development at the time of second five year plan.
Ans: At the time of second five year plan, some controversial issues rose in reference of relevancy of agriculture over industry:

• Second five year plan emphasised on industry in place of agriculture or rural India.
• J.C. Kumarappa, a Gandhian Economist proposed an alternative blueprint to emphasise on rural industrialisation.
• Bharatiya Lok Dal leader, Chaudhary Charan Singh also commented that the planning was leading to creation of prosperity in Urban and industrial sections at the cost of rural welfare.

Others debated that without an increase in industrial sector poverty could not be alleviated:

• India planning did not have agrarian strategy to boost the production of foodgrains.
• It also proposed programme of community development and spent large sums on irrigation projects and failure was not that of policy but of its non-implementation because of the politics of land owning classes.
• Besides they also argued that even if the government had spent more money on agriculture, it would not have solved the massive problems of rural poverty.

Q51: Study the picture given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. What message does the cartoon convey?
2. Name the person who is making efforts to balance both the sectors.
3. How was both these sectors balanced?
Ans:
1. Cartoon is trying to make balance between the private and public sector to maintain the growth of an economy adopted by India.
2. Pt. Jawahar Lai Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India.
3. Pt. Nehru made a balance between both the sectors by adopting the model of mixed economy to co-exist the private and public sector.

Q52: Study the picture given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. About which state the clipping is talking about?
2. What is food-crisis?
3. What were the main reasons for food- crisis?
4. Is India now sufficient in food production?
Ans:
1. Bihar
2. Food crisis is unavailability of sufficient food or food shortage.
3. 
(i) High prices of food items.
(ii) Zoning policy of government.
4. Yes, due to Green Revolution foodgrain production has been increased upto maximum extent.

Q53: On a political outline map of India locate and label the following and symbolise them as indicated:

1. The state prone to food crisis during independence days!
2. The state adopted decentralisation.
3. The state where people protested against POSCO plants.
4. The state where White Revolution took place.
Ans:
1. Bihar 
2. Kerala
3. Orissa 
4. Gujarat