Resources and Development PDF

The process of transformation of things Can you identify and name the various items available in our environment involves an used in making life comfortable in our villages and...

The process of transformation of things Can you identify and name the various items available in our environment involves an used in making life comfortable in our villages and towns. List the items and name the interactive relationship between nature, material used in their making. technology and institutions. Human beings interact with nature through technology and create institutions to accelerate their Everything available in our environment economic development. which can be used to satisfy our needs, Do you think that resources are free provided, it is technologically accessible, gifts of nature as is assumed by many? economically feasible and culturally They are not. Resources are a function of acceptable can be termed as ‘Resource’. 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 Fig. 1.1: Interdependent relationship between (d) On the basis of status of development – nature, technology and institutions potential, developed stock and reserves. Fig. 1.2: Classification of resources Reprint 2024-25 D EVELOPMENT OF R ESOURCES Sustainable development Resources are vital for human survival as well as for maintaining the quality of life. It was Sustainable economic development means believed that resources are free gifts of nature. ‘development should take place without As a result, human beings used them damaging the environment, and development indiscriminately and this has led to the in the present should not compromise with the following major problems. needs of the future generations.’ Depletion of resources for satisfying the greed of a few individuals. Accumulation of resources in few hands, which, Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992 in turn, divided the society into two segments In June 1992, more than 100 heads of states i.e. haves and have nots or rich and poor. met in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, for the first Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has International Earth Summit. The Summit was led to global ecological crises such as, global convened for addressing urgent problems of warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental environmental protection and socio- pollution and land degradation. 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 1. Imagine, if the oil supply gets exhausted adopted Agenda 21 for achieving one day, how would this affect our life style? Sustainable Development in the 21st century. 2. Plan a survey in your colony/village to Agenda 21 investigate people’s attitude towards recycling of the domestic/agricultural It is the declaration signed by world leaders in 1992 at the United Nations Conference wastes. Ask questions about : on Environment and Development (UNCED), (a) What do they think about resources which took place at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It they use? aims at achieving global sustainable (b) What is their opinion about the development. It is an agenda to combat wastes, and its utilisation? 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 An equitable distribution of resources has should draw its own local Agenda 21. become essential for a sustained quality of life and global peace. If the present trend of resource depletion by a few individuals and RESOURCE PLANNING countries continues, the future of our planet is in danger. Planning is the widely accepted strategy for Therefore, resource planning is essential for judicious use of resources. It has importance in a country like India, which has enormous sustainable existence of all forms of life. diversity in the availability of resources. There Sustainable existence is a component of are regions which are rich in certain types of sustainable development. resources but are deficient in some other 2 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II Reprint 2024-25 resources. There are some regions which can be considered self sufficient in terms of the availability of resources and there are some What resources are being developed in your regions which have acute shortage of some vital surroundings by the community/village resources. For example, the states of panchayats/ward level communities with the Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya help of community participation? Pradesh are rich in minerals and coal deposits. Arunachal Pradesh has abundance of water technology and institutions may hinder resources but lacks in infrastructural development. There are many regions in our development. The state of Rajasthan is very well country that are rich in resources but these endowed with solar and wind energy but lacks are included in economically backward in water resources. The cold desert of Ladakh regions. On the contrary there are some regions is relatively isolated from the rest of the which have a poor resource base but they are country. It has very rich cultural heritage but economically developed. it is deficient in water, infrastructure and some vital minerals. This calls for balanced resource Can you name some resource rich but planning at the national, state, regional and economically backward regions and some local levels. 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 Prepare a list of resources found in your state attractions for the foreign invaders. It was and also identify the resources that are primarily the higher level of technological important but deficit in your state. development of the colonising countries that helped them to exploit resources of other regions and establish their supremacy over the colonies. Therefore, resources can Resource Planning in India contribute to development only when they are Resource planning is a complex process accompanied by appropriate technological which involves : (i) identification and development and institutional changes. India inventory of resources across the regions of has experienced all this in different phases of the country. This involves surveying, colonisation. Therefore, in India, development, mapping and qualitative and quantitative in general, and resource development in estimation and measurement of the particular does not only involve the resources. (ii) Evolving a planning structure availability of resources, but also the endowed with appropriate technology, skill technology, quality of human resources and and institutional set up for implementing the historical experiences of the people. resource development plans. (iii) Matching Conservation of Resources: Resources are the resource development plans with overall vital for any developmental activity. But national development plans. irrational consumption and over-utilisation India has made concerted efforts for of resources may lead to socio-economic and achieving the goals of resource planning right environmental problems. To overcome these from the First Five Year Plan launched after problems, resource conservation at various Independence. levels is important. This had been the main The availability of resources is a necessary concern of the leaders and thinkers in the condition for the development of any region, past. For example, Gandhiji was very apt in but mere availability of resources in the voicing his concern about resource absence of corresponding changes in conservation in these words: “There is enough RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT 3 Reprint 2024-25 for everybody’s need and not for any body’s available land for various purposes with careful greed.” He placed the greedy and selfish planning. individuals and exploitative nature of modern India has land under a variety of relief technology as the root cause for resource features, namely; mountains, plateaus, plains depletion at the global level. He was against and islands. About 43 per cent of the land area mass production and wanted to replace it with is plain, which provides facilities for agriculture the production by the masses. and industry. Mountains account for 30 per cent of the total surface area of the country and ensure perennial flow of some rivers, provide At the international level, the Club of Rome facilities for tourism and ecological aspects. advocated resource conservation for the first About 27 per cent of the area of the country is time in a more systematic way in 1968. the plateau region. It possesses rich reserves Subsequently, in 1974, Gandhian philosophy of minerals, fossil fuels and forests. was once again presented by Schumacher in his book Small is Beautiful. The seminal LAND UTILISATION contribution with respect to resource Land resources are used for the following conservation at the global level was made purposes: by the Brundtland Commission Report, 1987. This report introduced the concept of 1. Forests ‘Sustainable Development’ and advocated 2. Land not available for cultivation it as a means for resource conservation, (a) Barren and waste land which was subsequently published in a book (b) Land put to non-agricultural uses, e.g. entitled Our Common Future. Another buildings, roads, factories, etc. significant contribution was made at the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. 3. Other uncultivated land (excluding fallow land) (a) Permanent pastures and grazing land, LAND RESOURCES (b) Land under miscellaneous tree crops groves (not included in net sown area), We live on land, we perform our economic (c) Cultruable waste land (left uncultivated activities on land and we use it in different for more than 5 agricultural years). ways. Thus, land is a natural resource of utmost importance. It supports natural 4. Fallow lands vegetation, wild life, human life, economic (a) Current fallow-(left without cultivation activities, transport and communication for one or less than one agricultural year), systems. However, land is an asset of a finite (b) Other than current fallow-(left magnitude, therefore, it is important to use the 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 Fig 1.3: India : Land under important Relief density, technological capability and culture Features and traditions etc. 4 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II Reprint 2024-25  Reporting Area: 100 Per cent Source : Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture, 2017 Fig. 1.4 Total geographical area of India is 3.28 of such land is very high. Hence, these lands million sq km. Land use data, however, is are cultivated once or twice in about two to available only for 93 per cent of the total three years and if these are included in the geographical area because the land use net sown area then the percentage of NSA in reporting for most of the north-east states India comes to about 54 per cent of the total except Assam has not been done fully. reporting area. Moreover, some areas of Jammu and Kashmir The pattern of net sown area varies greatly occupied by Pakistan and China have also not from one state to another. It is over 80 per been surveyed. cent of the total area in Punjab and Haryana and less than 10 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Andaman Try to do a comparison between the two pie Nicobar Islands. 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 Find out reasons for the low proportion of to 2014-15 very marginally. net sown area in these states. The land under permanent pasture has Forest area in the country is far lower than also decreased. How are we able to feed our the desired 33 per cent of geographical area, huge cattle population on this pasture land as it was outlined in the National Forest Policy and what are the consequences of it? Most of (1952). It was considered essential for the other than the current fallow lands are maintenance of the ecological balance. The either of poor quality or the cost of cultivation livelihood of millions of people who live on the RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT 5 Reprint 2024-25 fringes of these forests depends upon it. A part There are many ways to solve the problems of the land is termed as waste land and land of land degradation. Afforestation and proper put to other non-agricultural uses. Waste land management of grazing can help to some extent. includes rocky, arid and desert areas and land Planting of shelter belts of plants, control on put to other non-agricultural uses includes over grazing, stabilisation of sand dunes by settlements, roads, railways, industry etc. growing thorny bushes are some of the Continuous use of land over a long period of methods to check land degradation in arid time without taking appropriate measures to areas. Proper management of waste lands, conserve and manage it, has resulted in land control of mining activities, proper discharge degradation. This, in turn, has serious and disposal of industrial effluents and wastes repercussions on society and the after treatment can reduce land and water environment. degradation in industrial and suburban areas. L AND D EGRADATION AND C ONSERVATION SOIL AS A RESOURCE MEASURES Soil is the most important renewable natural We have shared our land with the past resource. It is the medium of plant growth generations and will have to do so with the future and supports different types of living organisms generations too. Ninety-five per cent of our basic on the earth. The soil is a living system. It needs for food, shelter and clothing are obtained takes millions of years to form soil upto a few from land. Human activities have not only cm in depth. Relief, parent rock or bed rock, brought about degradation of land but have climate, vegetation and other forms of life and also aggravated the pace of natural forces to time are important factors in the formation of cause damage to land. soil. Various forces of nature such as change Some human activities such as in temperature, actions of running water, wind deforestation, over grazing, mining and and glaciers, activities of decomposers etc. quarrying too have contributed significantly in contribute to the formation of soil. Chemical land degradation. and organic changes which take place in the Mining sites are abandoned after excavation work is complete leaving deep Top soil scars and traces of over-burdening. In states the upper soil layer like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Subsoil weathered Pradesh and Odisha deforestation due to rocks sand and mining have caused severe land degradation. silt clay In states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra overgrazing is one of the main reasons for land degradation. In the states of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Substratum Pradesh, over irrigation is responsible for land weathered parent degradation due to water logging leading to rock material increase in salinity and alkalinity in the soil. The mineral processing like grinding of limestone for cement industry and calcite and soapstone for ceramic industry generate huge quantity of dust in the atmosphere. It retards the process of infiltration of water into the soil Unweathered after it settles down on the land. In recent parent bed rock years, industrial effluents as waste have become a major source of land and water pollution in many parts of the country. Fig. 1.5: Soil Profile 6 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II Reprint 2024-25 soil are equally important. Soil also consists nodules than the Khadar. It has more fine of organic (humus) and inorganic materials particles and is more fertile than the bangar. (Fig. 1.5). Alluvial soils as a whole are very fertile. On the basis of the factors responsible for Mostly these soils contain adequate proportion soil formation, colour, thickness, texture, age, of potash, phosphoric acid and lime which chemical and physical properties, the soils of are ideal for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, India are classified in different types. wheat and other cereal and pulse crops. Due to its high fertility, regions of alluvial soils are Classification of Soils intensively cultivated and densely populated. India has varied relief features, landforms, Soils in the drier areas are more alkaline and climatic realms and vegetation types. These can be productive after proper treatment and have contributed in the development of various irrigation. types of soils. Black Soil Alluvial Soils These soils are black in colour and are also This is the most widely spread and important known as regur soils. Black soil is ideal for soil. In fact, the entire northern plains are growing cotton and is also known as black made of alluvial soil. These have been cotton soil. It is believed that climatic condition deposited by three important Himalayan river along with the parent rock material are the systems – the Indus, the Ganga and the important factors for the formation of black Brahmaputra. These soils also extend in soil. This type of soil is typical of the Deccan Rajasthan and Gujarat through a narrow trap (Basalt) region spread over northwest corridor. Alluvial soil is also found in the Deccan plateau and is made up of lava flows. eastern coastal plains particularly in the deltas They cover the plateaus of Maharashtra, of the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and and the Kaveri rivers. Chhattisgarh and extend in the south east direction along the Godavari and the Krishna valleys. Fig. 1.6: Alluvial Soil The alluvial soil consists of various proportions of sand, silt and clay. As we move inlands towards the river valleys, soil particles appear some what bigger in size. In the upper reaches of the river valley i.e. near the place of the break of slope, the soils are coarse. Such soils are more common in piedmont plains such as Duars, Chos and Terai. Fig. 1.7: Black Soil Apart from the size of their grains or components, soils are also described on the The black soils are made up of extremely basis of their age. According to their age fine i.e. clayey material. They are well-known alluvial soils can be classified as old alluvial for their capacity to hold moisture. In addition, (Bangar) and new alluvial (Khadar). The they are rich in soil nutrients, such as calcium bangar soil has higher concentration of kanker carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime. These RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT 7 Reprint 2024-25  India: Major Soil Types 8 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II Reprint 2024-25 soils are generally poor in phosphoric contents. vegetation and in semi-arid environment, it is They develop deep cracks during hot weather, generally humus poor. They are prone to which helps in the proper aeration of the soil. erosion and degradation due to their position These soils are sticky when wet and difficult to on the landscape. After adopting appropriate work on unless tilled immediately after the first soil conservation techniques particularly in shower or during the pre-monsoon period. the hilly areas of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, this soil is very useful for growing tea Red and Yellow Soils and coffee. Red laterite soils in Tamil Nadu, Red soil develops on crystalline igneous rocks Andhra Pradesh and Kerala are more suitable in areas of low rainfall in the eastern and for crops like cashew nut. southern parts of the Deccan plateau. Yelllow and red soils are also found in parts of Arid Soils Odisha, Chhattisgarh, southern parts of the Arid soils range from red to brown in colour. middle Ganga plain and along the piedmont They are generally sandy in texture and saline zone of the Western Ghats. These soils develop in nature. In some areas the salt content is a reddish colour due to diffusion of iron in very high and common salt is obtained by crystalline and metamorphic rocks. It looks evaporating the water. Due to the dry climate, yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form. high temperature, evaporation is faster and Laterite Soil the soil lacks humus and moisture. The lower Laterite has been derived from the Latin word horizons of the soil are occupied by Kankar ‘later’ which means brick. The laterite soil because of the increasing calcium content develops under tropical and subtropical downwards. The Kankar layer formations in climate with alternate wet and dry season. the bottom horizons restrict the infiltration of This soil is the result of intense leaching due water. After proper irrigation these soils to heavy rain. Lateritic soils are mostly deep become cultivable as has been in the case of to very deep, acidic (pH