Q and Ans: Lifeline of Indian Economy

Chapter: Lifeline of Indian Economy

 Q. Efficient means of transport are prerequisites for the fast development of the country.”

Express your views in favour of this statement.

Answer:

India is well linked with the rest of the world despite its vast size and diversities because of

efficient means of transport and communication. They are rightly called the lifelines or arteries of

a nation because:

Economic development of a country depends on the well developed and efficient means of

transport and communication.

They are indispensable for movement of people, goods and services from one place to another.

They have contributed to socio-economic progress in many ways by connecting far flung areas

of the country.

They have enriched all aspects of our lives — social, cultural, individual and economic.

They promote trade, tourism and business thus adding value to the economy.

Transport and communication have made possible international trade which is essential for

every economy as no country is self-sufficient in all resources.

They link areas of production with consumption, i.e. agricultural farms are linked to the markets

and industries.

They help in the balanced regional development of a country.

They play a very important role at the time of natural calamities, i.e., for providing relief

measures.

Deficient areas can obtain resources from the regions of surplus, thereby making the

interdependence among the regions possible.

They have added substantially to growing amenities and facilities for the comforts of life.

Q. Why is road transport more useful than rail transport in India. Give reasons.

Answer:

Roadways score over railways:

Construction of roads is easier and cheaper as compared to railways.

Roads provide door to door service, thus the cost of loading and unloading is much lower as

compared to railways which generally leave the people and goods at the destined railway

stations.

Roads can negotiate higher gradients of slope and, as such, can traverse through mountainous

terrain. But railways cannot negotiate steep gradients.

Road transport is economical in transportation of few persons and relatively smaller amount of

goods over short distances.

Road transport is also used as a feeder to other modes of transport. They provide links between

railway stations, airports and sea ports.

They link agricultural farms with markets and industries, thus linking rural and urban areas.

Q. Write the characteristics of Super Highways, National Highways and State Highways.

Answer:

Super Highways:

These are 6-lane roads built by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) under the Road

Development Project launched by the government.

The major objective of these roads is to reduce time and distance between the mega cities of

India, especially the Golden Quadrilateral, which links Mumbai-Delhi-Kolkata-Chennai.

Other important roads developed by NHAI are:

North-South Corridor linking Srinagar in the North and Kanyakumari in the South and

East-West Corridor linking Porbander in Gujarat to Silcher in Assam.

National Highways:

These are the primary’ road systems which run in the North-South and East-West directions

connecting all the states and link extreme parts of the country.

These roads are laid and maintained by the Central Government, i.e., Central Public Works

Department (CPWD) as they are of national importance.

The historical Shershah Suri Marg, now called National Highway No. 1, links Delhi and Amritsar

and the longest highway in the country is National Highway No. 7 which links Varanasi and

Kanyakumari.

State Highways:

Roads linking state capitals with different district headquarters are known as State Highways.

These roads are constructed and maintained by State Public Works Department (PWD) in

states and union territories.

The expenditure or cost and maintenance of these roads is the responsibility of the respective

state governments.

Q. Differentiate between District Roads and Other Rural Roads?

Answer:

District Roads:

District Roads connect the district headquarters with other places of the district.

These roads are maintained by the Zila Parishad.

Other Rural Roads:

Rural roads which link rural areas and villages with towns come under this category.

These roads received special impetus under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojna’. Under

this scheme, special provisions are made so that every village is linked to a major town in the

country by an all season motorable road.

Q. What are ‘Border Roads’? What is their significance?

Answer:

Border roads run along the land frontiers of our country in the northern and north-eastern border

areas.

The Border Road Organisation (BRO) — a department of the Central Government was

established in 1960 for the development of border roads.

Their construction and maintenance is the responsibility of the Central Government.

Importance of Border Roads:

These roads are of strategic importance.

They have increased the accessibility in areas of difficult terrain and have helped in the

economic development of these areas.

They are the supply lines for our jawans (soldiers) who guard our land frontiers.

Q. Which factors affect the distribution pattern of the railway network in the country?

Answer:

Factors that affect the distribution pattern of railway network in India:

Physical factors: The nature of terrain and the number of rivers running through the region will

determine the density of railway network in that region.

For example, mountains, marshy, sandy and forested areas have sparse network whereas plain

areas have dense network of the railways.

Economic factors: Regions which have rich resources and are economically more developed

have denser network of railways in comparison to the regions with low economic development.

Administrative factors: The administrative and political decisions also affect the distribution of

railway network in a region.

Q. List the factors which favoured the development of dense network of railways in the northern

plains.

Answer

Reasons for dense network of railways in northern plains are:

The vast level land provided the most favourable conditions for their growth. It is cheaper and

easier to construct railway tracks here.

The agricultural and industrial development in this region necessitated the development of

railway lines.

High population density in this region further required the development of railway lines.

Resources such as iron and steel, fuels, etc., required for the development of railways are

available in abundance in the northern plains.

Q. State reasons for the sparse railway network in Himalayan region.

Answer:

Reasons for sparse railway network in Himalayas:

High relief and rugged terrain pose difficulty in construction.

Sparse population.

Lack of economic opportunities because of low economic development.

These are also thickly forested areas.

Q. What are the problems faced by Indian Railways?

Answer:

Problems faced by the Indian Railways:

Many passengers travel without tickets.

Thefts and damaging of railway property by miscreants.

People stop the trains and pull chains unnecessarily that causes heavy damage to the railways

and also causes delays.

Q. What are the advantages of pipeline transportation?

Answer:

Advantages of pipeline transportation:

Pipelines can transport liquids, gases and solids (in slurry form) to any distance.

Pipelines are used for transporting crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas from oil and

natural gas fields to refineries, fertilizer factories and big thermal power plants.

Initial cost of laying pipelines is high but subsequent running costs are minimal.

It reduces trans-shipment losses and delays.

They can be laid in any terrain and even through the water-bodies

Q.Give an account of the major sea ports of India and their importance.

Answer:

Kandla port in Kuchchh-

It was developed after independence to reduce the load on the Mumbai port as the Karachi port

had gone to Pakistan after partition.

It is a tidal port and caters to exports and imports of the granary and industrial belts of Jammu &

Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Kandla port is located in Kuchchh in Gujarat.

It caters to the convenient handling of exports and imports for northern and western states of

India.

Mumbai port -

It is the biggest port with a spacious natural and well-sheltered harbour.

It is the bussiest port of India.

Jawahar Lai Nehru port -

Planned as a subordinate and hub-port of the Mumbai port.

Marmagao port (Goa)-

It is a premium iron ore exporting port.

It accounts for about fifty per cent of India’s iron ore exports.

New Mangalore port (Karnataka)-

Caters to the export of iron-ore from Kudremukh mines.

Kochchi -

Extreme south-western port located at the entrance of a lagoon with a natural harbour.

Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu)-

It has a natural harbour and rich hinterland.

It engages in flourishing trade with neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Maldives etc.

Chennai port -

Oldest artificial port in the country.

It is second only to Mumbai in terms of volume of trade and cargo.

Vishakhapatnam port -

Deepest land locked and well protected port catering mainly to iron ore exports.

Paradip (Orissa) -

specialises in iron ore export.

Kolkata port-

It is an inland riverine port.

It serves as a large and rich hinterland of Ganga-Brahmaputra basin.

It is a tidal port which requires constant dredging of the Hugli river.

Haldia port - It was developed to reduce pressure on Kolkata port.

Q. Write four merits of air travel. Also mention any two demerits of air transport.

Answer:

Merits of air travel.

Air travel is the fastest, most comfortable and prestigious mode of transport.

India is a vast country with wide variation in relief. Air transport can cover difficult terrains like

high mountains of the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, dreary deserts of Rajasthan, dense

forests and long coastlines with great ease.

Air travel has made access easier in the north-eastern part of the country, which is marked with

the presence of big rivers like Brahmaputra, dissected relief, dense forests, frequent floods and

international frontiers.

At the time of natural calamities, relief measure and relief operations can be carried out quickly

with the help of air transport.

High value perishable goods can easily be exported or imported by airways.

Demerits of air transport.

Air travel is very expensive and not within the reach of the common people.

Air travel is very luxurious.

It is adversely affected by bad weather conditions.

Q. What are ‘Pawan Hans’ services? Write purposes for which these services are used.

Answer:

The Pawan Hans Helicopter Ltd., a public sector undertaking, provides helicopter services.

It is used for-

Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) in its offshore operations.

Inaccessible areas and difficult terrains like the north-eastern states, the interior parts of Jammu

& Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand.

They are also pressed into service at the time of emergencies and for providing relief measures

at the time of natural calamities.

Q. What are the functions performed by means of mass communication?

Answer:

Functions performed by means of mass communication:

It provides entertainment to masses.

It creates awareness among people about various national programmes and policies.

We come to know the world happenings, weather bulletins and important international

phenomena, developments and researches, etc. through the means of mass communication.

They help in creating public opinion.

Q. Write in brief about A.I.R. and Doordarshan.

Answer:

All India Radio (A.I.R. or Akashwani):

It broadcasts a variety of programmes in national, regional and local languages.

It broadcasts programmes for various categories of people in rural, urban and remote areas.

It is spread over different parts of the country through a number of radio stations and

transmitters.

Doordarshan:

It is the national television channel of India.

It is one of the largest terrestrial networks in the world.

It telecasts a variety of programmes ranging from educational, entertainment to sports, etc. for

people of different age groups.

Q. "Advancement of international trade of a country is an index to its prosperity.” Support the

statement.

Answer:

Exchange of goods (buying and selling of goods) between two countries is called international

trade. It may take place through sea, air or land routes. It has two components—export and

import.

1 Advancement of international trade of a country is an index to its economic prosperity.

2 As no country is self-sufficient in all resources, it cannot survive without international trade.

3 If the balance of international trade is favourable that is value of export is more than the value

of import, a country will be able to earn more foreign exchange.

4 International trade encourages a country to develop secondary and tertiary sectors for

exporting goods which can fetch more foreign exchange.

5 A country’s economic prosperity can be gauged by the health of its international trade.

Q. What is ‘balance of trade’? Explain its two types.

Answer:

The balance of trade of a country is the difference between its export and import value. Balance

of trade is of two types:

Favourable balance of trade. When the value of export exceeds the value of imports, it is called

favourable balance of trade.

Unfavourable balance of trade. If the value of imports exceeds the value of exports, it is called

unfavourable balance of trade