Sunday, 18 January 2015

General awareness: Economics notes # 5







(Source: XI NCERT Economics Chapter 8,9 & 10)
CHAPTER – 8:: INFRASTRUCTURE
·         - Infrastructure provides supporting services in the main areas of industrial and agricultural production, domestic and foreign trade and commerce.
·         - Infrastructure – 2 types
1.       Economic – Energy, Transportation and communication
2.       Social – Education, Health and housing
·         - Morbidity : Proneness to fall ill
·        -  Being a tropical country, India has almost unlimited potential for producing solar energy, wind energy and tidal power.
·        -  Electricity is a secondary form of energy produced from primary energy resources including coal, hydrocarbons, nuclear energy etc.
·        -  Indian Systems of medicine includes 6 systems
                Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Naturopathy, Homeopathy
·         - Global burden of diseases (GBD) – It is an indicator used by experts to gauge the number of people dying prematurely due to a particular disease as well as the number of years spent by them in a state of disability owing to the disease.
·         - India bears a frightening 20% of GBD.
·        -  SEWA in Ahmedabad and ACCORD in Nilgiris are NGO’s functions with the idea that the people can be trained and involved in primary healthcare system.




CHAPTER – 9: ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

·         - Environment is defined as the total planetary inheritance and the totality of all resources.
·        -  Biotic elements – Plants, Forests, Birds, Animals
·         - Abiotic elements – Air, Water, Land, Rocks and Sunlight
·         - 4 vital functions of the environment are
a.        It supplies resources
b.       It assimilates waste
c.        It sustain life by providing genetic and biodiversity
d.       It also provide aesthetic services like scenery etc
·        -  The environmental concerns of India are
                1) Land Degradation
                2) Biodiversity Loss
                3) Air Pollution
                4) Management of Fresh Water
                5) Solid Waste Management
·         - The Factors responsible for land degradation are
a)       Loss of vegetation occurring due to deforestation
b)       Unsustainable fuel wood & fodder extraction
c)       Shifting cultivation
d)       Encroachment into forest lands
e)       Forest fires & Over grazing
f)        Non- adoption of adequate Soil conservation measures
g)       Improper crop rotation
h)       Indiscriminate use of Agrochemicals
i)         Improper management & planning of irrigation systems.
j)         Extraction of ground water
·        -  The per capita forestland in the country is only 0.08 hectare against the requirement of 0.47 hectare to meet basic needs.
·        -  UNEP defined sustainable development as Development that meets the need of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs.
·         - The Brundtland Commission emphasizes on protecting the future generation.
·         - Strategies for sustainable Development:-
1.       Use of non conventional sources of energy
2.       LPG, Gobar gas in rural areas
3.       CNG in urban  areas
4.       Wind Power
5.       Solar power through photovoltaic cells
6.       Mini hydel plants
7.       Traditional knowledge and practices
8.       Biocomposting
9.       Biopest control





CHAPTER 10:: COMPARATIVE DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCES OF INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURS
 
  - Pakistan announced it first five year plan called the medium term plan in 1956.

·- China’s first year plan in 1953

·-  In 1956, Mao introduced the Great proletarian Cultural Revolution under which students and professionals were sent to work and learn from the countryside.

·  - China introduced structural reforms in 1978.