I. Answer the following.
1. What do you understand by ‘people as a resource’?Ans: ‘People as a resource’ means recognizing the population as an asset, not a liability. It focuses on the working population's skills and abilities, which can contribute to economic growth. Education, training, and good health transform people into human capital, making them valuable assets to society and the economy.
2. How is human resource different from other resources like land and physical capital?Ans: Human resources are unique because they can utilize other resources like land and physical capital to produce goods and services. Land and physical capital are passive and require human intervention for their productive use.
3. What is the role of education in human capital formation?Ans: Education is crucial for human capital formation. It equips individuals with knowledge, skills, and abilities that enhance their productivity and earning potential. Education contributes to national income, cultural enrichment, and better governance. It also fosters individual awareness, promotes health and hygiene, and ultimately improves the well-being of society.
4. What is the role of health in human capital formation?Ans: Good health is essential for human capital formation. A healthy individual is more productive, efficient, and able to work for longer periods. Healthcare contributes to a nation's well-being by increasing life expectancy, reducing illness, and enabling people to participate actively in economic activities.
5. What part does health play in the individual’s working life?Ans: Health is directly linked to an individual's working life. A healthy person can work for longer hours, produce more efficiently, and have less absenteeism. Poor health can lead to decreased productivity, higher healthcare costs, and reduced economic participation.
6. What are the various activities undertaken in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors?Ans:
| Primary Sector | Secondary Sector | Tertiary Sector |
|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishing, mining, and quarrying | Manufacturing, processing, and construction | Trade, transport, communication, banking, education, healthcare, tourism, and insurance |
Ans: Economic activities add value to the national income, including both market activities (for pay or profit) and non-market activities (self-consumption). Non-economic activities do not contribute to national income, such as household chores.
8. Why are women employed in low-paid work?Ans: Women are often employed in low-paid work due to various factors, including lower educational attainment, societal expectations, and gender-based biases. The lack of adequate maternity leave, childcare facilities, and other benefits further contributes to the gender pay gap.
9. How will you explain the term unemployment?Ans: Unemployment refers to a situation where skilled and able individuals are unable to find gainful employment at a decent wage. This issue affects both rural and urban areas, with different types of unemployment such as seasonal (linked to agricultural cycles) and educated unemployment (among graduates).
10. What is the difference between disguised unemployment and seasonal unemployment?Ans: Seasonal unemployment occurs when people are jobless for a part of the year, often related to agricultural seasons. Disguised unemployment happens when more people work on a task than are actually required, meaning they are not fully productive, often seen in agriculture.
11. Why is educated unemployed a peculiar problem of India?Ans: Educated unemployment is a significant issue in India because a large number of graduates and post-graduates are unable to find suitable jobs. This is often linked to a mismatch between the skills acquired during education and the skills demanded by the job market.
12. In which field do you think India can build the maximum employment opportunity?Ans: India has potential for creating significant employment opportunities in the secondary sector, which includes manufacturing and industries. This sector can absorb a large portion of the workforce, contributing to economic growth and development.
13. Can you suggest some measures in the education system to mitigate the problem of the educated unemployed?Ans: To address educated unemployment, the education system needs to become more skill-oriented and responsive to industry needs. This can be achieved by:
- Making secondary education more career-oriented.
- Allowing students to choose subjects that align with their interests and career aspirations.
- Introducing new subjects and fields of study that cater to emerging job markets.
14. Can you imagine some village which initially had no job opportunities but later came up with many?Ans: **This question requires students to provide their own examples based on their knowledge or research.**
15. Which capital would you consider the best — land, labour, physical capital or human capital? Why?Ans: Human capital is often considered the most valuable resource because it has the capacity to utilize other resources like land, labor, and physical capital to create productive outputs. Human ingenuity, knowledge, skills, and abilities are essential for driving economic progress.
