NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Economics Chapter 1 The Story of Village Palampur
1. Every village in India is surveyed once in ten years during the Census and some of details are presented in the following format. Fill up the following based on information on Palampur.
- LOCATION:
- TOTAL AREA OF THE VILLAGE:
- LAND USE (in hectares):
- Modern farming methods require more inputs which are manufactured in industry. Do you agree?
Answer:- Yes, I absolutely agree that modern farming requires more input which are manufactured in industry because modern farming requires things like machines, tools, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, HYV seeds, and electricity etc. No doubts these things are manufactured in industry.
- How did the spread of electricity help farmers in Palampur?
Answer:- The spread of electricity help farmers in Palampur a lot because earlier they used to irrigate their field by using the Persian wheels which later were replaced by electric-run tubewells. So now in less efforts they can irrigate much larger areas of land more effectively.
- Is it important to increase the area under irrigation? Why?
Answer:- Yes it is very important to increase the area under irrigation because out of total cultivated land area in the country Irrigation facilities are available only to about 40%. Rest 60% are still depends upon good monsoon and rainfall. So if with the help of modern technique we provide them good water supply then we can expect good cultivation and better style life for them.
- Construct a table on the distribution of land among the 450 families of Palampur.
Answer:-
The table distribution of land among the 450 families of Palampur is as given below:
Area of land Cultivated | Number of Families |
No land | 150 |
Less than 2 hectares | 240 |
More than 2 hectares | 60 |
- Why are the wages for farm labourers in Palampur less than minimum wages?
Answer:- The minimum wages for a farm labourer set by the government in Palampur is Rs 115 (April, 2011) per day, but labours gets only Rs 80. Because there is heavy competition for work among the farm labourers in Palampur, so people agree to work for lower wages.
- In your region, talk to two labourers. Choose either farm labourers or labourers working at construction sites. What wages do they get? Are they paid in cash or kind? Do they get work regularly? Are they in debt?
Answer:- Do it Yourself.
- What are the different ways of increasing production on the same piece of land? Use examples to explain.
Answer:- The different ways of increasing production on the same piece of land are following:-
- Multiple cropping : Multiple cropping means growing more than one crop on a piece of land during the year for example during the rainy season (kharif), farmer in Palampur grow jowar and bajra which they used as cattle feed, then potato between October and December after that in the winter season fields are sown with wheat.
- Modern farming methods :- Modern farming methods means the use of modern irrigation, chemical fertilisers and pesticides to produce maximum output.
- HYV Seeds :- The high-yielding varieties of seeds produce much greater amounts of grain on a single plant than the usual traditional seeds.
- Describe the work of a farmer with 1 hectare of land.
Answer:- A farmer with 1 hectare of land is a small farmer. He has to work in his own field for better production as well as to work in others fields too for money. He has to save some produce for his and his family consumption as well as for selling in the market. For financial need he has to borrow from big landlords who charges unfair interest from him.
- How do the medium and large farmers obtain capital for farming? How is it different from the small farmers?
Answer:- The medium and large farmers obtain capital for farming from their previous year savings. They got big savings from either selling surplus produce of their fields or from unfair interest from others. Whereas the small farmers have to borrow from big landlords who charges unfair interest from them.
- On what terms did Savita get a loan from Tajpal Singh? Would Savita’s condition be different if she could get a loan from the bank at a low rate of interest?
Answer:- Tejpal Singh agrees to give Savita the loan at an interest rate of 24 per cent for four months, which is a very high interest rate. Savita also has to promise to work on his field as a farm labourer during the harvest season at Rs 35 per day. Definitely her condition would be different if she could get a loan from the bank at a low rate of interest. Because then she will not have to work for less pay. With that interest rate would also be lower.
- Talk to some old residents in your region and write a short report on the changes in irrigation and changes in production methods during the last 30 years. (Optional)
Answer:- Do it yourself.
- What are the non-farm production activities taking place in your region? Make a short list.
Answer:- The non-farm production activities taking place in our region are:-
- Dairy
- Tuition classes
- Boutique
- Medical stores
- Transportation
- General Stores
- What can be done so that more non-farm production activities can be started in villages?
Answer:- Following things can be done so that more non-farm production activities can be started in villages:-
- Easy loan availability
- Proper market setup for selling daily goods.
- Better transportation availability
- Awareness programmes should be organized to teach people about other non-farm production activities