Chapter 7: Main sectors of the Indian Economy: Industry

Question 1

What is the meaning of Industrialisation?

Answer 1

It may be defined as a process in which more and more industries are established in a country. In the process of industrialisation, old and outdated tools are replaced by machines, human or animal labour is replaced by electric or mechanical power.

Question 2

Mention 8 points under significance of Industries in the Indian Economy

Answer 2

1. Rapid Growth of Income: Productivity rates are higher in industry than in ariculture.
2. Increasing employment opportunities: By setting up more and more industries, we can provide increasing avenues of employment which ultimately will help in solving the problem of unemployment.
3. Exploitation of Resources: The large manpower and vast and varied natural resources of the country can be properly utilised only when industries are developed.
4. Increase in Export Earnings: Most of the traditional export items of India are primary products. Their values are relatively lower than our import items of industrial goods.
5. Support to Agriculture: This can happen in the following ways:
   
   • Surplus labour from agriculture can shift to industries. The problems of unemployment as well as hidden employment will be solved.
   • Important agricultural tools, equipment, are produced and marketed by the industrial sector of the economy.
   • Agro-based industries like jute, cotton, tea, sugar, etc., get their raw materials from agriculture and thereby provide ready market for the agricultural produce.
   • Industries have played an important role in attaining green revolution in agriculture.
6. Balanced development: Most of the population is engaged in agriculture for their living. Our greater dependence on agriculture has made us poor. Balanced development will nly be possible in India when more industries are set up.
7. Self-sustained growth: This is possible in 2 ways:
   
   • The rapid development of capital goods industries provides a sure basis of development in other sectors like agriculture, transport and communications. It also enables the country to produce a variety of consumer goods in large quantities and at low costs.
   • It eliminates our dependence on other countries for the supply of essential goods.
8. Nation’s security: Dependence on foreign countries for defence goods is always a risky affair. We do not have good relations with our neighbouring countries. So we must have industries that cater to our defence needs.

Question 3

Mention 5 points under the contribution of Agriculture to industry:

Answer 3

1. Agriculture supplies raw materials to the industries.
2. Agriculture supplies food for the workers working in different industries.
3. Agriculture is the source for capital formation in industries.
4. Agricultural sector provides a good market for industrial goods
5. Agriculture is a source of healthy and strong labour for the industries.

Question 4

Mention 4 points under contribution of industry to agriculture

Answer 4

1. Industry supplies various agricultural inputs such as chemical fertilisers, pesticides, pump sets, tractors which help raising agricultural productivity.
2. The infrastructure required for agriculture would not have been made without the industrial sector.
3. Industry opens up new and additional sources of employment to absorb all the surplus labour coming from agriculture.
4. When agricultural productivity increases as a result of industrialisation, farmer’s income increases.

Question 5

Mention 5 impacts of Industries on the ecosystem

Answer 5

1. Mining Operations: They leave tailings as a waste.
2. Petroleum industries: These wastes may contain hydrocarbons, numerous organic acids and inorganic sulphur compounds.
3. Manufacturing Industries: Many kinds of chemical waste products are generated by industries.
4. Automobiles: They are a major source of air pollution. The engine of vehicles does not burn all of its fuel. As a result, in addition to emitting water, carbon dioxide and various other oxides of nitrogen, these engines give off a number of incompletely burned waste products. Pollutants include carbon, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and aldehydes.
5. Urbanisation: It is the process of relative growth of a country’s urban population accompanied by an even faster increase in the economic, political and cultural importance of cities relative to rural areas.