Unit 5 - Economic Growth and Challenge/India

Question 1

What are the 3 major rivers in India and their drainage patterns?

Answer 1

The major rivers of India originate in one of 3 main watersheds:
The Himalaya and karakoram ranges in the north
The Vindhya and Satpura ranges in the centre
The Western Ghats in the the west
The himalayan river networks are dependent on the monsooon and have significantly lower discharges during the dry season.

Question 2

What is temperature like in India? What are India’s seasons?

Answer 2

Temperatures tend to be cooler in the North, especially between September and March, India has 4 seasons, winter (january and february), summer (march and may) the wet monsoon season (june to october) and the dry monsoon season (november to december)

Question 3

What happens during the wet monsoon season in India?

Answer 3

The wet monsoon season coincides with the movement of the ITCZ, into the region bringing an areas of low pressure and drawing in hot, moist winds from the ocean.
Rainfall is increased by orographic uplift, where these moist winds are drawn over uplands such as the Western Ghats.
Temperatures average 30*c and humidity is also very high, with average rainfall around 2000mm, decreasing with distance inland. Cyclones and hurricanes are frequent towards the end of the rainy season.

Question 4

What happens during the dry monsoon season in India?

Answer 4

The cooler dry season coincides with the extension of continental high pressure as the ITCZ moves back towards the equator and across into the tropics beyond.
With high pressure dominating, there is air subsidence and out-blowing winds are dry. Temperature remains relatively high at 25*C, in lowland areas and evaporation rates are also high. The weather is much more severe in mountain areas.

Question 5

What is india’s water availability like?

Answer 5

Although precipitation is variable, India has a relatively wet climate. India ranks in the worlds top 10 water rich countries, with approximately 4% of the worlds freshwater sources.
Annual precipitation provides over 4000km3 of fresh water to India, of which approximately half is returned to the oceans or evaporated, with only a small percentage stored in inland water bodies and aquifers.

Question 6

Why does India have spatial variations in population growth rates?

Answer 6

Kerala has a very progressive population management programme involving the education and empowerment of women, has the lowest rate of population growth.
Delhi’s population growth is related to rural-urban migration fuelled by economic development and employment opportunities. The highest growth rates, in Nagaland, can be linked to the influx of refugees from Burma.

Question 7

Why is the distribution of population in India uneven?

Answer 7

The highest concentrations in the fertile northern floodplains. Relief and climate (and associated water availability) have influenced India’s population distribution.
The north Indian plains, deltas and coastal plains have higher population densities than the interior districts of central Indian states, the Himalayas and some Northeastern and western states.

Question 8

Why are river plains and coastal areas in India highly populated?

Answer 8

• settled agriculture
• the development of irrigation (Rajasthan)
• availability of mineral and energy sources (Jharkhand)
• development of transport networks (peninsular states)

Question 9

Why has India’s urban areas grown significantly?

Answer 9

Due to the association with the unprecedented rate of urbanisation and industrialisation that has occurred since the economic reforms of 1991.

Question 10

What is India’s age demographic like?

Answer 10

India has a youthful population structure.
- in 2018, it was estimated that 30% of its population were aged under 15 years, but only 6% were over 65, putting India’s dependency ratio at 56%, with a high youth dependency of 47% and a relatively low age dependency
- the dependency ratio is overstated because India has one the highest concentrations of child workers in the world. Children mostly work in the informal sector, which is not subject to government inspections, legal protection or minimum wage requirements.

Question 11

What is healthcare in India like?

Answer 11

• each Indian state determines its own healthcare priorities
• access to healthcare is unevenly distributed between rural and urban India
• urban residents have a choice between public or private providers, but rural residents have more limited options.
• public hospitals in India offer free, but less sophisticated care than private ones, however the system is strained to the point of collapse
• lack of access for rural communities, where 2/3rds of the population live, forces people to travel many hours to reach urban facilities

Question 12

What is the education system like in India?

Answer 12

• compulsory education begins when children are 6 years of age and is obligatory until they are 14
• whilst registration is compulsory, school attendance is not enforced, with only 50% of children attending school
• primary school children are usually taught in the local dialect, of which there are 122 across india
• many schools educate children in Hindi, the official language of India, with english as a foreign language
• education is a challenge in many rural areas, particularly with girls, dropout rates are high and attendance is poor
• approx 10% of young people progress to higher education
• higher education is being used as an important tool to build a knowledge based information society

Question 13

What are the 8 gender inequality issues in India?

Answer 13

• violence against women
• modern slavery
• property ownership
• employment opportunity
• workplace discrimination
• political participation
• access to healthcare
• access to education

Question 14

Why is violence against women a gender inequality issue in India?

Answer 14

52% of women in India think its justifiable for a man to beat his wife, according to UNICEF

Question 15

Why is modern slavery a gender inequality issue in India?

Answer 15

An estimated 18.3 million people, mostly female, were subject to modern slavery in India in 2016

Question 16

Why is property ownership a gender inequality issue in India?

Answer 16

Women have very few land and property ownership rights

Question 17

Why is employment opportunities a gender inequality issue in India?

Answer 17

Women have limited access to employment opportunities, especially among the rural poor

Question 18

Why is workplace discrimination a gender inequality issue in India?

Answer 18

Discrimination in the workplace is common, and maternity benefits are denied by many employers

Question 19

Why is political participation a gender inequality issue in India?

Answer 19

Women are under-represented at all levels of government, national, provincial and local

Question 20

Why is access to healthcare a gender inequality issue in India?

Answer 20

Women have unequal access to healthcare, although initiatives are in place to improve the situation

Question 21

Why is access to education a gender inequality issue in India?

Answer 21

Nationally, 70% of girls attend primary school, but the figure is much lower at secondary school

Question 22

What is gender discrimination in India the result of? What is being done to improve this?

Answer 22

It is the result of deeply entrenched norms, which favour men.
Change is occuring slowly, interventions include strengthening and increasing laws and human rights treaties, the work of NGO’s, improved education and the influence of the media

Question 23

How is the caste system in India viewed as a modern day constraint?
Why do some castes need more support than others?

Answer 23

The caste system in India can also be viewed as a significant additional, cultural constraint.
Hinduism is deeply rooted in India’s culture, particularly through the caste system, which discriminates against the lowest caste - the Dalits or ‘Untouchables’.
The indian government has tried to reduce discrimination by ensuring that a percentage of public sector jobs are reserved for certain Dalit sub-castes.
These groups need special attention because not only do they suffer from poverty and lower access to services, but also they account got the worst health outcomes in the country.

Question 24

What is indias resource base/geological background like?

Answer 24

Indias geological background is similar to that of mineral-rich Australia, South Africa and South America, all of which formed a continuous landmass before the break up of Godwanaland.
Indias major mineral resources include coal (India has the 4th largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone and thorium.
Oilfields off Mumbai and onshore in Assam meet 20% of the countries demand, however, India is still heavily dependent on imports of both coal and oil for the rest of its needs.

Question 25

What does the Indian Himalayan region provide for India?

Answer 25

• it extends from the foothills in the south to the tibetan plateau in the north
• the region occupies a strategic position and borders seven countries
• the north indian states benefit from scenic, mountainous terrain, with dense forests and perennial water sources making it attractive for tourism
• the fold mountains form an arc, preventing cold, artic winds from reaching the tropical landmass to the south
• this region is also prone to natural hazards, particularly flooding and earthquakes, and infrastructure is poor due to the steep terrain

Question 26

What does the Indo-Gangetic plain provide for the region?

Answer 26

• lies between the himalayas and the peninsular plateu
• the 3 major river systems of India (Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra), fed by seasonal meltwater runoff from major glaciers, have deposited alluvium across the plain
• this region supports fertile agriculture but is subject to flooding
• climate change will increase meltwater discharges in the short term but may lead to dangerous water shortages over time
• the Thar desert forms an important southern extension of the Indo-Gangetic plain, with rainfall as low as 150mm per annum, this region is too arid to support agriculture without irrigation, but has huge potential for solar energy

Question 27

What does the Peninsular plateau provide for the region?

Answer 27

• divided in to the central highlands and the deccan plateau, located between the western ghats and the eastern ghats
• the climate in the northern areas is much drier that that of adjacent Coastal Plains, other areas of the plateau, however, have distinct wet and dry seasons, with densely populated river valleys associated with ample access to water

Question 28

What do the Coastal Plains provide for the region?

Answer 28

The coastal plains occupy a narrow strip from the Bay of Bengal in the East to the Arabian sea in the west.
Although Indias coastline lacks good anchorage, given its length, important ports, such as Mumbai and Cochin (located on the Arabian sea coast) promote trade

Question 29

What are the predicted environmental effects of climate change in India?

Answer 29

• a 2*c rise in the worlds average temperatures will makes Indias summer monsoon more unpredictable
• an abrupt change in the monsoon could trigger more frequent droughts as well as greater flooding in large parts of India
• dry years are expected to be drier and wet years wetter
• droughts are expected to be more frequent in some areas, especially in some areas, especially in Northwestern India, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh

Question 30

What are the predicted socio-economic effects climate change may have on India?

Answer 30

• a decline in crop yields by the 2040s because of extreme heat (the development of drought resistant crops can mitigate some of the negative impacts)
• falling agriculture incomes, particularly in unirrigated areas that would be hit hardest by rising temperatures and a decline in rainfall
• health impacts, including malnutrition, child stunting (projected to increase by 35% by 2050), malaria (likely to spread to where colder temperatures have previously limitted transmission) and increases in mortality arising from heat waves

Question 31

What economic activity is occuring in Andhra Pradesh?

Answer 31

Growing agricultural sector, with opportunities for improved dairy productivity and aquaculture management

Question 32

What economic activity is occuring in Madya Pradesh?

Answer 32

Highest agricultural growth rate and output, including high yields of wheat, pulses and dairy products, associated with major expansions in irrigation

Question 33

What economic activity is occurring in Maharashtra?

Answer 33

Coastal economic zone, which presents potential for food processing hubs

Question 34

What economic activity is occurring in Punjab?

Answer 34

Punjab continues to play an important role in grain production at both state and national levels, with more than 83% of the state under intensive agriculture.

Question 35

What economic activity is occurring in Rajasthan?

Answer 35

Despite extensive areas of desert and dry land farming in Rajasthan, the state is a major producer of milk, cereals, pulses and oilseeds

Question 36

What economic activity is occuring in Uttar Pradesh?

Answer 36

Uttar Pradesh is an important milk producing state.

Question 37

Where is India’s heavy industry concentrated?

Answer 37

traditional heavy industry is concentrated in the Damodar Valley
The presense of coal mining operations and the availability of iron ore prompted the establishment of many steel and power plants in the basin area

Question 38

How do SEZ’s benefit India?

Answer 38

• the special economic zones act was passed in 2005
• sezs are distributed across India and aim to stimulate economic activity by attracting manufacturing and services through a range of economic benefits
• sezs in india include; petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, manufactoring, information technology
• benefits include exemption from taxes and import/export duties, liberalised labour laws and free repatriation of profits

Question 39

What triggered Indias economic development?

Answer 39

After independence and Partition (whereby British India separated into India and Pakistan) in 1947, Indias aim was to develop economically without the participation or influence of foreign capital.
Economic policies has a strong anti-export bias.
Socialist governments ensured a high level of state control over key industries, which in turn led to excessive bureaucracy and very slow economic growth

Question 40

What crisis opened India up to globalisation?

Answer 40

A major economic crisis in 1991 forced the governing Congress Party to borrow money from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This opened up the economy to economic globalisation. India is now one of the fasting growing economies in the world.

Question 41

Who regulates the agricultural industry in India?

Answer 41

For the agricultural sector, central government sets price controls and tariffs. It also plays a role through central promotion schemes for particular varieties of crop and agricultural product.
The individual states have responsibility for implementing agriculture policies, with each state influencing decisions for the delivery of agricultural services, technology and investments.

Question 42

What tensions have catalysed technological developement?

Answer 42

Political tensions with neighbouring Pakistan and China are seen as a catalyst for the development of India’s aeronautical, satellite and nuclear technologies.
Achieving self-reliance in defence manufacturing is a key government target, with planned government spending of US$130 billion on defence industries by 2022
Some industries such as defence and aerospace, remain under state control but many manufacturing sectors, including vehicles, consumer electronics and white goods are now open to FDI

Question 43

Why does India have serious transport issues?

Answer 43

• the road transport sector has been declared a priority and will have access to loans with favorable conditions
• currently there are significant delays in distribution and severe bottlenecks, with state and federal governments often in opposition
• the national highways development program aims to reduce congestion on rail corridors through the golden quadrilateral and improve port connectivity

Question 44

Who is India an attractive location for?

Answer 44

India has become an attractive location for MNCs to set up factories, offices and call centres.
Indian companies (eg Tata) have established bases in other countries, increasing indias GNI
- the tertiary sector dominates (59%) followed by manufacturing (26%) and agriculture (15%)

Question 45

What is the rapid economic growth in India the result of?

Answer 45

Largely the result of the expansion of the service sector rather than the growth of manufacturing.
The service sector includes financial services, software services, accounting services and entertainment industries such as bollywood, the products of which are among the most widely watched films in the world

Question 46

Why does India’s economy have great potential?

Answer 46

India benefits from a large, youthful population giving it a positive demographic dividend.
English is widely spoken and graduate education is widespread, it has sophisticated space and missile technology and is a global leader in ICT

Question 47

What is India’s role of the worlds outsourcing capital the result of?

Answer 47

• ICT skill shortages in some developed countries
• changing technologies, particularly in computers and communications
• indias lower labour costs
• a large english speaking workforce
• a highly skilled and educated workforce

Question 48

In what way does India exert soft power globally?

Answer 48

• considerable influence over world trade, trying to encourage a more liberal global trade regime, especially in services
• involved in IMF and the world bank, so has growing influence over global financial decision making
• indian mncs like Tata Steel have important economic influence within the global community
• suggestions for India to join the United Nations Security Council, india is playing a greater role in disaster response
  -india is committed to democratic institutions, the rule of law and human rights, has a huge and talented diaspora, shares many western values and is culturally rich

Question 49

How is environmental damage associated with industrial pollution in India?

Answer 49

The Ganga River, which has great spiritual and emotional significance for the Indians, is seriously polluted.
764 industrial units along the main stretch of the River Ganges and its tributaries discharge 500 million litres of toxic waste a day

Question 50

Why is agricultural output linked to soil erosion in India?

Answer 50

30% of Indias gross agricultural output is lost every year due to soil degradation, poor land management and counter productive irrigation

Question 51

Why is india facing intensive desertification?

Answer 51

Due to wind and water erosion, vegetation degradation, salinity and the growth of settlements linked to increased economic activity

Question 52

What is India’s water security like?

Answer 52

• india struggles with both too much and too little water
• the areas that flood in the monsoons, and the number of people that are affected, increase every year
• water demand is high due to rapid urbanisation, rising standards of living, industrialisation and extensive agriculture
• the unpredictability of rainfall in many semi-arid areas is increasing because of failed monsoons and climate change

Question 53

Why can’t India effectively access there water sources?

Answer 53

Physical constraints, distribution patterns, technical limitations and poor management
- India is a designated area of ‘water stress’, with utilisable fresh water below the international standard limit of 1700m3 per capita per year
- in the future it may become a designated ‘water scarce’ region if this falls below 1000m3 per year
- 15% of indias groundwater resources are overexploited , the efficient use of ground water resources will need to be incentivised to offset further falls in water table levels

Question 54

What is India’s food security like?

Answer 54

Indias growing population increases the challenge of food security. Despite rapid economic growth in India, millions of Indians suffer poverty and hunger. Previously self-sufficient in wheat, india now imports grain to feed the rapidly growing population, which is increasing by 17 million every year
- there is growing demand for fertile farmland to be used by MNCS to grow industrial and food crops for export
- these developments also use up water resources and increase pollution of soil and water

Question 55

What are the factors contributing to India’s threatened food security?

Answer 55

• urbanisation reduces availability of agricultural land
• green revolution has physical and socioeconomic impacts
• government assistance needed in water management and mechanisation
• inefficient infrastructure leads to problems of food distribution and waste
• small scale farmers disadvantaged by globalisation
• increased soil erosion due to intense rainfall
• declining water table
• increased frequency of floods and droughts
• unreliable weather patterns

Question 56

What is India’s energy security like?

Answer 56

• there is a huge supressed demand, the world bank estimates that as many as 400 million people in India currently have no access to electricity
• india relies heavily on fossil fuels,especially coal
• not much renewable energy currently generated

Question 57

How does coal affect India’s energy security?

Answer 57

There are significant reserves of coal, but limited oil and gas resources
- coal is the dominant energy source, over half of indias energy generation
- the burning of coal produces greenhouse gases, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Although the proportion of coal derived energy is falling with 550 thermal power station projects cancelled in the past 7 years, coal will continue to be significant in decades to come

Question 58

How has the rate of population growth caused issues in urban environments?

Answer 58

• water pollution from untreated sewage
• air pollution from industry and car exhausts
• the number of road vehicles and construction sites have multiplied, and outdoor air pollution has become a major health hazard and killer
• this adds to the already large burden of ill health caused by household air pollution from the use of solid fuels for cooking

Question 59

What issues is Mumbai facing as a global city?

Answer 59

• unsustainable population growth
• dangerous vehicular traffic
• water pollution
• air pollution
• plastic waste littering in the streets
• river pollution
• high intensity monsoon rainfall causes flooding due to sewer failures
• low lying population by coastlines is threatened by future rising sea levels
• mumbai has the largest population exposed to coastal flooding and sea water intrusion

Question 60

What are the strategies to manage environmental problems associated with economic growth?

Answer 60

• states that increase forest cover will stand to gain tax revenue, while states that lose forest cover will lose it
• each states forest coverage is detected by biennial satellite monitoring carried out by the india forests survey
• indias reform is an example of the ecological fiscal transfer (EFT), in which higher levels of government devolve funds to lower levels of government based on success in achieving environmental indicators
• EFTS encourage the protection and restoration of forests
• REDD+ Strategy India is one of the projects aimed at supporting Indias commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, was launched in 2018 by the minister for environment, deforestation and forest degradation. REDD+ stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation and aims to achieve climate change mitigation by incentivising forest conservation

Question 61

What has been attempted to improve water security?

Answer 61

• rainwater harvesting - 75% of homes have systems for harvesting rainwater
• artifically recharging ground water
• recycling sewage
• desalination

Question 62

How can India maintain a sustainable water supply in the future?

Answer 62

• increase water supply from non-rainfall dependent sources (recycling sewage and desalination)
• maximise storage of monsoon rainfall
• reforest river catchments to improve ground water supplies
• use reverse osmosis for the treatment of polluted groundwater and recycling of wastewater
• introduce demand management solutions, such as water conservation and the reduction of leakages

Question 63

What are the strategies to improve food security?

Answer 63

• Green Revolution was successful in raising incomes for farmers on naturally fertile soil, but increased inequalities between wealthy farmers on productive land and poorer farmers on marginal land
• the Indian government introduced the National Food security Act in 2013. Its objective is to provide food security by ensuring that up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population recieve 5kg of food grain per person per month at subsidised prices. However, this strategy does not address the issue of improving the supply of food

Question 64

How can India maintain a sustainable food supply in the future?

Answer 64

• increase government investment in agriculture
• improve prices for farmers
• reduce input costs
• improve local food security through food distribution centres, as current storage and distribution systems are inefficient
• improve the management of water supplies

Question 65

What are the strategies to improve energy security?

Answer 65

• india has considerable potential for the exploitation of renewable energy resources, such as solar and wind power and biofuels from sugarcane
• although coal will remain a dominant energy source, its share of generation is predicted to fall as that from renewables rises
• The Desert Power India 2050 plan, put foward by India’s state owned power utility, the Power Grid Corporation, predicts that 455GW of electricity could come from renewable sources by 2050 and around 2/3rds of that would be produced by vast solar power PV installations such has the Thar Desert
• Indias National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) aims to improve energy efficiency and develop renewables, especially solar power. A proxy carbon tax is currently levied on coal, both imported and domestic, however because of Indias economic growth, GHG emissions are predicted to be in the range of 4-7.3 billion tonnes by 2030, compared with 2.43 billion tonnes in 2010

Question 66

What are the strategies to improve the sustainability of urban communities?

Answer 66

• banning diesel autos and vans (eg in Delhi and Imphal), in Imphal there are plans to substitute auto-rickshaws and diesel-van transport with a state bus service and e-rickshaws
• some indian businesses are taking the initiative to implement transport demand management (TDM) strategies to improve the productivty of their employees and reduce the social costs of car congestion. Wipro has worked with the Banagalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) on specific routes designed to move workers more efficiently and reduce Wipro’s employees carbon footprint
• in Maharashtra state, of which mumbai is the capital, a ban on single use plastic items has been introduced
• proposals include switching to clean energy sources for cooking stoves, public transport and industry, as well as measures to reduce road traffic by raising fuel taxes and parking fees, levying congestion charges and creating vehicle free zones and cycle paths
• development of rural areas could do much to stem internal migration and take pressure from urban centres