CBSE Class 10 Social Science Development Notes Set 07

Different people, different goals

Development means different things to different people, because each person looks for conditions that suit their own aspirations. A landless rural labourer wants more days of work, better wages, a good local school and an end to discrimination. A prosperous farmer wants assured high prices for crops and cheap labour, and may hope to settle his children abroad. What is development for one person may be harmful for another: a dam that gives electricity to industries may displace the people living in the area. People therefore seek a mix of goals, such as income, equal treatment, freedom, security and respect.

Income and other goals

Income is an important part of development, but not the only one. Money cannot buy a pollution-free environment, protection from infectious diseases, peace or democracy. Non-material goals such as freedom, security, respect and equal treatment matter as well. Development is thus about improving the quality of life, not just growth in income.

National income and per capita income

To compare countries, we use income as the most important criterion. National income is the total value of final goods and services produced in a country in a year. Per capita income is national income divided by the total population, also called average income. The World Bank, in its World Development Report, classifies countries by per capita income into high, middle and low income categories, and calls countries with low incomes less developed.

Limitations of average income:

1. It hides the distribution of income: a high average may conceal large inequality between rich and poor.

2. It ignores non-material aspects such as health, education, safety and environment.

3. It counts only goods and services sold in the market, leaving out unpaid work.

Two states with the same average income can differ widely in health and education. Kerala has a lower per capita income than Haryana but does better on literacy, infant mortality and school attendance, because it spends more on public facilities.

Public facilities

Many things cannot be bought individually or are costly, such as a good school, clean drinking water and medical care. They are better provided by the government to everyone. The public distribution system (PDS) and the mid-day meal scheme are examples; where they work well, nutrition and school attendance improve.

Human development

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) publishes the Human Development Report each year. Countries are ranked by the Human Development Index (HDI), which combines life expectancy (health), years of schooling (education) and per capita income (standard of living). Other indicators are: Infant Mortality Rate, the number of children out of 1000 live births who die before their first birthday; Literacy Rate, the share of literate people aged 7 and above; and Net Attendance Ratio, the number of children aged 6 to 10 attending school as a percentage of all children of that age.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in metres. A value below 18.5 means the adult is undernourished, 18.5 to 24.9 is normal, and 25 or above means overweight.

Sustainability

Development should meet present needs without harming the needs of future generations. Resources such as groundwater and crude oil are limited, and over-use today leaves less for tomorrow. Sustainable development means growing in ways that conserve the environment.

Worked examples

Example 1. A country has a national income of ₹6,00,000 crore and a population of 100 crore. Find its per capita income. Per capita income = 6,00,000 crore ÷ 100 crore = ₹6,000 per person per year.

Example 2. Find the BMI of a person weighing 45 kg and 1.7 m tall. BMI = 45 ÷ (1.7)² = 45 ÷ 2.89 ≈ 15.6. Since this is below 18.5, the person is undernourished.

Example 3. Why is average income not a sufficient measure of development? It does not show how income is shared, and it ignores health, education and environment. Two countries with the same average can have very different quality of life.

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