CBSE Class 12 Geography Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context Notes

Planning1 is the process of thinking, formulation of a scheme or programme and implementation of a set of actions to achieve some goal. It is a very broad term. The most important objective of planning is to utilise resources in a sustainable manner. Planning and sustainable development are complementary to each other.

Approaches of Planning
Generally, there are two approaches of planning which are
(i) Sectoral Planning It involves formulation and implementation of schemes or programmes that aims to develop various sectors of the economy such as agriculture, irrigation, manufacturing, power, construction, transport, communication, social infrastructure and services.
(ii) Regional Planning There is no-uniform economic development2 over space in any country. This means that some areas are more developed as compared to other areas. Regional planning approach aims at reducing this regional imbalance in development. Regional planners have spatial perspectives to make plans for balanced development of a region.

Target Area Planning

The planning process which is done with reference to a special target area is known as target area planning. The core focus of planning process is to promote development in economically backward areas. Economic development of a region depends on its resource base. But technology and investment are also required for economic development. But sometimes resource-rich regions also remain backward due to lack of technology and investment.

After a planning experience of about one and a half decade, the Planning Commission realised that regional imbalances in the economic development have increased and it is rising. To limit and stop the regional imbalances from rising further, the Planning Commission introduced the target area and target group approaches to planning. The programmes under these two approaches include

Target Area Programmes
Some of the target area programmes were
- Command Area Development Programme
- Drought Prone Area Development Programme
- Desert Development Programme
- Hill Area Development Programme

Target Group Programmes
Some of the target group programmes were
(a) Small Farmers Development Agency (SFDA)
(b) Marginal Farmers Development Agency (MFDA)
In the Eighth Five Year Plan, special area programmes were also designed to develop infrastructure in hill areas,North-Eastern states, tribal areas and backward areas.

Hill Area Development Programme

Hill Area Development Programme were initiated during the Fifth Five Year Plan covering 15 districts which comprised of all the hilly districts of Uttar pradesh (Present Uttarakhand), Mikir Hills and North Cachar Hills of Assam, Darjeeling Hills of West Bengal and Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu. The National Committee on the Development of Backward Area in 1981 defined backward hill areas as-all the hill areas in the country having height above 600 m and not covered under tribal sub-plan should be treated as backward hill areas.
The detailed plans for the development of hill areas were made by taking into consideration the topographical, ecological, social and economic conditions of the hill areas. These programmes aimed at harnessing the local resources of the hill areas by developing the industries like horticulture, plantation, agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, small scale, village based industries.

Drought Prone Area Programme

This programme was started during the Fourth Five Year Plan. The main objectives of Drought Prone Area Programme were
- This plan mainly emphasised on generating employment opportunities for the people of drought prone areas along with creating productive assets.
- Initially, it focussed on construction of labour intensive civil works to promote employment and create assets. Later, irrigation projects, land development programmes, afforestation, grassland development and creation of basic rural infrastructure such as rural electrification, roads, market, credit and services were also included.
The National Committee on Development of Backward Areas reviewed the performance of the Drought Prone Area Development Programme. It has been observed that this programme is mainly limited to the development of agriculture and allied sectors with major focus on restoration of ecological balance.
However, growing population pressure is forcing the society to even use marginal lands for agriculture, which is leading to ecological degradation. Thus, there is a need to promote alternative employment opportunities in the drought-prone areas. The other strategies of development of these areas include adoption of integrated watershed development at the micro level. The basic consideration in the strategy of development of drought prone areas should be the restoration of ecological balance between water, soil, plants, human and animal population.

Drought Prone Regions
In 1967, Planning Commission identified the 67 districts (entirely or partly) as drought prone regions. Irrigation Commission 1972, demarcated the drought prone areas and
introduced the criterion of 30% irrigated area.
Drought prone areas in India include semi-arid and arid tract of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Western Madhya Pradesh, Marathwada region of Maharashtra, Rayalseema and Telangana plateaus, Karnataka plateau and highlands and interior parts of Tamil Nadu. Due to the advancement in irrigation facilities drought prone areas of Haryana, Punjab and Northern Rajasthan do not face droughts.

Overview of Planning Perspective in India
India had adopted centralised planning after independence, but gradually, it changed into decentralised multi-level planning. The responsibility of formulating plans was with the Planning Commission at the Centre, State and district levels. The NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission On 1st January, 2015. NITI Aayog has been set up with an objective to involve the states in the economic policy making for India, to provide strategic and technical advice to the Centre and State governments.

Bharmaur Region : Case Study on Target Area Planning

Physical Setting of Bharmaur Region
This region lies between 32° 11' N and 32° 41' N latitudes and 76° 22' E and 76° 53' E longitudes. Spread over an area of about 1818 sq km, the region mostly lies between 1500 m to 3700 m above the mean sea level.This region is popularly known as the homeland of Gaddis (a tribal community) and is surrounded by lofty mountains on all sides. It has Pir Panjal in the North and Dhaula Dhar in the South. In the East, the extension of Dhaula Dhar converges with Pir Panjal near Rohtang pass. The river Ravi and its tributaries, the Budhil and the Tundahen, drain this territory and carve out deep gorges. These rivers divide the region into four physiographic divisions called Holi, Khani, Kugti and Tundah areas. Bharmaur experiences freezing weather conditions and snowfall in winter.Monthly temperature in January remains 4°C and in July it is 26°C.

The Bharmaur tribal area comprises Bharmaur and Holi Tehsils of Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. It is a notified tribal area since 21st November, 1975. Bharmaur is inhabited by Gaddi a tribal community that have maintained a unique and distinct identity in the Himalayan region because they practised transhumance and communicated through Gaddiali Dialect.

Underdeveloped Economy of Bharmaur

Harsh climate, low resource base and fragile environment influence the economy and society of the region. It is one of the most economically and socially backward areas of Himachal Pradesh.
The Gaddis have experienced geographical and political isolation and socio-economic deprivation. The economy is largely based on agriculture and allied activities such as sheep and goat rearing. According to 2011 census, the total population of Bharmaur sub-division was 39,113 that is 21 persons per sq km.

Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) in Bharmaur
In 1970s, Gaddis were included in the list of scheduled tribes and in the same period, the development process of tribal area of this region started.
Later in 1974 under the Fifth Five Year Plan, the tribal sub-plan was introduced and Bharmaur was designated as one of the five Integrated Tribal Development Projects (ITDP)3 in Himachal Pradesh.

Aims and Priorities of ITDP
Aims and priorities of the Intergrated Tribal Development Project were
- Improving the quality of life of the Gaddis.
- Narrowing the gap in the level of development between Bharmaur and other districts of Himachal Pradesh.
- The highest priority was on development of transport and communications, agriculture and allied activities as well as social and community services.

Achievements of ITDP
The main achievements of the ITDP were
- Development of infrastructure i.e. schools, healthcare facilities, potable water, roads, communications and electricity supply.
- Villages located along the river Ravi in Holi and Khani areas were main beneficiaries of infrastructural development.
- There has been tremendous increase in literacy rate, e.g. the female literacy rate in the region increased from 1.88% in 1971 to 65% in 2011.
- Decline in gender inequality i.e. difference between male and female literacy rate has declined.
- There has been improvement in the sex-ratio and child marriages declined.
- Traditionally, the Gaddis have been subsistence agriculturists and pastoralists, mainly focussed on foodgrains and livestock population. But during the last three decades of the twentieth century, production of cash crops and pulses have increased.
- The importance of pastoralism in the economy has declined as now only about one-tenth of the total households practise transhumance.

Limitations of ITDP
Though the ITDP has been largely successful in developing the region, there have been a few limitations which are l Some areas still lack infrastructural development. e.g. The remote villages in Tundah and Kugti areas still lack behind in agricultural development.
- Crop cultivation is still done with traditional methods.
- Even though pastoralism has declined but still Gaddis are very mobile as a large section of them still migrate to Kangra and surrounding areas to earn their living through wage labour during winters.
Note : Five Year Plans have been replaced by 15-Years Vision Document which came into effect from 2017-18.

Sustainable Development

The concept sustainable development4 evolved in 20th century for holistic development. The concept of development is quite complex and dynamic in nature. It is generally used to describe the state of particular society (for instance people living in urban and rural areas) and the process of changes experienced by them (For instance, bullock cart to cycle to bike to car).
Historically, the main criteria of determination of society’s state was the interaction process between human societies and their bio-physical environment (air, water, soil etc.) With time, human’s interaction with bio-physical environment has changed. Now, the process of human-environment interaction depends upon the level of technology (different scientific developments) and institutions developed by a society.
Technology and institutions have increased the speed of human-environment interactions which has in return promoted technological progress and transformation and creation of institutions. Thus, development is a multi-dimensional concept which signifies positive and irreversible transformation of the economy, society and environment.

Evolution of the Concept of Development
The concept of development has evolved during the second half of twentieth century. It has evolved through the following stages
l In the post World War II era, the concept of development was related to economic growth that is measured as increase in Gross National Product (GNP)5 and per capita income/consumption over a period of time. But even the countries having high economic growth experienced rapid rise in poverty because of its unequal distribution.
l In the 1970s, development started including equity and redistribution alongwith growth.
l Later it was realised that the concept of development cannot be restricted to only the economic sphere. It shall also include issues related to the well-being of the people. By 1980s, development emerged as a concept covering wide-spread improvements in social as well as material well being of all in a society.

Development now emphasises on improving the well-being of the people, improving the living standard of the people, availing the health and education facilities and equality of opportunity and ensuring political and civil rights.

Evolution of the Concept of Sustainable Development
The concept of sustainable development evolved due to general rise in the awareness of environmental issues in the late 1960s in the Western world. It reflected the concerns of people about the undesirable effects of industrial development on environment.

Publication of The Population Bomb by Ehrlich in 1968 and The Limits to Growth by Meadows and others in 1972 raised the level of fear among the environmetalists and the people. This set the stage for the emergence of new models of development under the broad term ‘sustainable development’.

World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED)
The United Nations established the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) due to the concerns raised by the world community on environmental issues. The Commission was headed by Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland.
The Commission gave its report entitled as ‘Our Common Future (also known as Brundtland Report’) in the year 1987. This report defined sustainable development as ‘‘The development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’’.
Thus, sustainable development takes care of the ecological, social and economic aspects of development of present time and emphasis on the conservation of resources to enable the future generations to use these resources. It considers the development of the whole human kind which have a common future.

Indira Gandhi Canal Command Area : Case Study on Sustainable Development
This project, conceived by Kunwar Sain in 1948, was launched on 31st March, 1958. The canal originates at Harike Barrage in Punjab state and goes parallel to Pakistan Border at an average distance of 40 km in Thar Desert (Marusthali) of Rajasthan. The total planned length of the system is 9060 km, fulfilling the irrigation needs of a total culturable command area of 19.63 lakh hectares. The canal works on two types of irrigation systems flow irrigation system6 and lift irrigation system7. In the lift canal, water is lifted up to make it to flow against the slope of the land.

All the lift canals of this system originate at the left bank of main canal while all the canals on the right bank of main canal are flow channels. Out of the total command area, 70% was targeted to be irrigated by flow system and the rest by lift system. The construction of this canal has been carried out in two stages
Stage I In first stage, it covered the command areas of Ganganagar, Hanumangarh and Northern part of Bikaner districts

Its culturable command area is 5.53 lakh hectares, having gentle undulating topography. In this stage, the irrigation system was introduced in early 1960s.
Stage II This stage covered 14.10 lakh hectares culturable command area of Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Nagpur and Churu districts.
The main characteristics of the cultural command area of stage II are
- Hot desert with shifting sands dunes.
- Summer temperature upto 50° C.
- Irrigation system was introduced in this stage in mid- 1980s.

Effects of Indira Gandhi Canal Irrigation on Environment
The introduction of canal irrigation in this dryland has changed its ecology, economy and society. The environment of the region has been influenced by this project both positively and negatively:
Positive Effect Due to the canal irrigation, there is sufficient soil moisture availability for a longer duration and various afforestation and pasture development programmes have led to greening of land. It has resulted in a considerable reduction in wind erosion and siltation of canal systems.
Negative Effect Due to intensive irrigation and excessive use of water, an alarming rate of water logging and soil salinity have been recorded.

Effects of Indira Gandhi Canal Irrigation on Agriculture
There are both positive and negative effect on agriculture
- Positive Effect Introduction of canal irrigation has led to increase in cultivated land and intensity of cropping. Main commercial crops i.e. wheat, rice, cotton, groundnut have replaced the drought resistant crops like gram, bajra, and Jowar. This is the result of intensive irrigation. Thus, it has brought significant transformation in the agricultural economy of this region.
- Negative Effect Intensive irrigation has also become a cause of water logging and soil salinity. So, in the near future it may hamper the sustainability of agriculture.

Measures for Promotion of Sustainable Development
It has been argued by various scholars that the Indira Gandhi Canal Project is ecologically unsustainable. This has been due to the course of development that the Indira Gandhi canal area has taken during the last four decades. It has resulted in degradation of the physical environment.
Attaining the goal of sustainable development in Indira Gandhi Canal command area requires such measures that can achieve ecological, social and economic sustainability. Hence, seven measures have been proposed in this respect. Five of these measures are meant to restore ecological sustainability. These measures are
(i) Rigorous implementation of water management policy is the first and foremost requirement of this project. The canal project emphasised protective irrigation in Stage I and extensive irrigation of crops and pasture development in Stage II.
(ii) Water intensive crops8 shall be avoided and plantation crops such as citrus fruits shall be encouraged by the people.
(iii) In order to reduce the conveyance loss of water, the following CAD (Command Area Development) programmes should be implemented effectively.
l Lining of water courses
l Land development and levelling
l Warabandi system (equal distribution of canal water in the command area of outlet)
(iv) The areas affected by water logging and soil salinity shall be reclaimed.
(v) The eco-development is must through afforestation, shelterbelt plantation9 and pasture development activities, particularly in the fragile environment of Stage II.
(vi) Providing adequate financial and institutional support for cultivation to the land allottees having poor economic background will be a positive step towards achieving the social sustainability in the region.
(vii) Economic sustainability cannot be achieved only through development of agriculture and animal husbandry.
Agriculture and allied activities have to develop with other sectors of the economy. There must be diversification of economic base and establishment of functional linkages between villages, agro-service centers and markets.