NCERT Solutions Class 9 Social Science Chapter 1 The Story of Village Palampur

Q 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.

a. Location:

b. Total Area of the Village

c. Land use (in hectares)

d.      Facilities

Answers: 

a. Location: It is a hypothetical village which  resembles a village of the western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located 3 kilometers from a big village Raiganj. Also, the nearest town is Shahpur.

b. Total Area of the Village: 226  hectares

c. Land use (in hectares):

d. Facilities

Q 2. Modern farming methods require more inputs which are manufactured in industry. Do  you agree?

Answer: Yes, I agree that modern farming methods require more inputs which  are manufactured in industry. For example: 

•    Modern farming methods require HYV seeds, insecticides, pesticides, chemical fertilisers in huge quantity which  are produced in industries.

•   For ploughing and harvesting, farmers are using tractors and threshers which  are manufactured in industries.

•   For irrigational purposes farmers use electric-run tube-well equipments and water pumps that also are manufactured in industries.

Q 3. How did the spread of electricity help farmers in Palampur?

Answer: Electricity reached early to Palampur which transformed the life  of farmers of Palampur in following manners:

•   Earlier farmers were using  Persian wheels  to draw water from wells  and irrigate field. With the advent of electric run tube-wells farmers can irrigate much larger areas of land  more effectively and efficiently.

•   Farmers were depended on rainfall for agricultural activities, now  with the advent of electric run irrigational equipments farmers can grow two crops on a piece of land  during a year.

•  It also helps  farmers in setting up small  businesses where the machines run on electricity.

Q4: Is it important to increase the area under irrigation? Why?

Answer: Yes, it is important to increase the area under irrigation for the following reasons:

•   Population is increasing and thereby the need to increase food  production is imperative. But  there is constraint to increase land  under cultivation, thus the only  alternative to increase productivity is to increase area under irrigation.

•    Rainfall is unevenly distributed and in India most of the farmers depend  on monsoon for agriculture. It shows  if India receives less rainfall, then production will  be low.

•    Overtime farmers are adopting modern methods of agriculture like  using  HYV seeds, multiple cropping, crop rotations, etc. that command good  irrigational facilities.

Q5: Construct a table on the distribution of land among the 450 families of Palampur.

Answer: 

Q6: Why are the wages for farm labourers in Palampur less than minimum wages?

Answer: The wages  for farm labourers in Palampur are lower than the wages  for farm labourers set by the government due to intense competition. There is heavy competition amongst farmers for work in Palampur, so farmers get ready to work for lower wages.

Q7: 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: In our region, I talked to two labourers named Rama and Krishna. They are brothers. They are working on constructional sites. They get ` 300 daily  which  is paid  in cash and lunch  in the afternoon which  is in kind. They do not get work regularly because  after the completion of one project they have  to find  another option. Secondly, there is huge  competition in getting work. When  they do not able to compete, they remain unemployed.

They are in debt because  they had borrowed money from money lender for construction of their house  in their home town. Since, they do not have  regular source  of earnings, they have  to borrow to meet their daily expenses.

Q8: What are the different ways of increasing production on the same piece of land? Use  example to explain.

Answer: The following ways  can be followed to increase production on the same  piece of land:

•   Multiple Cropping: To grow more than one crop on the same  piece of land  during the year is known as multiple cropping. It is the most common way  to increase production. For example, farmers in Palampur grow at least two crops and many  farmers also grow third crop every year from past fifteen to twenty years.

•   Adoption of modern methods: By adopting modern agricultural methods like  use of HYV seeds, farmers can increase their production. They can use insecticide, pesticide, tubewells, etc. to increase yield per acre. For example farmers of Punjab, Haryana, Western UP, are increasingly adopting these methods.

Q9: Describe the work of a farmer with 1 hectare of land.

Answer: A farmer who owns  1 hectare of land  for farming is called  as subsistence farmer. The size of 1 hectare of land  is very less and not suitable for the cultivation with modern equipments. On this land, farmer practices traditional methods of agriculture. Since the size of land  is small  and the application of new methods of irrigation, use of insecticides, pesticides, is limited. With this production farmer may  not be able to manage his family in the whole  year. For the survival of his family, he has to work on rich farmer’s field  or has to do some  other work. He may  also have  to take loan  to buy inputs for cultivations and pay hefty interest rates. For the repayment of loan  he may  be put  to distress.

Q10: How do  the medium and large farmers obtain capital for farming? How is it different from the small farmers?

Answer: Medium and large farmers use their own savings to obtain capital for farming. They have accumulated this savings from farming. In contrast to the medium and large farmers, small farmers borrow money from large farmers or village money lenders or traders who  supply various inputs for cultivation. With this borrowing small  farmers arrange capital for farming. They pay hefty interest on such borrowings. Sometime, they face difficult situations to repay loan.

Q11: 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: Savita is a small  farmer as she owns  1 hectare of land. She decides  to cultivate wheat. As she does not have  money, she decides  to borrow from Tejpal, a large farmer. On the following terms she gets money from Tejpal Singh: Savita borrows money at an interest rate of 24 % for four months, which  is a hefty interest rate.

She promises to work on Tejpal’s Singh  field  as a farm labourer during harvest season  at Rs 35 per day. This wage  is quite low as compared to minimum wages  for a farm labourer set by the government i.e. Rs 115.

Banks, self-help groups and cooperatives charge very low interest rates as compared to the interest rate charged by Tejpal Singh, a money lender. So, if Savita had taken loan  from bank, she would  have  been paying very low interest rate and she would  have  not been forced to work as bonded  labour. Repayment of loan  could  have  been easier for her and her condition would  have  been far better.

Q12: 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: After having word with two old residents Sitaraman and Harvinder Singh  in our  region, I came  to know  that there is huge  change  in irrigation and production methods.

They told us, earlier Persian wheels  were used to draw water from wells  but now with the advent of electric run tube-wells, farmers can irrigate much  larger areas of land more effectively and efficiently.

In farming, traditional methods like  ox plough, wooden threshers, were used for ploughing and threshing respectively. These methods were time consuming and difficult.

Earlier farmers were using  ordinary seeds, cow dung  and leaves  manure. Now the farmers are using  HYV seeds, insecticide, pesticides, etc. which  are produced in factory.

Q13: What are the non-farm production activities taking place in your region? Make a short list.

Answer: Following non-farming activities are taking place in our  region:

(1) Dairying: Dairying is a common activity in our  region. People have  opened  dairy and indulge in sales and purchase of dairy products.

(2) Small  scale manufacturing: Most of the people  are engaged in manufacturing. Manufacturing in our  region involves very simple production methods or modern production methods. Small  production methods are being practiced on a small  scale. It is done  with the help  of family members or hired. It is generally carried at home or at small  manufacturing unit. Modern production methods are found  at few places  in our  region.

(4) Other activities: People are indulged as medical professionals, lawyers, rickshaw pullers, teachers, government employees, etc.

Q14:  What can be  done so that more non-farm production activities can be  started in villages?

Answer: The following methods can be done  to start more non-farm production activities in villages:

•   Institutional loans  at low interest rates should  be provided to villagers to start non-farm activities like for opening a new shop. Borrowing procedure should be made  borrower friendly.

•   Government should  provide education and trainings facilities to villagers. These will  act as foundation for new set ups for e.g. training for setting up computer training institutes.

•   Good marketing channels can be developed in villages. These channels help  in marketing handicrafts, artisans work, etc.