Chapter 1Development

Development: Thinking about ways to better our lives by striving to generate all those essential things required for betterment and thus removing the inequality prevailing in the society.

Social Development, Economic Development, Sustainable Development, Human Development, Personal Development, Professional Development

Social Development – Positive change in the social institutions, the social behaviour and social relations of a society which is beneficial to the sociey.

Economic Development – It is a process whereby real per capita income increases in the long run accompanied by reduction in poverty, unemployment and inequality.

. A long term increase in per capita income along with rise in standard of living is termed as economic development.

NationalDevelopment – the process of Economic and social development of a Nation. In other words, it is the development of livelihoods and greater quality of life and increase in real percapita income. It encompasses governance, health care, education, gender equality, disaster preparedness, infrastructure, economics, human rights, environment etc.

International Development– the process of economic and social development in all the countries especially developing countries.

Sustainable Development – can be defined as development that meets the needs of the present without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.It requires preservation of stock of resources including exhaustible natural resources and environment.

Human Development– Improvement in the quality of population in the aspects of healthcare, education, standard of living and income level.

What are developmental Goals?– These are the aspirations and desires of the people. They are different for different individuals. What may be development for one may not be development for other.

Eg. One student may prefer to take up science stream after X and becoming a doctor, the second one may prefer to take up IIT and third one prefers to take up commerce stream and becoming a business analyst or an Economist.

Different persons can have different developmental goals. Explain.– These are the aspirations and desires of the people. They are different for different individuals. It is completely based on individual preferences and situations of life. It has an impact of family background, neighbourhood, society, education , peer group and exposure to media.

Eg. A person from city may prefer a car, but at the same time , a person from rural area may prefer a tractor to buy.

Development goal for one may not be the development goal for the other. It may even be destructive for the other- Discuss.

Development goals have an impact of family background, neighbourhood, society, education , peer group and exposure to media. So it varies from person to person. In the modern competitive world, people are focusing on self betterment than society, leading to inequality.

For e.g. An industrialist may desire more dams so as to get more electricity but this may submerge the land & disrupt the life of the people who are displaced.

An industrialist constructs a factory on farm land displacing farmers, leading to food scarcity.

Development goals - Factors other than income

Better Employment facilities, education, health, freedom, security, respect from others, elimination of all forms of discriminations and acceptance of gender equality both at work and home are the things that together with money constitute the developmental goal for any society.

Along with high standard of living ( high income & consumption), people prefer quality of life too.

Do you accept that the development goals that people have are not only about better income but also about other important things in life.- Explain.

Yes, I accept that the development goals that people have are not only about better income but also about other important things in life.-Along with high standard of living ( high income & consumption), people prefer quality of life too.

Better Employment facilities, education, health, freedom, security, respect from others, elimination of all forms of discriminations and acceptance of gender equality both at work and home are the things that together with money constitute the developmental goal for any society.

So people look at mix of goals.

Why is Sardar Sarovar Dam a conflicting development goal for the people affected by it ?

The Sardar Sarovar Dam is an example of conflicting developmental goals for the people who are being affected by it. While the people of Gujarat are happy as they will get water for irrigation and drinking in the areas which are deficient in water but the people on Madhya Pradesh are not for it as there villages and large part of land will submerge in water there by leaving them landless, uprooted from their place of work with insufficient compensation and no source of job at the place of their living.

Can development be achieved in a dictatorial set up?

No, it is difficult to have all round development in such a setup. Since there is no freedom of choice for individuals, the complete government control will hurdle the development. It is only through democratic political process that the sustained development can be achieved.

Why do people want more income?

More income means better ability to enjoy more material comforts of life. So They want more income for betterment of their lives and attain their desired goals in life.

What is shown in this picture? Reason.

The picture shows a Skyscraper and hutments in the same area which shows unequal distribution of income & wealth.

Development Goal:

Resettlement of people living in slums in a decent habitat;Better employment opportunities for the poor;Fulfillment of basic needs

A vessel dumped 50 tonnes of liquid toxic wastes into open-air dumps in a city and in the surrounding sea. This happened in a city called Abidjan in Ivory Coast, a country in Africa. The fumes from the highly toxic waste caused nausea, skin rashes, fainting, diarrhoea etc. After a month seven persons were dead, twenty in hospital and twenty six thousand treated for symptoms of poisoning.

A multinational company dealing in petroleum and metals had contracted a local company of the Ivory Coast to dispose the toxic waste from its shop.

1. Who are the people who benefited and who did not?

2. What should be the developmental goal for this country?

a. To set up treatment plants for liquid toxic waste; the waste should be treated and harmful elements be destroyed before it is dumped

b. To set up a regulatory system which keeps a watch over such activities. Till treatment plants are set up, toxic waste should not be allowed to be dumped.