CHAPTER 2 . EOPLE AS A RESOURCE CLASS 9

Textbook questions 

 Question 1: What do you understand by ‘people as a resource’?

Answer: The concept of “people as a resource” refers to viewing the population in terms of their abilities, talents, and skills that can be utilized for economic development. It emphasizes the idea that humans, through their knowledge, learned abilities, and health, contribute to the creation of wealth. When investments are made in education, training, and healthcare, the population becomes a more valuable asset, termed human capital.

Q2.How is human resource different from other resources like land and physical capital?
Ans 
Human resource is different in the following ways:

1.Unlike land or physical capital, human resources are not fixed; they can be developed, improved, and upgraded.

2.Human resource can make use of land and physical capital whereas land and physical capital can not become useful on its own.

3.Human resources involve the skills, knowledge, and capabilities of individuals, whereas land and physical capital refer to tangible assets.

3. What is the role of education in human capital formation?

Answer:

• Education equips individuals with knowledge, skills, and abilities, enhancing their productivity and employability.
• It contributes to economic growth by fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Education is crucial for human capital development, as it empowers individuals to actively participate in economic and social progress.

4. What is the role of health in human capital formation?

Answer:The role of health in human capital formation is as follows:

1. Healthier people have higher productivity because the health of a person helps him to realise his potential and the ability to fight illness. On the other hand, an unhealthy person becomes a liability for an organisation.
2. It improves the quality of life. A healthy person is able to do his work in a proper and efficient way.
3. A healthy person makes greater contribution to society as compared to an unhealthy person.
4. Good health enables a person to earn more and to be more regular in his work.

5. What part does health play in the individual’s working life?

Answer:

• Good health allows individuals to work efficiently and for more extended periods, increasing their overall contribution to society and the economy.
• It reduces the likelihood of work-related illnesses and absenteeism.
• Health plays a pivotal role in determining an individual’s physical and mental capacity for work.

6. What are the various activities undertaken in the primary sector, secondary sector, and tertiary sector?

Answer:

• Primary sector activities involve the extraction or cultivation of natural resources, such as farming, fishing, and mining.
• Secondary sector activities include manufacturing and processing, such as factories and industrial production.
• Tertiary sector activities are services-based, including healthcare, education, retail, and finance.

7. What is the difference between economic activities and non-economic activities?

Answer:

1. The activities that add value to the national income are called economic activities. 

Economic activities involve the production and distribution of goods and services for monetary gain.

They can be divided into two types: 

A)market activities and non-market activities. Market activities involve the activities performed for pay or profit and 

B) non-market activities include the production done for self-consumption.

2. The activities that add no value to the national income are called non- economic activities. Non-economic activities are  performed without the primary goal of earning income, such as household chores or volunteering.

8. Why are women employed in low paid work?

Answer:

• Women are often employed in low-paid work due to a range of social, cultural, and economic factors.
• These include traditional gender roles, discrimination, lack of access to education and skills development, and limited employment opportunities in certain sectors.

▪︎ They are employed in sectors which do not provide them with proper maternity leaves, childcare benefits and other provision.

 ▪︎Men are considered more skilful in comparison to women, despite equal physical work.

Q9: How will you explain the term unemployment?

Answer: Unemployment refers to the situation when individuals who are willing to work at prevailing wages cannot find jobs. 

Q10.What is the difference between disguised unemployment and seasonal unemployment?

Disguised Unemployment. In case of disguised unemployment, people appear to be employed but they are not actually employed. Sometimes, in agricultural families, eight people are working on a farm, whereas only four people are needed to do that work. Thus, four persons are surplus and they are not needed on the farm. They also do not help to increase the production. If these four extra persons are removed from the farm, the production from the farm will not decrease. Therefore, these four persons appear to be employed but are actually disguisedly unemployed.

Seasonal Unemployment. Seasonal unemployment happens when people are not able to find jobs during some months of the year. People dependent upon agriculture usually face such problems. There are certain busy seasons when sowing, harvesting, weeding and threshing are done. When the plants are growing, there is not much work. During this period, they remain unemployed and are said to be seasonally unemployed.

Question 11: Why is educated unemployed, a peculiar problem of India?

Answer: Educated unemployment in India is peculiar due to the mismatch between the education system and market demands. Despite high levels of education, many graduates struggle to find jobs suited to their qualifications. This situation is exacerbated by a focus on theoretical knowledge over practical skills. Additionally, the growth in higher education has not been matched by an equivalent expansion in job opportunities, leading to an oversupply of qualified candidates for a limited number of positions.

12. In which field do you think India can build the maximum employment opportunity?

Answer: India has the potential to build the maximum employment opportunities in sectors such as information technology, manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and renewable energy.

These sectors have shown significant growth and can absorb a considerable workforce with the right policies and investments.

Q-13Can you imagine some village that initially had no job opportunities but later came up with many?
Solution:
Some of the measures in the education system to mitigate the problem of the educated unemployed are:

1. Vocational education should be encouraged so that people do not have difficulty getting jobs because they will be better trained for work.
2. More use of information technology should be made in giving education.
3. Education should be job-oriented.
4. More employment opportunities should be made available to the educated people in the tertiary sector.

14. Can you imagine some village which initially had no job opportunities but later came up with many?

Answer: Villages that initially had no job opportunities but later developed them often see this transformation through initiatives such as government schemes, infrastructure development, establishment of local businesses, and increased access to education and training.

These factors can stimulate economic activities and job creation in previously underdeveloped areas.

15. Which capital would you consider the best — land, labour, physical capital, or human capital? Why?

Answer:

• Human capital is often considered the most valuable due to its ability to drive innovation, productivity, and overall economic growth.
• A well-educated and healthy workforce can effectively utilize other forms of capital, such as land and physical capital, to achieve higher levels of economic prosperity.