Story of Palampur
NCERT Exercise Solution
Question 1: Every village in India is surveyed once in ten years during the Census and some of the details are presented in the following format. Fill up the following based on information on a village of your choice.
(a) Location
Answer: Bhaisa Lotan , Distt. Darbhanga
(b) Total area of the village
Answer: 550 hectare
(c) Land use in hectares
Answer:
| Cultivated Land | ||
|---|---|---|
| Irrigated | Unirrigated | Land not available for cultivation (Area cvering dwellings, roads, ponds, grazing ground) |
| 200 | 324 | 26 |
(d) Facilities
Answer:
| Educational | 1 High school, 1 Primary school |
| Medical | 1 Community Health Center |
| Market | The main market is along half km of a road |
| Electricity Supply | 10 hours in a day |
| Communication | About 60% of people have mobile phones |
| Nearest Town | Jhajharpur |
Question 2: Modern farming methods require more inputs which are manufactured in industry. Do you agree?
Answer: This statement is quite correct. Modern farming methods require chemical fertilisers, pesticides and modern farm equipments. All of these are manufactured in industry.
Question 3: How did the spread of electricity help farmers in Palampur?
Answer: Electricity can help any village. Availability of electricity ensures better irrigation. It also means that villagers can engage in some manufacturing activities; like flour mills, jaggery production, etc. Children can study late in the evening and shopkeepers can do better business if proper electricity supply can be provided.
Question 4: Is it important to increase the area under irrigation? Why?
Answer: As per estimates, 60% of the villages still need proper irrigation facility. Since land under cultivation cannot be increased hence increasing the area under irrigation is a major way to improve farm productivity.
Question 5: Construct a table on the distribution of land among the 450 families of Palampur.
Answer:
| No. of families | Land (hect) |
|---|---|
| 40 | 160 |
| 240 | 80 |
| 150 | Nil |
Question 6: Why are the wages for farm labourers in Palampur less than minimum wages?
Answer: There is more supply of workers than the demand. Due to this, the workers are not in a position to bargain from their employers. Hence, the wages for farm labourers are less than minimum wages.