Land use and Agriculture

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

22 LAND USE AND AGRICULTURE

Notes

In the previous lessons, we studied climate, soils, various types of resources and human activities. In this chapter, we will study agriculture. For agriculture, land is a very important resource. For its large area size, and physical and socio-cultural diversities, India has different types of landuses. Agriculture is predominant economic activity in India, engaging nearly three-fifths of its working population. Though the share of agricultural sector in gross domestic product has considerably declined to about one-fourth yet the importance of agriculture as employment provider to workforce especially in the countryside is very high. Obviously, agriculture forms the hub of Indian economy as a large number of industries are also heavily dependent on agriculture for supply of raw materials. Agriculture involves not only crops raising but also animal ranching and fishing.

OBJECTIVES After studying this lesson, you will be able to: 

know the availability of land in India and its different uses;



appreciate the significance of studying land use and agriculture;



examine various factors responsible for the development of agriculture in India;



describe the different types of crops grown in various parts of India;



locate and identify the areas under different crops on a map of India;



infer changing pattern of crop cultivation;



explain the concept and significance of Agro-climatic Regions;



identify the different strategies adopted for the agricultural development in India, during five year plans and



explain the impact of economic liberalisation on agriculture in India.

GEOGRAPHY

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Land use and Agriculture 22.1 GENERAL LAND USE Land is the most vital resource of a country. It is a fixed asset and cannot be expanded to meet the needs of an increasing population. Therefore, it must be used carefully and in the best possible manner. The total geographical area of India is 32.88 lakh sq. kms. The major landuses in India are: Net Sown Area (NSA)

Notes

The total land area on which crops are grown in a region is called net sown area. The net sown area and the area sown more than once together are called gross cultivated area. In India, about 47 per cent of total reporting area is under the net sown area. States namely Punjab, Haryana, West Bangal, Uttar Pradesh, have the high proportinal share of NSA than the national average. Against this, the shere of NSA is less than one half of the national average in states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. All these states suffer from physical disabilitis such as undulating terrain due to hilly topography, limiting the availability of plain land and fertile soils, important for cultivation. This is evidently clear from state wise distribution of proportional share of NSA that physiographic factors play an important role in availability of net cropped area in a region. Forest The area under forest cover is about 68 million hectares or 22 per cent of the total area in the country. This area has increased from 40 million hectares in 1951 to 68 million hectares in 2000. For the ecological balance the forest cover should be at least 33 per cent of the total geographical area of a country. The states of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Jammu & Kashmir and Tripura have relatively larger proportion of area under forest cover. Land Not Available for Cultivation The land under the settlements, roads, mines and quarries along with barren lands are included in this category. The sandy waste land of Rajasthan, marshy land of Kutchh (Gujarat) and rugged and eroded areas of northeast and northern mountains are few examples of barren lands. About 13 per cent of the total reported area is recorded under this category. Nagaland, Manipur and Assam registered a very high percentage of area not available for cultivations. Fallow Lands When lands are left unused to regain their lost fertility in a natural way is called fallow land. On the basis of usability criteria follow lands can be divided into two groups current and old. Current fallow is the land in which no crop is raised during the current year. Old fallow land remain unused for a period of one or more years

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but not exceeding 5 years. This is due to low investment capacity of numerous small and marginal farmers in advanced technology, lack of awareness, loss of fertility of soil, inadequacy of rainfall, lacking in irrigational facility etc. The fallow land occupy about 7.5 per cent of the total reported area. The states of Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have a high percentage of area under fallow land. It is to be noted here that old fallow land may not be economically important but from ecological point of view fallow land is important category of land.

Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

Cultivable Waste It is the land in which crops were raised for some period of time but has not been cultivated for the last five years due to certain deficiencies such as alkalinity and salinity in the soils. Such cultivable waste are locally known as reh, bhur, usar, and khola in the some part of North India. Maghalaya, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan have a very high share of cultivable waste land in total land use in respective states. Permanent Pastures and Grazing Lands Not withstanding the highest live stock population in the world, India has only less than 4 per cent of the country under pastures and grazing lands. The states of Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan have high above 5% of area under this category. The area under different landuses are given below (Table 22.1) Table 22.1: Land Utilization in India Landuses

Area (in lakhs hectare) In percentage

1.

Area under non-agricultural uses

212

6.95

2.

Barren and uncultivable land

197

6.46

3.

Net area sown

1442

46.64

4.

Forest lands

679

22.27

5.

Miscellaneous tree crops and groves

37

1.21

6.

Cultivable waste lands

150

4.92

7.

Current fallows

138

4.53

8.

Old fallows

96

3.15

9.

Permanent pastures and grazing land

118

3.87

3049*

100

Total

* Total geographical area of which land utilization data is available. GEOGRAPHY

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Notes

Land use and Agriculture 22.2 AGRICULTURAL LAND USE The net sown area, current fallows and land under tree crops and groves are included in agricultural land use. The agricultural land in India is little more than 50 per cent of the total geographical area in the country. This is the highest share of land in any country in the world. But due to large size of population in India, per capita arable land is available only 0.17 hectares, which is lower than the world average (0.24 hec). The per capita agricultural land in some select countries is much higher than India. In Australia it is 2.8 hec., in Canada 1.35 and in Brazil 0.33 hec. The lower per capita availability of land is an indicator of high pressure of population on land resources. Since there is little scope for increasing land under the plough, the way out to feed the growing population can be found in increasing land productivity. Over the period, area sown more than once has been increasing which is about 15 per cent. If the same piece of land is sown more than once in a year, it is called cropping intensity. Which stands for the ratio between gross cropped area and net sown area..The use of new technology, fertilizers, good quality of seeds and irrigation facilities are necessary for increasing intensity of cropping. The so called Green Revolution is also nothing but technological package, which include HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers and artificial irrigation. After the adoptation of Green Resolution by India in 1966 onwards agricultural, land use has undergone a significant change. 22.3 TYPES OF FARMING The basis for the classification of different types of agriculture in India are rainfall, irrigational facilities, purpose of production, ownership and size of holding and technology used. On the basis of these factors a number of farming can be identified. The main types of farming in India are: A. Dry Farming This type of farming is practised in the areas where the amount of annual rainfall is generally less than 80 cms. In such regions, the farmers are generally dependent upon rainfall. Here, moisture content in the soil is less. Hence, only one crop can be grown in a year. Millets like jawar, bajra, ragi, pulsees etc. are important crops grown under this type of farming. Rajasthan, Maharashtra, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Southern Haryana, part of Gujarat and Karnataka fall under this category of farming. In such areas, farmers adopt subsidy activities such as dairy, cattle farming to supplement their meagre farm incomes. B. Wet Farming This type of farming is practised in the areas of alluvial soils where annual average rainfall is more than 200cm. Here, more than one crops are grown in a year because enough amount of moisture in the soil is available. Rice and jute are the main crops of this types of farming. West Bengal, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram and Malabar coast fall under this category of farming.

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Land use and Agriculture C. Irrigated Farming This type of farming is practiced in the areas where average rainfall is between 80 to 200 cms which is insufficient for certain crops,. This system of farming can be practised only in those areas where availability of water from underground or surface water bodies like rivers, tanks, and lakes is sufficient throughout the year. The other condition for this farming is the availability of levelled agricultural land. The main areas were much farming is practised are in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, north western Tamil Nadu and the deltas of peninsular rivers. The other important pockets of irrigated farming are found in the Deccan Plateau region particularly in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Wheat, Rice and Sugarcane are important crops of this farming.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

D. Subsistence Farming This types of farming is practised primarily to fulfill self requirements of the people of the area. The main objective of this farming is to provide subsistence to the largest number of people of a given area. Size of holdings is small, use of manual labour and simple farm implements are common features of this type of farming. Subsistence agriculture is practised in parts of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and the hilly areas of the country. E. Shifting Cultivation In this type of cultivation, land is cleared by cutting and burning of forests for raising crops. The crops are grown for a few years (2-3 years). As fertility of land declines, farmers move to new areas, clear the forests and grow crops there for next few years. This farming is practised in some pockets of the hilly areas of Northeast and in some tribal belts of Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. In northeast, such type of cultivation is known as “Jhuming”. F. Terrace Cultivation It is practised in hilly areas. The farmers in these regions carve out terraces on the hill slopes, conserve soil and water to raise crops. In India, this type of cultivation is practised on the slopes of the Himalayas and the hills of the peninsular region. Due to pressure of population, terrace cultivation is being adopted in the NorthEastern states of India where shifting agriculture was practiced earlier. G. Plantation Agriculture Well organized and managed cultivation of crops particularly a single one on a large scale is called plantation agriculture. It requires large investment on the latest technology and proper management. Tea, coffee and rubber are examples of plantation agriculture. This agriculture is prectised in Assam, West Bengal and the slopes of Nilgiri hills. H. Commercial Farming Under this farming, the farmers raise crops mainly for the market. Under this system, generally those crops are grown which are used as raw materials for GEOGRAPHY

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Land use and Agriculture industries. Cultivation of sugarcane in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra; cotton in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Punjab; and Jute in West Bengal are some of the examples of this farming. I. Contract Farming

Notes

It is viewed as an important tool to increase private corporate involvement in agro-processing. In this system, companies engaged in processing/ marketing of agriculture products enter into contract with the farmers. They provide the farmers necessary facilities and buy back the products with a rate specified in advance. The Field Fresh Company, a multi national has 1000 acres land under horticulture in Punjab. Pepsi and McDonalds have started contact cultivation of citrus fruits and lettuce respectively. Ballapur and ITC provide farmers with fast growing cloned varieties of tree that mature in just four years and buy the out-put. Such type of farming is said to be getting popular among farmers expecially in Punjab. However, some scholars fear that shift of lands from food crops under this contract farming on a scale is likely to result in food insecurity, expecially for lower income groups. J. Eco-Farming or Organic Farming This farming avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulator and livestock feed additives. This types of farming rely on crop rotation, crop residues, animal manure, off-farm organic wastes and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity. A few farmers from Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Pondichery and Punjab are adopting this types of agriculture.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 22.1 1.

Match the following. Types of farming

Chief characteristics

(i)

Subsistence Farming

(a)

Factory like management

(ii)

Wet Farming

(b) Large production for market

(iii)

Shifting Cultivation

(c)

Practised in the Area of low rainfall

(iv) Dry Farming

(d) Forests are cleared for raising crops

(v)

(e)

Practised in the Areas of high rainfall.

(f)

Most of the production consumed locally.

Commercial Farming

(vi) Plantation Farming 2.

Which state of India has the highest percentage of net sown area? ________________________________________________________

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Land use and Agriculture 22.4 CATTLE REARING Cattle rearing is an important economic activity in India. Milk and milk products (Butter, Ghee etc) meat, eggs, leather, and silk are raw materials for industries. Animals provide a large proportion of energy required in the farm sector. The bullocks, buffaloes, horses, ponnies, camel etc. are used as draught animals. They are used in agricultural activities like ploughing of fields, drawing of water from wells and for carrying loads. It is to be noted here that with rise in mechanized farming, the use of animal power for farm operations is on gradual decline. This is more true of Green Revolution areas. Hides and skins of animals are used as raw material for leather industries. Sheep, goats and camels provide wool. Their dung are used for biomass gas production and for making manure.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

India is leading producer of milk in the world. It is due to initiative taken by government through ‘Operation Flood’. Under this program good breeds of cows and buffaloes, which yield more milk, have been introduced. Co-operative societies in this field were encouraged. The modern dairy farms produced milk powder, butter, and cheese; condense milk, cream, and ghee along with milk. The largest number of livestock is found in Uttar Pradesh followed by the states of Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. These four states account for 44% of total livestock of India. The density of animals in India is the highest in the world. It is about 130 heads of livestock per 100 hectare of land. The percentage of area under permanent pasture is very low in comparison to the density of animal population. Cattles, Buffaloes, sheep and goats are important livestock in India. Distribution of Animal Resources in India Cattle rearing in India is an important economic activity. The cattle population accounts for 43.5% of the total livestock in the country. The largest number of cattles in the country is found in Uttar Pradesh. Except Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, in other states of India the number of cattles are greater among livestock. The yield of milk from Indian cows is the lowest in the world. It is only 188 liters per animals per annum in India while in Netherland it is 4200 liters differing by about twenty three times. Buffaloes account for 18% of total livestock in India. They outnumber other animals in the states of Haryana and Punjab. For the milk point of view, buffaloes are important as they account for about 53% of total milk production in India. Sheep are found mostly in the cold and dry regions of the country. They are very few in areas which are very hot and receive heavy rain during monsoon. They develop hoof diseases in hot and humid climate. Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are major states where sheep are in large numbers. Among the other animals goats, camels, horses, yaks and mithuns are important.The goats reared mainly for meat and milk. In Rajasthan goats are greater in number than other animals. Camels are reared in western Rajasthan and adjoining areas GEOGRAPHY

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Notes

Land use and Agriculture of Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab. Camel is called the aeroplane of desert region implies to Thar Desert of India. Horse and ponies are distributed all over India specially in Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. Yaks are found in mountainous areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. Mithuns are found in Nagaland and Arunanchal Pradesh. The general condition of animals in India is very poor due to the lack of nutritious fodder, and harsh hot and humid weather conditions. Also, there is a lack of artificial insemination centers, and veterinary hospitals and doctors. 22.5 FISHING Fishing has been an important occupation of the people in the coastal areas. However, in spite of having a long coastline and broad continental shelf, India’s fishing industry is still largely in a developing stage. Modernization on limited scale has started recently. Fisheries are of two types (i) the inland and (ii) the open sea. The inland fishing is done in rivers, tanks, ponds and canals. The major rivers like Brahmaputra, Ganga, Satluj, Narmada, Mahanadi and Godavari; and numerous tanks and ponds are tapped for fishing. Inland fish production is accounted for two fifths or 40 percent of total fish production in India during 1995-96. Open sea fishing or marine fishing, done in sea water, is caught in shallow water in our country. More than two-thirds of marine fish is landed on western coast of India. While remaining one third on the eastern coast . India caught 5.6 lakhs tonnes of fish during 2000-01. Though, India has huge potential for fishing but the actual catch is very small. The main factors responsible for poor performance in fishing are traditional methods, wooden loge made boats, driven by human energy, and poor socio-economic conditions of the fishermen In order to increase fish production and trade, the Government has taken a number of steps including (i) financial assistance to fishermen (ii) introduction of large vessels, (iii) better harbours and breathing facilities (iv) provision of refrigerated wagons and road transport facility (v) introduction of accident insurance scheme and (vi) marketing of fish on co-operative basis. The rapid increase in the production of fish in the country is called Blue Revolution. This is synonymous with shrimp farming or Aquaplosion.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 22.2 Tick the most appropriate answer for the following questions from the options given in brackets. 1. 132

Of the total cattle population in the world, what percentage is found in India? (15/25/35/45) GEOGRAPHY

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2.

Which state of India has the largest number of cattle population? (West Bengal/Uttar Pradesh/Tamil Nadu/Kerala)

3.

Which state of India has the highest number of goats? (Uttar Pradesh/Rajasthan/Bihar/Assam)

4.

What is the percentage share of land area under the forests in India. (20/22/24/26)

Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes 22.6 MAJOR CROPS IN INDIA Owning to cash physical diversity, a variety of crops are grown in our country. The crops grown in the country may be categorised as under:Types of Crops

Foods crops Paddy Wheat Jawar Bajara Maize Ragi

Pulses Gram Arahar Pease Black gram Lentil

Oil seeds Groundnut Mustard Cottonseeds Soyabean Coconuts Sunflower

Beverages Tea Coffee Coco

Fibre crops Other crops Cotton Sugarcane Jute Spices Fruits Vegetable Floriculture Rubber Tobacco

(i) Paddy Paddy is basically a tropical crop. India is one of the major producers of rice in the world, accounting for one-fifth of the world production, ranking next only to China. About 23 per cent of the total cropped area in the country is under this crop. Paddy is grown in Kharif season. Paddy is ideally grown in rainfed areas where annual rainfall is more than 125 cms. It requires high temperature (200-250C). However, it is also grown in areas of less than 125 cms rainfall with the help of irrigation. At present, 51 per cent of rice producing area is under irrigation. Deep fertile loamy or clayey soils are considered ideal for this crop. It requires considerable be manual labour for sowing and transplantation. Although paddy crop is grown in almost all states of India, the leading producing states are West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Orissa and Assam. Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of rice in India but consumption of GEOGRAPHY

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Land use and Agriculture rice being large, it has to import from other states. Against this, Punjab is the biggest contributor of rice to control public distribution system. In some states, three crops of paddy in a year are grown. For example, in West Bengal three crops are known as Aman, Boro and Aos.

Notes

Fig. 22.1 INDIA: Rice Producing Areas

(ii) Wheat Wheat is basically subtropical crop grown in the winter season in India. It is grown in rabi crop season, while paddy is sown in kharif season. Wheat ranks second after Paddy crop, having about 13 per cent of total cropped area under it. Wheat requires cool weather with moderate rainfall. It grows well in the northern plains of India during winter season when the mean temperature is between 10 and 15 0 C. Well drained loamy soil is ideal for wheat cultivation. 134

GEOGRAPHY

Land use and Agriculture Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana are major wheat producing states in India. They accounted for 60 per cent of total area under wheat and 73 per cent of total wheat production in the country in 2000-2001. Other important wheat growing states are Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The wheat production in the country showed maximum increase after Green Revolution introduced in 1966. During 2000-01 the total production was 688 lakh tonnes. India is an important producer of wheat in the world. It is followed by China and USA. Although productivity per hectare has increased rapidly from 815 kg. in 1950-51 to 2743 kg. in 2000-01 per hectare the yield of wheat in India is lower in comparison with other major wheat producing countries.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

Fig. 22.2: INDIA: Wheat Producing Areas

(iii) Tea India is the leading producer and consumer of tea in the world. The country earns a sizable amount of foreign exchange through export of tea. Tea grows best on the GEOGRAPHY

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Notes

Land use and Agriculture mountain slopes receiving large amount of rains (above 150 cms.) Well drained deep loamy soils, rich in humus is ideal for tea plantation. Most of the tea producing areas are on the hilly slopes of Surma and Brahamputra valleys in Assam, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts of West Bengal. In south India, tea cultivation is confined mainly to the Annamalai and the Nilgiri hills. A small quantity of tea is also produced in the Kumaon hill in Uttarakhand and in the Kangra valley of Himanchal Pradesh. India produced 8.5 lakh tonnes in 1999. An amount of Rs. 2000 crores were earned in foreign exchange from the export of tea in 2000-01 despite huge demand in the domestic market.

Fig.22 3: INDIA: Tea producing Areas

(iv) Cotton India is one of the leading cotton producing countries in the world. The fibre of the cotton crop is used as raw material for the textile industries whereas oil extracted from its seeds is used in the vanaspati industry. Cotton seeds are also used as a cattle feed. 136

GEOGRAPHY

Land use and Agriculture

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

Fig.22. 4: INDIA: Cotton Producing Areas

Cotton require a moderate rainfall of about 75 cms. and a cloud free weather for about 150 days at the time of flowering and ball opening. Well drained black soils of the Deccan Plateau is considered ideal for its cultivation, though it is also grown on alluvial soils of the northern plains. India produces about 8 per cent of the world’s cotton and is the fourth largest producing country after USA, China and Russia. However, the quality of cotton is rather poor. Therefore, the long staple cotton is imported to make good quality of fibre. The good quality of cotton is grown in Punjab and Haryana. Leading producers of cotton in India are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. (v) Sugarcane Sugarcane is the native plant of India. The country has the largest area under this GEOGRAPHY

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Land use and Agriculture crop in the world. It requires a hot and humid climate. Irrigation facility is required if rainfall is not enough. Fertile loamy and black soils are ideal for this crop. Sugarcane is cultivated in two belts (i) in Northern Plains from Punjab to Bihar, and (ii) in Peninsular India from Gujarat to Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. More than 60 per cent of the total area under sugarcane is found in the North Plains. The yield per unit area of sugarcane in South India is higher than in the North India.

Notes

Fig.22. 5: INDIA: Sugarcane Producing Areas

The leading producers of sugarcane are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. During 2000-2001, about 300 lakh tonnes of sugarcane was produced in India which is the highest in the world. Efforts are being made to increase production of sugarcane by developing hybrid varities. The Sugarcane Research Institute at Coimbatore is engaged in its research. 138

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MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

(vi) Spices India produces a wide variety of spices including black pepper, cardamom, chillies, turmeric, ginger, cloves etc. Indian spices are known for their quality and find a market all over the world. Chilly is an important condiment crop which is widely grown in the country and shares more than one third or 34 per cent of total production of spices in India. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka are the leading producers of chillies.

Notes

After chillies, turmeric is second important spice crop in India. Major producing states are Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Orrisa and Bihar. Among all the states, Kerala is one state where a large number of spices such as cloves, black pepper, ginger, cardamom are produced in the largest quantity. The other leading states in the production of spices are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa and Bihar. Table 22.2 : Area, Production and Yield of selected crops in India, 1951-2001 Crops

Area (in lakh hectares)

Production (in lakh tonnes)

Yield (kg./ hectare)

1950-51

2000-01

1950-51

2000-01

1950-51

2000-01

Tea

3.1

4.4

2.8

8.7

87.6

1996

Cotton

59.0

86.0

31.0*

97.0*

98.3

191

Rice

388.0

444.0

206.0

849.0

668.0

1913

Wheat

98.0

251.0

65.0

688.0

815.0

2743

Sugarcane

29.0**

43.0

1100.0**

2996.0

33422.0

69636

* bales of 170 kg. ** 1960-61 (vii) Fruits

India accounts for about 10 per cent of the production of fruits in the world. It leads the world in the production of mango, banana, sapota and lemons. A large variety of fruits are grown in India. Mango, bananas, citrus fruits pineapple, papaya, guava, sapota, jack fruit, lichi and grapes are tropical and subtropical fruits. The fruit of temperate areas are apple, pear, peach, plum, apricot, almond and walnut which are grown mostly in the mountainous areas of the country. The important fruits of arid zone of India are aonla, ber, pomegranate and figs. Mango is the most important among fruit crops covering about 39 per cent of the area and account for 23 per cent of the total fruit production in the country. More than one-half or about 54 per cent of the world’s mango is produced in GEOGRAPHY

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Land use and Agriculture India. The mango tree grows throughout the country especially in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Dussahari and Alphonso varieties of mango are in great demand in foreign countries. The country exports such varieties to earn foreign exchange. In terms of area Citrus fruits rank next only to mango. Oranges and lemons are grown in Assam, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu. Undulating sloppy terrain is most suitable for the growth of citrus fruits.

Notes

India is ranking first in the world in the Banana production. Banana ranks third in areal coverage and are grown mainly in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is also grown in West Bengal, Orissa and Assam. Apple is the fourth major fruit crop, mainly grown in the Himalayan region of the country. Guava is largely produced in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, whereas pineapple is produced in Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka. (viii) Vegetables India is the second largest producer of vegetables in the world next only to China. It contributes about 13 per cent to the world vegetable production. It occupies first position in the production of cauliflowers, second in onion, and third in cabbage in the world. Other major vegetable crops are potato, peas, tomato and bringal. More than fifty varieties of vegetables are grown in India. (ix) Floriculture With breaking of trade barriers in post-globalisation phase, international trade in vegetables, fruits and flowers has become lucrative. India can earn a sizable amount of foreign exchange by exporting flowers. Flower such as rose, jasmine, marigold, chrysanthemum, tuberose, and aster are grown over large area in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Assam and Manipur.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 22.3 1.

(a)

Name two important fiber crops of India (i)_______________________(ii)_____________________

(b)

Name two important sugarcane producing belts in the country. (i)_______________________ (ii)_____________________

(c)

Name the city where Sugarcane Research Institute is located ___________________________________________________

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Land use and Agriculture (d)

What is the ranking of India in the production of Banana in the world?

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

___________________________________________________ (e)

Which state is the largest producer of Rice in India. ___________________________________________________

22.7 AGRO-CLIMATIC REGIONS OF INDIA

Notes

India has diverse agro-climatic conditions. It has almost all types of climatic conditions, capable of producing almost all kinds of agricultural produce in one or the other region. Several attempts have been made to classify India into various agricultural regions based on climatic and natural vegetation. In 1989, the Planning Commission divided India into following 15 Agro-climatic regions. (Figure No. 22.6) I

The North-Western Himalaya

II

The North-East Himalaya

III

The Lower Ganga Plain

IV

The Middle Ganga Plain

V

The Upper Ganga Plain

VI

The Trans Ganga plain (Punjab plains)

VII

The Eastern Plateau and hills

VIII The Central Plateau and hills IX

The Western Plateau and hills

X

The Southern Plateau and hills

XI

The East Coast Plains and hills

XII

The West Coast Plains and Ghats

XIII The Gujarat Plains and hills XIV The Western Dry Region XV

The Islands

GEOGRAPHY

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Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

Fig. 22. 6: Agro-climatic Regions of India

22.8 CROPPING PATTERNS The agricultural land devoted to different crops in a region or state or country at a particular point of time is called the cropping pattern. The cropping pattern of a region is an outcome of a long term agricultural practices, social customs and traditions, physical conditions and historical factors. Features of changing crop-pattern Changing crop pattern in India is as under:A. Dominance of food crops over non-food crops 

142

At the time of Independence, more than 75 per cent of the total area sown in the country was devoted to the production of food crops. Gradually with commercialisation of agricalture, farmers in India have started shifting area to non-food crops. Now, relative share of area under food crops has declined from 76.7% during 1950-51 to 65.8% during 1999-2000. This trend shows commercialisation of agriculture in India. GEOGRAPHY

Land use and Agriculture B. Variety of crops grown Almost every kind of crops are grown in India as it is endowed with a variety of soils. These crops can be grouped into (a) Food crops (b) Fibre crops (c) Oilseeds (d) Medicinal plants and spices. Food crops are of two typescereal and non-cereal. Among the cereals rice, wheat and millet are important. Pulses come next and then oilseeds. Similarly a number of spices and medicinal plants are also cultivated throughout the country. Emphasis is placed now on production of oilseeds, because a large amount of foreign exchange is spent on import of edible oils. Special attention is also given to production of medicinal plants, fruits, flowers and vegetables.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

C. Dominance of cereals among food crops: Within broad group of food crops cereals like wheat and rice dominate. About 82 per cent of the area under food crops has been put to cultivation of cereals. This is due to better prices, less risk in production and the availability of better seeds. D. Decline in coarse cereals Jwar, Bajra, Maize, Millets, Barley etc. are called coarse or inferior cereals. The area under these crops to the total area under cereal crops has declined significantly from 48 per cent in 1950-51 to about 29 per cent in 2001. This is due to spread of irrigation facilities, improved inputs and a shift in consumption patterns of the people. E.

Declining importance of Kharif crops There are mainly three cropping seasons in India (i) Kharif (ii) Rabi (iii) Zaid. The Kharif season corresponds to the rainy season, while Rabi season with the winter. The short period in between the harvest of the Rabi crops and the sowing of the Kharif crops is called the Zaid season. Till recently, Kharif crops have been contributing the large share in the crop production in India. But this dominance is on the decline. The share of Kharif has declined from 71 per cent in the 1970’s to 49 percent in 2003-2004. This makes a significant change in Indian agricultural practices after Green Revolution. This change is important because it would lessen uncertainty in crops production, as Rabi crops are more reliable than Kharif ones. The Kharif crops are not reliable because they are mostly dependent on rainfall. The most parts of India get rainfall from monsoon which is unreliable. Contrary to this, mostly Rabi crops in India are raised on irrigation which is comparatively reliable.

Climate-rainfall, temperature, humidity; soils, size of farms, availability of fertilizer, good quality of seeds, irrigational facilities and price incentives are the factors which effect cropping patterns.

GEOGRAPHY

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Notes

Land use and Agriculture 22.9 ISSUES IN AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT Agriculture contributes a significant share to the national income (26%) but more importantly it is a major source of livelihood for majority of work force in the countryside. However, the per hectare production of different principal crops in the country is relatively low. In some cases it is as low as 1/4th to 1/5th as compared to other countries due to traditional methods of cultivation, small farms size, low investment, low input, poor health and lack of education among the farmers, lack of linkages between agriculture and industry, and poor condition of infrastructure. Limited availability of cultivable land and ever increasing population has left no alternative but to increase productivity of crops. It is this sector that continues to have great potentinal for reducing poverty and hunger in rural areas. Following issues are important for the development of agriculture in India:A. The Use of Farm Inputs For high growth rate, farm inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and irrigational facilities play an important role. The use of high yielding varieties of seeds, chemical fertilizers have increased particularly in Green Revolution areas of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. However, in several other parts of the country the use of chemical fertilizers is much below the national average. In regard to irrigation, the irrigated land in the country is less than 50 per cent of the potential. Hence, there is a need for equitable and efficient use of inputs in the country so that regional disparities in its use can be minimized. Another important factor associated with use of chemical fertilizers is their im balanced use. Nitrogen, phasphorous and calcium required by the plants for balanced growth and good health of the soils are not used by most of the Indian farmers. There is over emphases on the use of nitrogen, resulting in damage to fertility of soils and adverse effect on crop productivity. B. Small Size of Land holdings About 89 per cent of operational farm holdings in the country are below two hectares in size. Over 70 per cent of agricultural production comes from the subsistence agriculture. Unless small farmers are helped to improve the productivity and profitability of their farms, the agriculture in India will not develop in its true sense. This can be possible by optimum use of available land, water, credit facilities and labour resources. C. Farm Mechanization The use of improved agricultural implements and machines such as the plough, tractor, trolley, harvester, thrasher, water pump, sprinkler etc. are important to modernize Indian agriculture. These machines are being used in some parts of the country. Diffusion of modern farm technology and techniques is both necessory as well as a big challange. To increase productivity, some agricultural implements

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GEOGRAPHY

Land use and Agriculture are being made available to the farmers through Development Blocks and Cooperative Societies.

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D. Consolidation of Holdings Small and scattered holdings of land are one of the reasons of low agricultural productivity in India. This is an obstacle in the way of modern agriculture in which machines, improved equipments and techniques are used. These problems are being minimized through consolidation of land holdings. However, in many parts of the country it is still a big problem. For example, apart from hill states, Rajasthan and Bihar are two states in the northern plain where land consolidation is yet to be implemanted. This problem needs to be addressed on priority basis by the respective governments.

Notes

E. Diversification of Agriculture Diversification of agriculture means a shift of resources from farm to allied activities, e.g. shift to dairy farming. Also, there is a need to give more importance to higher value crops in comparison to lower value. The diversification will improve income, generate employment, alleviate poverty, increase productivity, food security, and will also promote exports. Although, impressive gains have been made in agricultural production by diversifying agriculture in some parts of the country like in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, remaining parts of the country, still needs much attention. F. Agriculture and Industry Interface For the better development of agriculture, it must be linked with the industry. It will increase investment in agriculture and boost agricultural productivity. It will also increase industrialisation and employment opportunities. Although, the interdependence of agriculture and industry has increased over the years, yet much is required to be done in time to come. The agriculture and agriculture based industries need helping hand for over all development of rural areas. Green Revolution The eight years between the commencements of the Third-Five Year and fourthFive Year Plans 1961-69 were the year of great significance for Indian agriculture. During this period a new strategy of agricultural production was introduce first in 1960-61 as a pilot project, in some districts of Punjab and was subsequently extended to other districts of the country. The core of this strategy was the use of High Yielding Variety (HYV) of seeds, application of chemical fertilizers and extension of adequate and assured irrigation. It also made it imperative to use pesticides and insecticides and improved agricultural implements to enhance agricultural productivity. It also became essential to make provision of cheap credit, storage and marketing facilities, crops preservation GEOGRAPHY

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Notes

Land use and Agriculture measures, and support price for agricultural products. Due to these measures, food grains production surged in India and country became self sufficient in food grains. This achievement of Indian farmers is called ‘Green Revolution’. The term Green Revolution was used first in 1968 by Dr. William Gadd of the U.S.A. The Green revolution in India has been successful mainly in Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh because these regions had advantage of assured irrigation, adequate supply of fertilizers, HYV seeds, and modern agricultural implements at subsidised rate. The majority of farmers and the areas in the country have not been benefited by it, resulting in ever increasing inequalities in agricultural and rural development in the country. Due to increased application of chemical fertilizer and over irrigation, soils in the areas of the Green Revolution have been degraded in the form of salinity and water logging. The Green Revolution package has led to serious environmental disruption in areas of its sucess. Excessive concentrations of chemical fertilizers and pesticides contaminate the streams and the ground water with serious health hazards for the people. Fish are not found in the paddy fields any more and the water table has decreased drastically in these areas. Green Revolution means rapid increase in farm production per unit area through the application of (i) high yielding seeds (ii) chemical fertilizers and (iii) assured and adequate irrigation. G. Infrastructural Development The Government has tried to develop various infrastructural facilities in rural areas- e.g. electrification, provision of irrigation facilities, construction of metalled roads to connect villages to the markets. The scheme of crops insurance has also been introduced. Awareness programs for farmers through radio and television are being relayed. A number of magazines are being published to provide the latest information about new techniques in agriculture. Recently call centers have been established to solve problems of farmers on telephone. But existing infrastructural facilities are not adequate in the country. There is a need of spreading these facilities to small farms, in general, and to the farmers of remote areas, in particular. H. Agricultural Credit Commercial banks, Regional Rural (Grameen) Banks and Cooperative banks, provide credit support and services for agricultural and rural development. Commercial Banks account for 50 per cent, Cooperative Banks 43 per cent and regional Rural Banks 7 per cent share in the credit flow for agriculture. Kissan Credit Card scheme was introduced in 1998-99 to facilitate access of credit to farmers from commercial banks and Regional Rural Banks. There is need for expanding this scheme to other geographical areas.

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GEOGRAPHY

Land use and Agriculture I. Globalization and Indian Agriculture Globalization, in simple term means integration of the economy of a country with worlds economy. In Indian context, this refers to the opening up the economy to foreign direct investment in different field of economic activities, removal of obstacles to the entry of Multi National Companies (MNC’s) in India, allowing Indian companies to enter into foreign collaborations, to encourage setting of joint ventures abroad, bringing down the level of import duties and opening the Indian market for the world.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

Impact of Globalization on Agriculture: The experts are divided on the impacts of globalization on agriculture. They say that India will get benefited through improved prospects for agricultural export as a result of increase in the world prices of agricultural commodities with reduction in heavy farm subsidies provided in the developed countries and breaking of barriers to trade. The prices of agricultural products in India are not likely to increase as all major programmes such as subsidies on P.D.S. (Public Distribution System) and on agriculture are exempted from the contol of W. T. O. Agreement on agriculture. It is mainly because of the fact that subsidy given on agriculture in India is below the limit of 10 per cent of value of agricultural products. Furthermore, India has the skills and the low cost labours which make it one of the lowest-cost producer of agricultural products in the world. Hence, there will be a large market world wide for these products. Moreover, it is also said that an improvement in terms of trade in favour of agriculture will promote faster agricultural growth in India. However, these claims are questionable on the following grounds: (i)

Due to globalization, the Indian farmers might have to face much unstable prices of agricultural products as world prices for these products fluctuate largely on year-to-year basis.

(ii)

The impact of trade liberalizations on the prices of agricultural products at international level and domestic level depends on what policies other countries follow. For example, developed countries are not willing to reduce subsidies on their agricultural products, to keep these still cheaper to benefit their farmers.

(iii)

Due to liberalization, MNC’s engaged in agro-business would operate freely in India. For their strong financial background, they could produce hybrid varieties of seeds and the specialised agro-chemicals, using advance biotechnology. These hybrid seeds cannot be regrown or reproduced by the farmers as they are genetically modified to terminate after first use. Therefore, these seeds will have to be purchased every year from the MNCs for the monopoly they have over it under IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) regime.

(iv)

There would be uneven distribution of income across social classes and geographical region due to effect of globalization on agricultural practices and trade. Rich regions or social groups will be richer in the country.

GEOGRAPHY

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Notes

Land use and Agriculture Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) It is an important feature of the WTO agreements among the member countries related to intellectual property rights (IPRs). It covers copyright, trademarks, geographical indications including appellations of origin, industrial, patents on production of new varieties of plants and seeds, etc. Under this agreement on the above subject all member countries have to (i) provide minimum standards of protection (ii) facilitate domestic producers and remedies for the information of IPRs and (iii) settle dispute between the WTO members. The traditional knowledge of farmers and indigenous people in respect of uses of different variety of plants are being used by MNCs for their business profits patenting them under IPRs. The famous examples are patent of neem and turmeric product by American MNCs. 22.10

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICIES DURING FIVE YEAR PLANS

The agriculture in India during five-year plans has registered a phenomenal growth. At the time of Independence, partition of Indian sub-continent on communal lines, resulted among others in acute shortage of food and raw material for her industries. Therefore, during first five-year plan (1951-56) the highest priority was accorded to increaseof agricultural production. Nearly one third or 31 per cent of total plan funds were allocated to agriculture sector. River valley projects were taken up. Irrigational facilities and fertilizer plants were established. Consequently, production of food-grains increased by 36 per cent in a short span of five years. The second five-year plan (1956-61) was focused on industrial growth and only 20 per cent of plan allocation was devoted to agriculture. Still food-grains production exceeded the target due to extension of irrigation facilities and use of chemical fertilizers. During the third Five Years Plan (1961-66), the priorities were on self-sufficiency in food grains, meeting the raw material needs of industries and increase in exports. During this period, Green Revolution programme was started on a small scale. But this plan failed to meet the target due to Chinese aggression (1962), Indo-Pak war (1965) and severe and prolonged drought during 1965-66. There were a great crisis of food that forced the Prime Minister L. B. Shatri to appeal to people to observe fast once a week. During next three annual plans (1966-69) agriculture recorded 6-9 per cent annual growth under the impact of Green Revolution. The production of food grain touched 94 million tonnes. The Fourth Plan (1969-74) aimed at 5 per cent annual growth in food grains. High Yielding Variety (HYV) of seeds, fertilizer use, new agriculture techniques and irrigation facilities provided to expand area of Green Revolution. The production of wheat increased sharply but growth in rice, oilseeds and coarse grains 148

GEOGRAPHY

Land use and Agriculture were nominal resulting in only 3 per cent annual growth against the target of 5 per cent. During Fifth Plan Period (1974-79) emphasis were given to self-sufficiency in food production and poverty eradication. Stress was laid on the extension of irrigation, expansion in cultivated area under HYV seeds and grant of loans and subsidies to farmers. Dry farming was propagated. This plan achieved its target successfully with 4.6 per cent growth. Almost all food grains except pulses witnessed increase in production.

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Notes

The Sixth Plan (1980-85) imphasized on land reforms, use of HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers and groundwater resources and improving post harvest technology as well as marketing and storage facilities. The annual growth rate was 6 per cent, highest ever during plan periods. The food-grain production reached 152 million tonnes. The highest growth in food-grain, pulses and coarse cereals was recorded during Seventh Plan (1985-90) showing over all annual growth rate of 4 per cent. The areas of Green Revolution were expanded during the period. The Eighth Plan (1992-97) witnessed a tendency of stagnation in foodgrain production while oilseed registered a rapid growth. The Ninth Plan (1997-02) witnessed a mixed success. There were fluctuations in the foodgrain production. During this plan period National Agricultural Policy, 2000, was framed and several measures were announced including, watershed management, development of horticulture, agricultural credits and insurance scheme for crops. In the Tenth Plan (2002-2007) focus is placed on (i) sustainable management of water and land resources, (ii) development of rural infrastructure to support agriculture, (iii) dissemination of agriculture technology, (iv) credit flow to agriculture sector, and (v) agricultural marketing reforms. The New Agricultural Policy The Government of India has announced (28th July 2000) a new National Agricultural policy, 2000, in the light of changes arising out of economic liberalization and globalization. The main aims of the polict are (i) achieving more than 4 per cent per annum growth rate in agriculture sector, (ii) growth based on efficient use of resources and conservation of soil, water and biodiversity, (iii) growth with equity-in region and among the farmers, (iv) growth that caters to domestic market and maximizes benefits from exports of agricultural products and (v) technologically, environmentally and economically sustainable growth. The main features of this policy are:(1)

privatisation of agriculture and price protection of produce,

(2)

land leasing and contract farming by private companies,

GEOGRAPHY

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Land use and Agriculture (3)

raising the ceiling of land holdings,

(4)

involving national livestock breeding strategy to meet requirement of milk, meat, egg and livestock products.

(5)

protection of plant varieties and improvement of horticultural crops, livestock species and agriculture.

(6)

liberalization of domestic market by dismantling of restriction on movement of commodities in the country.

(7)

improving the domestic and international marketing system.

(8)

facilitating the flow of credit to farmers against pledging of their products and providing them most other facilities available to manufacturing sector.

(9)

keeping agriculture outside the regulatory and tax collection system.

Notes

(10) encouraging consolidation of land holdings and speeding up tenancy reforms to recognize the right of the tenants and sharecroppers It may be noted that the policy are intentions of Government, thus, its success depends on the commitment of the Government to convert it into reality.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 22.4 1.

What are the determinants of cropping pattern in India? _______________________________________________________

2.

What do you understand by globalization? _______________________________________________________

3.

Name three agricultural seasons found in India? 1.__________________ 2._________________ 3.________________

4.

During which five year plan period a special programme for the Green Revolution started? _______________________________________________________

5.

Write four objectives of new National Agricultural policy 2000. _______________________________________________________

WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT India has different types of land uses. About 47 per cent of its total area is under cultivation leaving very little scope for brining further land under cultivation. The 150

GEOGRAPHY

Land use and Agriculture food for rapidly growing population can be provided only by improving productivity per hectare of land as cultivable land in India is only 13 per cent. There is need of increasing forest land for ecological balance. Animal rearing is important economic activity in India. It accounts for a quarter of the total agricultural output. India has the highest number of livestock but the quality of livestock is very poor. Efforts are being made to improve the quality of animals through operation flood. As a result, India is now leading in milk production in the world. Fisheries is also an important occupation in India.

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Notes

Rice, wheat, sugarcane, cotton and tea are important crops grown in India. Efforts are being made to increase production of fruits, vegetables, spices and flowers. The importance of these crops have increased due to global opportunities in export of agricultural commodities. India can earn a sizable amount of foreign exchanges with export of these items. The government of India has formulated a new agricultural policy in 2000 in the light of economic libralization. In the new agricultural policy emphasis have been placed on privatization of agriculture, increasing animal products, aquaculture, flowriculture, improving domestic and international market systems and facilitating credit flow to the farmers.

TERMINAL QUESTIONS 1.

Discuss changing pattern of cropping in India.

2.

What is meant by Green Revolution? Write its impact on agricultural production and environment.

3.

What is the impact of globalization on agricultural sector in India?

4.

Show the sugarcane and tea producing areas on an outline map of India.

5.

Write short notes on following:(a)

Eco-farming/organic farming

(b)

White Revolution

(c)

Blue Revolution

(d)

Agricultural policy of India.

ANSWER TO INTEXT QUESTIONS 22.1 1.

(i)

(f)

(ii)

(e)

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Land use and Agriculture

Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

(iii) (d) (iv) (c) (v) (b) (vi) (a) 2.

Notes

Punjab (84%)

22.2 1.

25

2.

Uttar Pradesh

3.

Rajasthan

4.

(ii) 22

22.3 1.

(a) (i) Cotton

(ii) Jute

(b) (i) from Punjab to Bihar in the Northern Plain. (ii) from Gujarat to Tamil Nadu in South India. (c) Coimbatore (d) (i) First (e) West Begal 2.

See Map on page No.

22.4

152

1.

Climate (rainfall, temperature, humidity), soils, size of farms, availability of fertilizers, good quality of seeds, irrigational facilities and price incentives are the factors which effect cropping patterns

2.

Globalization means to make global, worldwide or effecting whole world or all people. It integrates economy of a country with world economy.

3.

There are three agricultural seasons in India - (i) Rabi (ii) Kharif (iii) Zaid.

4.

During third plan (1961-66).

5.

i) Achieving more than 4 per cent annum growth rate in agriculture sector (ii) Growth based on efficient use of resources and conservation of our soil, water and biodiversity, (iii) Growth with equity-in region and among the farmers, (iv) growth that caters to domestic market and maximizes benefits from exports of agricultural products.

GEOGRAPHY

Land use and Agriculture HINTS TO TERMINAL QUESTIONS 1.

Refer to section 22.6 and 22.8

2.

Refer to box information under section 22.9

3.

Refer to section 22.9 (I)

4.

Refer to Fig. No. 22.3 and 22.5

5.

(a)

Refer to 22.3(J)

(b)

Refer to 22.4

(c)

Refer to 22.5

(d)

Refer to 22.10

GEOGRAPHY

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Notes

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Development of Mineral and Energy Resources

Economic activities and Infrastructural development in India

23 Notes Notes

DEVELOPMENT OF MINERAL AND ENERGY RESOURCES

In the previous lessons, we have read about land, soils water and forests resources. In this lesson, we will study another two vital resources namely minerals and energy resources. Minerals like land and water are invaluable treasures of the earth. Without them, we cannot think of industrialisation and hence the development of our economy. In many countries, they are the main source of national income. The social and economic development of a nation depends on its capacity to utilise its natural resources, avoiding its wasteful use to the extent possible. The most important characteristics of minerals which have bearing on our present and future well-being is that they are practically lost, once used. They are non-renewable resources. Hence, the need to conserve these resources and to recycle them cannot be over emphasised. Among the many causes of the fall of the Roman Empire, the depletion of the mineral deposit and the erosion of soil is said to be one. Even during the recent past, several mining towns turned into ‘ghost towns’ in many parts of the developed world. The Canadian township of Elliot Lake which turned out to be “the first nuclear-age ghost town” is the most recent example of this process. Built at an enormous cost in response to the discovery of uranium in mid fifties, its population declined from 25,000 in 1958 to 5,000 in 1961 as soon as an alternative source was found by the U.S.A. It only shows that prosperity based exclusive on mineral and energy resources cannot be taken for granted as permanent. In this lesson, we will be studying some of the important minerals, mineral fuels and other energy resources, their geographical distribution, problems associated with these resources and the need for their conservation. 154

GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources

OBJECTIVES

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and Infrastructural development in India

After studying this lesson, you will be able to: 

state about the mineral resources of the country;



explain the importance of minerals and energy resources for the economic development;



differentiate between (i) metallic and non-metallic minerals, (ii) conventional and non-conventional resources of energy



locate on the outline map of India, the different areas where mineral and energy resources are found.



infer the effects of mining/refining and using of fossil fuels on local environment; and



suggest measures to conserve minerals and energy resources.

Notes

23.1 MINERAL RESOURCES OF INDIA India is richly endowed with minerals. Our country possesses more than 100 minerals. Out of 100 minerals, there are 30 minerals which have economic significance. Some of the examples are coal, iron ore, manganese, bauxite, mica etc. The situation is also satisfactory in felspar, florides, limestones, dolomite and gypsum etc. But the reserves of petroleum and some nonferous metallic minerals especially copper, lead, zinc, tin, graphite are inadequate. Non-ferous minerals are those which do not contain iron. Country fulfills internal demands for these minerals by importing them from other countries. As you have read in the history, India was least industrialised and most of the minerals were exported during British period. After independence though export continues but also mineral production has picked up in consonance with the increasing industrial demands in the country. As a result the total value of all minerals produced in the country reached about Rs 744 billion in 2004 – 05 from Rs 892 million in 1950-51. Therefore, there has been 834 times increase during the past fifty five years. If we look at mineral wise break up it has been found that fuel minerals (coal, petroleum, natural gas and lignite) accounted for about 77%, metallic minerals for about 10% and non-metallic minerals for about 3% of total value of minerals produced. In metallic mineral category, iron ore, chromite, manganese, zinc, bauxite, copper, gold are important minerals whereas in non-metallic category limestone, phosphorite, dolomite, kaolin, magnesite, barytes and gypsum are important. If we look at individual minerals in terms of value, then coal (36.65%) followed by petroleum (25.48%), natural gas (12.02%), iron ore (7.27%), lignite (2.65%), lime stone (2.15%) and chromite (1.1%) are the GEOGRAPHY

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Development of Mineral and Energy Resources few minerals that contributes more than one percent each of the total value of all minerals produced in the country. Till now we have a detailed discussion about the minerals that are found in our country, their economic significance. In the next section, we will find out their geographical distribution. 23.2

Notes

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF MINERALS AND ENERGY RESOURCES

The distribution of mineral and energy resources is uneven. It’s because occurrence of mineral resources are associated with certain types of geological formation. Coal deposits are mostly associated with Gondwana system, Dharwar and Cuddapah systems contain resources of major metallic minerals like copper, lead, zinc etc and major non-metallic minerals like limestone, dolomite, gypsum, calcium, sulphate etc are found in cuddapah and upper vindhyan system. If we look at the distribution in terms of region, then it has been found that much of the peninsular region west of a line from Mangalore to Kanpur has very little mineral wealth. East of the line which covers the state of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. These states have the major reserve of metallic minerals like iron, bauxite, manganese etc and non-metallic minerals like coal, limestone, dolomite, gypsum etc. Most of these mineral bearing states are located in the peninsular plateau region of India. Within peninsular plateau region of India the following three mineral belts can be demarcated.

156

(1)

The North eastern plateaus: It covers chhotanagpur plateau, orissa plateau and eastern Andhra plateau. This belt contains rich deposits of a variety of minerals, speacially used for metallurgical industries. Prominent minerals that are large and widely distributed are iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, limestone, dolomite etc. This region has also rich deposits coal, along the river valleys of Damodar, Mahanadi, Son etc. This region has also substantial amount deposit of copper, uranium, thorium, phosphate etc.

(2)

South-western plateaus: This region extends over Karnataka plateau and adjoining Tamil Nadu plateau and is rich in metallic minerals particularly in iron ore, manganese and bauxite and in some non-metallic minerals. All the three gold mines of India are found in this region. However, coal is not found in this plateau region.

(3)

North-western region: This belt extends from gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat to the Aravalli range in Rajasthan. Petroleum and natural gas are principal resources of this belt. Deposits of other minerals are small and scatterred. However, it is known for reserves and production of several non-ferrous metals particularly copper, silver, lead, and Zinc. GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources Outside of these mineral belts, upper Brahmaputra valley is a significant petroleum producing area whereas Kerala possesses enormous concentration of heavy mineral sands. Outside these above mentioned areas minerals deposits are very poor, scatterred and reserves are inconsistent. In the next section we will discuss about mineral fuels and mineral. Under mineral fuel we will discuss coal, petroleum, natural gas, and atomic minerals namely uranium and thorium. Under minerals certain selective minerals under ferous and non-ferous categories will be discussed.

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Notes

23.3 MINERAL FUELS Mineral fuels include coal, petroleum, natural gas and atomic or radioactive minerals. (a) Coal In India, coal is the primary source of commercial energy. It is used as fuel in industries, thermal power stations and also for domestic purposes in some parts of the country. It is also used as a raw material in chemical and fertiliser industries and in the production of thousands of items of daily use. As per the assessment of January, 2005 the total coal reserves of the country stand at 2,47,847 million tonnes. Unfortunately, the bulk of the Indian coal reserves are of rather poor quality. We meet part of our coking coal requirements through import. In India, emphasis is being laid on setting thermal and super thermal power station on or near the coal fields and electricity generated is supplied to far off places through transmission lines. At one time Indian railways were the largest consumer of coal. Since they have switched on to the use of diesel and electricity they are no more the direct consumer of coal. Table 23.1 Production of Coal in India (including Lignite) Year

Production (in Million Tonnes)

1950-51

32.8

1960-61

55.7

1970-71

76.3

1980-81

118.8

1990-91

225.7

2004-05

376.63

Source: India 2006, A Refrence Annual, P. 276

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157

Distribution Coal in India occurs in two important types of coal fields. They are the Gondwana coal fields and Tertiary coal fields. Out of the total coal reserves and production in india, Gondwna coal fields contribute 98% and the rest 2% is produced by tertiary coal fields. The Gondwana coal fields are located in the sedimentary rock systems of lower Gondwana Age. They are distributed chiefly in the river velleys of the Damodar (Jharkhand - West Bengal); the Son (Madhya Pradesh–Chhatisgarh); the Mahanadi (Orissa), the Godavari (Andhra Pradesh) and the Wardha (Maharashtra). Tertiary coalfields occur in the extra-peninsular areas which include Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Sikkim. Besides lignite or brown coal are found in coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and in land basins of Rajasthan. Jharkhand ranks highest in production as well as reserves of coal in India. The coal deposites of Jharkhand mainly occur in Dhanbad, Hazaribagh and Palamau district. In Dhanbad district the most important coalfields of Jharia and Chandrapura are located. The oldest coal fields of Raniganj is situated in West Bengal. It is the second largest coalfield in India. Raniganj coalfield stretches over Burdwan and Purulia districts. In Chhatisgarh, coal deposits occur in Bilaspur and Sarguja districts. In Madhya Pradesh, coal deposits are found in Sidhi, Shahdol and Chhindwara districts. Singrauli coalfield in Shadhol and Sidhi districts is the largest in the state. In Andhra Pradesh, coal occurs in the district of Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam and West Godavari. In Orissa, Talcher is an important coal field. Other coal field are in Sambalpur and Sundargarh districts. In Maharashtra the coal fields are found in the districts of Chandrapura, Yeotmal and Nagpur. In comparison to India’s coal reserves, lignite reserves are relatively modest. The bulk of lignite reserves are located in and around Neyveli in Tamil Nadu. Significant lignite reserves are found in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Pondicherry and Jammu & Kashmir.  Coal is used as raw material in chemical and fertiliser industries and in the production of thousands of items of daily use.  Coal are mainly found in the Gondwana and Tertiary coal field.  The states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhatisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa are the leading producers of coal.  The bulk of lignite reserves are found in and around Neyveli in Tamil Nadu. (b) Petroleum Petroleum has often been called liquid gold because of its value in our modern

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources

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Fig. 23.1 INDIA : Major coal fields GEOGRAPHY

159

civilization. Our agriculture, industry and transport system depend on petroleum in several ways. The crude petroleum is a mixture of combustible hydrocarbons in solid, liquid and gaseous forms. Petroleum products used as fuel, lubricant, material for manufacturing synthetic derivatives and chemicals required in industries. Petrol, kerosene, diesel, detergents, synthetic fibres, plastics, cosmetics etc. are important products derived from petroleum. Distribution Petroleum occurs in anticlines and fault traps. In India, it is found in the sedimentary rock formation. Most of such areas lie in the Assam, Gujarat and off shore areas along the western coast. The entire production of India till today comes from the Assam belt, GujaratCambay belt and Bombay High. The Assam belt extends from Dehang basin in the extreme north-east of Assam along the outer flanks of hill ranges forming the eastern border of Bhitra and Surma Valley. The Gujarat-Cambay belt extends from Mehsana (Gujarat) in the north to the continental shelf off the coast right up to Ratnagiri (Maharashtra) in the south. It covers Bombay High which is the largest producer of petroleum in the country. In Assam, the oil producing area is located in the Lakhimpur and Sibsagar districts. The oil wells are located mainly around Digboi, Naharkatiya. Sibsagar and Rudrasagar. In Gujarat, the oil producing area covers Vadodara, Broach, Kheda, Mehsana and Surat Districts. Recently petroleum reserves are discovered in the state of Rajasthan covering major areas of Bikaner, Barmer and Jaisalmer and gas has been discovered along the east coast in the Godavari and Krishna deltas. The prospective areas lie in the Bay of Bengal, which covers the coastline along the state of West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.  Petroleum occurs in anticlines and fault traps. In India it is found in sedimentary rocks. Most of such areas lie in the Assam, Gujarat and off shore areas along the western coast.  Petrol, kerosene, diesel, detergents, synthetic fibres, plastics, cosmetics etc. are important products derived from petroleum.  Petroleum products are used a fuel, lubricant material for manufacturing synthetic derivatives and chemicals required in industries.

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources

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Fig. 23.2 INDIA : Petroleum production GEOGRAPHY

161

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Development of Mineral and Energy Resources

Economic activities and Infrastructural development in India

Notes

Fig. 23.3 INDIA : Petroleum probable Area

162

GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources

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Table 23.2 Production of Crude Petroleum in India Year

Production (in million tonnes)

1960-61

0.5

1970-71

6.8

1980-81

10.5

1990-91

33.0

2000-01

32.4

2005-06

32.2

Economic activities and Infrastructural development in India

Notes

Source : Economic Survey 2006-07, S-1 Oil Refineries in India The crude petroleum taken from oil fields needs to be refined before it can be used. Oil refining is really a big chemical engineering industry involving a complicated process. Presenty there are 17 oil refineries in India under public sector and one in private sector which belongs to Reliance Industries Ltd. These refineries are at Digboi, Bongaigaon, Nunamati (All are in Assam), Mumbai (two) (Maharashtra), Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Barauni (Bihar), Koyali (Gujarat), Mathura (U.P.), Panipat (Haryana), Kochi (Kerala), Mangalore (Karnataka) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu).The only private oil refineries belongs to Reliance Industries Ltd. is located at Jamnagar (Gujarat). These oil refineries are supplied crude oil either by ships or by pipelines. Although the annual production shows an increasing trend, the country has to import petroleum and petroleum products to meet its requirements. 

Presently, there are 17 oil refineries in India under the Public sector and 1 in private sector.



Although the annual production shows an increasing trend, the country has to import petroleum and petroleum product to meet its requirement.

(c) Natural Gas Natural gas is energing as an important source of commercial energy. Most of the time it is found in association with petroleum. The recoverable reserves of natural gas (as on 1st April, 2001) are estimated at 638 billion cubic metres. But this quantity will increase as more and more reserves are discovered at eastern coast namely Krishna, Godavari and Mahanadi basins. Production of natural gas in 2003-04 was about 31 billion cubic metres. GEOGRAPHY

163

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Development of Mineral and Energy Resources Gas Authority of India was established in the year 1984 with an aim for processing, transporting, distributing and marketing of natural gas. The company owns and operates a network of over 5,340 km of natural gas pipeline in the country. (d) Atomic Minerals

Notes

Atomic energy can be produced by fission or fusion of the atoms or rather the nuclear parts of radio-active minerals like uranium thorium and radium. India possesses the world’s largest reserves of monazite, the principal source of thorium and some reserves of uranium. Uranium In India, uranium is embedded in the igneous and metamorphic rocks in Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and some parts of Himalaya. A substantial source of uranium deposits is also found in the monazite sands along the Kerala coasts. The production of uranium at present is confined to the mines at Jaduguda in Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. The total reserves of uranium in the country are enough to support 5,000-10,000 mw of electricity generating capacity. Thorium Thorium is principally obtained from monazite. The beach sands of Kerala in Palghat and Quilon district contain the world’s richest monazite deposits. It also occurs on the sands of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. 

The production of Uranium is presently confined to the mines of Jaduguda in Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. .



India possesses the world’s largest monazite reserves, the principal source of thorium.



The beach sand of Kerala in Palghat and Quilon districts contain world’s richest monazite deposits.



In India Uranium is found in the igneous and metamorphic rocks in Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and some parts of Himalaya.

INTEXT QUESTION 23.1 1.

Tick () the correct alternative from the given with each statement

(a) Which one of the following is the leading mineral in terms of economic value (i) Coal (ii) Petroleum (iii) Iron ore (iv) Gold 164

GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources (b) All the three gold fields of the country are found in which region (i) North-eastern plateaus (ii) South-western plateaus (iii) North-eastern region (iv) North-western region.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and Infrastructural development in India

(c) Oil refining is done at (i)

Kanpur

(ii) Barauni

(iii)

Kandla

(iv) Masulipatnam Notes

(d) The chief oil fields of India are in (i)

Assam and Gujarat

(ii)

Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan

(iii)

Madhya Pradesh and Assam

(iv)

Gujarat and Bihar

(e) 80 percent of coal reserves of India are in

(f)

(i)

Godavari Valley

(ii) Wardha Valley

(iii)

DamodarValley

(iv) Mahanadi Valley

Tertiary coal is found in the state of (i)

Kerala

(ii) Jammu & Kashmir

(iii)

Bihar

(iv) Uttar Pradesh

(g) The largest coal producing coal field is (i)

Raniganj

(ii) Jharia

(iii)

Bailadila

(iv) Talcher

(h) Recently gas reserves are discovered in the basins of (i)

Narmada and Tapi

(ii) Ganga and Brahmaputra

(iii)

Krishna and Godavari

(iv) Damodar & Subarnarekha

23.4 DISTRIBUTION OF SOME IMPORTANT MINERALS In India mineral resources are very unevenly distributed. Most of the minerals are found in the ancient crystalline rocks of the Deccan and Chhotanagpur Plateau. Some minerals are found in the Himalayan region, although they are difficult to exploit. Minerals are broadly divided into two groups metallic and non metallic minerals. Metallic minerals are further subdivided into ferrous and non ferrous minerals. (A) FERROUS MINERALS Ferrous minerals are those which contain iron in substantial quantity. GEOGRAPHY

165

(a) Ferrous Metallic Minerals: Ferrous minerals account for about three-fourth of the total value of the production of metallic minerals. They constitute the most important mineral group after fuel minerals. They include iron, manganese, chromite, pyrite etc. These minerals provide a strong base for the development of metallurgical industries, particularly iron, steel and alloys. (i) Iron Ore India is one of the few countries of the world which is endowed with vast reserves of good quality of iron ore. She possesses over 20 percent of the world’s total reserves. The quality of Indian ore is very high with iron content of above 60 percent. Most of iron ore found in the country is of three types :- Haematite, magnetite and limonite. Haematite ore contains up to 68 percent of iron. It is red in color and is often refered to as ‘red ore’. Next to haematite in quanitity and richness is the magnetite ore. It contains up to 60 percent of the iron. It is dark brown to blackish in colour, and is often referred as ‘black ores’, Limonite is the third type of ore which has iron content of 35-50 percent. It is yellow in colour. Since India has large reserves of haematite and magnetite ores, inferior quality ore like limonite is rarely exploited. The total estimated reserves of iron ore in the country are placed at about 12,857 million tonnes of which12,317 million tonnes are haematite ore and about 540 miillion tonnes of magnetite ore. This is roughly about one fourth of the world reserves. Table 23.3 Production of iron ore in India Year

Production (In million tonnes)

1950-51

3.0

1960-61

11.0

1970- 71

32.5

1980-81

42.2

1990-91

53.7

2004-05

140.46

Source: India 2006: A Reference Annual, p.571 Distribution Iron ore deposits are found practically in every state of lndia. However, 96 percent of the total reserves are in Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh, Karnataka and Goa. These states also account for 96 percent to the total production of

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iron ore in the country. About 3 percent of the country’s total production comes from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Economic activities and Infrastructural development in India

Orissa and Jharkhand together possess about 50 percent of India’s reserves of high-grade iron ore. The principal deposits are located in Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts of Orissa and Singhbhum district of Jharkhand.

Fig. 23.4 INDIA : Distribution of Iron ore GEOGRAPHY

167

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Notes

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources Chhatisgarh and Madhya Pradesh contributed about 25 percent of country’s total iron ore reserves and about 20-25 percent of country’s production of iron ore. The reserves are located in Bailadila range, Raoghat area near Aridongri in Bastar district and Dhalli Rajhara range in Durg district. Goa posseses inferior quality ore but its contribution to the country’s total production is impressive. Most of the mines are open cast and mechanized. Almost the entire production of iron from Goa is exported from Marmagao Port to Japan. In Karnataka, the most important deposits are found in the Sandur-Hospet area of Bellary district; Babaudan hills of Chikmagalur district and in Simoga and Chitradurga district. Iron ore deposits of Andhra Pradesh are scattered in the Anantpur, Khammam, Krishna, Kurnool, Cuddapah and Nellore districts. Some deposits are also located in the state of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. India contributes about 7 to 8 percent of the total world trade. Now deposits are being worked out specially for export purpose. For example, Bailadila and Rajhara mines of Chhatisgarh and Kiruburu mines in Orissa are being worked for this purpose. Japan, Romania, the former Czekoslovakia and Poland are important importing countries. Iron ore is exported from Haldia, Paradip, Marmagao, Mangalore and Visakhapatnam ports. 

India posseses over 20 percent of the world’s total reserves in iron.



Iron ore deposits are found practically in every state. However, 96 percent of the total reserves are in Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh, Karnataka and Goa.



Bailadila and Rajhara mines in Chhatisgarh and Kiruburu mines in Orissa are being worked out specially for export purpose.

(ii) Manganese Ore India ranks third in the production of manganese ore in the world, next only to Russia and South Africa. About one fourth of the total production of India exported. Manganese ore forms an important ingredient in the manufacture of iron and steel. It is also used in manufacture of dry batteries, in photography, leather and match industries. About 85 percent of total manganese consumption in India is used by metallurgical industries. Distribution The important areas of production are in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Over 78 percent of total reserves of manganese ore of India occur in a belt stretching from Nagpur and Bhandara districts of Maharashtra to Balaghat and Chindwara district of Madhya 168

GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources

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Notes

Fig. 23.5 INDIA : Distribution of Manganese ore

GEOGRAPHY

169

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Notes

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources Pradesh. But these two states contribute only 12 and 14 percent of total production respectively. The remaining 22 percent of reserves are distributed in Orissa, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Goa and Andhra Pradesh. Orissa tops in the production of manganese accounting for 37% of the total production of the country. Its reserves are only 12 percent of total reserves of India. The important mining districts are Sundargarh, Rayagada, Bolangir, Keonjhar, Jajpur, and Mayurbhanj. In Karnataka, the deposits are located in the districts of Shimoga, Chitrdurga, Tumkur and Bellary. Small deposits are reported in Bijapur, Chikmagalur and Dharwar districts. Karnataka is the second largest producer of manganese ore, accounting for 26 percent of country’s total productions. It accounts for 6.41 percent of country’s total reserves. Andhra Pradesh is a significant producer of manganese ore, contributing about 8 percent of India’s total production, although her reserves are insignificant. Goa, Jharkhand and Gujarat also have some deposits of manganese ore.  India ranks third in the production of manganese ore in the world.  About 85 percent of total manganese consumption in India is used by

metallurgical industries.  The important areas of production are in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh,

Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. (b) NON-FERROUS METALLIC MINERALS Non ferrous minerals are those which do not contain iron. They include gold, silver, copper, tin, lead and zinc. These metallic minerals are highly important in day to day life. However, India is very poor and deficient in all of these minerals (i)

Bauxite

Bauxite is a non-ferrous metallic mineral. It is the ore from which aluminium metal is produced. India’s reserves of bauxite are sufficient to keep the country self-reliant. Aluminium extracted from the ore is used in making aeroplanes, electrical appliances and goods, household fittings, utensils etc. Bauxite is also used for manufacturing of white colour cement and certain chemicals. India’s reserves of bauxite of all grades have been estimated at 3037 million tonnes.

170

GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources Table 23.4 Production of Bauxite in India Year

Production (in thousand tonnes)

1951

68.1

1961

475.9

1971

1,517.1

1981

1,954.6

1991

4,977.0

2004-2005

11598.0

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Notes

Source: India 2006: A Reference Annual p.570 Distribution Bauxite has a wide occurrence in the country. Major reserves occur in Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Uttar Pradesh. Jharkhand accounts for 13 percent of India’s total reserves and 37 percent of the country’s total production. The important deposits are located in Palamau, Ranchi and Lohardaga districts. Gujarat contributes 12 percent to the total production and equal percentage to the total reserves of the country. The deposits are found in the Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Amreli districts. Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh accounts for 22 percent of the total reserves of the country and 25 percent of the total production. The three important bauxite ore regions in these states are Sarguja, Raigarh and Bilaspur districts in the Amarkantak Plateau; Maikala range in Bilaspur, Durg (bothe these regions are in Chhatisgarh), Mandla, Shahdole and Balaghat districts; and Katni district in Madhya Pradesh. Maharashtra accounts for a relatively small production of the country, 18 percent of the total, but possesses the second largest bauxite reserves consisting of 22 percent of the country’s total reserves. Bauxite occurs in Kolhapur, Raigarh, Thana, Satara and Ratnagiri districts. In Karnataka the reserves of bauxite occur in the north-western parts of Belgaum district. Huge deposits of bauxite have been discovered in the eastern ghats in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, Salem, Nilgiri and Madurai district of Tamil Nadu, and Banda district of Uttar Pradesh also have workable deposits of bauxite. India exports bauxite to a number of countries. The leading importer of Indian bauxite is Italy, followed by the U.K., West Germany and Japan. GEOGRAPHY

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Development of Mineral and Energy Resources

Economic activities and Infrastructural development in India

Notes

Fig. 23.6 INDIA : Distribution of Bauxite

172

GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources 

Bauxite is the ore from which aluminium metal is extracted.



Bauxite is used for manufacturing white colour cement and certain chemicals.



Major reserves occur in Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Uttar Pradesh.

(B) Non-metallic Minerals

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Notes

A large number of non-metallic minerals are found in India but only a few of these are commercially important. They are limestone, dolomite, mica, kyanite, sillimanite, gypsum and phosphate. These minerals are used in a variety of industries such as cement, fertilizers, refractories and electrical goods. In this lesson we will be studying about mica and limestone. (i) Mica India is the leading producer in sheet mica. It was one of the indispensable minerals used in electrical and electronic industries till recently. However its synthetic substitute has reduced our exports as well as production considerably. Distribution Although mica is widely distributed but workable deposits occur in three principle belts. They are in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Rajasthan. Bihar and Jharkhand produces the high-quality ruby mica. The mica belt in Bihar and Jharkhand extends from Gaya district in the west through Hazaribagh and Munger district to Bhagalpur district in the east. Outside this main belt, mica occurs in Dhanbad, Palamau, Ranchi and Singhbhum district. The state supplies more than 80% of the india’s output. In Andhra Pradesh mica is found in a belt in Nellore district. Rajasthan is the third largest mica producing state. The mica, bearning zone, covers the districts of Jaipur, Udaipur, Bhilwara, Ajmer and Kishangarh. The quality of mica is inferior. Besides these three belts, some deposits occur in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. Mica mining in India was mainly done for export. The principal importing country was the U.S.A. which took about 50 percent of the exports. (ii) Limestone Limestone is used in a wide range of industries. 76 percent of the country’s total consumption is used in cement industry, 16 percent in iron and steel industry and 4 percent in chemical industries. The remaining 4 percent is

GEOGRAPHY

173

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Development of Mineral and Energy Resources used by sugar, paper, fertilisers and ferromanganese industries. Limestone with high silica content is preferred in cement industry. Distribution

Notes

Madhya Pradesh possesses 36 percent of the total reserves. Other major producing states are Chhatisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. The remaining part comes from Assam, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, and Meghalaya. Karnataka contributes about 10 percent of the total reserves. They are found in Bijapur, Belgaum and Shimoga districts. In Andhra Pradesh the deposits are found in Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Krishna, Karimnagar and Adilabad districts. Sundargarh district of Orissa; Rohtas district of Bihar and Palamau districts of Jharkhand also have limestone deposits. 

India is the leading producers in mica.



Mica is used in electrical and electronic industries.



Mica is widely distributed but workable deposits occur in the states of Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.



Limestone is mostly used in cement, iron and steel, and chemical industries.



Limestone is mostly found in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Meghalaya.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 23.2 1.

Tick () the correct alternative from the choices given for each statement.

(a) Iron ore from Bailadila is exported through (i)

Paradip

(iii) Visakhapatnam

(ii)

Kakinada

(iv) Haldia

(b) Iron ore with highest iron content is (i)

Magnetite

(iii) Limonite

(ii)

Haematite

(iv) Saderite

(c) Which is the leading state in the production of Manganese ? (i)

Bihar

(iii) Madhya Pradesh

(ii)

Orissa

(iv) Karnataka

(d) Which one of the following industry is leading consumer of manganese in India? 174

GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources (i)

Leather industries

(iii) Metallurgical

(ii)

Match industries

(iv) Photography industries

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(e) Bauxite is a (i)

Metallic mineral of ferrous group

(ii) Metallic mineral of non-ferrous group (iii) Non-metallic mineral

Notes

(iv) Mineral fuel (f)

The ore of aluminium is (i) Hematie

(ii)

Magnetite

(iii) Bauxite

(iv) Limonite

(g) India is the leading producer of (i)

Lime stone

(iii) Mica

(ii)

Copper

(iv) Phosphate

23.5 PROBLEMS There are various problems posed by mineral extraction. The major problems are as follows: (a) Depletion of Mineral Due to the excessive exploitation, many minerals are going to be depleted in near future. So it calls for conservation and judicious utilisation. (b) Ecological Problems Mineral extraction has led to serious environmental problems. Rapidly growing mining activity has rendered large agricultural tracts almost useless. Natural vegetation has been removed from vast tracts. Such areas suffer from frequent floods and for want of proper drainage, they have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes spreading malaria with vengenance. In hilly mining areas landslide are a common phenomenon taking toll of life, cattle and property. In many mines, miners have to work under most hazardous conditions. Hundreds of lives are lost each year by fire in coal mines and due to occasional flooding etc. Occurrence of poisonous gas in pockets of mines is a great enemy of miners. (c) Pollution Many mineral producing areas lead to air and water pollution in the surrounding region which in turn lead to various health hazards. GEOGRAPHY

175

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Development of Mineral and Energy Resources (d) Social Problems New discoveries of minerals often lead to displacement of people. As many tribal areas are rich in minerals, the tribal people are most affected. Industrialisation of such areas has badly shattered their economy, values and life style. 23.6 CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES

Notes

In world of diminishing resources, it becomes essential that the mineral resources should be judiciously used by the present generation to ensure a resource base for future generations. The strategies for resource conservation include: 1. Reclamation Efforts should be made to reclaim various minerals as much as possible. This can be done by using latest technology. Remote sensing satellite has rendered a great help in identifying mineral resources. 2. Recycling It means reuse of waste in a production process e.g. (a) The waste papers, rags, used bottles, tins, plastic waste material can all be recycled to produce paper, newsprint, plastics glass wares, packing tin materials etc. This process saves consumption of water and electricity considerably. Such steps can help to prolong the life of our depleted forest wealth. (b) Post consumption recyling - scrap iron from old machinery, automobiles, industrial equipment which is added to the charge and becomes cast iron or steel which is then shaped into a new consumer product. 3. Substitution Due to advancement of technology and new needs have lead to many changes in the use of minerals. Products of petro-chemical industry have replaced traditional brass or clay jars. Plastics now compete with copper for uses such as piping and with steel in car bodies. 4. More efficient use It also helps in conserning mineral resources for long. Today mineral resources are used more efficiently. For example engineering and construction processes which make automobiles more energy efficient and aerodynamic 23.7 ENERGY RESOURCES This is an essential input for economic development and improving the quality of life. It is very difficult to imagine modern living without the use of energy resources. Day by day the consumption of energy has been increasing. It is available in various forms in India. In the following section we will discuss. it in details.

176

GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources 23.8 SOURCES OF ENERGY AND THEIR CLASSIFICATION There are several sources of energy. They are classified in different ways. One way is to distinguish between commercial and non-commercial sources of energy. In rural India even today a large number of people use human labour or man power, animal power, animal refuge, farm or crop residue as easily available and relatively inexpensive sources of energy. As against this, the sources of energy used in urban areas are commercial in nature. They may include coal, petroleum, natural gas, cooking gas and electricity. But the scenario in rural areas has been changing for quite sometime.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and Infrastructural development in India

Notes

Another classification of sources of energy is based on their longevity. For instance mineral resources such as coal, petroleum, natural gas and radioactive minerals are all non-renewable or exhaustible resources. On the other hand running water, the sun, wind, tides, hot springs and bio-mass are all inexhaustible or renewable sources of energy. They are also pollution free. Mineral sources of energy include coal, petroleum and natural gas. These mineral sources of energy represent nothing but the stored energy of the sun. Hence they are also called fossil fuels. Then there are radio-active or atomic minerals. They all cause pollution. Non-mineral sources of energy include running water, sun, wind, tides and hot springs. The power derived from these is pollution free. Yet another classification of energy is based on conventional and nonconventional sources. The former includes coal, petroleum, natural gas and running water. The non-conventional sources of energy include sun, wind, tides, hot springs and bio-mass.  Fuel wood, animal waste and crop residue are traditional or non-

commercial sources of energy. They still meet the energy demand in rural areas to a considerable extent.  Coal, petroleum, natural gas, water falling from a hieght and uranium

and thorium are the conventional sources of energy.  The Sun, wind, bio-mass, tides and hot springs are the non-

conventional sources of energy. They are still in the initial stage of experimentation for want of appropriate and viable technology.  They are important because they are renewable and pollution free

sources of energy. 23.9

GROWING PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF ELECTRICITY

Electricity is the most convenient and versatile form of energy. When, coal, petroleum and natural gas are used for generating electricity, it is called thermal energy. Power generated from running water, is known as water GEOGRAPHY

177

power or hydel power or hydro-electricity. Yet another way of generating electricity is through nuclear fission from atomic minerals. This energy is termed as nuclear power. It is also a thermal energy but from a different source and needs highly developed technology. In 1947 the per capita availability of electrical energy in India was as low as 2.4 KWH. By 1995-96 the per capita consumption of domestic power was 53 KWH. Despite vast improvement, this is very low compared to many other countries of the world. India is a country of about 600,000 villages. In 1947, hardly 300 villages had electricity. Now it has reached to more than 5 lakh villages. This became possible because we have increased production of electricity by about 85 times between 1947 to 2005. The installed power generation capacity in the country has increased from 1,400 MW in 1947 to 1,18,419.09 MW as on 31 March, 2005. This comprises of 80,902.45 MW thermal, 30,935.63 MW hydro 38,11.01 MW wind and 2770 MW nuclear. Now let us have a look at the actual generation of electricity over these five decades. The total energy produced in 1950-51 was 6.6 billion kwh. By 199596 this figure rose to 415 billion kwh. Out of this over-all figure, the break up for 380 billion kwh is available as the remaining amount of 35 billion kwh stands under the head of non-utilities. The production of hydroelectricity in 1950-51 was 2.5 billion kwh. It rose to 72.5 billion kwh in 45 years i.e. by 1995-96. The production of thermal power was not much different from that of hydel power in 1950-51, when it was 2.6 billion kwh. This is more than four times the share of hydroelectricity. The share of nuclear energy is almost insignificant in the overall production of electricity.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 23.3 I.

Answer the following questions: 1.

(a) Name the two popular types of power plants in India. (i)________________________ (ii)___________________ (b) Name a conventional source of energy which is renewable ______________________________________________ (c) Name three minerals widely used for producing power in India. (i)______________(ii) ____________ (iii)_____________

II

Choose the correct option (1) Which one of the following sectors has shown sharp increase in power consumption in recent years? (a) Agriculture

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and Infrastructural development in India

Fig. 23.7 INDIA : Thermal Power Plants GEOGRAPHY

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Development of Mineral and Energy Resources (b) Industry (c) Transport (d) None of them (2) Which one of the following forms of energy is non-conventional?

Notes (a) Thermal energy (b) Hydel power (c) Solar energy (d) Nuclear power (3) Which one of the following has the highest share in the total energy production? (a) Hydel power (b) Thermal power (c) Nuclear power (d) Wind energy

23.10 THERMAL POWER SOURCES In thermal power, the major source of energy are coal, diesel and natural gas that are used for generation of electricity. It is the largest source of power supply in the country. The installed capacity of thermal power stations is about three times the installed capacity of the hydel power. During 2004-05 share of thermal power was about 80,903MW out of 1,18,419MW of electricity produced in the country. This is approximately 68% of the total electricity produced in India. Share of thermal electricity increased very rapidly after creation of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in

180

GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources

MODULE - 8

the year 1975. Presently, NTPC has to it’s credit 13 coal based super thermal

Economic activities and Infrastructural development in India

power projects and seven gas/liquid fuel based. During the 2004-05, NTPC produced 24,435 MW which is about 30% of the all India thermal production during the same period. Coal based thermal power units-have been set up near the coal mines to avoid transport costs. Transmission of power over long distances is relatively cheaper despite some loss of energy in transit.

Notes

Super Thermal Power plants have been established mainly very close to big coal mines. These are Singrauli (U.P.), Korba (Chhatisgarh), Ramagundam (A.P.), Farakka (W.B.), Vindhyachal (M.P.), Rihand (U.P.), Kawas (Gujarat), Gandar (Gujarat) and Talcher (Orissa). Most of these power plants have improved their efficiency and profitability through improved plant load factor (78% against the national average of 63%) with the electrification of trunk routes railways have also set up their own super thermal power stations in the regions lying away from major coal fields. In Tamil Nadu there is a big thermal power plant at Neyveli which is fed by local lignite coal field. Besides coal based thermal power plants, the latest trend is to encourage diesel and natural gas based thermal power plants. Such plants can be set near the distribution or market centres. The gestation period of oil or gas based plants is generally the shortest. These plants are also found to be more efficient than coal based plants. The oil and gas pipes have to be laid for continious supply of petroleum and natural gas for such power plants. As India is poor in its mineral oil and proven gas resources, it has to import these raw materials including naptha etc. from Middle East countries. The new Dabhol Thermal Power plant of Maharashtra on the Konkan coast is based on such imported raw material. This plant is an indicator of the new trend. Petroleum based power units have been set up in the remote areas of North East and Himalaya region.

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Development of Mineral and Energy Resources It is very interesting to note that Karnataka and Kerala states in South have not a single thermal power plant till now. Can you explain the reason?

23.11 HYDEL POWER RESOURCES Notes

Water power resource differs from thermal power in more than one ways. It is a renewable or inexhaustible resource. It is pollution-free. Its recurring or maintenance coast is minimal. However, this source of energy, has two major drawbacks. Firstly, it calls for huge financial lay out particularly in those regions where water is to be impounded in huge quantity to ensure free flow of water all the year round. Secondly, in most cases its gestation period is too long. With the water power potential of 41000mw, India ranks fifth in world after congo, Russia, Canada and the U.S.A. Hydroelectric Power: Development of hydroelectric power started in the last decade of the 19th century with the establishment of a hydroelectric plant for supplying electricity to Darjeeling in 1897. In 1902, another hydropower plant was erected at Sivasamundram water fall on Kaveri river in Karnataka. Later, a few plants were erected in the Western Ghats to meet the requirements of Mumbai. Hydropower plants were also commissioned in Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh in the north, and Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in the south in 1930s. Total generation capacity reached to 508 MW in 1947. Massive efforts were made to develop waterpower during the Five Year Plans and several multipurpose projects were commissioned.

182

GEOGRAPHY

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Notes

Fig. 23.8 INDIA: Hydel power station

Total installed capacity of hydroelectricity increased to 25219.55 MW at the end of 2000-01, which was nearly one-fourth of the total installed capacity, of electricity. In spite of being cheaper, pollution-free and renewable source of power, significance of hydroelectricity has declined in post-independence period. Its share in total power generation declined from 49 percent in 1950-51 to only 14.9 percent in 2000-01. Nevertheless, hydroelectricity plays a very significant role in northern, western and southern grids. The Northeastern grid is primarily dependent on hydel power. In context of the energy crisis in the country hydroelectric power has assumed pivotal significance. Indian rivers drain 1677 billion cubic metres of water to the sea every year. The Central Water and Power Commission estimated the potential of hydroelectric power at about 40 million kW at 60% load factor from these rivers. Central Electricity Authority re-estimated GEOGRAPHY

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Development of Mineral and Energy Resources this potential at 84,000 MW at 60% load factor. It is equivalent to about 450 billion units of annual energy generation. Basin-wise distribution of the potential is given in Table. Table 23.5: India: Basin-wise estimated Potential of Hydropower (potential in thousand MW at 60 per cent load factor)

Notes

Basin

Potential

% of Total

Indus

20.0

23.8

Brahmaputra

35.0

41.7

Ganga

11.0

13.1

Central Indian basins

3.0

3.6

West flowing rivers

6.0

7.1

East flowing rivers

9.0

10.7

Total

84.0

100.0

This potential depends on several physical and economic factors. Among them, river regime, volume of river water, regularity in river flow (all these are dependent on rainfall pattern), nature of terrain, availability of other sources of power, level of economic development creating demand, and technological status are important. Regular flow of sufficient water with high velocit y provides favourable co ndit ion for the development of hydroelectricity. Amount and regularity of flow depends on nature of rainfall while slope determines the velocity of flow. Since these conditions vary throughout the country, the distribution of hydropower potential is also very uneven. The rivers originating from the northern mountainous region are the most important ones in this respect. They have their sources in glaciers and snowfields, therefore, they are perennial and their flow of water is regular throughout the year. Velocity of flow is high because of dissected terrain and the competition for use of water for other purposes is low. The northeastern part of this mountainous region, constituting the Brahmaputra basin, has the largest power generating potential. The Indus basin in the northwest is at second place. The Himalayan tributaries of the Ganga have a potential of 11,000 MW. Thus, three-fourths of the total potential is confined in the river basins originating from the northern mountainous region. The rivers of peninsular India are comparatively poor in this respect. They depend entirely on the rainfall for their flow, and therefore, their flow is very erratic exceptionally high flow during the monsoon period fol1owed by a long period of lean flow. Storage of water is essential to regulate the flow. The bulk of the potential in this part is confined in the hilly regions along the 184

GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources middle and upper reaches of various river systems. The topographical features in these reaches are seldom favourable for development of irrigation. Consequently, development of hydroelectric sites would not clash with other priority uses of water. The Western Ghats, Northwestern Karnataka, Nilgiri and Anamalai hills and upper Narmada basin are major areas of concentration of potential in peninsular India. Despite this, potential of hydropower has been comparatively more developed in southern states because these states are far away from coalfields of the northeastern plateaus. Table 23.6 Important Hydroelectric Plants in Different States of India States

Name of Hydroelectric Plants

Jammu and Kashmir

Lower Jhelum, Salal on Chenab, Dool Hasti and Karrah.

Punjab and Himachal Pradesh

Bhakra-Nangal on Satluj, Dehar on Beas, Giri Bata, Andhra, Binwa, Rukti, Rongtong, Bhabanagar, Bassi, Baira Siul, Chamera, Nathpa-Jhakri on Satluj (biggest hydel power project in India).

Uttar Pradesh

Rihand, Khodri, Chibro on Tons.

Uttarakhand

Tehri dam on Bhagirthi.

Rajasthan

Ranapratap Sagar and Jawahar Sagar on Chambal.

Madhya Pradesh

Gandhi Sagar on Chambal, Pench, Bargi on Narmada, Bansagar-Tons.

Bihar

Kosi.

Jharkhand

Subarnarekha, Maithon, Panchet, Tilaiya (all three under DVC).

West Bengal

Panchet.

Orissa

Hirakund on Mahanadi, Balimela.

Northeastern states

Dikhu, Doyang (both in Nagaland), Gomuti (Tripura), Loktak (Manipur), Kopili (Assam), Khandong and Kyrdemkulai (Meghalaya), Serlui and Barabi (Mizoram), Ranganadi (Arunachal Pradesh).

Gujarat

Ukai (Tapi). Kadana(Mahi).

Maharashtra

Koyana, Bhivpuri (Tata Hydroelectric Works), Khopoli, Bhola, Bhira, Purna, Vaiterna, Paithon, Bhatnagar Beed.

Andhra Pradesh

Lower Sileru, Upper Sileru, Machkund, Nizam Sagar, Nagarjun Sagar, Srisailam (Krishna).

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Notes

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Notes

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources Karnataka

Tungabhadra, Saravati, Kalinadi, Mahatma Gandhi (Jo g fall), Bhadra, Sivasamudram (Kaveri), Shimsapura, Munirabad, Lingnamakki.

Kerala

Iddikki (Periyar),Sabarigiri,Kuttiaddy, Sholayar, Sengulam, Pallivasal, Kallada, Neriamangalam, Parambikulam Aliyar, Poringal, Ponniar.

Tamil Nadu

Pykara, Mettur, Ko dayar, Sholayar, Aliayar, Sakarpathi, Moyar, Suruliyar, Papanasam.

23.12 NUCLEAR POWER India had developed the technology of generating energy from nuclear minerals such as uranium and thorium. Installation of nuclear rectors for generating power requires huge capital and sophasticated technological skills. The share of nuclear power, in the total energy produced in the country is hardly2%. Nuclear power is a promising source of energy for future. It would play a complementary role when the other sources of power like coal and petroleum would be exhausted. Nuclear power programme was initiated in the 5th decade of the last century and an apex body for decision-making regarding atomic programmes, the ‘Tata Atomic Energy Commission’ was incorporated in August 1948. But progress in this direction could be made only after the establishment of the Atomic Energy Institute at Trombay in 1954. Which was renamed as the ‘Bhabha Atomic Research Centre’ (BARC) in 1967. Consequently, first nuclear power station with 320 MW capacity was set up at Tarapur near Mumbai in 1969. Later, atomic reactors were installed at Rawatbhata (300MW) near Kota in Rajasthan, Kalpakkam (440 MW) in Tamil Nadu, and Narora in Uttar Pradesh, Kaiga in Karnataka and Kakarapara in Gujarat also have nuclear energy plants. Thus at present, nuclear energy is produced from ten units located at six centres. Requirements of fuel and heavy water of these power reactors are fulfilled by the Nuclear Fuel Complex located at Hyderabad and heavy water plant at Vadodara. 16,707 mus nuclear power was generated in the year 2004-05 which is a small fraction of the country’s total production of electrical energy. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has an ambitious nuclear power programme aiming at achieving an installed nuclear power capacity of 20,000 Mwe by the year 2020. Generation of nuclear power is highly hazardous. A slight carelessness in the security may cause severe accidents endangering lives of thousands of people in its surrounding areas. Therefore, strict precautions and security measures are highly essential. 186

GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources 23.13

REGIONAL CLASSIFICATION ON THE BASIS OF SOURCES OF ELECTRICITY

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Three types of regions can be identified on the basis of sources of electricity: 1.

Hydro-electricity dominated region: The states included under this category are Karnataka, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, and sikkim. These states are far away from coal fields but have optimum conditions for the development of hydro electricity.

2.

Thermal power dominated region: It included states such as West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. Majority of these states have reserves of coal which are utilised for power generation. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab do not have coal reserves but have direct acces to coal fields by railway lines. However, they are diversifying their sources of power.

3.

Nuclear power dominated region: Rajasthan is the only state which comes under this category. In Rajasthan more than half of the total commercial energy is nuclear. It’s because the state is deficit both in coal and water.

Notes

INTEXT QUESTIONS 23.4 I

Fill in the blanks:

(i)

Electricity generated by using coal is ____________ energy. (hydel energy, thermal energy)

(ii) The electricity generat ed by the fo rce of running water is ____________energy. (Hydel energy, Tidal energy) (iii) The two minerals used for generating nuclear po wer are (1)____________ and (2) ____________ (Uranium, Coal, Thorium) (iv) The first atmotic power station developed in India was at ____________ (Rawat Bhata, Tarapur) II

Answer the following Questions briefly:

(i)

Give two main advantages of Hydel power. (a)________________________ (b)________________________

(ii) What rank does India hold in the world in water power potential? _______________________________________________________ GEOGRAPHY

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Development of Mineral and Energy Resources (iii) Name two gas based thermal power plants in UP. (a)________________________ (b)________________________ (iv) Which region of India has developed the largest proportion of its water power potential? ___________________________________________________

Notes 23.14 NON-CONVENTIONAL SOURCES OF ENERGY

188

Conventional sources of power like coal, petroleum and natural gas are likely to exhaust in near future. The development of hydel power alone can not meet the demand of electricity for the future. Therefore, there is a need to find and develop alternative sources of power. Sun, wind, tides, biologoical wastes and hot springs are such sources which can be developed as the alternative sources of power. They are called the non-conventional sources of energy. These sources of energy are renewable and pollution free. We shall discuss some important non-conventional sources of energy with reference to their development in our country. (a) Solar energy For the planet earth, the Sun is the primary source of all energy. Sun is the most vital, abundant and direct source of energy. India lies in the tropical zone and has plenty of sun shine, for long hours of a day. There are large possibilities to develop solar energy in the country and that too without much cost. Solar energy is tapped through the system of Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV) cells. The thermal heating system can be used for water heating, solar codkers for cooking meals and drying food grains etc. Solar energy can be developed in almost every part of the country but more so in hot, dry and cloud free areas like Rajasthan. (b) Wind Energy Wind can be used as a source of energy in those regions where strong and constant winds blow throughout the year. Wind energy can be used for pumping water for irrigation and also for generating electricity. India has about 45,000MW estimated wind power potential. Prospective sites for generating electricity wind have been located in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. The potential that can be tapped at present is limited to around 13,000 MW. But at present 2,483MW is generated through wind which places India in the fifth position globally after Germany, USA, Denmark and Spain. (c) Biogas Biogas is obtained by using animal refuge like cow dung. It is widely used in rural areas mainly as domestic fuel. Efforts are being made to popularise the biogas plants in the country. GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources Urban and industrial waste is another source of biological energy in big cities and industrial centres. These materials can be used for generating electricity or biogas. The work in this direction is still in its initial stage. Such plants have been installed in Delhi and few cities in India.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and Infrastructural development in India

(d) Biomass Energy Energy generated from farm or agricultural wastes, agro-industrial wastes, energy plantations etc is known as biomass energy. The potential of biomass power in the country has been estimated at about 19,500 MW. So far a total capacity of 614 MW biomass based power generating system has been installed and a capacity of 643MW are under installation in the country.

Notes

(e) Tidal Energy Energy can also be generated from high tidal waves. Some of the important sites identified for generating tidal energy are located in the Gulf of Kuchch and Cambay in Gujarat state and the coast of Kerala. A plant of 150 MW capacity has been installed on Kerala coast. (f) Geothermal energy The potential of geotherma1 power is very limited in India. Important sites selected for generating geothermal power are situated in Himachal Pradesh (Mani Karan) and Jammu and Kashmir (Puga valley in Ladakh). Assessment of geothermal energy potentials of selected sites in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh is being undertaken. As we have discussed earlier, the non-conventional sources of energy are renewable and pollution free. They can be helpful in the utilization of resources scattered all over the country. But the development of these energy resources is very slow, due to lack of suitable and economically viable technologies. Even so there is no doubt that they would become a reality in not a very distant future. There are prospects of expanding the manufacturing industries and mechanization of agriculture in the nooks and corners of the country. Naturally there will be more demand for energy derived from the nonconventional sources.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 23.5 Answer the following Questions briefly: (i)

Give two main advantages of non-conventional sources of power. (a)___________________

GEOGRAPHY

(b)__________________________ 189

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and Infrastructural development in India

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources (ii) Which areas of the country have largely been benifitted by biogas plants? _______________________________________________________ (iii) Name two sites identified for developing tidal energy in Gujarat (a)____________________

(b)__________________________

(iv) Name two ways of tapping the solar energy. (a)____________________ Notes

(b)__________________________

(v) Which are the two main uses of tapping wind energy? (a)____________________

(b)__________________________

WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT Mineral and power resources play an important role in the industrial development of a nation. They provide the industrial raw materials and fuel. Minerals are classified into metallic and non-metallic minerals. Metallic minerals can be further grouped into ferrous and non-ferrous. Mineral fuels are coal, petroleum, and natural gas. India’s position is particularly good in the metallic minerals of ferrous group. It is well endowed with iron ore of high quality. India has rich deposits of mica and bauxite. It is also one of the leading producers of mica in the world. Coal is the primary source of power in India. It occurs in the rock formations of Gondwana and Tertiary age. Gondwana coal fields account for 96% of the total reserves and production in India. India’s position is not satisfactory in the reserves as well as production of petroleum. Assam belt and Gujarat-Cambay and Bombay High belt are the two important petroleum producing regions in India. Uranium and thorium are the two important atomic minerals in India. The major problems faced by mineral resources are depletion of mineral resources, ecological problems, pollution and social problems. Various methods are adopted for conservation of mineral resources. The measures are reclamation, recycling, substitution and more efficient uses. Recently some on-shore as well as off-shore oil fields has been discovered. On-shore oil fields are discovered in the state of Rajasthan where as offshore oil fields are discovered along the coast of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Natural gas is energing as an important source of commercial energy because in recent years more and more reserves are discovered at eastern coast namely Krishna, Godavari and Mahanadi basins. 190

GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources Energy is a highly important infrastructural resource for the economic development of a country. Main sources of power are coal, petroleum, natural gas, nuclear power and water power. All these sources are known as the conventional sources of energy. Power generated by the use of coal petroleum and natural gas is called thermal energy. These sources of energy are exahaustible and non-renewable. They cause pollution. Hydel power is a renewable and pollution free source of energy. Its maintenance costs are very low. Nuclear power is source of power. It requires huge capital and sofisticated technology. Careful handling and security measures are necessary for the protection of life all around their sites. The share of thermal power is more than 70 percent out of the total energy produced in India. Next comes is the hydel power whose share is about 26 percent. The share of nuclear power is only less than 2.5 percent.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and Infrastructural development in India

Notes

Coal based thermal power plants are located either near the coal fields or near the consumption centres. These plants are largely located in Madhya Pradesh, Chhatishgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa. However, thermal plants on the borders of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are also very important as they serve far off regions in these three states. There has been sufficient development of hydel power in the southern states. India has developed about 50 percent of its total water power potential. Sun, winds, tides, hot springs, biogas etc. are the alternative sources of power. They are known as non-conventional sources of energy. They are renewable, pollution free and inexpensive. There is a slow progress in the utilisation of these sources for want of suitable and economically viable technologies.

TERMINAL QUESTIONS 1.

Describe the position of India in mineral resources.

2.

Describe the distribution and production of the following minerals and mineral fuels in India: (a)

Iron Ore

(b)

Coal

(c)

Petroleum

3.

What are the problems associated with exploitation of mineral resources?

4.

Describe various methods of conservation of mineral resources.

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Development of Mineral and Energy Resources 5.

Answer in briefly: (i)

Name three important sources of energy which are nonrenewable and also pollution free.

(ii)

Differentiate between thermal, hydel and nuclear energy. State the share of each in the total production of energy.

(iii)

Mention two advantages of non-conventional sources of energy.

(iv)

Describe the role of biogas as an energy for the rural areas.

Notes

6.

7.

Distinguish between (i)

Conventional and Non-conventional sources of power.

(ii)

Solar energy and Wind energy.

On an outline map of India show the following (i)

Jharia and Raniganj coal fields.

(ii)

Ankaleswar and Digboi oil fields.

(iii)

Mathura and Panipat oil refineries.

(iv)

Talcher and Korba thermal power plants.

(v)

Kaiga and kota atomic power plants.

(vi)

Bhakra and Nagarjuna Sagar hydro-electric plants.

ANSWER TO INTEXT QUESTIONS 23.1 1.

(a) coal (b) South-western plateau (c) Barauni (d) Assam and Gujarat (e) Damodar valley (f) Jammu and Kashmir (g) Jharia (h) Krishna and Godavari

23.2 1.

192

(a) Visakhapatnam (b) Haematite (c) Orissa (d) Metallurgical industries (e) Metallic minerals of non-ferrous group (f) Bauxite (g) mica

GEOGRAPHY

Development of Mineral and Energy Resources 23.3 I

(a) (i) Thermal (ii) hydel (b) hydel power (c) (i) coal (ii) petroleum and (iii) natural gas.

II

1. (a), 2. (c), 3. (b)

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23.4 I

(1) Thermal energy (2) hydel energy (3) Uranium and Thorium (4) Tarapur.

Notes

II. (i) (a) renewable and (b) pollution free (ii)

fifth

(iii). (a) Dadri (b) Auriya (iv) 23.5 (i)

Peninsular region (a) pollution free (b) renewable

(ii)

Rural areas

(iii)

(a) Gulf of Kachch and (b) Gulf of cambay

(iv)

(a) Thermal heating system and (b) generating electricity through photovoltaic routes.

(v)

(a) For pumping water and (b) for generating electricity

HINTS TO TERMINAL QUESTIONS 1.

Refer to section 23.1

2.

(a) Refer to (i) Iron ore under (a) Ferrous metallic minerals of section 23.4(A) (b) Refer to section 23.3(a) (c) Refer to section 23.3(b)

3.

Refer to section 23.5

4.

Refer to section 23.6

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Development of Mineral and Energy Resources 5.

(i) Refer to section 23.8 (ii) Refer to sections 23.10, 23.11 and 23.12 (iii) Refer to section 23.14 (iv) Refer to section 23.14(c)

Notes

6.

(i) Refer to sections 23.8, 23.10, 23.11, 23.12 and 23.14 (ii) Refer to section 23.14(a) and (b)

7.

194

Refer to maps.

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Industrial Development

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

24 INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

Notes

The processing of natural resources into more useful items is called manufacturing. These manufactured goods are finished products derived from the raw materials. These raw materials used in manufacturing industry may be either in their natural form such as cotton, wool, iron ore etc. or may be in the semi processed form like cotton yarn, pig iron etc. which can further be used for making more useful goods. Thus the finished product of one industry may serve as the raw material for another industry. Economic development cannot be achieved by a country without developing its industries. There is a direct relationship between the level of industrial development and the economic prosperity of a country. Developed countries like the USA, Japan, Russia owe due to their prosperity to highly developed industries. Industrially less developed countries export their natural resources and import finished goods at higher prices and continue to remain economically backward. In India manufacturing industries contributed about 30 per cent of the gross domestic product. These industries provide employment to about 28 million people. Thus industries are a major source of national income and employment. In this lesson, we will study different types of industries, their classification and then distribution in India.

OBJECTIVES After studying this lesson, you will be able to : 

trace the historical development of industries in India;



understand the role of industries in the economic development of our country;



classify the industries on the basis of different criteria;

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Notes

Industrial Development 

establish the relationship of industrial development with agriculture, minerals and energy;



examine the factors affecting the localization of industries;



describe spatial distribution of some major agro-based and mineral based industries in India;



locate and identify selected industries on the map of India;



explain the role of different policies in augmenting industrial development in India;



establish the relationship between industrial development and regional development;



establish the effects of economic liberalization on location and growth of industries; and



explain impact of industrial development on environment.

24.1 BRIEF HISTORY OF MODERN INDUSTRIES The modern industrial development in India started with the establishment of the first cotton textile mill at Mumbai in 1854, predominantly with Indian capital and entreprenuership. Jute industry made a beginning in 1855 with the establishment of a jute mill in the Hooghly Valley near Kolkata with foreign capital and entreprenuership. Coal mining was first started at Raniganj in 1772. Railways were introduced in 1854. Tata Iron and Steel Plant was set up at Jamshedpur in 1907. Several other medium and small size industries like cement, glass, soaps, chemicals, jute, sugar and paper followed. The industrial production in preindependence period was neither adequate nor diversified. At the time of independence, the economy was under-developed with agriculture contributing to more than 60 per cent of the GDP and most of the country’s export earnings. After 60 years of independance, India has now shown the signs of becoming a leading economic power. Industiral development in India can be divided into two phases. The Government successively increased its control over different economic sectors during the first phase (1947-1980). In the second phase (1980-97) it took measures to liberalise the economy between 1980 and 1992. These measures were somewhat adhoc. After 1992, the whole process of liberalization became more focused and radically different in nature. After independence, systematic industrial planning under different five year plans helped in establishing a large number of heavy and medium industries. The main thrust of the industrial policy was to remove regional imbalances and to introduce diversification of industries. Indigenous capabilities were developed to achieve self sufficiency. It is due to these efforts that India has been able to develop in the field of industry. Today, we export a large number of industrial goods to various countries. 196

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Industrial Development

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

INTEXT QUESTIONS 24.1 1. When and where was coal mining first started? ________________________________________________________ 2. In which year the railways were introduced in India?

Notes ________________________________________________________ 3. Where was Tata Iron and steel plant established? ________________________________________________________

24.2 CLASSIFICATION OF INDUSTRIES Industries can be classified on different basis. Classification of industries on the basis of five criteria has been given in the following table. Table No. 24.1 Classification of Industries Sl.No. Criteria 1. Sources of Raw Material

2. Ownership

Types of Industries (i) Agro-based Industries

GEOGRAPHY

Examples

Agricultural products used as raw materials

Cotton textile, jute, sugar and paper industry

(ii) Mineral based Industries Minerals are used as raw materials

Iron and steel, chemical and cement industry

(i) Public Sector

Owned and managed by Government

Bokaro iron and steel plant, Chittaranjan locomotive works.

(ii) Private Sector

Owned and managed by an individual or a group as a company

Tata Iron and Steel J.K. cement industry Appolo Tyres.

(iii) Joint Sector

Owned jointly by public and private sectors

Maruti Udyog

(iv) Cooperative Sector

Owned by cooperative society of raw material producers

Sugar industry in Maharashtra, Amul (Gujarat) and IFFCO (Kandla)

3. Function or Role (i) Basic Industry

4. Size of Industry

Main characteristics

Finished products of basic Iron and Steel and industry are used as raw petro-chemical material for other industries industries.

(ii) Consumer Goods Industry

Finished products of this industry are directly used by individuals.

Toothpaste, soap, sugar industry

(i) Large Scale Industry

Huge investment, heavy machinery, large number of workers, large factory, 24 hour’s operation.

Iron and steel, oil refineries,

197

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Industrial Development

Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

5 . Weight of Raw Materials and Finished Products

Notes

(ii) Small Scale Industries

Small investment, small factory, few factory workers

cycles, electrical goods industry

(iii) Rural and Cottage Industries

owned by family members, small machine at homes

Jewellery, handicrafts, handlooms, art work

(i) Heavy Industries

Both raw material and finished products are heavy and bulky, high transport cost

Iron and steel, BHEL (Hardwar): heavy electrical like generator.

(ii) Light Industries

Both raw material and finished products are light in weight, low transport cost.

Watches, readymade garments, toys, fountain pens.

This is not necessary for any particular industry to be included only in one category. Depending upon the classification, the same industry can become an example of different types of industries. For example, Bokaro Iron and Steel plant is a mineral based industry. It is in public sector. It is a basic industry. It is large scale industry and also an example of heavy industry.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 24.2 1. Which one of the following industries belongs to public sector? (i)

J.K. Cement

(ii)

Tata Iron and Steel Plant

(iii)

Bokaro Iron and Steel Plant

(iv)

Raymonds Synthetics

2. Which one of the following is a consumer industry? (i)

Petro-chemicals.

(ii)

Iron and steel

(iii)

Chittranjan Locomotives

(iv)

Sugar Industry

3. Which one of the following is a small scale industry? (i)

Sugar

(ii)

Paper

(iii)

Cotton

(iv)

Ceiling Fans

4. Name five criteria under which industries can be classified.

198

1. ___________

2. ___________

4. ___________

5. ___________

3. ___________

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Industrial Development 24.3 AGRO-BASED INDUSTRIES

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Textiles, sugar, paper and vegetable oil industry are some of the examples of agrobased industries. These industries use agricultural products as their raw materials. Textile industry is the largest industry in the organized sector. It comprises of (i) cotton textiles, (ii) woolen textiles, (iii) silk textiles (iv) synthetic fibres and (v) jute textile industries. Textiles has been a major component of the industrial sector. It accounts for nearly a fifth of the industrial output and a third of the export earnings. In term of employment, it comes next only to agriculture sector.

Notes

(A) COTTON TEXTILE INDUSTRY The industrial development in India began with the establishment of first successful modern cotton textile mill at Mumbai in 1854. Since then the industry has witnessed a phenomenal growth. The numbers of mills increased from 378 in 1952 to 1782 by March 1998. Cotton textiles has an important place in the economy of the country. It provides employment opportunities to a large number of people. About one fifth of the total industrial labour is absorbed by this industry. (a) Production Cotton textile industry comprises of three sectors: mill sector, handloom and powerloom. The share of large mill, handloom and powerloom sector in the total production of cotton cloth in 1998-99 was 5.4 per cent, 20.6 per cent and 74 per cent respectively. The cloth production of cotton textile increased from 421 crore square metres in 1950-51 to 1794.9 crore square metres in 1998-99. The Cotton and synthetic fibre textile industry has made tremendous progress. Per capita availability of cloth from both the types was 15 metres only in 1960-61. In the year 1995-96, it has risen to 28 metres. This has enabled us to export cotton yarn, cotton fabrics and cotton and synthetic garments on a large seale. In 1995-96 we earned 2.6 billion dollars by their exports. (b) Distribution Cotton textile industry is one of the most widely distributed industries in our country. These mills are located in more than 88 centres in different parts of the country. But majority of cotton textile mills are still located in the cotton growing areas of the great plains and peninsular India. (Fig 24.1)

GEOGRAPHY

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Industrial Development

Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

Fig. 24.1: India : Centres of Textile Industry

Maharashtra is the leading producer of cotton textile in the country. Mumbai is the major centre of textile mills. About a half of the Cotton textile mills are located in Mumbai alone. It is, therefore, rightly called as ‘Cottonpolis’ of India. Sholapur, Kohlapur, Nagpur, Pune, Aurangabad and Jalgaon are other important centres in Maharashtra. Gujarat, which ranks second in the production of cotton textiles, Ahamedabad is the major centre of the state. Surat, Bharauch, Vadodara, Bhavnagar and Rajkot are other centres in the state. Tamil Nadu has emerged as an important producer of cotton textiles in sourthern states. Coimbatore is an important centre in the state. Tirunelveli, Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Salem and Thanjavour are other important centers here. 200

GEOGRAPHY

Industrial Development In Karnataka, cotton textile industry is concentrated at Bangalore, Mysore, Belgaum and Gulberga. Kanpur, Etawah, Modinagar, Varanasi, and Hathras are important centres in Uttar Pradesh. In MadhyaPradesh this industry is concentrated at Indore and Gwalior. Howrah, Serampur and Murshidabad are important Cotton textile centres in West Bengal.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh are the other states producing cotton textiles. The following are the factors for the localization of textile industry in Ahmedabad– Mumbai – Pune region.

Notes

1. Availability of raw material – A large amount of cotton is grown in this belt. 2. Availability of capital – Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Pure are the places where capital for investment is easily available. 3. Means of transport – This region is well connected with the rest of India by roads and railways. It, therefore, facilities transportation of finished products. 4. Accessibility to the market – Maharashtra and Gujarat has a large market to sell textile products here. Developed means of transportation help in movement of textile products to other market centres as well as to foreign market. Now a days the market has become a domimant factor in determining the location of cotton textile industry. 5. Nearness to ports – Mumbai port facilitates the import of machinery and good quality of cotton from abroad and export of the finished products. 6. Cheap labour – Cheap and skilled labour is easily available from the surrounding areas. 7. Availability of power – Cheap and sufficient power is easily available here. B. SUGAR INDUSTRY Sugar industry is the second largest agro-based industry of India. If we take Gur, Khandsari and Sugar together, then India becomes the largest producer of sugar product in the world. In 2003, there were about 453 sugar mills in the country. This industry employs about 2.5 lakh people. (a) Production The production of sugar depends upon the production of sugarcane and it fluctuates with the fluctuations in the production of sugarcane. The total sugar production in 1950-51 was 11.3 lakh tonnes. It increased to 201.32 lakh tonnes in 2002-2003. In 2003-04, it fell down to 138 lakh tonnes. (b) Distribution Most of the sugar mills are concentrated in six states, namely Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. GEOGRAPHY

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Notes

Industrial Development Uttar Pradesh – It holds a significant position in the production of sugar. The sugar mills are highly concentrated in the western Uttar Pradesh in the districts of Meerut, Muzaffar Nagar, Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad and Bulandshahar. In the eastern Uttar Pradesh Deoria, Basti, Gonda and Gorakhpur are important centres. Uttar Pradesh has largest area under sugarcane cultivation. It has about half of the total area under sugarcane cultivation. But it was able to produce only one third of the total production of sugar (2003-04) in the country. Evidently, per hectare production as well as sugar contain in produce are relatively low. Maharashtra – Maharashtra is the most important state in the peninsular India producing about one fourth of the total sugar production in India. Major centres of sugar production are Nasik, Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Sholapur. Andhra Pradesh – East and West Godawari, Visakha-pattnam, Nizamabad, Medak and Chittoor districts are the centres of sugar mills in this state. Tamil Nadu – In Tamil Nadu North and South Arcot, Madurai, Coimbatore and Tiruchirapalli are the important districts for sugar production. Karnataka – It is also an important sugar producing state. Belgaum, Mandya, Bijapur, Bellary, Shimonga and Chitradurga are sugar producing districts. Bihar, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan are other states where sugar mills are located. The following are the factors for the localization of sugar industry – 1)

Sugarcane is the main raw material for making sugar. Sugar mills can be set up only in the sugarcane producing areas. Sugarcane gets dry soon after harvesting. It can neither be stored nor kept for long period of time. Sugarcane should be taken immediately to the sugar mills after harvesting.

2)

Transportation cost of sugarcane is high. Generally sugarcane is transported through bullock carts which can carry it upto 20-25 kilometers. Recently tractor trolleys and trucks have been used to carry sugarcane to the sugar mills. Beside these factors, capital, market, labour and power also play significant role in localization of this industry.

Reasons for shifting of sugar industry from North India to Peninsular India– Over the period, sugarcane industry is gradually shifting from north Indian states to states in Peninsular India. Some of the important reasons are as follows: 1)

202

The production of sugarcane per hectare is higher is Peninsular India. In fact, sugarcane crop grows well in the tropical climate of south India.

GEOGRAPHY

Industrial Development 2)

The sucrose contents is higher in the tropical variety of sugarcane grown in the south.

3)

The crushing season in south India is longer than in north India.

4)

In south India most of the mills have modern machinery.

5)

Most of the mills in Peninsular India are in cooperative sector, where profit maximization is not the sole objective.



Agro-based industries use agricultural products as their raw material.



Cotton textile industry is the largest industry of organised sector in India.



Cotton textile industry is widely distributed in India.



Large number of sugar mills are located in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Bihar.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

INTEXT QUESTIONS 24.3 1.

When and where was first modern Cotton textile mill established? ________________________________________________________

2.

How much is the share of powerloom in the total production of cotton textiles in India? ________________________________________________________

3.

Which state is the leading producer of cotton textiles in India? ________________________________________________________

4.

State any three reasons behind the shifting of sugar industry from north India to south India. 1. ______________________________________________________ 2. ______________________________________________________ 3. ______________________________________________________

24.4 MINERAL BASED INDUSTRIES Industries which use minerals as the raw material are called mineral based industries. Iron and steel industry is the most important among these industries. Engineering, cement, chemical and fertilizer industries are also important mineral based industries.

GEOGRAPHY

203

A. IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY Iron and steel industry is a basic industry and its products serve as a raw material for a number of other industries. Although iron and steel manufacturing activity in India is very old, modern iron and steel industry started with the establishment of ‘Bengal Iron and Steel Works’ at Kulti in West Bengal in 1817. Tata Iron and Steel company was established at Jamshedpur in 1907. This was followed by ‘Indian Iron and Steel plant’ at Burnpur in 1919. All the three plants were established in the private sector. The first public sector iron and steel plant, which is now known as ‘Visvesvarayya Iron and Steel works’, was established at Bhadrawati in 1923. The iron and steel industry made rapid progress after independence. The production capacity has increased in all the existing units. Three new integrated steel plants were established at Rourkela, Bhilai and Durgapur. Bokaro steel plant was established under public sector in 1964. Bokaro and Bhilai plants were set up with the collaboration of the former Soviet Union. Durgapur steel plant was set up in Collaboration with United Kingdom while Rourkela plant was established with the help of Germany. Vishakhapattnam and Salem plants were set up afterwards. At the time of independence, India produced only a small quantity of iron and steel. Production of finished steel in the country was only 10-lakh tonnes in 195051 which has increased to 23.8 million tonnes in 1998-99. The major iron and steel plants of India are situated in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Besides there are about 200 mini steel plants in India with a capacity of 6.2 million tonnes per annum. Mini steel plants produce steel from scrap or sponge iron. These units constitute an important component of iron and steel industry in the country. Most of the steel plants are located in and around Chhota Nagpur plateau which is endowed with rich deposits of iron ore, coal, manganese and limestone. The details of raw material, ownership and location is given in the following table:Table No. 24.2 : INDIA : Iron and Steel Plants and their source of raw materials Sl. Name of No. the plant

Location

Ownership

1.

TISCO

Jamshedpur

Priva te Sector

Jharia

Mayurbhanj Singhbhumi

Keonjhar

Singhbhumi

2.

IISCO

Burnpur

Public Sector

Jharia/ DVC

Singhbhumi Mayurbhanj

Keonjhar

Singhbhumi

3.

VISL

Bhadrawati

Public Sector

Sharavati Project

Kemama ngundi

Bhandiguda

Chitradurga Shimoga

4.

HSL

Rourkela

Public Sector

Bokaro/ Jharia/ Hirakud Project

Sundargarh Keonjhar

Pumapani

Bara Jamda

5.

HSL

Bhilai

Public Sector

Kargali, Korba

DalliRajhara

Nandini

Balaghat

Coal/power

Raw Material obtained from Iron-Ore Limestone Manganese

Industrial Development

MODULE - 8

6.

HSL

Durgapur

Public Sector

Jharia/DVC

Bolangiri (Keonjhar)

Birmitrapur (Sundargarh)

Jamda (Keonjhar)

7.

BSL

Bokaro

Public Sector

Jharia/ DVC

Kiriburu in Keonjhar Distt.

Palamau

Barakar

8.

SSP

Salem

Public Sector

Neyveli

Salem Distt.

Salem Distt.

Salem Distt.

9.

VSL

Vishakha Pa ttna m

Public Sector

Damodar Valley

Bailadila, Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh and MP

Balaghat

Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

Fig. 24.2: India : Iron and Steel Plants

GEOGRAPHY

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Industrial Development The information regarding availability of raw material given in the above mentioned table can also be refered with the figure no. 24.2.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 24.4

Notes

1. State the place of location and the year of establishment of ‘Bengal Iron and Steel Works’? ________________________________________________________ 2. In collaboration of which country, the Durgapur steel plant was established? ________________________________________________________ 3. Which one of the following steel plants is located in the state of Andhra Pradesh? A) Durgapur

B) Bokaro

C) Bhilai

D) Vishakhapattnam

4. Which one of the following steel plants is in private sector? A) Burnpur

B) Bhadrawati C) Jamshedpur D) Bhilai

24.5 PETRO-CHEMICALS INDUSTRY Petro-chemicals industry is one of the fastest growing industries of India. This industry has revolutionised the industrial scene by providing the products which are substituting the traditional raw materials like wood, glass and metals. Its products meet various needs of the people at the low cost. Petro-chemicals are derived from petroleum or natural gas. We use a variety of products from morning till evening made from petrochemicals Toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, hairpins, soap cases, plastic mugs, garments, radiocaes, ball point pens, detergents, electric switches, lipstick, insecticides, bags, bed covers, and foam are some of the goods made from petro-chemicals. Indian Petro-Chemical Corporation has set up a huge petro-chemical complex near vadodara producing a wide range of products. Besides Vadodara, Gandhar, and Hazira in Gujarat and Nagathone in Maharashtra are other important centres of petro-chemical industry. India is self sufficient in the production of petrochemicals. Crude oil has no value unless it is refined, while refining crude oil, thousands of products like kerosene, diesel, lubricants and raw material for petro-chemical industry are derived. India has at present 18 refineries. These refineries are at Digboi, Bongaigaon, Nunamati (All are in Assam), Mumbai (two) (Maharashtra), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Barauni (Bihar), Koyali (Gujarat), Mathura (U.P.), Panipat (Haryana), Kochi (Kerala), Mangalore 206

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Industrial Development

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(Karnataka) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu). The only private oil refineries belongs to Reliance Industries Ltd. is located at Jamnagar (Gujarat).

Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

INTEXT QUESTIONS 24.5 1. Mention three important raw materials substituted by petro chemicals? 1._____________

2._____________

3._____________

Notes

2. Where has Indian Petrochemical Corporation been headquartered? ________________________________________________________ 3. Write one centre of Petro chemical industry in Maharashtra state. 4. Match the following – A (a) Nunmati (b) Kochi (c) Karnal (d) Barauni

B (i) Kerala (ii) Assam (iii) Bihar (iv) Haryana

24.6 INDUSTRIAL CLUSTERS There are regional variations in the levels of industrial development in India. Indian industries have concentrated in clusters at some locations. Most industrial regions in India have developed in the hinterlands of some major ports like Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. These industrial regions have all the advantages like availability of raw materials, energy, capital and markets. Six major industrial regions emerged out of which three are in the hinterlands of ports. The six major industrial regions are as follows:1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Hooghly Industrial region Mumbai – Pune Industrial region Ahmedabad – Vadodera region Madurai – Coimbatore – Banglore region Chhota Nagpur plateau region Delhi and Adjoining region

Besides these major industrial regions, there are 15 minor industrial regions and 15 industrial districts. 24.7 INDUSTRIAL SELF RELIANCE Industrial self reliance means that the people of India establish and operate industries GEOGRAPHY

207

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Industrial Development with their own technical knowledge finances and using machines manufactured in our own country without depending on others. The Govt of India formulated an industrial policy in 1956 with the objectives of increasing industrial output, generating employment, disperesal of industries, removing regional imbalances in the industrial development and the development of village and small scale industries.

Notes

Through planned development of Industries, we now manufacture several types of industrial goods. A major breakthrough has been achieved in the production of capital goods. India is now self reliant in the production of heavy machines and equipment used in mining, irrigation, power projects, transport and communication. We use machines fabricated in India for cement, textile, iron and steel and sugar industries etc.. Public sector has played an important role in achieving industrial self reliance. Iron and steel, railway equipment, petroleum, coal and fertilizer industries, have been developed in this sector. These industries were established in industrially backward regions. During the seventh five year plan an emphasis was laid on high technology, high value addition and knowledge based industries like electronics, advanced machine tools and telecommunications. 24.8 IMPACT OF ECONOMIC LIBERALIZATION The process of industrialization in India can be divided into two parts – before and after 1992. During first forty years after independence the Indian economy had diversified and expanded very fast. But this growth was characterized by rigid controls and regulations. In August 1992, Government of India took a bold step by changing its economic policies from state control to market forces. A need was felt to give more responsibility to private capital and enterprise, both domestic as well as foreign. In reponse to this, the new industrial policy of liberalization, privatisation and globalization was adopted in August 1992. The immediate cause of this changes in economic policy was to tide over balance of payment crises but having wide social, economic, political and geographical implications. Liberalization means a reduced role for the Government and a greater role for the market or the liberal attitude of the Government for the establishment and running of industries. It was touted as a panacea for the ills of Indian economy. However, after 15 years of following the path of literalization, the results are not that sweet. The gap between the rich and the poor has increased. Production of goods of mass consumption has not improved. Employment opportunities have not increased at the desired rate. In privatisation there will be transfer of the ownership of public enterprises to private capital, opening of more industrial areas to private capital and enterprise. The main aim of privatisation is to make use of privately owned resources for collective welfare of the people.

208

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Industrial Development Globalization which stands in the current phase for increasing integration between different economies of the world. The economic gap between different nations is reduced by removing all restrictions between nations on the movement of goods, services, capital and technology.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Globalization has made significant impact on consumption patterns and life style of the people. Now a days the whole world has become a market. Globalization has also affected on value system. Notes INTEXT QUESTIONS 24.6 1. When did India formulated its first industrial policy? ________________________________________________________ 2. Mention any three industries on which emphasis has been laid in the VII five year plan. ________________________________________________________ 3. What is meant by liberalization? ________________________________________________________

WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT The processing of natural resources into more useful items is called manufacturing. Economic development of a country is directly linked with the level of industrial development. In India the share of manufacturing industries in GDP has been increasing, over the peried, especially in post-economic reforms period. Before independence, India was industrially less developed. But after independence India initiated industrial development in a planned manner during its Five Year Plans. Today, India exports a large number of industrial goods to different countries of the world. Industries can be classified into different categories on the basis, such as of sources of raw material, ownership, functions, size of industry and weight of raw material and finished products. Since India is still an agricultural country, it has developed various agro-based industries such as cotton textile, woolen textile, jute textile and sugar industry. Cotton textile industry is the largest organised sector industry in India. India is also endowed with various minerals, enabling the country to establish various mineral based industries such as iron and steel, heavy engineering, automobiles, chemicals and petro chemical industry. The Government of India framed policies which have made India self reliant in various sectors of industries. Liberalization, globalization and privatization have GEOGRAPHY

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Industrial Development helped in bringing foreign capital and modern technology into the country. Private enterprise is being allowed to enter into various core sectors. This, has resulted into the faster growth of industrial sector.

TERMINAL QUESTIONS Notes

1. Why is the cotton textile industry mainly concentrated in and around Mumbai? Give four reasons. 2. State three reasons for the shifting of sugar industry from north India to south India. 3. Giving suitable examples, classify industries on the basis of ownership. 4. Define industrial self reliance. Why does India need industrial self reliance. 5. Describe any four factors responsible for the concentration of iron and steel industry in and around Chhotanagpur plateau. 6. Differentiate between agro-based and mineral based industries. Give two examples of each.

ANSWERS TO INTEXT QUESTIONS 24.1 1.

1772, Raniganj

2.

1854

3.

Jamshedpur

24.2 1.

(iii)

2.

(iv)

3.

(iv)

4.

Source of raw material, ownership, function, size of industry, weight of raw material and finished products. (Any five)

24.3 1.

1854, Mumbai

2.

74%

3.

Maharashtra

4.

High production of sugarcane/hectare Higher sucrose content Longer crushing season

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GEOGRAPHY

Industrial Development Modernized and well equipped machinery Mills in cooperative sector (any three)

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

24.4 1.

Kulti in West Bengal, 1817

2.

United Kingdom

3.

D

4.

C

Notes

24.5 1.

Wood, Glass, Metals

2.

Vadodara

3.

Negathone

4.

(a) and (ii), (b) and (i), (c) and (iv), (d) and (iii)

24.6 1.

1956

2.

Electronics, advanced machine tools and telecommunications

3.

Reduced role of government and greater role of market.

HINT TO TERMINAL QUESTIONS 1.

Refer to 24.3A

2.

Refer to 24.3B

3.

Refer to 24.2 (Table 1)

4.

Refer to 24.7

5.

Refer to 24.4

6.

Refer to 24.2 (Table 1)

GEOGRAPHY

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Transport, Communication and Trade in India

Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

25 Notes Notes

TRANSPORT, COMMUNICATION AND TRADE IN INDIA

In the previous lesson, you have studied mineral and energy as an important infrastructural resource. Transport, communication and trade are yet another important services. They facilitate agriculture and industry to grow to their fullest potential. Transport carries the people and goods from one place to another. It helps both the production, distribution as well as consumption processes. Communication is the process of receiving and sending massages between two persons or agencies located at different places. Radio and Television are the means of mass-communication which provide information, news and entertainment to the people spread over vast distances. Telephone and telegraph services bring the people closer to one another. Their contribution in promoting business and trade is incalculable. Trade involves exchange of goods among people living in different regions or countries of the world. It plays a vital role in accelerating the progress of agriculture and industry of a country. In this lesson, you will study the relative importance of transport, communication and trade in India. You would also learn about the distribution and density of transport and communication networks. In trade you will know its volume and direction.

OBJECTIVES After studying this lesson, you will be able to:

212 212



define the term “infrastructure;”



explain the role of infra-structure in area development; GEOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHY

Transport, Communication and Trade in India 

establish relationship between needs and mode of transport system;



identify the pattern and networks of important roads, railways, airways and water ways;



describe the role of different modern means of communications;



appreciate the role of transport and communication changing the way of life in rural and urban areas;



explain the significance of trade in day to day life, inter-regional dependence, and national integration;



interpret data, graphs, diagrams showing changing patterns of trade;

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

25.1 INFRASTRUCTURE: DEFINITION AND ITS ROLE IN AREA DEVELOPMENT According to World Book Dictionary the term “infrastructure” denote the essential elements forming the basis of a system or a structure. Infrastructure covers the resources, which strengthen the basis of the economy of a country. Better infrastructural services including transportation (railways, roads, ports, civil aviation etc.), communication (telecommunication and post); and electricity transmission and distribution boost the growth of a nation. Infrastructural resources always becomes key elements during preparation of a plan for area development. Quality infrastructure, covering the services of transportation, electricity transmission and distribution, communication, water supply and sanitation, and solid waste management is one of the most important necessities for unleashing high and sustained growth and alleviating poverty, particularly in the backward state. It works as a nerves of the economy of a country. By providing these infrastructural services an undeveloped or underdeveloped area can be developed. An area planner always keep in mind appropriateness and balance between different services of infrastructure in an area. 25.2 IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPORT India is a vast country with long distances. A dense and efficient network of transport is essential to promote social cohesion, accelerate economic prosperity and ensure security and territorial integrity. Transport consists of three different modes - land, water and air. Each one of them has some advantages and disadvantages. They all compete with one another. More importantly they complement each other and in the process consititute a single integrated network. While air transport is of recent origin, the other two have been as old as the nomadic man himself. The land transport comprises road and rail transport. Of the GEOGRAPHY

213

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Notes

Transport, Communication and Trade in India two, the rail transport is relatively new. It is highly useful for carrying heavy goods over long distances at affordable costs. It is most convenient and cost effective for long distance passengers. The road transport on the other hand is very handy and convenient to carry goods and passenger over relatively short distances. Goods can be transported and handed over to a customer at his doorstep safely and at a reasonable cost. Water transport for passengers is now no more attractive; but it is an ideal means of transport to carry heavy and bulky goods along navigable rivers and across the oceans of the world. By far this is the most inexpensive means of transport despite being rather slow. Air transport has become tremendously popular for people who are called upon to visit urgently various parts of the world at a very short notice. Despite high fares, it is indeed very economic as it saves both time and energy. It is now also used for carrying perishable goods and precious cargo from one part of the world to another. Recently due to introduction of various private airlines, fares have been reduced significantly both at domestic and international level. Transport system links areas of production with those of consumption. It facilitates the movement of goods, services and people at local, regional, national and international levels. 

An efficient network of transport is essential to achieve the economic prosperity and to maintain the security of the country.



Transport takes place through three different modes - land, water and air.

25.3 RAIL TRANSPORT Indian railway network is the fourth largest in the world after Russia, the U.S.A. and Canada. In a vast country like India, it has brought the people of the farthest corners of the country closer to one another. Railways are ideal for carrying goods and people over long distances. It employes the largest number of persons among the Central Government departments. The first train steamed off in the country in 1853 from Mumbai to Thana, covering a distance of 34 km. During these years, Indian railways have grown into a vast network. The following table may give you an idea about the growth of the railway system during the post-independence era. Table 25.1 Operations of Indian Railways

Electrified Route in thousand km. 214

1950-51

2003-04

0.4

17.5

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Total Route length in thousand km.

53.6

63.2

Originating Traffic in million tonnes

93.0

557.3

44.1

381.2

1284.0

5123.0

66.5

541.2

Total Goods Traffic in Billion Tonne – Km** Passengers Originating in Millions

Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

Passenger- Km+in Billions Source : India 2006, A Reference Annual, P-805-810 *1000 million = I billion (I million = 1,000,000.00)

**1 tonne km = when 1 tonne of goods is carried over one km. + 1 passenger-km = when one passenger travels one km.

The above table gives us an idea of quantitative progress made by the railways over 50 years. In the first place the total route length has increased very slightly. However, nearly 28% of its route length has been electrified. It means over this track the traffic is far cleaner and faster. It also means considerable saving in transporting charges of coal which the railways consumed for their own running. To that extent the railway wagons are now free to carry commercial goods of its clients. Similarly, the route length has increased only marginally but the passengerkm traffic has increased more than eight times. Even the goods traffic in terms of tonne-km has encreased by well over ten times. This also speaks of qualitative increase in the efficiency of the railways. This has become possible by electrification of part of the route and dieselisation of the track. The number of steam or coal engines had come down to mere 45 by 2003-04 from 8120 in 1950-51. Now there are 4769 diesel engines as compared to mere 17 in 1950-51. Similarly electric locomotives have increased from 72 to 3003 by 2003-04. As seen earlier, the new railway lines have been added only marginally. However, there has been considerable increase in running track. In 1950-51 it was about 59,000 km. By 2003-04 it rose to nearly 84,000 km. It means considerable portions, particularly the busy ones have been converted from single to double and in some cases even triple tracks. This has enabled railways to run more trains, both goods and passengers. The railways have undertaken to convert metre gauge railway tracks into broad-gauge (1.68 metres) enhancing the capacity of railways to carry more goods and more passengers with an increased speed. By strengthening trunk route railway tracks, Indian Railways run several fast trains. Earlier there were passenger and express or mail trains, the only two categories. Now there are Super fast Expresses, Rajdhani Expresses, and Shatabdi (the fastest) Expresses running between busy terminals. Now metro rail is a new concept which GEOGRAPHY

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Transport, Communication and Trade in India provide faster transport facility in metro cities. Delhi is the first ones, where its running successfully. Indian railways have taken several measures to improve their efficiency and usefulness to the public:

Notes

– – – – – –

considerable increase in railway running track. increase in electrification of busy trunk routes. conversion of metre gauge railway lines into broad gauge. introducing several types of fast and superfast passenger trains running fast goods and special foodgrain trains. Provide better facilities for reservation and other customer care services, introducing reservation through internet.

Let us have a glance at the regions of dense, moderate and sparse railway networks. The Regions of Dense Network (i) The northern plains and eastern coastal areas possess a dense network of railways. The level land, fertile soils, dense population and spread of industries are the reasons for this dense railway network. (ii) The plains of Gujarat and Saurashtra, Central Tamil Nadu and Chhotanagpur Plateau are the other regions. These regions have well developed industries. Regions of Moderate Railway Network The whole of peninsular region except Tamil Nadu and Chhotanagpur has a moderate network. The hilly and plateau terrain provides unfavourable conditions for laying railway lines. There are long trunk routes which connect the important industrial cities and ports. The railway lines either pass through the large gaps between hills or through the tunnels. Regions of Sparse Railway Network (i) The Himalayan mountain region, comprising Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh have hardly a line here and there. The hilly terrain, rugged topography are the main reasons responsible for the very sparse network. Some foot hill towns such as Jammu, Kathgodam, Kotdwar and Dehradoon are the only rail heads touching the region. Recently, railway line has been extended from Jammu to Uddhampur in the state Jammu and Kashmir. There are few narrow gauge tracks between Kalka and Shimla and between Siliguri and Darjeeling.

216

(ii) The North eastern region has also sparse railway network. Only Brahmaputra valley in Assam has main railway line. All hilly states in this region are almost without a railway line. The hilly terrain, thick forest cover, heavy rainfall, low level of economy and sparse population are the main factors for the absence of railway lines. GEOGRAPHY

Transport, Communication and Trade in India

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(iii) Desert region of western Rajasthan has also sparse network of railways. There are some metre gauge railway lines which link the big cities. However, most of these metre gauge railway lines have been converted into broad gauge lines. This area is sparsely populated and has few industries. Moreover the climate is hot and dry. Dry sandy winds obstruct the railway tracks. All these factors hamper the construction of railway lines and their proper maintenance.

Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

The Pattern of Trunk Railway Routes If you try to trace the busy trunk route railway lines connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata (and back to Delhi), you get a kite-shaped pattern. Further add to it the diagonal lines connecting Mumbai and Kolkata on one hand and Delhi and Chennai on the other, you get a kite or diamond shaped figure. These lines serve as backbone of the entire railway netwok in the country.

Notes

This main pattern needs two important additions one in the Sutlej Basin or the Punjab plains in the north-west and one in the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam. The former consists of lines connecting Delhi with Pathankot, Amritsar-Wagha and Firozpur. The other trunk connects North-east Bihar and Northern West Bengal with Dibrugarh in east or upper Assam. All these lines connect Delhi with a broad gauge and the most part of them has been electrified. The Role of Railways The role of the Indian railways may be made further clear if you study the following table, carefully. Also see if the conclusions drawn at the end are correct objectively. Table 25.2 Indian Railways Traffic Originating in Million Tonnes Commodities

1950-51

2003-04

(i)

Coal

20.2

271.40

(ii)

Raw materials (excluding) coal) of Iron & steel industry

N.A.

44.26



15.24

(iv) Iron-ore for exports

Nil

36.41

(v) Cement

2.5

53.47

8

46.52

(vii) Fertilisers

Nil

28.75

(viii) Mineral Oil

2.7

22.00

(iii) Pig iron, Finished steel lifted from steel plants

(vi) Food Grains

Source : Economic survey 2005-06, p. 195 GEOGRAPHY

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Transport, Communication and Trade in India (i) Coal is the most dominating commodity transported by the railways. Railways promoted industrial growth of the coal starved areas. (ii) Railways help to increase industrial production by carrying raw materials to industrial centres. (iii) Railways also help in distribution of semi-finished and finished products like pig-iron and steel which in turn promote secondary industries.

Notes

(iv) Railways also help in promoting exports of commodities like iron-ore, cement and food grains to earn foreign exchange. (v) Railways promote building activity all over the country by carrying cement over long distances. (vi) Railways help in boosting agricultural production by carrying huge amounts of fertilisers from one region to another. (vii) Railways carry mineral oil, an industrial input, from port cities and refineries to the interior parts of the country. This should explain why Indian Railways constitute the major national means of transport.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 25.1 Answer the following questions briefly: (1) Mention any two name of infrastructural services. (i) _________________________ (ii) _________________________ (2) What is the total route length of Indian railways in 2003-04? (i) _________________________ (ii) _________________________ (3) Mention two main advantages of railway transport. (i) _________________________ (ii) _________________________ (4) Name two regions in India where railway network is dense. (i) _________________________ (ii) _________________________ (5) State the most important reason for the sparse railway network in the North Eastern Region of India. (i) _________________________ (ii) _________________________ (6) Mention the main problem is laying railway lines in the peninsular plateau regions. (i) _________________________ (ii) _________________________ 218

GEOGRAPHY

Transport, Communication and Trade in India 25.4 ROAD TRANSPORT

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Road transport is an old means of transport. It plays a significant role in carrying goods and people in all parts of the country. Particularly, the rural economy depends upon the road transport. The importance of roads has increased with the advent of auto vehicles. The relative importance of roads is much more than that of railways. (i) Railway transport limited to the railway heads while the roads provide door to

Notes

door services. (ii) Roads can negotiate higher gradient of slopes and can traverse the mountainous regions. Construction of railway lines is difficult and expensive in hilly regions. (iii) Road transport is flexible, reliable and quick, (iv) It is more suitable for carrying perishable goods like milk, fruit and vegetables. (v) Its cost of construction and maintenance is far less than that of the railway. (vi) For short distance journey, roads are more suitable. They supplement the railways by linking the interior areas with railway heads. Roads are ideal for the promotion of tourism in the country.

Fig. 25.1 Development of Road Length in India

With the total length of 3.32 million kilometre, lndia has the largest road network in the world. However, it is far from adequate or efficient. Surfaced and Unsurfaced Roads Surfaced roads are the metalled roads and are made up of cement, concrete or bitumen. These are all weather roads. The total route length of surfaced roads in India till march 1997 was 13,94,067 km. Unsurfaced roads are ‘Kucha’ roads GEOGRAPHY

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Transport, Communication and Trade in India made up of earth. They provide tracks for the bullock carts and link the rural areas with the urban centres. They play an important role in the development of rural economy. During rainy season these roads are of little use. The total length of these roads was 10,71,816 km. till march 1997. Development of Road Transport

Notes

There has been a considerable development in the road length after independence. Route length of surfaced roads has increased from 1.571akh km. (1950-51) to 13.94 lakh km. in 1997. The length of unsurfaced roads during the same period has increased from 2.42 lakh km. to over 10.71 lakh km. Not only the route length of roads has increased but the number of commercial heavy vehicles, particularly the buses and trucks has also shown a tremendous increase since Independence. Vast increase in the road traffic has posed serious problems in handling it smoothly. The number of road accidents has also shown a steady increase. With increased road traffic, pollution of air has been on the rise. Geographical Distribution of Roads Road density refers to the average length of roads per 100 square km. area. The road density in India is still very low compared to the developed countries. High concentration of road network is found in the Northern Plains because of level land, fertile soil and high density of population. In these parts, unsurfaced roads are more common than surfaced roads. Peninsular plateau has higher proportion of metalled roads because of the easy availability of road building meterials. In the North eastern states; the road net work is very sparse due to hilly terrain, thick forest cover and heavy rains causing frequent floods. Sparse population is also the other important reason. The pattern of road density is also uneven in the country. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab and Haryana have higher road density. It is because of the growth of agriculture, manufacturing industries, urbanization and dense population. Karnataka and Maharastra also fall in this category, reason behind this is concentration of industries and urbanization. The states of Andhra Pradesh and Bihar have moderate density of roads. In Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh, the density of road is low due to low population and low economic development. The Himalayan region and North Eastern states have very low density of road network, which is below 20 km. per 100 square km area. As regards the pattern of surfaced roads, Punjab in the north and Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the south

220

GEOGRAPHY

Transport, Transport, Communication Communication and andTrade Trade in in India India have the highest road density. The southern states have a good network of metalled roads. The pattern of surfaced road density is more or less the same as the total density of roads.

MODULE - 8 Economic Economic activities activities and and infrastructural infrastructural development development in in India India

Notes

Fig. 25.2 INDIA : Surfaced Roads

Road density in India is not uniform. It varies from region to region depending upon its relief and climatic conditions, economic development and density of population. Roads are divided into three categories: (i) National highways (ii) State highways, and (iii) District and village roads. GEOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHY

221

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Notes

Transport, Communication and Trade in India National Highways are the trunk roads linking major cities of the country. They are built and maintained by the Central Government. Their total length is 65,500 km. Although the national highways comprise only about 2 percent of the total length of surfaced roads in India, they carry about 40% of goods and passenger traffic. There are 219 national highways in the country. Some of them are very important as they carry the bulk of road traffic. National Highway No.7 is the longest (2683 km) of all, linking Varanasi in the north with Kanya Kumari in the south. The state highways are built and maintained by the State Governments. The District and village roads are looked after by the local bodies with some financial assistance coming from the states.

Fig : 25.3 INDIA: National Highways

Border roads have been constructed in the remote parts of the country lying close international border. They connect these areas with the interior parts of the country. 222

GEOGRAPHY

Transport, Communication and Trade in India The responsibility of their construction and maintainance is on Border Road Organisation. These roads have economic as well as strategic importance. Leh and Manali Road, the world’s highest road, is an example of our engineering skill and courage. The average height of this road is 4270 meters above sea level. Most of our border roads run through areas of very harsh climate and most inhospitable terrains.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

 National Highways connect the major cities of the country. Their length is

only 2% but they carry 40% of the total road traffic.

Notes

 The state highways join the district head quarters with state capital. District

and village roads connect the villages with small towns and district head quarters. Recent Development of Roads under National Highway Development Project (NHDP) In order to boost economic development in the country the Government of India initiated a programme called National Highway Development Programme (NHDP). NHDP has already completed two phases and third phase is ready to be implemented. The first two phases have the following components: (i) Gloden Quadrilateral (GQ) comprising National Highway connecting four metro cities viz, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. Total length of the Golden Quadrilateral is 5846 km. The construction has almost been completed. Out of the total 5846 km. four laning of about 4856 km. length has already been completed by 31st May, 2005. (ii) The second major task was the construction of North-South and East-West corridors comprising the national highways connecting Srinagar to Kanyakumari including Kochi-Salem spur and Silchar to Porbundur. The total length of the corridors is about 7300 km. But very little progress has been made so far. As on 31st May, 2005 only four/six laning of 707 km. has already been completed. The Government of India has a plan to complete this massive work by December, 2007. (iii) The third significant task was four laning of about 356 km. of highways to provide connectivity to 12 major ports and 777 km. on other highways. As on 31st May, 2005, four laning of about 69 km. roads of port connectivity and 287 km. of other National Highways have been completed. Apart from this National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has already planned another five phases of NHDP. These are as follows: (i) Four laning of 10,000 km. of National Highways through Built-OperateTransfer (BOT) basis. (Phase-III). (ii) Two laning and providing paved shoulders of 20,000 km. of National Highway (Phase IV). GEOGRAPHY

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Transport, Communication and Trade in India (iii) Six laning of 5000 km. of National Highways (Phase V). (iv) Development of 1000 km. of Express ways (Phase VI). (v) Construction of Ring Roads, By passes, Flyovers etc. to remove the bottlenecks on National Highways. (vi) Apart from this, development of National Highways and other roads in the North-Eastern Region is planned under Special Accelerated Road Development Programme in NE Region (SARDP-NE).

Fig. 25.4 INDIA : Golden Quadrilateral and North-South and East-West Corridor

224

GEOGRAPHY

INTEXT QUESTIONS 25.2 Answer the following questions briefly: (1) What was the total length of surfaced roads in 1997? (2) Give the names of terminal points of the National Highway No.7. (i) _________________________(ii)___________________________ (3) Name two states of India having the highest density of roads. (i) _________________________(ii)___________________________ (4) Write the terminal points of the world’s highest road. (i) _________________________(ii)___________________________ (5) In which areas, unsurfaced roads are more important? _______________________________________________________ (6) Give the most important reason for the low density of road in the Northeastern region of India. _______________________________________________________ (7) What is the total length of Golden quadrilateral ? _______________________________________________________ 25.5 PIPE LINE TRANSPORT Pipe line transport has been developed recently in India. It is the most convenient mode of transport for mineral oil, petroleum products and natural gas. Pipe lines connect oil and natural gas fields with refineries and the main market centres. Now solids are also being transported through pipe lines after converting them into slurry. There are certain advantages of pipe lines over other modes of transport (i) Pipe line can be laid through difficult terrain as well as under water. (ii) Initial cost of laying pipeline is high but subsequent cost for maintenance and operation is low. (iii) It ensures steady supply and minimises transhipment losses and delays. (iv) Pipe line operation involves very low consumption of energy. There are some limitations of pipe line transport such as the capacity of pipeline cannot be increased once it is laid. The security of pipe lines in certain areas and the detection of leakage is difficult. Petroleum pipe lines in Assam connect oil

fields with the oil refineries of Assam and Bihar. Pipe line between Kandla and Mathura is the longest oil pipe line (1220 km). There are several pipe lines in the Gujarat and Maharashtra connecting the oil fields, refineries and marketing centres. The longest gas pipe line has been laid from Hazira (Gujarat) to Jagdishpur (UP) via Bijaipur (MP). This HBJ pipe line is 1730 km in length and supplies natural gas to six fertiliser plants and two thermal power plants. Pipe line transport has reduced the burden of railways significantly. Owing to their advantages, more pipe lines have been proposed for smooth supply of oil and natural gas. Gas fired thermal power stations are being set up in the distant and remote parts due to facilities of pipeline transport. 

Pipeline transport is very convenient mode for the regular and smooth supply of oil and natural gas.

25.6 WATER TRANSPORT The Indian mainland together with its island groups has a long coastline of over 6100 km. This long coastline is dotted with 12 major ports managed by the central government. Then there are 186 minor ports operating under the jurisdiction of the state governments. The 12 major ports handle 90% of international water borne trade of the country. These major ports alone handled 384 million tonnes of sea imports and exports. The major ports along the western or Arabian Sea coast are Kandla, Mumbai, Jawahar Lal Nehru Port (at Nhava Sheva on the opposite side of Mumbai harbour), Marmugao, New Mangalore and Kochi. Thus all the states on the western coast have at least one major port. The remainng five ports are Tuticorin, Ennore, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Paradeep (Paradwip) and the Joint port of Kolkata - Haldia. Thus all the coastal states on the Bay of Bengal have at least one port each. The Jawahar Lal Nehru port of Navi Mumbai is the most modern port.  Water transport is cheaper and helps in the promotion of foreign trade.  Twelve major ports on the coast line handle 90% of India’s sea imports

and exports. Inland Water Ways The position of inland water ways in India is very poor. The total length of navigable water ways is only 14,500 km which can be used by mechanised boats and steamers. We are actually utilizing only about 2700 km long water ways. Some important inland water ways are: (i)

Ganga river between Allahabad and Haldia covering a distance of about 1620 km. Big steamers and crafts can ply upto Patna. This water way is declared as National water way No.1.

Transport, Communication and Trade in India

MODULE - 8

Fig. 25.5 INDIA: Ports and water ways

(ii)

Brahmaputra river is navigable upto Dibrugarh a distance of 1384 km. Out of which only 891km. lies in India, the rest being in Bangladesh.

(iii) The Kollam and Kotapuram stretch of west coast cannal along with Champakara and udyogmandal canals in Kerala which stretches for about 205km. (iv) In south, the lower reaches of Godavari, Krishna and Mahanadi serve as inland water ways. Buckingham canal between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh is also an inland water way which is now hardly in use. GEOGRAPHY

227

The following factors affect the inland water ways in India. (i)

Diversion of water of rivers for irrigation.

(ii)

Silting of river beds reduces the depth of river water.

(iii) Seasonal ftuctuations in the water level of the rivers. (iv) Presence of bridges, water falls and cataracts in the course of rivers. (v)

An unequal competition with railways and road ways.

India’s inland water ways have not been developed as they can not compete with the railways and roads.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 25.3 Answer the following questions briefly: (1) Name two main commodities which are usually carried by pipe line transport. (i) __________________________(ii)_________________________ (2) Which gas pipe line in India is the longest? ________________________________________________________ (3) Which port in India handles the largest cargo traffic? ________________________________________________________ (4) Name two main navigable rivers of India. (i) __________________________(ii)_________________________ 25.7 AIR TRANSPORT Air transport is the fastest and highly convenient mode of transport, although it is more costly than other modes. One can cover a journey between Delhi and Bangalore in about two and a half hours by an aeroplane while this distance is covered in about 42 hours by a railway express train. Air transport becomes very important in the regions where surface means of tranport are difficult to develop. These regions may have dense forests, marshy land, hilly terrain and high mountains. India is favourably situated on a busy international air route, connecting North America, Europe and South-west Asia on the one hand and East and South-east Asia together with Australia on the other.

Transport, Communication and Trade in India In the public sector, there are Air India Indian Airlines, Air India Charters Limited (Air India Express) and Alliance Air. In the private sector, there are 7 scheduled airlines (passenger), namely, Jet Airways, Sahara Airlines, Deccan Aviation, Spice Jet, Go Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Paramount Airways and Indigo. There is also one cargo private scheduled airline, i.e., Blue Dart Aviation. At present, there are 46 companies holding non-scheduled air transport operators permit. Air India is the international air carrier. It handles the foreign traffic which includes both cargo and passenger services. It provides Regular and more frequent flights to the USA, Canada and and European countries.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

Currently, there are 37 air crafts most of them Boeing 747 in the fleet of Air India. In 2004-05, Air India carried about 4.4 million passengers. There are eleven international airports which are located at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Channai, Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Amritsar, Jaipur and Lucknow handle the entire foreign air traffic.

Fig. 25.6 Airports and Air routes GEOGRAPHY

229

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

Transport, Communication and Trade in India Indian Air Lines handles the domestic air transport. There are regular flights among the state capitals and major cities of the country. The places of tourist interest are also served by this airline. Besides it, Indian Airlines operate 55 domestic and 18 international stations. It provides services to neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, Male and Middle East. Presentey Indian Airlines has a fleet of 73 aircrafts. Pawan Hans Helicopter Ltd., a public sector company, is engaged in providing helicopter services to ONGC for its off shore operations. It’s also used by various State Government. Promotion of air transport in the North-eastern region is a necessity owing to several adverse physical factors like mountainuous terrain, thick forest cover, big rivers with frequent flood. Socially and economically too, the region needs to be drawn closer to the rest of India. 

Air transport is the fastest through costlier mode of transport. It has brought the world closer.



Air India and Indian Air lines are the two main air carriers operating in the country. There are seven private airlines.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 25.4 Answer the following questions: (1)

Name international air carrier of India. _______________________________________________________

(2)

Name the Public Sector air transporting company, providing domestic air transport services. _______________________________________________________

(3)

In which region of India is the air transport a necessity? _______________________________________________________

(4)

Name five international airports of India. (i) ___________________ (ii) ______________ (iii) ________________ (iv) _________________ (v) _______________

(5)

In which two ways, does the air transport differ from other modes of transport? (i) ___________________ (ii)_____________________

230

GEOGRAPHY

Transport, Communication and Trade in India

MODULE - 8

(6)

Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Name any two private sector air transporting company. (i) ________________________________ (ii) ___________________

25.8 COMMUNICATION Communication system contributes to the development of the economy, social relationships and also helps in promoting cultural unity. Internationally, it brings diverse people of the world close to one another

Notes

In the event of any impending calamity, accident or emergency instant means of communication flash the news across the globe so that relief can be rushed to the spot immediately. Postal Services It is the most commonly used mode of communication in India. The postal services play a vital role in the rural areas of the country. About 99% of the villages are enjoying postal services to day. At present about 1.55 lakh post offices are providing postal services covering every part of the country. In tune with the rest of the world the Indian postal services are also being modernised. (1) (Postal Index Number) PIN has facilitated the prompt delivery of mail (ii) Speed post service has been introduced for fast and quick delivery of post (iii) Quick Mail Service (QMS) is another step in this direction. Besides these, satellite money order scheme was introduced in 1994 as a pilot project for providing services to hilly, backward and remote areas from six principal cities. International mail services carried by air and sea is an important step in linking the foreign countries with India. Telecommunication It is the modern device for the communication at individual and mass level. Telegraph, Telephone; Talex and Fax are the main means of tele communication. By the end of 2004-05, India was the 10th largest telecom network in terms of number of phones. (1) Telegraph: is comparatively an old mean for providing quick communication in event of any emergency. At present about forty thousand telegraph offices have been working in the country. (2) Telephone: There has been a very fast progress in telephone facilities. As on 31 March 2006, the network comprises of 142.09 million telephone connections and over 2.34 (February, 2006) million Public Call Office (PCOs). There are over 62.90 million cellular subscribers in the country GEOGRAPHY

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MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

Transport, Communication and Trade in India and the cellular custormer base is growing at the rate of over two million per month. Telephone services have been expanding very rapidly in the country. STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialing) facilities are available to all the big and small towns of the country. Fully automatic Interantional Subscriber Dialling (ISD) service is available to almost all the countries. (3) Telex: Telex services make possible to send information in printed form. More than 200 cities of India enjoy the service. Use of satellite has revolutionized the Tele communication system to day. Mass - Communication Radio and television are the electronic media of mass communication. They play an important role in individual and social life. Radio is a powerful medium which provide all sorts of useful information, news and variety of entertainment. There are about 223 radio broad casting stations in the country and provide services to 91.42% of the area and 99.13% of the total population. Now, FM Radio services have given a new face to radio transmission. Television service was started in 1959 in India. However, the real expansion of T.V. Service began after 1980. Only recently several channels on television have been made available to private parties. This has promoted keen competition to improve the quality of programme even of Doordarshan. Doordarshans network consist of (i) 64 Doordarshan Kendra (studio centres); 1400 transmitters (1134 transmitters for DD1, 153 transmitters for DD News, 109 transmitters for regional services and 1 digital transmitters each at Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai). DD1 provide services 79% of area and about 91% of the total population. Cinema is yet another mean of mass communication. It entertains millions of people everyday. Print media Newspapers, periodicals and journals fall in the category of print media. Print media expanded very rapidly after independence. There were 62,550 daily st newspapers, periodicals and different journals in Indian languages on 31 March, 2006. These were 6,800 dailies, 369 tri/bi-weeklies, 21,453 weeklies, 8,227 fortnightlies, 18,545 monthlies, 4,340 quarterlies, 584 annuals, and 2,232 of the other periodicity. The largest number of newspapers and periodicals registered in any Indian language is in Hindi (24,017), second is English (8,768).

INTEXT QUESTIONS 25.5 Answer the following questions: 1. Write the fulform of these abbreviations : 232

(i) PIN,

(ii) QMS,

(iii) STD,

(iv) PCO,

(v) ISD.

GEOGRAPHY

Transport, Communication and Trade in India (i) _________ (ii) _________ (iii)___________ (iv) _________ (v)______

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

2. Name three means of mass-communication. (i) ________________ (ii) _________________ (iii) ________________ 3. What is print media? ________________________________________________________ Notes 25.9 TRADE The services which involve the activities of buying and selling of goods are termed as trade. Like transport, communication, banking etc. it is also a tertiary service and an important infrastructure for the development of economy including agriculture and industry in the country. Trade may take place at various levels -local, regional, national or international. The growth of trade depends on accessibility of a well developed market and well advanced communication system. International Trade It involves selling and buying various commodities at the international level. International trade may be multilateral or bi-lateral; depending upon the number of parties involved. India’s international trade has grown very rapidly after Independence. India’s total international trade in the year 1950-51 stood at Rs. 1,214 crore. Since then this has witnessed continuous increase with occasional down twins. During the year 2004-05 the value reached at Rs. 8,37,133 crores. Though, India has trade relations with all the major trading blocks and all the geographical regions of the world, the major trade partners are the USA, Russia, countries of West Europe, Japan and Oceania. In dollar terms, Asia and Oceania accounted for 47.41% of India’s total exports followed by west Europe (23.80%) and America (20.42%) during 2004-05. India’s imports were highest from Asia and oceania (35.40%) followed by west Europe (22.60%) and America (8.36%) during the same period. Export During the colonial era major commodities of our exports were either raw materials like cotton, jute, leather, spices, minerals or food items like wheat, tea, coffee and spices etc. All the trade was channelised through Britain. After Independence there has been significant changes in the items of export because of the rapid industrial development in the country. Now India exports nearly 7500 commodities. There has been a appreciable growth in exports since 1950-51 when it was worth only of Rs. 607 crores. It has increased to Rs. 3,56,069 crores by 2004-05. GEOGRAPHY

233

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Transport, Communication and Trade in India While there are year to year variations, some of the major commodities whose exports have been increasing over the last few years and also in 2004-05 include engineering goods, gems and jewellery, chemical and related products, textiles, petroleum products, agriculture and allied products, and ores and minerals. There has been a significant change in the export products since Independence. The largest value of exports is now obtained manufactured products.

Notes

Imports After Independence, there has been a sharp increase in the value of imports in India. We now import about 6000 commodities. During pre-Independence period, main items of imports were machinery, manufactured goods, textiles, chemicals, medicines etc. After independence in the early decades, India’s import consisted mainly of food grains because of the partition of the country. India’s total value of import in 1950-51 was of Rs. 581 crores which had increased to Rs. 4,81,064 crores in 2004-05. There has been significant increase in the imports during the last 55 years. In the year 2004-05, bulk import as a group accounted for about 40% of the total imports. This group includes fertilizers, cereals, edible oils, news print and petroleum products. But only crude petroleum and products have 71% share among the bulk products import and about 28% share among the total import. The other principal imports consists of pearls, precious and semi-precious stones, machinery, project goods, medicinal and pharmaceutical products, organic and inorganic chemicals, coal, coke and briquettes, artificial resins etc. The Recent Trends in Foreign Trade of India At the time of Independence, India’s foreign trade was very limited. India was the main exporter of primary commodities and imported manufactured products and machinery. After independence there has been a rapid progress in the field of industry and agriculture. The international market has also expanded. The commodities of export and import have shown a great change in the last decades. India has developed trade relations with the countries of Asia, Africa and Oceania for the promotion of her exports. Incentives such as, providing export credits at lower interest, and by removing restrictions and controls on the exports has helped in the promotion of export. Main stress is given to export of value added commodities. We have also adopted a policy of liberalisation of imports. Adoption of new import policy has strengthened the economy of the country. Some commodities which help in the manufacturing industries can now be imported on easy terms.

234

GEOGRAPHY

Transport, Communication and Trade in India

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

Fig. 25.7 Recent Trends in Foreign Trade in India  During the past two decades, India’s imports have shown a considerable change.  India’s foreign trade has risen rapidly from Rs. 1214 crores in 1950-51 to Rs.

837133 crores in 2004-05.  There has been a great change in the foreign trade of India-especially in the

commodities of export and imports. Balance of Trade Difference between value of exports and imports is termed as balance of trade. When the value of exports and imports of a country is equal it is a situation of balanced foreign trade. If exports exceed the imports, It is favourable; and on the other hand when imports are more than exports, it is unfavourable trade. GEOGRAPHY

235

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

Transport, Communication and Trade in India At the time of Independence, our foreign trade was favourable but after Independence, in the first two decades, the imports of India increased rapidly due to the imports of food grains. At present the imports of the country exceed the exports. Thus, our foreign trade has become unfavourable. In rupee terms, the trade deficit in 2004-05 was Rs. (-) 123995. It is worth noting that our exports and imports have increased in volume and value remarkably. But over the past 55 years our share in world trade has decreased considerably. It is not even one per cent of the world trade.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 25.6 Answer the following questions. (1) Name the two components in which foreign trade is divided. (i) _____________________ (ii)___________________________ (2) What is the important change in India’s exports since independence? (i) _____________________ (ii)___________________________ (3) Name two most important trade partners of India. (i) _____________________ (ii)___________________________ (4) Name the commodity which has the largest share of our imports. (i) _____________________ (ii)___________________________ (5) Name the policy India has adopted for promoting foreign trade. (i) _____________________ (ii)___________________________ (6) What is balance of trade? (i) _____________________ (ii)___________________________

WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT The term infrastructure denote the essential elements forming the bases of a system or structure. Transport, communication and trade are important infrastructural resources of economy. These services provide support for the development of entire economy, particularly agriculture and industries. Railways, roads and pipe lines are the means of land transport. They play an important role in strengthening the national unity. They also promote social and economic prosperity in the country. Water transport is an inexpensive but slow 236

GEOGRAPHY

Transport, Communication and Trade in India means of transport. The development of inland water transport is limited only to the eastern part and eastern coastal plains. India is ideally situated on the busy Suez route joining Australia and south-east Asia and Europe. The air transport is the fastest through costliest means of transport. It is also suitable in the areas where construction and maintenance of surface transport is difficult, such as Northeastern region. All these means of transport have brought the world closer. Rail transport provides services particularly for long distance and carries bulk of traffic at one time. Northern plains, eastern coastal plains, and Gujarat plains have dense network of railways; while the Northeastern region, Western Rajasthan and the Himalayan region have sparse railway network. Road transport provides door to door services. It is flexible and is suitable for short distances. Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have the highest density of surfaced roads.

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

Communication involves sending or receiving messages at individual or mass level. It includes postal services, telegraph, telephone, teleprinters, radio, television and print media. Radio and television belong to electronic telecommunication media. Transport and communication are interrelated and they strengthen and supplement each other. The trade relations of India have grown very rapidly after Independence. India has bilateral trade with many developed and developing countries. There has been a significant change in the commodities of export and import after independence. India has now adopted the policy of liberalisation of trade removing restrictions on imports. Despite phenomenal growth in foreign trade India’s share in world trade is very low - not even one per cent.

TERMINAL QUESTIONS Answer the following questions: 1. Define the term infrastructure. 2. Explain two merits of railway transport. 3. Explain two main reasons for the development of dense railway network in the Northern plains of India. 4. State two main advantages of road transport. 5. Why is air transport more favourable in the northeastern region of India? 6. Distinguish between: (i) National high way and state high ways. (ii) Surfaced and Unsurfaced roads. (iii) Exports and Imports. 7. Examine the role of postal services as a means of communication in India. 8. Explain briefly the recent changes in the trade of India with other countries, giving suitable examples. GEOGRAPHY

237

MODULE - 8 Economic activities and infrastructural development in India

Notes

238

Transport, Communication and Trade in India

ANSWER TO INTEXT QUESTIONS 25.1 1. Transportation, Electricity transmission and distribution, Communication (any two) 2.63.2 Crore Km. 3. (a) Suitable for passengers covering long distances (b) carry the heavy goods in bulk. 4 Northern plains and plains of Gujarat and Saurashtra 5. Hilly terrain/Forested cover/heavy rain 6. Hills and mountain ranges having rough terrain. 25.2 1. 13,94,061 Km. 2. Varanasi and Kanyakumari 3. Punjab and Kerala 4. Leh to Manali Raod 5. Rural sector 6. Sparsely populated, poor in natural resources/Hilly terrain/ Heavy rain with thick forest 7. 5846 Km. 25.3 1. Petrol and Natural gas (2)HBJ Pipe Line Hazira, Bijaipur, Jagdishpur (3) Mumbai (4) Ganga and Brahmaputra 25.4 (1) Air India (2) Indian Air Lines (3) Northeastern part of lndia (4) (i) Mumbai (ii) Delhi (iii) Kolkata (iv) Chennai and (v) Thiruvananthapuram (5) (i) Fastest mode (ii) Costler 6. Jet airways, Sahara Airlines, Kingfisher Airlines (any two) 25.5 1. (i) Postal Index Number (ii) Quick Mail Service (ii) Subscriber Trunk Dialling (iii) Public Call Office (iv) International Subscriber Dialling 2. (i) Radio, (ii) Television (iii) Cinema 3. Newspapers, periodicals and journals fall in the category of Print Media. 25.6 (1) Exports and Imports (2) Switch over from primary to secondary products (3) The USA and Russia (4) Petroleum & Petroleum products (5) Liberalisation of trade and reduction in import restrictions (6) A difference between the value of exports and Imports. HINTS TO TERMINALS QUESTIONS 1. Refer to section 25.1 2. Refer to section 25.3 3. Reasons for dense railway network – the level land, Fertile soil, dense population and spread of Industries (any two). For more detail rafer to section 25.3 4. Refer to section 25.4 5. Refer to section 25.7 6. (i) Refer to section 25.4 (ii) Refer to section 25.4 (iii) Refer to section 25.9 7. Refer to section 25.8 8. Refer to section 25.9 GEOGRAPHY

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