NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science (Economics) Chapter 1 The Story of Village Palampur

NCERT
SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 9TH

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Class : 9th
Subject : Social-Science-Economics
Chapter : 1
Chapter Name : The Story of Village Palampur

Q1 The following Table 1.1 shows the land under cultivation in India in units of million hectares.
Plot this on the graph provided. What does the graph show? Discuss in class.
• Is it important to increase the area under irrigation? Why?
• You have read about the crops grown in Palampur. Fill the following table based on information
on the crops grown in your region

Answer. (i) The above graph shows the land under cultivation in India in units of million hectares.
The graph shows that the land under cultivation in India was 120 million hectares in 1950 which
rose to 140 million hectares in 1970 and remained constant at 140 million hectares till 2000.

(ii) Yes, it is important to increase the land area under irrigation rstly so that the farmers can do

multiple cropping and grow more than one crop in a year and increase their production and
earning. Secondly, use of HYV seeds need of plenty of water to give best results.

(iii)

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Q1 What is the difference between multiple cropping and modern farming method?

Answer. Multiple Cropping To grow more than one crop on a piece of land during the year is
known as multiple It is the most common way of increasing production on a given piece of land
Modern Farming Method The farmers of Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh use HYV seeds, tube
wells for irrigation, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, as well as machinery like tractors and
threshers to increase production. All these measures comprise what are known as modem rming
methods

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Q2 The following table shows the production of wheat and pulses in India after the Green
Revolution in units of million tonnes. Plot this on a graph. Was the Green Revolution equally
successful for both the crops? Discuss.

Answer. Between 1965 and 2001, the production of pulses has increased negligibly whereas the
production of wheat increased greatly. Thus, we can say that the Green Revolution was more
successful in increasing the production of wheat as compared to pulses.

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Q3 What is the working capital required by the farmer using modern farming methods?

Answer. The working capital required by the farmer using modern farming methods are raw
material and money. Money is always required during production to make payments and buy other
necessary items.

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Q4 Modern farming methods require the farmer to start with more cash than before. Why?

Answer. Modern farming methods require the use of HYV seeds which needs chemical fertilizers
and pesticides to produce best results and increased production. However, for buying all these
inputs a lot of money is needed so a farmer needs to have more cash to start farming.

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Q1 In the Picture 1.5, can you shade the land cultivated by the small farmers?

Answer. The shaded rectangles with boundaries show the land cultivated by small farmers.

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Q2 Why do so many families of farmers cultivate such small plots of land?

Answer. Land in Palampur is xed and 75% of the people who are working are dependent on
farming for their livelihood. Since land is xed and maximum people are dependent on land they
are forced to cultivate small plots of land.

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Q3 The distribution of farmers in India and the amount of land they cultivate is given in the
following Graph Discuss in the classroom.

Answer. Yes, I agree that the distribution of cultivated land is unequal in Palampur because out of
the 450 families, 150 families are landless, 240 families cultivate small plots of land less than 2
hectares in size whereas 60 medium and large farmers cultivate more than 2 hectares of land, a
few of them have land extending over 10 hectares or more, which shows that medium and large

farmers have more land though they are numerically Smaller. This clearly shows the inequality in
the distribution of cultivated land. According to the graph, a similar situation exists for India also
which means that 80% of the small farmers cultivate only 36% of the cultivated area whereas 20%
of the big farmers cultivate 64% of the cultivated area

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Q1 Would you agree that the distribution of cultivated land is unequal in Palampur? Do you nd a
similar situation for India? Explain

Answer. DIY

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Q1 Identify the work being done on the eld in the Pictures 1.6 and arrange them in a proper
sequence.

Answer. The proper sequence of the activities is given below (the numbers are marked alongside
each picture).
(1) Plowing by bullocks
(2) Sowing
(3) Spraying of insecticides
(4) Cultivation by traditional methods
(5) Cultivation by modern methods
(6) Cutting of crops

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Q1 Why are farm labourers like Dala and Ramkali poor?

Answer. (a) Dala and Ramkali are landless farm labourers who work on daily wages in Palampur.
(b) Though, minimum wages for farm labourers set by the government is 60 per day, they get only
35-40

(c) There is heavy competition for work among the farm labourers in Palampur, so people agree to
work for low wages.
(d) They remain out of work for most parts of the year and have to take loans from the
moneylender to ful ll their needs. Due to this seasonal unemployment, they remain poor and are
unable to repay the loan and fall into a debt trap.

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Q2 Gosaipur and Majauli are two villages in North Bihar. Out of a total of 850 households in the
two villages, there are more than 250 men who are employed in rural Punjab and Haryana or in
Delhi, Mumbai, Surat, Hyderabad or Nagpur. Such migration is common in most villages across
India. Why do people migrate? Can you describe (based on your imagination) the work that the
migrants of Gosaipur and Majauli might do at the place of destination?

Answer. Mostly people migrate in search of employment or better job Opportunities to the cities
like Mumbai, Delhi etc or to the prosperous agricultural regions like Punjab and Haryana to work
as farm labourers.
(a) This migration usually takes place when a person is unemployed or in extreme poverty, which
may be due to lack of land, displacements, negative impact of natural disasters like drought or
oods, etc.
(b) The migrants from Gosaipur and Majauli who went to cities will probably nd work as casual
labourers, industrial workers, street hawkers, rickshaw pullers, headload workers or as servants in
homes and hotels, etc
(c) Those who went to rural areas of Punjab and Haryana will probably work as farm labourers
since agriculture is the main occupation of the rural people in these states.

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Q1 Let us take three farmers. Each has grown wheat on his eld though the production is different
(see Column 2). The consumption of wheat by each farmer family is the same (Column 3). me
whole of surplus wheat this year is used as capital for next year's production. Also suppose,
production is twice the capital used in production. Complete the tables.

Answer.

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Q2 Compare the Production of wheat by the three farmers over the years.

Answer.

• The production of wheat of the rst farmer increased from 100 to 16CL
• The production of wheat of the second farmer was constant at 8CL
• The production of wheat of the third farmer declined from 60 to 00

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Q3 What happens to Farmer 3 in Year 3? Can he continue production? What will he have to do to
continue production?

Answer. In the third year, the third farmer did not produce any wheat and had to buy it
from the market. He cannot continue production any longer unless he arranges capital, as he has
no surplus to invest as capital.

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Q1 What capital did Mishrilal need to set up his jaggery manufacturing unit?

Answer. To set up his manufacturing unit Mishrilal needed the following capital
(a) Fixed Capital in the form of the sugarcane crushing machine. Working Capital in the form of
money for buying sugarcane from other farmers for crushing and for paying the electricity bill of
running the
(b) crushing machine.

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Q2 Who provides the labour in this case?

Answer. The labour is provided by him and his family. Otherwise he will employ landless labourers

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Q3 Can you guess why Mishrilal is unable to increase his pro t?
Answer. (a) Mishrilal has set up a small scale unit.
(b) The farm holdings in the village are very small of about 2 hectares in size and production of
sugarcane is low as more area is under wheat, so raw material is also less (c) He has to pay for the
electricity to run the machine.
(d) Since the industry is small scale, production is less and therefore, he is unable to increase his
pro t.

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Q4 Could you think of any reasons when he might face a loss?

Answer. Conditions under which he may face a toss can be any of the following
(a) If his crushing machine becomes defective, his production will reduce or totally stop. (b) If due
to drought or other calamity, the production of sugarcane in nearby areas reduces; his jaggery
production will come down leading to a loss for him.

(c) If the demand for jaggery decreases, ne will not be able to sell enough to break even.
(d) If any other costs like electricity, labour or transportation costs increase, he may face a loss.

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Q5 Why does Mishrilal sell his jaggery to traders in Shahpur and not in his village?

Answer. (a) Palampur is a small village with 450 families and there is not a big demand for jaggery
there .
(b) Shahpur is a town where people come from different surrounding villages to buy things and
there is more demand of jaggery there, so Mishrilal sells his jaggery traders in Shahpur and not in
his village.

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Q1 In what ways is Kareem’s capital and labour different from Mishrilal?

Answer. 80th have xed capital in the form of machines, but Kareem has a larger xed capital
because he has assets in the form of computers which are more expensive than the sugarcane
crushing machine. Kareem has also employed educated and quali ed computer teachers, whereas
Mishrilal labour is mainly unskilled labour

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Q2 Why didn’t someone start a computer centre earlier? Discuss the possible reasons

Answer. Reasons why someone didn't start a computer centre may be any of the following
(a) As very few educated people were there in the village, there was not any demand for computer
courses.
(b) The villagers were not aware of the employment potential of computer courses and so nobody
thought that such a business could be successful.
(c) Teaching faculty for computer courses was not available

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Q1 What is Kishora’s xed capital?

Answer. Kishora's xed capital is the buffalo and wooden-cart which he has purchased with the
bank loathe

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Q2 What do you think would be his working capital?

Answer. The money that he earns from selling the milk and transporting goods an his bullock-cart
minus his own living expenses are his working capital.

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Q3 In how many production activities is Kishora involved?

Answer. Kishora is involved in the following production activities.
(a) Selling of buffalo's milk.
(b) Transporting of various items.
(c) Bringing clay from the river Ganga for the potter
(d) Transporting jaggery etc to Shahpur.

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Q4 Would you say that Kishora has bene tted from better roads in Palampur?

Answer. Kishora has certainly bene ted from better roads in Palampur because he is involved in
the transport business; better roads enable him to easily transport goods from one place to
another, run his business successfully and earn pro ts, which would have been very dif cult in the
absence of proper roads.

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Q1 Every village in India is surveyed once in ten years during the Census and some of details are
presented in the following format. Fill up the following based on information on Palampur.
a. LOCATION:
b. TOTAL AREA OF THE VILLAGE:
c. LAND USE (in hectares):

Answer. (a) Location Palampur is located 3 km from Raiganj which is a big village. The nearest
town is Shahpur.
• It is well connected with neighbouring villages and towns.
• An all weather road connects the village to Raiganj and further to the nearest small town of
Shahpur.
(b) Total Area of the Village

The total area of the Palampur village is 246 hectares.
(c) land Use (in hectares)

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Q2 Modern farming methods require more inputs which are manufactured in industry. Do you
agree?

Answer. Yes, It is true that modern farming methods require more Inputs which are manufactured
in industry. For example

• HYV seeds, insecticides, pesticides and chemical fertilisers needed for increasing the yield per
hectare are all manufactured industries
• Farmers use farm machinery like tractors, threshers and also combined harvesters which are also
manufactured in industries.
• Tubewell equipment and water pumps used for irrigation are also manufactured in industries.

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Q3 How did the spread of electricity help farmers in Palampur?

Answer. • Most of the houses in Palampur have electric connections.
• Electricity powers all the tubewells in the elds that help to irrigate much larger areas of land
more effectively as compared to the traditional Persian wheel drawn by bullocks. Since the entire
cultivated area of 200 hectares had come under irrigation farmers did not have to depend on
rainfall and could grow multiple crops.
• It helps small businesses run their machinery like Mishrilal's sugarcane crushing machine.

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

Answer. Yes, it is important to increase the area under irrigation because water is very essential for

agriculture. In India, the rainfall is unevenly distributed in the country and if rainfall Is less, then
production Will be low, and they will be only able to grow one crop in a season. With good
irrigation it will be possible to do multiple cropping, helping to increase the yield per hectare .

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

Answer. Distribution of land among the 450 families of Palampur.

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

Answer. The minimum wages for a farm labourer set by the government are Rs. 60 per day, but
wages of farm labourers in Palampur are less than minimum wages because there is heavy
competition for work among the farm labourers in Palampur, so people agree to work for lower
wages.

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Q7 In your region, talk to two labourers. Choose either farm labourers or labourers working at
construction sites. What wages do they get? Are they paid in cash or kind? Do they get work
regularly? Are they in debt?

Answer. • In our region, there are two labourers namely Ram Khilawan and Basanti, who are
husband and Wife working as casual constructing labourers. Due to drought, they had to leave
their village in search of employment. They get approximately 50 to 60 rupees per day which they
are paid in cash.
•They do not get work regularly because there are a large number of workers seeking employment,
due to which they agree to work for low wages. Because of irregular work and low wages they are
unable to ful ll their needs and are in debt.

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

Answer. Multiple cropping and use of modern farming methods are two different ways of
increasing production on the same piece of land. e.g.,
(i) Multiple Cropping When more than one crop is grown on a piece of land during the year it is
known as multiple cropping.
1. It is the most common way to increase production on a given piece of land.
2. All farmers in Palampur grow at least two main crops, many are growing potato as the third crop
in the past fteen to twenty years.

(ii) Use of Modern Farming Method. Modern farming methods also help to increase the yield per
hectare.
1. Farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh were the rst to try modern farming
methods in India.
2. The farmers in these regions set up tube wells for irrigation and made use of HYV seeds,
chemical fertilisers and pesticides In farming.
3. Some also used farm machinery like tractors and threshers, which made ploughing and
harvesting faster. They were rewarded with high yields of wheat, increasing from 1300 kg per
hectare to 3200 kg per hectare with HYV seeds.

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

Answer. • A farmer having 1 hectare of land for farming is called a subsistence farmer because 1
hectare of land is too lese;for even the sustenance of a small family.
• Production Is very low and it is very dif cult for the farmer to provide for his family. Apart from
working on his own eld he has to work on the eld of the rich farmers or work as a casual
labourer to survive.
• The small farmer has no irrigation facilities.
• He has no working capital so he is also not able to buy modern machinery, HYV seeds or
insecticides and pesticides.
• In the absence of capital, he has to take loan from moneylender who charges a high interest rate.
He is rarely able to repay the loan and eventually falls into a debt trap.

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

Answer. Modern farming methods such as use of HYV insecticides pesticides etc require a great
deal of capital so the farmer needs more money than before.
• The medium and large farmers have their own savings from farming. They are thus able to
arrange for the capital needed.

• In contrast, the small farmers have to borrow money to arrange for the capital. They borrow from
large farmers or the village moneylenders or the traders who supply various inputs for cultivation.
• The rate of interest on such loans is very high. They are put to great distress to repay the loan,
which is not so in the case of medium and large farmers.

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Q11 On what terms did Savita get a loan from Tejpal Singh? Would Savita’s condition be different
if she could get a loan from the bank at a low rate of interest?

Answer. Savita, a small farmer, in order to cultivate wheat on her 1 hectare of land, decides to
borrow money from Tejpal Singh a large farmer on the following terms-
• Tejpal Singh agrees to give Savita the loan at an interest rate of 24 per cent for four months
which is a very high interest rate. Savita also has to promise to work on his eld as farm labourer
during the harvest season at Rs. 35 per day.
• The rate of interest charged by Tejpal Singh was higher than that of banks. If Savita had taken
the loan from the bank, interest would have been lower and she could have easily repaid the loan
and her condition would have been far better.

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Q12 Talk to some old residents in your region and write a short report on the changes in irrigation
and changes in production methods during the last 30 years. (Optional)

Answer. • On talking to two old residents Ramlal and Dharam Singh I came to know about the
irrigation methods that were traditionally in use in our area. They told me that earlier they were
dependent on rainfall and later on they started to use the Persian wheel to draw water from the
wells. With development of technology, tube wells were used for more better and effective
irrigation.
• In the farming methods, traditionally they ploughed the eld with ploughs drawn by bullocks
which was a very dif cult and time consuming process. They used ordinary seeds and cow dung
manure for fertilisation.
• However with changes in technology the farmers started using HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers,
insecticides, pesticides and modern machinery like tractors and threshers which has led to an
increase in yield per hectare and improved the lives of the farmers.

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

Answer.Dairy is a common activity in many families of our region.
• Some people are involved in small scale manufacturing in their homes or in the eld like
production of jaggery by Mishrilal.
• A few people are involved as shopkeepers and traders who buy various goods from the wholesale
market in the cities and sell them in the villages.
• Some people near the bus stand have opened shops selling eatables.
• Some people are in the transportation sector ferrying people and carrying goods from one place

to another In different types of vehicles.
• People like Kareem opened a computer class centre and also provided employment to two
women who had a diploma in computer application.

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

Answer. • Banks should provide loans at low Interest rates so that the poor villagers can start some
business to help them earn a living.
• Government should be more active and start and effective employment generating schemes.
• Government should provide training to the villagers in different small crafts.
• Government should provide facilities for transportation and selling of locally manufactured
goods of the villagers in the cities.
• Industries can be set up in rural areas.

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