Question 1 · 10 marks · 460 words written
Opening · a figure
Urban development is taking place at a rapid pace with around 60% of population of India expected to live in cities by 2050 (MoSPI data).
Body · points
Trajectory of urban development leading to environment issues in urban areas
Increasing vehicular and industrial pollution leads to air pollution and morbidities. Eg: Delhi's smog.
Increasing urban expansion is encroaching on wetlands and flood plains → urban floods, droughts. Eg: Bengaluru's water crisis.
Deforestation of forests and displacement of tribes and locals for urban expansion.
Murray Bookchin argues that all water, air, soil have become victim to urban environmental degradation.
The expansion of metro, highways result in concretization of green spaces (Vandana Shiva).
Way forward → Building sponge cities → Increasing green cover
Thus, sustainable development of cities should be adopted.
Rural India is marked by limited opportunities of employment leading to phenomena like bonded labour, where a labourer is held bonded for debt incurred, low wages and seasonal unemployment.
Eg: In Bettiah, Bihar
Systematic factors contributing to problems
(1) Increasing reliance on agriculture as the only mode of employment, leads to seasonal unemployment. Eg: sugar industries in rural area is seasonal.
(2) Existence of feudal mode of production in agriculture in various rural area, leads to exploitation of labourers by landlords ([Utsa Patnaik]). Eg: Bhallua system in Bengal ([Lahiri]).
(3) Caste: Dalit workers are lowly paid due to upper caste dominance and low voice to Dalit workers ([Gail Omvedt]).
(4) [Buddhadeb] argues that tribal workers are forced into agriculture menial work, when they are displaced. Eg: Bhils working on land in MP.
(5) [Shashi Kumar] argues that when poor men migrate, their children and women are forced into bonded labour by upper caste.
(6) [AR Vasavi] argues that increasing indebtedness resulting from high spending on marriage rituals lead to bonded labour, low wages.
(7) Lack of awareness on rights of fair wages, laws like Bonded labour Act increases exploitation.
(8) Failure of cooperatives due to dominant caste hijack ([Daniel Thorner]), further reduces employment opportunities in rural areas.
(9) Failure of land reforms ([M.S. Swaminathan]) and Green Revolution leads to poverty and limited choices of employment.
Strategies for addressing low wages, bonded labour and seasonal unemployment
(1) Increase training and marketing skills of cooperatives to increase their success. Eg: AMUL model.
(2) Increase private investment on agriculture through incentives. Eg: improving irrigation.
(3) Promotion of farmers producer Organization to increase economies of scale.
(4) Skill development through PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana, Vishwakarma scheme to diversify income sources.
(5) Crop diversification: promoting cash crops like millets, avocado, kiwi to earn better profits.
(6) Increasing NGO's, CSR work. Eg: e-choupal of ITC for better farming support.
Close · a summary
Thus, agriculture and rural economy capacity building can play a transformative increase in wages and employment.