CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 11 India: Human Resources
Human resources refer to the people who make up the workforce of an organisation, business sector or economy of a country. It is also sometimes known as ‘human capital’. They are the people, who have productive skills and abilities such as knowledge, wisdom, intelligence and sound health.
Without the existence of these human resources, it is impossible to utilise other resources of the country. Thus, people in the age group of 15 to 64 years or working age constitute the human resources of a country. These are the people who play an important role in the growth and development of a country.
CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 11 India Distribution of Population In India
Geographical Distribution
Population Distribution refers to how the members of a population are dispersed physically in a specific area. Each unit ofland has a particular capacity to support people living on it.
- Hence, it is necessary to know the ratio between the number of people and the area of land available to them.
- This ratio is known as the density of population. It is defined as the number of people per unit area of land. It is usually measured in persons per sq. kilometre
Density of population: Population/Area
- The population of India as per the 2011 Census was 1,20,193,422, and the density of population was 382 persons per square kilometre.
- At present, the population of India is 1.35 billion. With 2.4 per cent ofthe world’s surface area, India accounts for 17.5 per cent world’s population.
- Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state with roughly 200 million people.
- The Union Territory of Lakshadweep is the least populous, whereas Puducherry is the most populous Union Territory.
- More than half of India’s population lives in the five most populous States, i.e., Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh
Although Rajasthan is the largest state in terms of size, its population contributes only
5.5 per cent of India’s total population. States like Sikkim and Lakshadweep have the lowest population. India’s population is unevenly distributed.
- Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and the North-Eastern States are thinly populated.
- This is because of the hilly terrain in these States, which makes it difficult to grow crops and develop rail and road links.
- The desert regions of Gujarat and Rajasthan also have a sparse population. However, the plains of northern India and the coastal plains are thickly populated
Rural-Urban Distribution
The division of the population into rural and urban is based on residence.
- Further, the age-sex-occupational structure, density of population and level of development vary between rural and urban areas.
- In general terms, rural areas are those where people are engaged in primary activities, and urban areas are those where the majority of the working population is engaged in secondary and tertiary activities.
According to the 2011 Census in India, 68.8 per cent of people live in rural areas and about 31.2 per centof people live in towns and cities.
Between 2001 and 2011, the growth of India’s urban population was slightly more than rural population.
- The level of urbanisation increased from 27.81% in the 2001 Census, while the proportion of rural population declined from 72.19% to 68.84%.
- Uttar Pradesh has the maximum number of people living in rural areas, whereas Maharashtra has the largest share of India’s urban population.
- Migration of people from rural to urban areas plays an important role in changing the composition and distribution of the population.
- In India, people move from rural to urban areas because of adverse conditions of poverty and unemployment and lack of amenities in rural areas.
- It is also due to the ‘pull ’ of urban areas in terms of increased employment opportunities, higher wages and better living conditions.
Sex Ratio
Sex Ratio refers to the number of females per thousand males in the population. In India, the sex ratio has always remained unfavourable to females.
- According to Census 2011, the sex ratio in India is 940, i.e., there are 940 females per thousand males.
- The main reasons for the low sex ratio in India include preference for male child, the practice of female foeticide, female infanticide, domestic violence against women, lack of education and skills among women and their lower socio-economic status.
The government of India has started many schemes to improve the status of women in India like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme, (save the girl child, educate the girl child) meant to prevent gender biased sex selective elimination (female foeticide); to ensure survival and protection of the girl child; and to ensure education and participation of the girl child.
Some other schemes include the Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of:
- Adolescent Girls, Sabla, Mahile E-haat, i.e., a direct online marketing platform to support women entrepreneurs, Self Help Groups and NGOS to showcase products and services given by them,
- One Stop Centres with Nirbhaya Fund, to be established at various locations in India for providing shelter, police desk, legal, medical and counselling to victims of violence,
- Swadhar Greh, for rehabilitation of women in difficult circumstances, Indira Gandhi Matriva Sahyog Yojna, to provide conditional cash transfer to pregnant and lactating women.
- All these schemes are aimed at educating women so that they can stand on their own feet and can live with dignity and self-respect.
CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 11 India: Skilled And Unskilled Human Resource
The human resources of a country can be broadly grouped into two categories:
1. Skilled Human Resources
These are the people who are capable of working independently and efficiently. They have special skill or ability, achieved by a special kind of education or training. They include accountants, artists, computer operators, doctors, electricians, engineers, mechanics, policemen, soldiers, plumbers and teachers.
2. Unskilled Human Resources
These are the people who do not possess any special training or skill and whose work involves the performance of simple duties which require the exercise of little or no independent judgement or previous experience , although a familiarity with the occupational environment is necessary. These include farmers, labourers, peons, domestic servants, sweepers, washermen, porters, watchmen, cleaners, etc.
CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 11 India: Role Of Health And Education In Human Resource Development
Human Resource Development refers to the process of transforming human beings into highly productive humans, bringing with effective inputs of health, education and skill.
- This is also known as human capital formation. It is this human capital, which effectively utilises the natural resources ofa nation and leads to its growth and development.
- It is all the more important in a labour-surplus country like India, where two-thirds of its population is below 35 years of age.
- It is expected that India is likely to have the world’s largest workforce by 2027, with a billion people in the age group of 15 and 64.
- This huge workforce can be transformed into an asset by providing them proper health care, education and skills.
- The statistical indicator of estimating human development in each nation is
- Human Development Index (HDI). It is the combination of Life Expectancy Index, Education Index and Income Index.
- India ranks 131st in a list of 188 countries in a report prepared by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s Human Development Index.
Life free from illness and ailment and living a reasonably long life span are indicative ofa healthy life. The availability of pre- and postnatal health care facilities to reduce infant mortality and post-delivery deaths among mothers, old age health care, adequate nutrition, and individual safety are important measures of a healthy and reasonably long life.
- India has done reasonably well in some of the health indicators like decline in death rate, infant mortality rate and birth rate and increase in life expectancy at birth.
- The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launches and implements various schemes to improve the health of the people by providing public health services, vaccinating people against diseases and raising awareness on various health issues
- Education is an important factor for the development of human capital. It is through education that human beings acquire the necessary knowledge, information and awareness.
- It also imparts them with the skill for getting a job, starting their own business, earning a livelihood and maintaining a decent standard of living.
- This in turn, leads to the growth of the economy and the development of a nation.
- In India, the Ministry of Human Resources Development is responsible for providing quality education from the primary to higher secondary, university education, technical education, skill development and adult education.
Through Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan or Right to Education, all children in the age group of 6 to 14 years are provided free education. To check the number of dropouts from schools, to encourage higher attendance and to provide healthy, nutritious food, midday meals are provided to children in government schools.
The government of India has also started the National Skill India Mission or Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna from 2015 to provide skills for getting gainful employment and ensuring career progression that meets the aspirations of the people.
CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 11 India: Impact Of Skilled Human Resource
Skilled Human Resource is the key to a country’s prosperity. It adds to the productive capacity and generation of income. The productive capacity of the people depends on their education, knowledge and skill.
- With greater knowledge and skill, people can get gainful employment. This enhances their income and enables them to maintain a decent standard of living.
- They provide quality education, nutritious food and healthy living to their children.
- Since they have the money, they can afford to buy several products and provide employment to others.
For example:
A Civil Engineer is a highly skilled person. He helps to develop the country’s infrastructure and thus promotes its growth and development.
- He has the resources to buy several consumer goods.
- He utilises the services of some skilled and unskilled people like doctors, teachers, lawyers, mechanics, drivers, electricians, plumbers, masons, farmers, watchmen, porters, washermen, etc.
- Thus, educated and skilled people utilise the services of more people and then turn them into human resources.
- This virtuous cycle transforms a large population into human resources
The skilled human resources impact the socio-economic development of a country in the following ways:
They use their skill and knowledge in the systematic utilisation of the country’s natural resources and contribute in its economic growth and development.
- They contribute to technological progress and bring out innovations in various fields.
- They use their skills to enhance the productivity and thereby, enhance the total income ofthe country. This, is turn, improves the per capita income of the people
- They provide quality education to their children and help in the development of future citizens of the country.
- Since they are highly educated and skilled, they give up superstitions and outdated rituals.
- They also give up discrimination based on religion, caste, creed and sex and thus help in the growth of an equitable society.