Teachers recommend solving Kerala Syllabus Plus Two Sociology Previous Year Question Papers and Answers Pdf March 2020 to improve time management during exams.
Kerala Plus Two Sociology Previous Year Question Paper March 2020
I. Answer all questions from 1 to 6. (6 × 1 = 6)
Question 1.
Identify the concept proposed by Jan Breman to refer to the migrant workers.
a) Badli worker
b) Foot loose labour
c) Pravasi
d) Contract worker
Answer:
b) Foot loose labour
Question 2.
The process that helps to look at oneself ‘from outside’:
a) Sociological imagination
b) Triangulation
c) Self-reflexivity
d) Generation gap
Answer:
c) Self-reflexivity
Question 3.
Pick out the first Backward Classes Commission appointed by the Government of India.
a) Nettoor Commission
b) Mandal Commission
c) Joseph Commission
d) Kaka Kalelkar Commission
Answer:
d) Kaka Kalelkar Commission
Question 4.
Identify the concept introduced by M.N. Srinivas.
a) Sanskritisation
b) Industrialisation
c) Urbanisation
d) Secularisation
Answer:
a) Sanskritisation
Question 5.
Aggressive Chauvinism based on religious identify is called:
a) Regionalism
b) Nationalism
c) Communalism
d) Secularism
Answer:
c) Communalism
Question 6.
The branch of management theory that seeks to increase productivity and competitiveness through the creation of a unique culture involving all members of a firm is called :
а) Culture of consumption
b) Corporate culture
c) Global culture
d) Local culture
Answer:
b) Corporate culture
II. Answer any 4 questions from 7 to 11, in 2 or 3 sentence each. Each carries 2 scores.(4 × 2 = 8)
Question 7.
Complete the chart showing the three situation of urbanisation proposed by M.S.A. Rao.
Answer:
- Migration from villages to cities.
- Incorporation of adjoining cities into metropolitan cities
Question 8.
Point out any two reasons for the growth of Indian language newspapers since globalisation.
Answer:
- Rise in the number of literate people.
- Indian language newspapers catered the needs of readers in villages and towns.
- Newspapers adopted printing technology and marketing strategies.
Question 9.
Define or explain commodification with an example.
Answer:
Commodification is a situation in which things that were not traded earlier in the market become commodities. Eg. Mineral water.
Question 10.
Differentiate between homogenisation and globalisation of culture.
Answer:
Homogenization:
Homogenization is an aspect of cultural globalisation, listed on one of its main characteris-tics, and refers to the reduction of cultural diversity through the popularization and diffusion of a wide array of cultural symbols.
Glocolization:
Glocolization is a combination of the words ‘globalisation’ and localisation’. It is used to describe a product or service that is developed and distribut¬ed globally but is also adjusted to accommodate the user or consumer in local market.
Question 11.
Point out the two predominant features of a civil society.
Answer:
- Voluntary association-Non-commercial
- Non profit organisations formed by citizens.
III. Answer any 4 questions from 12 to 16, in 4 or 5 sentence each. Each carries 3 scores.(4 × 3 = 12)
Question 12.
Classify the following into appropriate columns: (Satnami movement, Bardoli satyagraha, Tebhaga movement, Adi Dharma movement, Mahar movement, Telengana movement)
Answer:
- Peasant movement
- Bardoli satyagraha
- Tebhaga movement
- Telangana movement Dalit movement
- Satnami movement
- Adi Dharma movement
- Mahar movement
Question 13.
Write a short note on the association between caste and class in rural India.
Answer:
Class structure is based on land ownership. Higher caste have more land higher income. Thus there is close relationship between class and caste associations.
Question 14.
a) Pick out the odd one.
Westernisation, Sanskritisation, Urbanisation, Modernisation Substantiate your choice.
Answer:
a) Urbanisation
b) Others are cultural process. While urbanisation is a structural process.
Question 15.
Point out any three interventions of the colonial government that had its impact on the caste system.
Answer:
- Efforts to collect information about caste through census.
- Land revenue settlement act of 1935.
- Welfare of downtrodden caste.
Question 16.
List any three reasons for the declining sex ratio in India.
Answer:
- Health Problems
- Female infanticide
- Attitude towards girl children
IV. Answer any 4 questions from 17 to 21, in a paragraph each. Each carries 4 scores. (4 × 4 = 16)
Question 17.
List out the merits and demerits of prior knowledge about society in the learning of sociology.
context of national development.
Answer:
Merits
- Students are not afraid of sociology.
- It gives familiarity with the subject matter. Demerits
- There is possibility of partial and incomplete knowledge about a particular view point.
- Possibility of unscientific and prejudised information.
Question 18.
Analyse tribal development in the context of national deveopment.
Answer:
Tribal aeas are usually used for construction and development activities. There are several situations found in the country where tribal areas are used for construction of dams and mines. Such are leads to national development and the benefit goes to mainstream population. Such a kind of national development is at the expense of tribals. Very often tribals lose their land and identity, as well as occupaton. Similarity in the process of nation’s development, non-tribals migrate to tribal areas. This badly affect the life, occupation and culture of tribes.
Question 19.
Write a short note on the struggles of Indian women against the discriminations faced by them.
Answer:
From time immemorial, women have been victims of exploitation and inequality. As the Reform Movements of modern India took the problems of women seriously, they were brought to public attention. There were regional differences in the Social Reform Movements that came up in the 19lh century. They are often called Middle Class Reformation Movements. It is so because most of the Reformists were Middle Class men who had got western education. Western concepts about democracy and the ancient democratic traditions of India had influenced them in equal measure. Many of them used these ideas in their fight against inequality. Rajaram Mohan Roy in Bengal, Mahadev Govind Ranade in Bombay Presidency and Sir Sayed Ahmed Khan among the Muslims fought for the rights of women.
Rajaram Mohan Roy specially fought for women’s rights. Ranade fought for widow-remarriage. Jyotirao Phule fought against gender discrimination. Sir Sayed Ahmed Khan struggled for reforms in Islam. It was Rajaram Mohan Roy that started the first Reform Movement in Bengal. He tried to bring changes in the Indian society and Hinduism. In 1928 he founded Brahma Samaj. He had started is fight against Sati even before that. Sati was the first ‘problem’ that grabbed public attention. Roy formulated an ideology that was a mixture of European rationalism and Indian tradition. He used both these concepts to fight against Sati. He proved that Sati was anti-human and anti-religious.
Widows in the Upper Castes had to suffer a lot. Their bad condition was noticed by the Reformists. They took up their case. They fought for the rights of widows and also for their right to remarry. Ranade made use of books like “Analogy of Religion, Three Sermons ‘ on Human Nature” by Bishop Joseph Butler. Ranade’s books like the “Texts of the Hindu Law “, “Lawfulness of the Remarriage of Widows”, and “Vedic Authorities for Remarriage” established that widow remarriage had the sanction of the Vedas.
Rajaram Mohan Roy and Ranade were Middle Class Upper Caste Reformists. Reformists from the lower classes also fought for women equality. Jyoti Rao Phule from Maharashtra is an example. He fought heroically against gender discrimination and Jati system. He founded a Movement called Satyasodhak Samaj”, seeking truth. This Organization did a lot for the benefit of women and Untouchables.
In the light of Western ideas, Sir Sayed Ahmed Khan tried to reform the Islamic community. He recommended reforms keeping himself within the framework of religion. He argued for the education of Muslim girls. He said that this education could be given in places near their homes. Like Swami Vivekananda, he also stood for women education. He said that in their curriculum, religious principles, training for running a home, skills in handicrafts, and child care should be included. We must evaluate him by looking at the circumstances in which he made these suggestions. His contributions for women education were really great.
Question 20.
Define Sanskritisation and point out any three criticisms leveled against Sanskritisation.
Answer:
It was the social scientist M.N. Srinivas who coined the term Sanskritization. He used this term when he was making a study about the caste system among the Coorgs in Mysore. The term Brahmanization was used by him first and then it was changed to Sanskritization. Sanskritization means the process by which people from the lower castes or tribes imitate the conventions, rituals, ideologies and lifestyles of the higher castes, especially the Brahmins. There are many criticisms against Sakritization.
1. It exaggerated the upward mobility of the lower castes. It tried to say that it would help the lower caste to reach the higher steps of the Jati ladder. But it did not bring any structural change. It brought some changes in the position of some people. They made their position better by keepi ng themselves withi n the framework of their Jati. In other words, the inequalities still continue.
2. Sanskritization viewed the lifestyle of the higher caste as superior and that of the lower castes as inferior. Therefore it was natural for the lower castes to imitate the superior lifestyle of the higher castes.
Question 21.
Explain the problems associated with homobased work with the help of an example.
Answer:
Home based work is associated with so many problems. Some of them are:
- Exploitation of women and children
- Child labour
- School drop out
- Social inequality
- Social exclusion
- Health issues
- Low wages
- Illiteracy
- Gender discrimination
Example: Explain any suitable example from your own life experience.
V. Answer any 2 questions from 22 to 25, in a page each. Each carries 5 scores. (2 × 5 = 10)
Question 22.
Critically analyse the social consequences of Green Revolution.
Answer:
Green Revolution is part of the programme that the Government implemented in the 1960s and 70s. In the 1960s there was a serious food shortage. To overcome it, government came out with an agricultural plan and this led to the Green Revolution. For this financial assistance was obtained from International Agencies. The government gave farmers high-yield seeds, insecticides and fertilizers at subsidized prices. They were also given agricultural loans.
The government gave them guarantee that it would buy the produce at a minimum fixed price. This was the basis of the Green Revolution. The Green Revolution took place only in places which had irrigation facilities. The new seeds and manner of agriculture needed a lot of water. It concentrated on areas fit for wheat and paddy cultivation. Therefore initially the benefit of this scheme went to Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Green Revolution had a great impact. Since latest technology was used, there was a huge increase in the production. India became self-sufficient in food grains. The Green Revolution was considered as a great achievement of the Government and the scientists who helped in the process. But sociologists say that it also had its negative results. It helped only middle class and high class farmers. The small scale farmers did not get any benefit from it. To carry out the programme a big capital was needed. Small farmers did not have the capital to buy new breed of seeds, fertilizers and insecticides.
They could not afford to use latest technology. The small farmers did not do farming aiming at the market. They did it for their own use. But the middle class and rich farmers did farming with the market in their mind. They produced a lot and sold the extra yield in the market making huge profits. Thus agriculture was commercialized. Thus in fact, in the first stage of the Green Revolution, the inequalities only increased. It also caused the ousting of tenants from their lands.
Since agriculture became profitable, the landowners took their land back from the tenants and that way he tenants lost their means of livelihood. Rich farmers became richer. The tillers, tractors harvesters and threshers that were brought took away the jobs of the poor people who managed their lives doing different ‘ jobs in the farms. It was they who ploughed the land, harvested, and threshed. Many of these people went away to cities seeking employment. Thus migration to cities increased.
It is true that because of the high demand for labour, labourers got better wages. But this rise did not help them as the price of essential commodities shot up. There was another thing also. Before the Green Revolution, the labourers got their wages in kind (various agricultural products). But now they got their wages in cash and this made thing s worse for him because of the high prices he had to pay for various products.
The second stage of the Green Revolution was carried out in areas which were dry and where availability of water was less. There were great changes now. Government made arrangements for better irrigation facilities. The way of planting, the kinds of crops, etc. were changed. Agriculture was commercialized. Stress was given to cash crops like cotton. This also increased the insecurity of farmers.
Before the Green Revolution, farmers produced different things for their use. But now they concentrated on one crop. When concentrating on crops there would be problems at times. Fall in the prices, crop failure etc. would be very dangerous then. Some farmers suffered from these dangers. Green Revolution led to regional inequalities. Some places prospered greatly. But others stayed backward. Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh prospered. But Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Telangana etc, remained poor. The gross inequalities there later led to riots.
Green Revolution also proved harmful to the traditional ways of agriculture. It was hoped that scientific methods would improve the condition of the farmers. New style of farming1, new breeds of seeds, chemical fertilizers and insecticides created serious environmental problems. In this situation, scientists and agricultural organizations asked the people to go back to their traditional methods of cultivation. The high-yield seeds were found harmful to health.
Question 23.
Examine the impact of globalization on Indian radio.
Answer:
A main change in radio broadcast during globalization was the coming of FM Radio Stations. With this entertainment programmes multiplied. Private FM channels were competing among themselves to give maximum entertainment to their listeners. Private FM Channels don’t have permission to broadcast political news. Most channels get listeners by broadcasting music programmes, especially film songs. Most famous FM channels are under the media houses. Radio Mirch is owned by Times of India. Radio Mango is owned by Manorama.
With the onslaught of FM radio stations, independent stations like National Public Radio and BBC are slowly disappearing from the field. Films like Rang de Basanti, Lage Raho Munnabhai, etc. used the radio as an active medium. The hero of Rang de Basanti, inspired by the example of Bhagat Singh, kills a minister and captures All India Radio and through it he sends his message to the people.
In Lage Raho Munnabhai, the hero makes use of a radio station to save the life of a girl. The privatization of radio stations, and the growth of radio stations in the ownership of communities resulted in the fast growth of radio. Demand for regional and local news is increasing. Regional radio stations are in greater demand now. Since they broadcast local and regional news, there are ready listeners in most homes.
Question 24.
Rearrange columns ‘B’ and ‘C’ so as to match with
| Column ‘A’. |
Column ‘B’ |
Column ‘C’ |
| Economic policy of Liberalization |
Electronic transfer of funds |
Event management |
| Transnational Corporation |
Mixing of global with local |
Stock markets |
| Electronic economy |
Open up Indian economy to world market |
Foreign TV channels use Indian languages |
| Weightless economy |
Produce goods in more than one country |
1990s |
| Globalisation |
Products have their base in information |
Colgate – Palmolive |
Answer:
| Column ‘A’. |
Column ‘B’ |
Column ‘C’ |
| Economic policy of Liberalization |
Open up Indian economy to world market |
1990s |
| Transnational Corporation |
Produce goods in more than one country |
Colgate – Palmolive |
| Electronic economy |
Electronic transfer of funds |
Stock markets |
| Weightless economy |
Products have their base in information |
Event management |
| Globalisation |
Mixing of global with local |
Foreign TV channels use Indian languages |
Question 25.
Examine the impact of globalisation on Indian markets.
Answer:
Liberalization and marketization brought many changes in the Indian economic system. They stimulated economic growth and opened Indian markets to foreign goods. Many things that were not available in the Indian markets are now available here. There was an increase in foreign investment. It was hoped it would help economic growth and create employment opportunities. It was also hoped that the privatization of government enterprises would make them more efficient and also reduce the responsibility of the government to run them. But liberalization had mixed results. Some people feel that liberalization and globalization had negative results in India.
Some industries were benefited by globalization. Software industry, technology, fish farming and fruif farming made good progress as they could enter foreign markets and make gains. But areas like automobile industry, electronics and oil seeds suffered setbacks as they could not compete with foreign competitors. Indian farmers are facing serious competition from foreign farmers. The reason for this is the permission given to import agricultural products here. In the past Indian farmers were protected from foreign competition by the government, giving them subsidies and base prices for their products. Such support helped the farmers.
By giving them base price, the government promised the farmers to buy their products at a minimum price. Since they were given subsidies to farm, their expenses were not high. But liberalization was against such polices of giving subsidies and base prices. It demanded the slow reduction and final abolition of both subsidies and support prices. With this it was certain that farmers could not live comfortably with the little they got from
their farms. The many suicides of farmers in India show the evils of liberalization and globalization.
Globalization adversely affected small manufacturers and traders. They faced stiff competition in the market. Foreign goods and foreign brands captured the markets. Many small manufacturing units had to close down. Many small shops were also had to close because of stiff competition. Globalization brought serious loss of jobs in some areas. Many lost their jobs in the organized sector. But this increased jobs in the non-organized sectors. While organized labour suffered, un-organized labour gained. But this was not beneficial to the workers. In the organized labour sector, workers are ensured stability of jobs and better wages. But in the un-organized sector nothing of this kind is available.
VI. Answer any 2 questions from 26 to 29, in 11/2 pages each. Each carries 6 scores. (2 × 6 = 12)
Question 26.
Compare and contrast the industrialisation process in independent India with that of the colonial period.
Answer:
As a matter of fact British industrialization proved to be destructive to India. It led to the ruin of Indian industries. The urban centres in India were also destroyed. The machine made goods from England flooded our markets and c?ur goods could not compete with the cheap goods from England. Slowly the traditional industries in India were ruined. The conquest of the Native States by Britain also affected our industries adversely. Industries that produced top quality goods for the kings and queens and nobles and the rich were closed down. The workshops attached to the palaces also stopped working. Thus there was over-all ruin of Indian industries during the colonial rule.
Independent India did a lot to boost industrialisation. Even during the freedom struggle, our national leaders were aware of the need for industrializing India. Indid was exploited by the colonial rulers. The leaders believed that pre-colonial India was rich and prosperous and it was the colonial rule that made India poor and backward. They thought they could build a strong economic base by reviving the old industries. The Swadeshi Movement, which was a result of the Division of Bengal, exhorted people to boycott British goods and use swadeshi goods. This boosted our industrialization. This tradition was taken up by the government of India, after freedom. People were made aware that only industrialization could lift them from the pit of poverty into which they had fallen during the colonial rule.
Leaders understood that only the development of heavy industries, machine manufactured goods, growth of the public sector and the co-operative sector, could bring about industrialization in the country. Nehru said that a modern and prosperous India must be built on giant steel factories, huge dams and pdwer stations. Leaders like Nehru-also gave importance to industrialization, it was’ given priority in the Five Year Plans.
Question 27.
Critically analyse the relevance of Malthusian theory of population growth in the contemporary Indian context.
Answer:
One of the most popular theories on demography is that of Thomas Robert Malthus. He was an economist from England. In 1798 he published a book titled “An Essay on the Principle of Population”. In this book he explained his demographic theory. His theory is pessimistic. Here are the important ideas of his theory.
Malthus argued that population is increasing on a much faster rate than the increase in the means of livelihood (food, clothes, agricultural products etc).
He pointed out that there.is tremendous growth in population but there is no proportional growth in food production, therefore mankind id destined to live in permanent poverty. The increase in population always exceeds the increase in agricultural production. Population increases geometrically (in the order 2, 4, 8, 16. 32, 64, 128, etc.). But food production increase is only arithmetical or parallel.
In short, increase in population will always keep food production behind. So Malthus tried to show that mankind will be faced with serious food shortages and ultimate ruin.
Malthus argued that the only way to make progress is by controlling population growth. He said there . were two ways of controlling it. One is moral restraints like marrying late, celibacy etc. The other is natural controls which include wars, famine and diseases. Unfortunately, the power of mankind to limit population ’ growth by moral control is very limited. Therefore Malthus believed that only natural controls will help in limiting population growth. He explained that natural controls are Nature’s way of solving the problem created by the geometrical growth of population and the arithmetical growth of good production.
1. Moral restraints like late marriage, celibacy.
2. Natural controls like wars, famine, diseases.
The Theory of Malthus remained influential for long. But theoreticians who showed that economic growth will be greater than population growth proved Malthus wrong. The experiences of European countries showed that the theory of Malthus is not right. By the 2nd half of the 19th century there were changes in the population growth. By the beginning of the 20th century these changes were quite dramatic.
Birth rate reduced drastically. (The reason for this is the use of various means of birth control.) Contagious diseases were checked. (This was helped by progress in medical science.) There was tremendous increase in food production. (Improved technologies helped this.) Although there was considerable increase in population, food production increased and the living standards became better. Thus the predictions of Malthus were proved wrong.
The theory of Malthus that theincrease in population caused poverty was severely criticised by the Liberals and Marx. They argued that poverty and hunger are not the result of population growth, but the result of inequitable distribution of wealth and other resources. They showed that iji an unjust society, the few wealthy live in great luxury whereas the majority of people live in poverty.
Question 28.
List out themajor challenges faced by the untouchable castes in India and examine the major state and nonstate initiatives addressing these discriminations.
Answer:
Tribals depended on the forest for their livelihood. The loss of forests was a big blow to them. During the British rule forests were exploited. This tendency continued even after independence. The coming of the land under private ownership also adversely affected the Tribals. When private landowners had their own private lands, the Tribals held their land collectively. This collective ownership proved harmful to them. For exam pie, when a series of dams were constructed on Narmada River, all the communities did not equally share their advantages and disadvantages. It helped the private landowners but it was harmful to the Tribals, who owned the land collectively.
Many of the regions where Tribals are concentrated are becoming the targets, and thus victims, of national development schemes. Non- Tribals migrate into their areas in large numbers. It proves a great threat to the Tribals and their ways of life. It also reduces their population. For example, in Jharkhand, because of the migration by non-Tribais into the new industrial areas, the number of Tribals has been reduced drastically there. But the most dramatic development was in North-Easter States. In States like Tripura, the Tribal population has come down to half in just one decade. The same thing was seen in Arunachal Pradesh.
In 1940 there was a controversy regarding separa-tion/integration of the Tribal groups in India. This was the result of a feeling that Tribal Groups should live themselves separately from the mainstream society.
The spokesman for the Separation theory was Verrier Elwin and the spokesman for Integration was G.S. Ghurye.
The proponents of the Separation theory argued that the Tribals should be kept separate from the main-stream society. They said that these Tribals should be protected from traders, financiers, Hindu and Christian missionaries. All these people are trying to make the Tribals labourers without land and thus make them non-Tribals.
The Separation Theory supporters argued that the close relation between Tribals and mainstream society would result in their ruin. On the other hand, the Integration theory supporters argued that Tribals are part of the Hindu community. GS. Ghurye called them backward Hindus. He argued that the Tribals should be integrated into the mainstream Hindu community. They also said that since the Tribals are backward Hindus, they also should be treated like the other Scheduled Castes and given all considerations.
Question 29.
Analyse the impact of globalisation and liberalisation on Indian industries.
Answer:
India started following the Liberalization policy in the 1990s. In the liberalization policy, Indian economy was open to world market. This marked the end of our past economic policies. Until then, the government had followed a policy of protecting public sector.and controlling private sector. There were many laws and regulations that protected Indian markets and businesses from foreign competition. It was believed that the government has a big role to play in the welfare of the people. The government had never given a thought to free market. Liberalization changed everything. It stressed free’ market.
It removed all laws and regulations controlling imports. The policy was called ‘economic reforms’. Liberalization brought changes in all spheres of Indian economy. Changes happened in agriculture, industry, commerce, foreign investment, technology, public sector and financial institutions. Import regulations were withdrawn. Licensing was ended. It was thought that liberalization would help our economy.
As the result of liberalisation many Indian companies were bought by the MNCs. Some Indian companies also became MNCs. As part of liberalization, the Indian Government is selling its shares in many establishments. This process is called disinvestment. This resulted in the loss of jobs of many workers employed in the government establishments. The first company to be privatized was “Modern Bread” which was started to give good food to the people at a low price.
60% employees of this company were forced to retired within 5 years. Many companies have reduced the number of their permanent employees and the production is entrusted to some units or homes. In such places the conditions of work are bad and the wages are small. There will be no trade union activities in the smaller units. There are also companies which give their work on contract basis. This process is called outsourcing. It is seen more in the private sector.
VII. Answer any 2 questions from 30 to 32, in 2 pages each. Each carries 8 scores. (2 × 8 = 16)
Question 30.
Explain the causes and consequences of different caste based movements in India.
Answer:
30. The Dalit Movements that were formed after Ambedkar had a revolutionary nature. They put forward an alternative life style. It included avoiding eating beef and conversion into other religions. They stood for ending caste discriminations and economic exploitation. In spite of their revolutionary agenda, they had a reformative nature. They were based on caste. Their efforts to end caste system were half-hearted. Only the educated minority among the Dalits got the benefits of the changes. They failed to uplift the vast majority of the Dalits.
Social Movement do organized and collective activities. The most obvious action they do is protest. But there are also other things they do. They organize meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to give publicity to their ideologies and programmes and get support from people. Such meetings help in the formation of common action plans and to bring about a common understanding. They also do things to influence government, the media and public opinion. Social Movements express their protests in various ways. There are torch marches, showing black flags, street plays, songs and poems.
There had been agricultural protests even before the colonial period. In the Mughal period there had been different agitations. During the colonial period farmers protested against landowners, moneylenders, government and estate owners.
Agricultural Movements between 1858 to 1914 were regional, disorganized and limited themselves to some specific issue. During 1859 to 62, the Bengal Rebellion was against plantation owners. The Deccan Rebellions of 1875 were against moneylenders.
To get the support of the villagers, Gandhi organized Agricultural Movements. There was the Champaran Satyagraha of 1917. It was a protest of the farmers against the indigo farm owners. In 1918 there was the Kheda Satyagraha. Here the farmers wanted tax reductions. In 1929 there was the Bardoli Satyagraha. This was a forerunner of the Civil Disobedience Movement. It was organized in Bardoli in the district of Surat. Here Gandhi asked the people not to pay their taxes. The agitation was organized by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, ^follower of Gandhi.
During the colonial period many agricultural movements were formed, most of them between 1920 and 1940. In 1920 many Kisan Sabhas were formed and most of the later Movements were the offshoots of these Sabhas. One of the most important of such Kisan Sabhas was ‘Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha (1929). In 1936, an All-India Organization of Kisan Sabhas was formed. It is called All-India Kisan Sabha. The farmers demanded freedom from economic exploitations.
Just before and after independence, India witnessed two very famous agricultural revolts. They were the ‘Thebhaga Rebellion’ (1946-47) and Telangana Rebellion (1946-51) In the Thebhaga Rebellion sharecroppers wanted 2/3 of the produce instead of the 50% they were getting. This rebellion had the backing of the Kisan Sabha and the Indian Communist Party. Telangana Rebellion was against the big landlords in that native sate. It was led by the Indian Communist Party.
Question 31.
Discuss Panchayati Raj as an ideal and practice in India.
Hints : Ideals of Panchayati Raj – Powers and responsibilities of Panchayats – Actual practice.
Answer:
The literal meaning of Panchayati Raj is ‘rule by five persons’. Its aim is to bring democracy at the village level and ensure the participation of ordinary citizens. This basic democratic concept is not something imported from abroad. In India, from time immemorial panchayats had existed. In the administration of villages, jati-panchayats had a big role. But they were not fully democratic.
- In Jati Panchayats, strong groups had representation. Lower castes had little representation there.
- The strong sections who ruled the Panchayats had conservative views. Their decisions were often against law and legal procedures.
- There were gross inequalities based on jati, varna and gender. This prevented proper democratic participation by all.
When the Constitution was prepared, there was no mention of any Panchayat there. Many people raised their voice against it. They showed their sorrow, despair and anger. But leaders like Ambedkar argued that the panchayats Would be monopolized by the strong castes and they would exploit the lower castes and the poor. He felt that the repressed groups will be further exploited through grama panchayats. But Gandhi had a different view. The concept of local self-government was much dear to him. He saw each village as a self-sufficient unit. He thought that each village would be able to manage its own affairs without depending on anybody else. He felt that ‘grama-swarajya’ was something that could continue after independence.
- But we had to wait until 1992 to establish democracy at the village level (decentralized rule). In 1992, with the 73″1 Amendment, this was made possible.
- The 73rd Amendment gave panchayat raj institutions constitutional status. Elections to the panchayats were made compulsory every five years. The control of local resources was to be in the hands of Panchayat Samitis.
The 73rd and 74th Amendments brought a revolutionary change. In the local self-government institutions one- third seats (33.3%) were reserved for women. In this 17% were reserved for SCs and STs. These Amendments have great historical importance. With this women got representation and partnership. They got the right to take decisions. Thus the 73rd and 74th Amendments were strong steps in the direction of women empowerment. 1/3 seats were reserved for women in regional samitis, grama panchayats, municipalities, corporations and district samitis.
In the 1993-94 elections for the local self-governments more than 8 lakh women became partners in the national developmental processes. The Cpnstitution demands that panchayats should be given all powers and strength to work as self-government institutions. The State governments have been asked to give a new life to the panchayats. Here are the powers and responsibilities of Panchayats.
- Encourage programmes for economic development.
- Encourage programmes to ensure social justice.
- Taxes, tolls and fees can be imposed, collected and used.
- Help the State governments to carry out its responsibilities.
Panchayats also have to carry out social welfare schemes. These include maintaining crematoriums, keeping birth and death records, establish child and maternal welfare centres, maintain pounds to keep wandering cattle, encourage family planning, encourage agricultural activities, etc. Panchayats also have to make roads, public buildings, wells, schools, etc. They should encourage village industries and small irrigation projects, it is the members of Panchayat that supervise government schemes like joint village development scheme and joint child- development scheme.
The main income for the Grama Panchayat is from property tax, professional tax, vehicle tax, land tax and rent. They also get financial help from district Panchayats. Income and expenditure statements are to be displayed by the Grama Pachayats on the notice boards in front of the office. By this, people at the grass-root level can understand what is happening in their parichayats. They have a right to seek information about the welfare schemes undertaken by the Panchayats and also ask for reasons for taking certain decisions.
In some States, there are Nyaya Panchayats. They have the right to handle small civil and criminal cases. They have no right to give punishments. These nyaya panchayats have been successful in settling quarrels among individuals. They have been successful in preventing dowry-related violence against women.
Question 32.
Explain the relationship between community nation and nation-states and examine why modern states consider cultural diversity as a threat.
Answer:
Community
It is a geographical area having common area of interest activities. A group of people living in a given territory with ‘we-feeling’, speak a common dialect and follows a common culture.
Nation
A nation is a sort of large-scale community – it is a- community of communities. It is a community that has succeeded in acquiring a state of its own. Members of a nation share the desire to be part of the same political collectivjty, which resulted in state formation. Many nations founded on the basis of common religion, language, ethnicity, history or regional culture. But there are many languages, religions or ethnicities that are shared across nations. But this does not lead to the formation a nation.
The term state refers to an abstract entity consisting of a set of political-legal institutions claiming control over a particular geographical territory and the people living in it.
Max Weber defined state as a “body that successfully claims a monopoly of legitimate force in a particular territory”
NATION-STATE
Nation-states are communities that have a state of their own. When a nation form a state, it become a nation-
state. It represent a nation. India can be considered a good example of a ‘nation-state’
There are many threats to nation state. Casteism,regionalism,linguism,communalism and minority are the major socio-cultural threats facing Indian society. State has taken many measures to solve these problems for the harmonious functioning of the state. The important threats are as follows REGIONALISM Regionalism rooted in India’s diversity of languages, cultures, tribes, and religions.
It is also encouraged by the geographical concentration of these identity in particular region. Colonialism divided India into large provinces, which were multi-ethnic and multilingual states. For example, the old Bombay State was a multilingual state of Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada and Konkani speaking people. Attempts were made to reorganise provinces into ethno-linguistic states, which led to regionalism.
COMMUNALISM
‘communalism’ refers to aggressive chauvinism based on religious identity. It is an aggressive political ideology linked to religion. All communalists do believe in a political identity based on religion. Communalists cultivate an aggressive political identity, and are prepared to condemn or attack everyone who does not share their identity.
