NCERT Solution: The Story of Village Palampur
Every village in India is surveyed once in ten years during the Census and some of the 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):
Cultivated Land |
Land not available for cultivation (Area covering dwellings, roads, ponds, grazing ground) | |
Irrigated |
Unirrigated |
|
- |
- |
26 hectares |
d. FACILITIES:
Educational |
- |
Medical |
- |
Market |
- |
Electricity Supply |
- |
Communication |
- |
Nearest Town |
- |
Answer
a. LOCATION: Bulandshahar district, Western Uttar Pradesh
b. TOTAL AREA OF THE VILLAGE: 226 hectares
c. LAND USE (in hectares):
Cultivated Land |
Land not available for cultivation (Area covering dwellings, roads, ponds, grazing ground) | |
Irrigated |
Unirrigated |
|
200 hectares |
- |
26 hectares |
d. FACILITIES:
Educational | 2 primary schools and 1 high school |
Medical | 1 primary health centre and 1 private dispensary |
Market | Raiganj and Shahpur |
Electricity Supply | Most of the houses have electric connections. Electricity powers all the tube wells in the fields and is used in various types of small businesses. |
Communication | Well-connected with neighbouring villages and towns. 3 kms from Raiganj. All-weather road connects it to Raiganj and further on to Shahpur. Many kinds of transport like bullock carts, tongas, bogeys, motorcycles, jeeps, tractors and trucks are present. |
Nearest Town | Shahpur |
Modern farming methods involve the use of high-yielding variety seeds. These seeds require a combination of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, agricultural implements like tractors, and proper irrigation facilities like electric tube wells to produce the best results. All these elements are manufactured in industries. Hence, it would be right to say that modern farming methods make use of a greater number of industrial outputs as compared to traditional farming methods.
The spread of electricity has helped the farmers of Palampur village in the following ways :
→ Most of the houses have electric connections.
→ Electricity is used to run tubewells in the fields.
→ Electricity is used in various types of small business.
India is an agricultural country. Nearly two-thirds of the people are dependent on farming for
their livelihood. But of the total cultivated area in the country, a little less than 40 per cent is
irrigated even today. In the remaining areas, farming is largely dependent on rainfall which is
irregular and uncertain. Modern farming methods cannot be used in the absence of assured
adequate water supplies. India cannot achieve the goal of self-sufficiency in food grains unless
the area under irrigation is increased.
Number of families | Land (hectare) |
150 | 0 |
240 | Less than 2 |
60 | More than 2 |
Farm workers at Palampur village get lower wages than the minimum wages fixed by the government. The minimum wages for a farm labourer is fixed at Rs 115 per day. But farm labourers get only Rs 70 - 80. This happens because of heavy competition for work among the farm labourers at Palampur village.
The different ways of increasing production on the same piece of land are:
→ Multiple Cropping : It is the most common way of increasing production on a given piece of land. Under it, more than one crop is grown on the same piece of land during the year. Indian farmers should grow at least two main crops in a year. In India, some farmers are growing a third crop also over the past 20 years.
→ Modern Farming Methods : Production on the same piece of land can also be increased by adopting modern farming methods. The Green Revolution in India is a remarkable example of it. Under modern farming, more cultivable areas should be brought under HYV seeds and irrigation. The use of simple wooden plough must be replaced by tractors. The increasing use of farm machinery like tractors, threshers, harvesters, etc. make cultivation faster.
A farmer with 1 hectare of land shall put under the category of small farmer. Most of the work would be done by the farmer and his family members. The farmer will normally use a pair of bullocks to plough the field. His family members would assist him in sowing the seeds. During harvest time, he may require to hire some labourers.