NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Geography Chapter 9 Planning and Sustainable Development

The social benefits derived from ITDP include tremendous increase in literacy rate, improvement in sex ratio and decline in child marriage. The female literacy rate in the region increased from 1.88 per cent in 1971 to 65 per cent in 2011. The difference between males and females in literacy level i.e. gender inequality, has also declined. This plan also laid the highest priority on the development of transport, communication, agriculture and allied activities which improved the standard of living of the people.

Define the concept of sustainable development?
Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The desired result is a state of society where living conditions and resources are used to continue to meet human needs without undermining the integrity and stability of the natural system. Sustainable development can also be defined as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Sustainable Development Goals and explained how the goals are integrated and indivisible to achieve sustainable development at the global level. They address the global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. Since natural resources are derived from the environment, the state of air, water, and the climate is of particular concern. Environmental sustainability requires society to design activities to meet human needs while preserving the life support systems of the planet. Sustainability requires that human activity only uses nature’s resources at a rate at which they can be replenished naturally.

Indira Gandhi Canal provides irrigation water to an arid area in Rajasthan starting Ganganagar district to Jaisalmer along the India-Pakistan border. It has transformed significant part of the Thar Desert to an agriculturally area.

• It also supplies drinking water to the towns and villages along its course.
• Surge in irrigated land has halted spreading of sand dunes, increased tree cover and changed overall ecology.
• The canal also serves as a barrier to military invasion from Pakistan side in case of an armed conflict.

In 1959, the entire responsibility for Research on arid areas was entrusted to the Centre which was then designated as Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI). During the Second and Third Five Year Plans, the problem of drought-affected areas was mainly sought to be solved by launching Dry Farming Projects, which spread over a few areas with emphasis on moisture and water conservation measures.

The origin of the Drought Prone Areas Programme can be traced to the Rural Works Programme launched in 1970-71 with the object of creating assets designed to reduce the severity of drought in affected areas. The Programme spelt out long-term strategy in the context of the conditions and potentials of the drought prone districts. In all, 54 districts in the country together with parts of another 18 districts contiguous to them were identified as drought-prone for purposes of the Programme.

The Programme covered 12% of the country’s population and nearly one-fifth of the area in the country. Labour-intensive schemes such as medium and minor irrigation, road construction, soil conservation and afforestation were taken up under this Programme. Programmes by Planning Commission helped in the development of dryland agriculture in many ways:

1. Integrated watershed development approach at micro level is adopted which will help in the storing of water for the irrigation during drought.
2. Similarly, Agro-climatic planning is also helpful for the dryland agriculture. It will help in preparing land development and water harnessing.

The first requirement is strict implementation of water management policy. The canal project envisages protective irrigation in Stage-I and extensive irrigation of crops and pasture development in Stage –II.

1. The CAD Programmes such as lining of water courses, land development and levelling and warabandi system (equal distribution of canal water in the command area of outlet) shall be effectively implemented to reduce the conveyance loss of water.
2. The areas affected by water logging and soil salinity shall be reclaimed.
3. The eco-development through afforestation, shelterbelt plantation and pasture development is necessary particularly in the fragile environment of Stage-II.
4. The agriculture and allied activities have to develop along with other sectors of economy.