Lifelines of National Economy revision notes are a great way for students to quickly review the chapter during exam days for the Class 10 Board Social Science exam.
Roadways
Importance of means of transport and communication
- ·Means of transport and communication are essential to any country’s development.
- Transport facilitates the movement of people and goods from one part of the country to another and to other countries.
- Development of the means of communication has helped connect people across the country and across international boundaries, encouraging globalisation and coming together of people.
- Efficient means of transport and communication result in the socioeconomic progress of the country. Therefore, a dense network of transport and communication is necessary for the economic progress of any country.
Means of transport
There are three means of transport
Land transport includes roadways, railways, and for certain goods, pipelines.
Air transport includes domestic and international airways.
Water transport includes inland and overseas waterways.
Classification of roadways:
In India, roads are classified on the basis of two parameters
A. Capacity
B. Type of construction material
(1) On the basis of capacity, roads are classified into:
Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways, which is a six-lane highway project connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. The North-South Corridor stretching from Srinagar in the North to Kanyakumari in the South and the East-West Corridor stretching form Silchar in East to Porbander are also a part of the project. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) implements these projects.
National Highways are constructed and maintained by the Central Public Works department (CPWD) and link distant and extreme parts of the country. A historical National Highway is the Sher Shah Marg between Delhi and Amritsar(NH1).
State Highways are constructed and maintained by the State Public Works Department (PWD) and link each state capital with district headquarters in the state.
District Roads are maintained by the Zila Parishad and connect district headquarters with other parts of the district.
Other Roads include rural roads which link rural areas and villages with towns. Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojna has given an impetus to the development of rural roads.
Border Roads are strategic roads built in the country’s border areas by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). They have improved accessibility in rugged terrain and led to the economic development of the regions.
(2) On the basis of the type of construction material used, roads are classified into the following:
- Metalled Roads are made of concrete, cement or bitumen of coal and are all-weather roads that do not erode easily.
- Unmetalled roads are made of mud and gravel. They are not all-weather roads as they are unusable or damaged during rainy season.
Advantages of roadways
- The cost of constructing roadways is far lower than that of constructing railways.
- Roads can be laid more easily than rails in areas of undulating or dissected topography.
- They can be built relatively easily across higher gradients of slopes such as in mountains like the Himalayas.
- It is economical to transport a few people or goods over shorter distances through roadways rather than through railways.
- Roads provide door-to-door transport service, bringing down the cost of loading and unloading at intermediate points.
- They are a feeder to other modes of transport as they connect to railway stations, airports and seaports.
Railways
Importance of railways
- Railways are the principal mode of transportation for passengers and goods.
- They have connected different regions of India for more than 150 years; therefore, they are a tremendous integrating force.
- Railways have promoted business, pilgrimage, and sightseeing along with the development of industry and agriculture. Thus, they have contributed to the economic life of the country.2 of 3
- Factors influencing the distribution of railway network in India
- Physiographic, economic, and administrative factors have affected the distribution of railway networks.
- The level plains of the north with high population density and abundant agricultural resources have the best conditions for the development of a dense rail network. One obstacle the railways faced in the Northern Plains was the construction of bridges across the wide rivers.
- In the dissected and hilly peninsular terrain, railway lines have been built through low hills, tunnels, or gaps.
- The Himalayan belt has a low population, lack of economic opportunities, and higher gradients of slope, all of which have posed a challenge to constructing a wider network of railways.
- Similarly, the forested areas of Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Odisha, the sandy areas of Rajasthan, and the swamps of Gujarat have posed challenges in the laying down of railway tracks.
- A difficult construction of railway line was the Konkan railway, which was undertaken because of its economic value for the region.
Problems faced by railways
- Passengers travelling without a ticket is a major problem for railways as it results in economic losses.
- Damage to and theft of rail property is another serious problem.
- Pulling the chain unnecessarily to stop the train causes a loss of time and money for the railways.
Pipeline transport
Pipelines are a relatively newer means of transport.
Importance of pipelines
- Earlier, pipelines transported only water, but today they transport crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas from oil and natural gas fields to the refineries, thermal plants, and fertiliser manufacturing plants.
- Solids in the form of slurries can also be transported through pipelines.
- Pipelines have made it possible to have inland oil refineries such as those at Barauni, Mathura, and Panipat.
- Pipelines are expensive to lay down, but they have lower subsequent running costs.
- A major advantage of pipelines is that there is no trans-shipment delay, and the loss of material in transit is minimal.
Pipeline network
India has three main pipeline networks.
- The upper Assam to Kanpur
- The Salaya to Jalandhar
- Hazira-Vijaipur-Jagdishpur
The upper Assam to Kanpur network connects the oilfield of upper Assam to Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh via Guwahati, Barauni, and Allahabad.
- It has two main branches.
- The first one stretches from Barauni to Haldia via Rajbandh, Rajbandh to Maurigram.
- The second one extends from Guwahati to Siliguri.
The Salaya to Jalandhar pipeline network goes from Salaya in Gujarat to Jalandhar in Punjab through Viramgam, Mathura, Delhi, and Sonipat.
It also branches off to connect to Koyali oil refinery in Gujarat, Chakshu in Rajasthan, and other places.
Hazira-Vijaipur-Jagdishpur is the longest cross-country pipeline in India at present.
- It connects Hazira in Gujarat to Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh via Vijaipur in Madhya Pradesh.
- It branches off at some places like Kota in Rajasthan and Shahjahanpur and Babrala in Uttar Pradesh.
Waterways
Waterways have a long history and great relevance for any country’s development.
Importance of waterways
- Waterways are the cheapest means of transport.
- They are a fuel-efficient and eco-friendly means of transport.
- Heavy and bulky goods can easily be transported through waterways.
- 95% of India’s international trade is carried out through waterways.
Types of waterways:
Water transport is of two types:
- Inland waterways
- Oceanic waterways
Inland waterways
All inland navigation waterways in India are together about 14,500 km in length. There are five national waterways in India.
Oceanic waterways:
Along India’s long coastline of 7516.6 km, there are 12 major and 200 non-major ports, which account for nearly 95% of its foreign trade by volume. The major ports of India are:
- Kandla port in Kuchchh, Gujarat: It was the first port to be developed immediately after independence because Karachi port went to Pakistan. A tidal port, it handles the exports and imports of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Jammu, and Kashmir.
- Mumbai port in Maharashtra is the biggest port and handles a large volume and variety of goods.
- Jawaharlal Nehru port was developed to decongest the Mumbai port.
- Marmagao port in Goa accounts for nearly 50% of India’s export of iron ore.
- New Mangalore port in Karnataka also largely exports iron ore, especially from Kudremukh mines.
- Kochchi port situated in Kerala is located at the entrance of a lagoon with a natural harbour.
- Tuticorin port in Tamil Nadu caters to a flourishing trade with the neighbouring nations of Sri Lanka and Maldives.
- Chennai port is the oldest artificial port and handles large volume of trade and cargo, as does Mumbai.
- Vishakhapatnam port in Andhra Pradesh is the deepest landlocked and well-protected port of India.
- Paradip port in Odisha is another iron ore exporting port.
- Kolkata Port is an inland riverine tidal port.
- Haldia port was developed to decongest and reduce the pressure on Kolkata port.
Airways
Air transport is used for the movement of passengers and cargo through aircrafts. It was nationalised in 1953. The Government of India owned Air India provides domestic and international air services, and Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd provides service in areas difficult to access by land.
Advantages of airways
- Airways are the fastest, comfortable, and most prestigious means of transport.
- Rugged terrains like mountains, deserts, dense forests, rivers, and oceans can be easily crossed.
- Airways have made it possible to reach the interiors in the north-eastern part of our country and otherwise inaccessible areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
- Airways are useful in relief and rescue operations during emergencies and natural disasters.
- It provides easy and quick transport of costly, light, or perishable goods.
Disadvantages of airways
- It is an expensive mode of transportation and so not within reach of ordinary Indians.
- The construction and operational cost of air transport is high.
- It is prone to accidents.
- It is affected by weather conditions.
Major airports in India
There are several big and small airports in India. The chief airports of India are
- Raja Sansi airport in Amritsar (Punjab)
- Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi
- Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport in Mumbai (Maharashtra)
- Meenam Bakkam airport in Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
- Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International airport in Kolkata (West Bengal)
- Rajiv Gandhi International airport in Hyderabad (Telangana)
Communication
Modes of Communication
Modes of communication have changed drastically in modern times. A number of personal and mass means of communication have developed over the years.
- Personal means of communication include letters, e-mails, telephone, fax and others.
- Mass Communication includes radio, television, cinema, magazines, newspapers, books and digital forms.
Personal means of communication
Postal service
- Indian postal service is the largest in the world.
- First class mail covers envelopes and cards, which are carried by air.
- Second class mail includes parcels, periodicals, registered newspapers, book packets, which are carried by land and water transport.
- There are six mail channels being used for quick deliveries. These are called Rajdhani Channel, Green Channel, Metro Channel, Bulk Mail Channel, Business Channel and Periodical Channel.
Telephone
- Indian telecom network is one of the largest in Asia.
- To enable long distance communication between people, a Subscriber Trunk Dialling(STD) facility was introduced, which allows 24-hour telephonic connectivity at low rates.
Mass communication
Radio
- Radio broadcasting service is provided by All India Radio (Akashwani).
- AIR broadcasts a variety of programmes in Hindi, English and regional languages.
Television
- Doordarshan is the national broadcaster of television channels.
- It is amongst the largest terrestrial networks in the world.
- It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes covering entertainment, news, sports and education in Hindi, English and several regional languages.
Newspapers
- A large number of newspapers and periodicals are published in India.
- The largest number of newspapers are in Hindi language, followed by English and Urdu languages.
- Newspapers in India are published in nearly 100 different languages and dialects.
- They provide news, information, analysis, entertainment and help shape public opinion.
Cinema
- India is the largest producer of feature films in the world, including Hindi and regional language films.
- The Central Board of Film Certification is the certifying authority for both Indian and foreign films.
- Films provide entertainment as well as create awareness about socially important issues.
International Trade
Trade is an exchange of goods among people, states and countries. It is important for every country’s economy and can be classified as:
- Local trade
- State level trade
- International trade
Local trade
- It is carried out in villages, cities or towns.
- It involves the use of national currency.
State level trade
- It occurs across different states or provinces of a country.
- Compared to local trade, the scale is larger and the volume of products traded is higher.
- The transactions are carried out in national currency.
International trade
- It takes place between two countries.
- It happens on a very large scale and in high volumes.
- It brings foreign currency into the country.
- It is the barometer of a country’s economic progress.
Components of international trade
There are two components of international trade.
Export: A country’s exports are the goods and services that country sells to other countries. They bring in foreign exchange.
Import: A country’s imports are the goods and services that country buys from other countries.
Balance of trade
It is the difference between the export and import of a country.
Favourable balance of trade is one in which the value of exports is greater than the value of imports.
Unfavourable balance of trade is one in which the value of imports is greater than the value of exports.
India’s Export and Import
India’s chief export commodities are gems and jewellery, agricultural and allied products, chemicals and related products.
India’s chief items of import are gems and jewellery, chemicals and related products, agricultural and allied products, electronic items, machinery, base metals, crude petroleum and petroleum products.
India is a major exporter of information technology and earns substantial foreign exchange through it.
Growth of Tourism
Tourism is an important industry in India.
- It employs more than 15 million people directly.
- It promotes national integration by creating awareness amongst Indian tourists about states other than their own.
- It provides a boost to local handicrafts and cultural pursuits.
- It promotes an international understanding of India’s rich culture and heritage.
Forms of Tourism
There are many forms of tourism. Some notable ones are:
- Eco tourism
- Heritage tourism
- Cultural tourism
- Adventure tourism
- Medical tourism
- Business tourism
Development of tourism
- All states and union territories are making efforts to develop tourism.
- In south India, temple tourism is encouraged, while in the Himalayas and coastal areas, adventure and eco-tourism are growing.