India After Independence

A. Choose the correct answer and fill in the blanks.

1. b; 2. c; 3. c; 4. b; 5. a

B. Match the columns.

1. b; 2. d; 3. a; 4. c

C. Fill in the blanks.

1. 1946

2. mixed

3. privatisation

4. Fourth

5. Nehru

D. State whether true or false. If false, correct the statement.

1. F(correct: When the British left India in 1947, Indian economy was fragile.)

2 T

3. F(correct: The Green Revolution brought tremendous changes in agricultural

production.)

4.F (correct: The British had left behind an underdeveloped economy.)

5. T

E. Answer the following questions in 10-20 words.

1. The framers of the Constitution borrowed ideas from the constitutions of the UK,

USA, Ireland, Canada, South Africa, Germany and many other countries.

2. The Government of India set up the Planning Commission in 1950.

3. The Fourth Five Year Plan, launched in 1969, adopted what is popularly, known as

the Green Revolution.

4. The process of globalisation refers to the opening up of world trade, development

of advanced means of communication, global financial markets, growing

importance of MNCs and population migrations.

F. Answer the following questions in 50-70 words.

1. Jawaharlal Nehru introduced a form of socialism in the Indian Constitution, where

he envisaged an India which would combine state planning with control over

strategic basic industries. This model of mixed economy would result in a planned

economy where the flow of capital would be controlled by the central government.The public sector was to grow progressively in trade and industry, and agriculture

remained in the private sector.

2. The first task before the nationalist government and the Indian industrialists was to

choose a path of planned economic development to bring the Indian economy out

of crisis. The Government of India set up the Planning Commission in 1950 headed

by Jawaharlal Nehru to assess the country’s material, capital and human resources

and to formulate a plan for their most effective and balanced utilisation.

3. The Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR) was passed by the Parliament of free India

in 1948. The provisions of the IPR were:

i. Industries such as atomic energy, armaments, etc were reserved exclusively for

the public sector.

ii. Investment in some industries, such as steel, coal and aviation was started by

the public sector in the national interest.

iii. All other industries were open to private enterprise.

4. Mixed Economy refers to an economy in which some industries are owned by the

government and some by private enterprises. Nehruvian socialism introduced the

concept of mixed economy which would combine state planning with control over

strategic basic industries.

5. Special efforts have been made to set up less developed areas in different states as

Special Economic Zones. This encourages the private sector to set up industries

in these areas by giving special facilities so that employment is generated in the

region. These changes in the development strategy are structured in a way to

encourage the relatively disadvantaged areas and section of the population to

participate in the mainstream of development.

G. Answer the following questions in 80-100 words.

1. The year 1991 is a landmark date in India’s recent history. The economic crisis of

1991 forced the government to re-examine its economic policies and to open the

doors to liberalisation. Liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation were ushered

in and these reforms have prompted a dramatic increase not only in direct foreign

investment, but also in Indian foreign investment abroad and the expansion of

Indian companies nternationally. They have also encouraged the growth of IT and

software sectors, modernisation of telecommunications, and increased the pace of

privatisation.

2. The policy of Non-Alignment as a foreign policy initiative is India’s contribution to

international relation. It is said to be directly related to the Cold War which began

after the Second World War.

The Non- Aligned Movement was conceived at the Bandung Conference of 29

Afro-Asian nations. The first meeting of the non-aligned nations was held at Belgrade in 1961. The policy of non-alignment was to keep away from joining

either of the two blocs and not to take military sides with either of the two and

also to evolve an independent foreign policy. India’s foreign policy has always

had certain priorities like economic development of the country, maintenance of

independence of action in foreign affairs, safeguarding the country’s sovereignty

and territorial integrity and world peace. India has firmly believed that these

objectives can be achieved only by keeping away from power blocs and exercising

freedom in taking foreign policy decisions.

3. The foreign policy which India pursued after its independence evolved gradually.

The policy of Non-Alignment as a foreign policy initiative is India’s contribution

to international relation. India has also maintained a friendly relationship with the

countries of Southeast Asia. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

(SAARC) has been formed for the purpose of furthering the cause of peace,

stability and economic progress in this region through mutual cooperation. India’s

relation with countries in its neighbourhood has been friendly barring a few

incidents of aggression by China and Pakistan. And India’s cordial relationship

with her neighbours has helped to maintain peace and order in Southeast Asia and

to encourage trade ties between these nations.