INSIGHT UPSC QUIZ

GS Economy Basics of Indian Economy
Q.

With reference to pre-liberalisation era, which of the following factors were responsible for underdevelopment and stagnation of the Indian economy?

1. Legacy of exploitative nature of British colonial rule in India.

2. Low agricultural productivity and corresponding under employment. 

3. Complete absence of capital goods industry. 

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Explanation:

ANSWER: (A)

  • Statement 1 is correct.

The structure of India’s present-day economy is not just of current making; it has its roots steeped in history, particularly in the period when India was under British rule which lasted for almost two centuries before India finally won its independence on 15 August 1947.

The sole purpose of the British colonial rule in India was to reduce the country to being a raw material supplier for Great Britain.

  • Statement 2 is correct.

Agricultural productivity became low though, in absolute terms, the sector experienced some growth due to the expansion of the total area under cultivation.

This stagnation in the agricultural sector was caused mainly because of the various systems of land settlement that were introduced by the colonial government. about 85 per cent of the country’s population lived mostly in villages and derived livelihood directly or indirectly from Agriculture. 

However, despite being the occupation of such a large population, the agricultural remained low resulting in under employment.

  • Statement 3 is not correct.

There was hardly any capital goods industry to help promote further industrialisation in India (i.e., Cpital good industry was not absent in India). Capital goods industry means industries which can produce machine tools which are, in turn, used for producing articles for current consumption. Furthermore, the growth rate of the new industrial sector and its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or Gross Value Added remained very small. 

Another significant drawback of the new industrial sector was the very limited area of operation of the public sector. This sector remained confined only to the railways, power generation, communications, ports and some other departmental undertakings.

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