India After
Independence | Chapter 10 | History 8th
Chapter 10
– India After Independence
Let’s
Recall
Q1. Name three problems that the newly independent
nation of India faced.
Ans.
(i) As a result of Partition, 8 million refugees
came into the country from what was now Pakistan. These people had to be found
homes and jobs.
(ii) The maharajas and nawabs of the princely
states had to be persuaded to join the new nation.
(iii) A political system had to be adopted which
would best serve the hopes and expectations of the Indian population.
Q2. What was the role of the Planning Commission?
Ans. The
Planning Commission was set up to help design and execute suitable policies for
the economic development of India.
Q3. Fill in the blanks.
(a) Subjects that were placed on the Union List
were ________, ________ and ________.
(b) Subjects on the Concurrent List were ________
and ________.
(c) Economic planning by which both the state and
the private sector played a role in development was called a ________ ________
model.
(d) The death of ________ sparked off such violent
protests that the government was forced to give in to the demand for the
linguistic state of Andhra.
Ans.
(a) Taxes, defence and foreign affairs.
(b) Education and health.
(c) Mixed-economy model.
(d) Potti Sriramulu.
Q4. State whether true or false.
(a) At independence, the majority of Indians lived
in villages. True
(b) The Constituent Assembly was made up of members
of the Congress party. False
(c) In the first national election, only men were
allowed to vote. False
(d) The Second Five Year Plan focused on heavy
industry. True
Let’s
Discuss
Q5. What did Dr. Ambedkar mean when he said that,
in politics we will have equality, and in social and economic life we will have
inequality?
Ans. According
to Dr. Ambedkar, political democracy had to be accompanied by economic and
social democracy. Giving the right to vote would not automatically remove
inequalities such as those between rich and poor or upper and lower castes.
India needed to work towards eliminating all forms of inequality in economic
and social life.
Q6. After Independence, why was there a reluctance
to divide the country on linguistic lines?
Ans. The
partition of the country on communal lines had caused immense violence and loss
of life. Leaders feared that further divisions on linguistic lines might weaken
national unity. Therefore, there was reluctance to divide the country
immediately on the basis of language.
Q7. Give one reason why English continued to be
used in India after Independence.
Ans. India
is a land of many languages. Using English helped avoid conflict between
regions and was accepted as a link language for administration, courts and
communication.
Q8. How was the economic development of India
visualised in the early decades after Independence?
Ans. The
main objectives were lifting people out of poverty and building a modern
industrial base. A Planning Commission was established and Five-Year Plans were
introduced. A mixed-economy model was adopted in which both the state and
private sector played important roles. Special emphasis was placed on heavy
industries and large dams.
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