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| Lifelines of National Economy |
- Class: 10th
- Subject: Social Science (Geography)
- Subject: Lifelines of National Economy
- Resources: Notes, Important Questions
Means of Transport
We use different materials and services in our daily life. Some of these are available in our immediate surroundings, while other requirements are met by bringing things from other places. Goods and services do not move from supply locales to demand locales on their own. The movement of these goods and services from their supply locations to demand locations necessitates the need for transport.
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Roadways |
Roadways
- Construction cost of roads is much lower than that of railway lines.
- Roads can traverse comparatively more dissected and undulating topography.
- Roads can negotiate higher gradients of slopes and as such can traverse mountains such as the Himalayas
- Road transport is economical in transportation of few persons and relatively smaller amount of goods over short distances
- It also provides door-to-door service thus the cost of loading and unloading is much lower
- Road transport is also used as a feeder to other modes of transport such as they provide a link between railway stations, air and sea ports.
Roads are classified into six classes
Golden Quadrilateral Superhighways
The government has launched a major road development project linking Delhi-Kolkata Chennai-Mumbai and Delhi by six-lane superhighways. The North-South corridor linking Srinagar and Kanyakumari, and East West corridor connecting Silchar and Porbandar are parts of this project. The major objective of these superhighways is to reduce the time and distance between the mega cities of India.
National Highways
These highways link extreme parts of the country. These are the primary road systems and are laid and maintained by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
State Highways
Roads linking a state capital with different district headquarters are known as State Highways.
District roads
These roads connect the district headquarters with other places of the district.
Other roads
Rural roads, which link rural areas and villages with towns are classified under this category.
Border roads
These roads are of strategic importance in the northern and north-eastern border areas. These roads have improved accessibility in areas of difficult terrain and have helped in the economic development of these areas.
Road Density
The length of road per 100 sq. km of area is known as density of road. Distribution of road is not uniform in the country. Density of all roads varies from only 10 km in Jammu & Kashmir to 375 km in Kerala with the national average of 75 km.
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Railways |
Railways
- It facilitates long distance travel and transport of bulky goods which are not easily transported through motor vehicles.
- It is a quick and more regular form of transport because it helps in the transportation of goods with speed and certainty.
- It helps in the industrialisation process of a country by easy transportation of coal and raw-materials at a cheaper rate.
- It helps in the quick movement of goods from one place to another at the time of emergencies like famine and scarcity.
- It encourages mobility of labour and thereby provides a great scope for employment.
- Railway is the safest form of transport.
- The chances of accidents and breakdown of railways are minimum as compared to other modes of transport. Moreover, the traffic can be protected from the exposure to sun, rain, snow etc.
The advantages of roads over the railways
- Construction cost of roadways is less than that of railway lines.
- These can be built at higher altitudes and at any place.
- Road transportation is easy and is within the reach of the common man. Moreover, it is available for 24 hours.
- Maintenance cost is also low.
- Road transportation provide door-to-door service.
Railway transport problems
- Many passengers travel without tickets.
- Thefts and damaging of railway property has not yet stopped completely.
- People stop the trains, pull the chain unnecessarily and this causes heavy damage to the railway
Pipelines
Pipeline
Pipelines
- Transportation through pipelines rules out delay and transportation losses. Many fertilizer plants and thermal power stations are benefiting by the supply of gas through pipelines
- Though the initial cost of laying pipelines is high, but the running cost is very low. It maintains a continuous supply of gas and oil
- The pipes can be laid through difficult terrains as well as under the sea.
- The far inland locations of important refineries like Barauni, Mathura, Panipat, etc could be thought of only because of the pipelines.
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Waterways |
waterways
- It is the most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods.
- It is a fuel efficient and environment-friendly mode of transport.
- The element of wear and tear is very less
- More than 95% of the country's trade volume is moved by the sea.
- With the development of the National Waterways, it has become a main source of transportation for the natural trade.
- Waterways are the most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods.
- It is a fuel efficient and environment friendly mode of transport.
- They are natural routes, hence do not involved cost of construction.
- With the development of the National Waterways, it has become a main source of transportation for the natural trade.
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Airways |
Airways
- Air transport is the most risky form of transport because a minor accident may put A substantial loss to the goods, passenger and the crew
- Air transport is regarded as the costliest mode of transport.
- The aircrafts have small carrying capacity and therefore these are not suitable for carrying bulky and cheaper goods.
- Air transport requires huge investment for construction and maintenance of aerodromes.
Communication
Communication between two or more persons at personal level
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Personal Communication |
Personal communication
- Personal means of communication are those through which only personal messages are exchanged.
- These can be used by an individual for his personal activities.
- Personal communication is verbal, written, or electronic communication between one person and other.
- Telephone, mobiles, postal services, postcards, etc. are the main sources of personal communication.
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Mass communication |
Mass communication
- Mass communication means are those through which one can communicate with several people at the same time.
- These can be used by the government to create awareness among various national programs and policies.
- Mass communication is written or electronic between several people.
- Radio, television, newspapers, etc. are the main sources of communication.
Difference between Transport and Communication
Transport
- Transport is a system in which passengers and goods are carried from one place to another.
- The Transport system is considered as the basic artery of economic develop- ment.
- There are usually three means of transportation, i.e., land, water and air.
- Railway tracks, buses, aeroplanes, cars, etc. are the main sources of transportation.
Communication
- Communication refers to all those means and methods by which views, information, commercial agree. developments, entertainment programmes, etc. are mutually exchanged
- Communication leads to economic as well as social development of the society.
- Postal services, telegram, telegraph, telephone, mobile, etc. are the main sources of communication.
- Communication is generally of two types, i.e., personal communication and mass communication.
Tourism
Tourism
Tourism
- Tourism helps in earning foreign exchange.
- It provides direct as well as indirect employment to the people.
- It promotes national integration
- It supports cottage and handicraft industry because foreigners like to purchase these products
- It helps in developing friendly relations with other countries, and promotes international understandings
International trade
- Trade between two countries is known as international trade.
- Foreign currency is required for international trade.
- It may take place through sea, air or land routes.
Local trade
- Trade between cities, towns and villages, is known as local trade.
- National currency is required for local trade.
- It is done mainly through land routes.
Tourism as a trade
Social and economic importance of means of communication and transport
To provide link
Transportation is the lifeline of a country. This connects one par of the country with another part, and helps in providing essential products to all the places and the people.
Development of economy
The means of transport and communication help the industries to get raw materials, and its finished products are transported by the railways, and roadways. Agriculture also depends greatly on transportation.
National and cultural integration
India is a very vast country. Transport network brings people of different castes, creed,religions, languages and regions near to each other.
Nervous system
The means of communication together act like nervous system in the human body. We can know what is happening in other parts of the nation and the world only through the media.
Question Bank
Q.Which extreme locations are connected by the East-West Corridor?
Ans. Silchar and Porbandar.
Q. What is the extent of North-South corridor of India?
Ans. Srinagar and Kanyakumari.
Q. Name the extreme cities which are connected by NH 1.
Ans. Delhi and Amritsar.
Q. Which organisation looks after the National Highways of India.
Ans. Central Public Works Department. (CPWD)
Q. Name the institution which implements super highways.
Ans. National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
Q. Name is the biggest port of India ?
Ans. Mumbai
Q. National Waterway No. 1 is between which places?
Ans. Allahabad and Haldia.
Q. Why was Haldia sea-port set-up?
Ans. Haldia port was developed subsidiary port, in order to relieve growing pressure on the Kolkata port
Q. Which is the deepest, land-locked well-protected port of India?
Ans. Visakhapatnam.
Q. Which port is the biggest with spacious natural and well-sheltered harbour?
Ans. Mumbai.
Q. Which port is an inland riverine port?
Ans. Kolkata.
Q. Which is tidal port?
Ans. Kandla.
Q. Which is subsidiary port in order to relieve the growing pressure on the Kolkata port?
Ans. Haldia.
Q. Name the subsidiary port of Mumbai in India?
Ans. Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
Q. Name the port which is located in state of Tamil Nadu?
Ans. Tuticorin
Q. What is transportation? In how many types are transporation classified?
Ans. The movement of goods and services from their supply locations to demand locations are known as transportation. It can be classified into land, water and air transport.
Q. Which means of transport provides door-to-door service?
Ans. Roadways .
Q. What is the major objective to develop the Super Highways?
Ans. The major objective of super highways is to reduce the travel time and distance between the major cities of India .
Q. What are National Highways? By which agency are the National Highways laid and maintained?
Ans. Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
Q. Which National Highway connects Delhi and Amritsar?
Ans. Shershah Suri Marg which is called National Highway No 1
Q. What are State Highways?
Ans. These are roads connecting state capital with district headquarters of the states
Q. Name the agency that constructs and maintains the State Highways.
Ans. State Public Works Department (PWD) in state and union territories
Q. What do you know about the district roads?
Ans. District roads connect the district headquarters with other places of the district. These roads are constructed and maintained by the Zila Parishad.
Q. Why are metalled roads better than unmetalled roads?
Ans. Metalled roads are made of either cement, concrete or even bitumen of coal. Hence, these are durable over unmetalled roads. It is very difficult to use unmetalled roads in rainy Season .
Q. How many major and minor ports are located in India?
Ans. There are 12 major and 187 minor ports in India
Q. Name the biggest port of India ?
Ans. Mumbai is the biggest port of India.
Q. Which port was planned to decongest the Mumbai port?
Ans. It is a spacious, natural and well-sheltered harbour Jawaharlal Nehru port was planned to decongest the Mumbai port.
Q. Which is the premier iron ore exporting port of the country?
Ans. Visakhapatnam is the deepest landlocked and well-protected port.
Q. Which is the fastest, comfortable and prestigious mode of transport?
Ans. Railways is the fastest, most comfortable and prestigious mode of transport.
Q. When was the air transport nationalised?
Ans. The air transport was nationalised in 1953.
Important questions
1.What are the advantages of roads over the railways ?
2. What are the advantages of railways. Mention any five points?
3. What is the social and economic importance of means of communication and transport?
4. What is the importance of tourism?
5. What are the various types of Roadways in India? Explain
6. What is communication? Explain two types of communication?
7. Explain any five merits of air transport?
8. What are the difference between transport and Communication?
9. Explain three means of transport?
10. What are the disadvantages of railways?
Map work :
Locating and Labelling:
Major Ports:
Kandla, Mumbai( Jawaharlal Nehru), Marmagao, Kochi, Tuticorin, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Haldia (Kolkata)
International Airports :
Amritsar (Raja Sansi)
Delhi (Indira Gandhi International)
Hyderabad (Rajiv Gandhi)
Mumbai (Chhatrapati Shivaji)
Thiruvananthapuram (Nedimbacherry)
Chennai (Meenam Bakkam)
Kolkata (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose)
Note: Items of locating and labelling may also be ginen for Identification.
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Map Work |
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