10 Notes Geo-7 Lifelines of National Economy

 CBSE Class 10 Social Science

Revision Notes Geography Chapter-7 Lifelines of National Economy I. Roadways : India has one of the largest road networks in the world. Its importance can be viewed. (i) Construction cost of roads is much lower than that of railway lines (ii) Roads can traverse comparatively more dissected and undulating topography. (iii) Roads can negotiate higher gradients of slopes and as such can traverse mountains such as the Himalayas. (iv) It is economical in transportation of few persons and relatively smaller amount of goods over short distances. (v) It provides door to door services. (vi) It is used as feeder to other modes of transport such as they provide a link between railway stations, air and sea ports. Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways : The Govt. has launched a major road development project linking Delhi-Kolkata-Chennai-Mumbai and Delhi by six-lane super highways. The North-South corridors linking Srinagar [Jammu & Kashmir] &Kanyakumari [T.N.] & East-West Corridor Connecting silcher (Assam) &Porbander (Gujarat). The major objective of these super highways is to reduce time and distance. These highway projects are being implemented by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). National Highways: National Highways link extreme parts of the country and are laid and maintained by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). State Highways: State Highways link a state capital with different district headquarters and are constructed and maintained by the State Public Works Department (PWD) in State and Union Territories. District Roads: These roads connect the district headquarters with other places of the district and are maintained by the Zila Parishad. Other Roads:Rural roads, which link rural areas and villages with towns. These roads received special impetus under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana. Border Roads :Border Roads Organisation (BRO) a Government of India undertaking constructs and maintains roads in the bordering areas of the country. II. Road Density The length of road per 100 sq. km of area is known as density of roads. Density of all roads varies from only 10 km in Jammu & Kashmir to 375 km in Kerala with the national average of 75 km (1996-97). III. Railways : The distribution pattern of the railway network in the country has been largely influence by physiographic, economic and administrative factors. The Himalyan mountains regions are unfavorable for the construction of railway lines due to high relief, sparse population & each of economic opportunities. The northern plains having high population density, provide most favourable condition for their growth Rivers requiring construction of bridges across their wide beds posed some obstacles for the construction of railway lines. IV.Pipelines : Pipelines transport network is a new arrival on the transportation map of India. Its initial cost is high but subsequent running costs are minimal. It is used for transporting crude oil, petroleum products & natural gas. It rules out trans-shipment losses and delays Important Networks 1. Oil field in Assam to Kanpur (U.P.), via Guwahati, Barauni& Allahabad. 2. From Salaya in Gujarat to Jalandhar. In Punjab via Viramgam, Mathura, Delhi & Sonipat. 3. Gas pipelines from Hazira in Gujarat connects Jagdishpur in UP via Vijaypur in Madhya Pradesh. V. Waterways Waterways are the cheapest means of transport. They are most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods. It is a fuel-efficient and environment friendly mode of transport.

Waterways

Waterways are the cheapest means of transport. They are most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods. It is a fuel-efficient and environment-friendly mode of transport.

The National Waterways in India are:

• N.W. No.1 – The Ganga river between Allahabad and Haldia (1620 km).
• N.W. No.2 – The Brahmaputra river between Sadiya and Dhubri (891 km).
• N.W. No.3 – The West-Coast Canal in Kerala (Kottapurma-Kollam, Udyogamandal and Champakkara canals-205 km).
• N.W. No.4 – Specified stretches of Godavari and Krishna rivers along with Kakinada Puducherry stretch of canals (1078 km).
• N.W. No.5 – Specified stretches of river Brahmani along with Matai river, delta channels of Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers and East Coast Canal (588 km).

Inland waterways in India are Mandavi, Zuari and Cumberjua, Sunderbans, Barak and backwaters of Kerala through which transportation takes place.

VI. Major Sea Ports With a long coastline of 7,516.6 km, India is dotted with 12 major and 181 medium and minor ports. Kandla in Kuchchh was the first port developed soon after Independence. Kandla is a tidal port. It caters to the convenient handling of exports and imports of highly productive granary and industrial belt Mumbai is the biggest port with a spacious natural and well-sheltered harbour. Marmagao port (Goa) is the premier iron ore exporting port of the country.New Mangalore port, located in Karnataka caters to the export of iron ore concentrates from Kudremukh mines. Kochi is the extreme south-western port, located at the entrance of a lagoon with a natural harbour.

Here is the list of major ports in India:

1. Kandla in Kachchh was the first port to be developed after independence. It is also known as the Deendayal Port.
2. Mumbai is the biggest port with a spacious natural and well-sheltered harbour.
3. Marmagao port (Goa) is the premier iron ore exporting port of India.
4. Mangalore port, located in Karnataka caters to the export of iron ore.
5. Kochchi is the extreme south-western port, located at the entrance of a lagoon.
6. Tuticorin port is situated at the extreme south-east.
7. Chennai is one of the oldest artificial ports of India.
8. Visakhapatnam is the deepest landlocked and well-protected port
9. Paradwip port located in Odisha, specialises in the export of iron ore.
10. Kolkata is an inland riverine port.
11. Haldia port was developed as a subsidiary port, in order to relieve growing pressure on the Kolkata port.

VII. Air Ways: It can cover very difficult terrains like high mountains, dreary deserts, dense forests and also long oceanic stretches with great ease. The air transport was nationalised in 1953. Air India provides international air services. Pawanhans Helicopters Ltd. provides helicopter services to Oil and Natural Gas Commission in its off- shore operations, to inaccessible areas and difficult terrains like the north-eastern states and the interior parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal. VIII. Communication: Personal communication and mass communication including television, radio, press, films, etc. are the major means of communication in the country. The Indian postal network is the largest in the world.

The major means of communication in India are television, radio, press, films, etc.

The Indian postal network is the largest in the world. It handles parcels as well as personal written communications.

• First-class mail is airlifted between stations covering both land and air.
• Second-class mail includes book packets, registered newspapers and periodicals. They are carried by surface mail, covering land and water transport.

India has one of the largest telecom networks in Asia. The Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) facilities all over India have been made possible by integrating the development in space technology with communication technology.

• Mass communication provides entertainment and creates awareness among people about various national programmes and policies. It includes radio, television, newspapers, magazines, books and films.
• India Radio Channel (Akashwani) broadcasts a variety of programmes in national, regional and local languages.
• Doordarshan, the national television channel is one of the largest terrestrial networks in the world.
• India publishes a large number of newspapers in about 100 languages and dialects.

International Trade

The exchange of goods among people, states and countries is referred to as trade. Trade between two countries is called international trade. It is considered as the economic barometer for a country. Export and import are the components of trade. The balance of trade of a country is the difference between its export and import.

• When the value of export exceeds the value of imports, it is called a favourable balance of trade.
• If the value of imports exceeds the value of exports, it is termed as an unfavourable balance of trade.

The commodities exported from India to other countries include gems and jewellery, chemicals and related products, agriculture and allied products, etc.

The commodities imported to India include petroleum crude and products, gems and jewellery, chemicals and related products, base metals, electronic items, machinery, agriculture and allied products.

Tourism as a Trade

More than 15 million people are directly engaged in the tourism industry. Tourism in India:

• Promotes national integration
• Provides support to local handicrafts and cultural pursuits
• Helps in the development of international understanding about Indian culture and heritage. Foreign tourists visit India for heritage tourism, eco tourism, adventure tourism, cultural tourism, medical tourism and business tourism.