The Story of Village Palampur Chapter 1st: Question/Answers

“Learning, practicing and executing are the most successful weapons to destroy obstacles. Here, we have tried to make the answers to the Palampur story questions easy to remember for students of both English and Hindi.”

Every village in India is surveyed once in ten years during the Census and some of the details are presented in the following format. Fill up the following based on information on Palampur.

a. LOCATION:

• Palampur is located in the western part of Uttar Pradesh.

b. TOTAL AREA OF THE VILLAGE:

• The total area of the village Palampur is 246 hectares.

c. LAND USE (in hectares):

d. FACILITIES:

• Educational: Two primary schools and one high school.
• Medical: One government primary health center and one private dispensary.
• Market: A few small shops.
• Electricity Supply: Most houses have electricity connections.
• Communication: Post office and some landline telephones.
• Nearest Town: Shahpur, which is 3 kilometers from Palampur.

Modern farming methods require more inputs which are manufactured in industry. Do you agree?

• Yes, I agree (हाँ, मैं सहमत हूँ). Modern farming methods (आधुनिक खेती के तरीके) require more inputs like chemical fertilizers (रासायनिक उर्वरक), pesticides, कीटनाशक), herbicidies (शाकनाशी), well maintained irrigation (सिंचाई) facilities such as tubewells, machinery (मशीनरी) such as tractors and harvesters, which are manufactured (निर्मित) in industries (उद्योगों में).

How did the spread of electricity help farmers in Palampur?

• The spread of electricity (बिजली का प्रसार) helped farmers (किसानों) in Palampur (पालमपुर) by allowing them to use electric tubewells (बिजली के ट्यूबवेल) for irrigation (सिंचाई) which improved water supply (पानी की आपूर्ति में सुधार) for their fields. It also enabled the use of electric-powered machinery (बिजली से चलने वाली मशीनरी) which increased efficiency (दक्षता) and productivity (उत्पादकता).

Is it important to increase the area under irrigation? Why?

• Yes, it is important (हाँ, यह महत्वपूर्ण है) to increase the area under irrigation (सिंचाई के तहत क्षेत्र बढ़ाना) because it ensures a stable water supply (स्थिर पानी की आपूर्ति) for crops (फसलों के लिए). This helps in increasing agricultural productivity (कृषि उत्पादकता बढ़ाना) and allows farmers to grow multiple crops (कई फसलें उगाना) in a year.

Construct a table on the distribution of land among the 450 families of Palampur.

• Here is a table (तालिका) on the distribution of land (भूमि का वितरण):

Why are the wages for farm labourers in Palampur less than minimum wages?

• The wages for farm labourers in Palampur (पालमपुर में खेत मजदूरों की मजदूरी) are less than minimum wages (न्यूनतम मजदूरी से कम) because there is a high supply of labour (श्रम की अधिक आपूर्ति) and low demand (कम मांग). Many labourers are willing to work for lower wages (कम मजदूरी पर काम करने के लिए तैयार) due to lack of alternative employment opportunities (वैकल्पिक रोजगार के अवसरों की कमी).

In your region, talk to two labourers. Choose either farm labourers or labourers working at construction sites. What wages do they get? Are they paid in cash or kind? Do they get work regularly? Are they in debt?

• This is a practical question (व्यावहारिक प्रश्न) and would require talking to actual labourers (वास्तविक मजदूरों से बात करना) in your region. Generally, farm labourers (खेत मजदूर) or construction labourers (निर्माण मजदूर) may earn daily wages (दैनिक मजदूरी) which can vary (जो भिन्न हो सकती है). They are usually paid in cash (नकद में भुगतान) but sometimes also in kind (वस्तु के रूप में भुगतान). Work availability (काम की उपलब्धता) and debt (ऋण) situation would vary (अंतर हो सकता है).

What are the different ways of increasing production on the same piece of land? Use examples to explain.

• The different ways (विभिन्न तरीके) of increasing production (उत्पादन बढ़ाना) on the same piece of land (उसी भूमि के टुकड़े पर) include:
  • Use of high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds (उच्च उपज देने वाले बीज).
  • Multiple cropping (बहु फसली खेती) or growing more than one crop (एक से अधिक फसल उगाना) in a year.
  • Using better irrigation methods (बेहतर सिंचाई विधियों का उपयोग करना) like sprinkler method & drip irrigation (टपक सिंचाई).
  • Using fertilizers (उर्वरकों का उपयोग करना) herbicides and pesticides (कीटनाशकों का उपयोग करना).

Describe the work of a farmer with 1 hectare of land.

• A farmer with 1 hectare of land (1 हेक्टेयर भूमि वाले किसान) typically grows crops (फसलें उगाना) depending on the season (मौसम के अनुसार). They prepare the soil (मिट्टी तैयार करना), sow seeds (बीज बोना), irrigate the fields (खेतों की सिंचाई), apply fertilizers and pesticides (उर्वरक और कीटनाशक लगाना), and finally harvest the crops (फसल काटना). They may also rear livestock (पशुपालन) to supplement their income (अपनी आय को बढ़ाना).

How do the medium and large farmers obtain capital for farming? How is it different from the small farmers?

• Medium and large farmers (मध्यम और बड़े किसान) obtain capital (पूंजी प्राप्त करना) for farming from their own savings (अपनी बचत), loans from banks (बैंकों से ऋण), or through the sale of surplus produce (अतिरिक्त उत्पादन की बिक्री से). Small farmers (छोटे किसान) often rely on moneylenders (साहूकारों) or informal sources (अनौपचारिक स्रोत) for loans, which may have higher interest rates (उच्च ब्याज दरें).

On what terms did Savita get a loan from Tajpal Singh? Would Savita’s condition be different if she could get a loan from the bank at a low rate of interest?

• Savita got a loan from Tajpal Singh (सविता ने ताजपाल सिंह से ऋण लिया) on the condition that she would sell her produce (उत्पादन बेचना) to him at a lower price (कम कीमत पर). If she could get a loan from the bank (बैंक से ऋण मिल सकता) at a low rate of interest (कम ब्याज दर पर), her condition would be better (उसकी स्थिति बेहतर होती) as she wouldn’t be bound to sell at a lower price (कम कीमत पर बेचने के लिए बाध्य नहीं होती).

Talk to some old residents in your region and write a short report on the changes in irrigation and changes in production methods during the last 30 years. (Optional)

• This is an optional practical question (वैकल्पिक व्यावहारिक प्रश्न) which requires fieldwork (क्षेत्र कार्य). Generally, old residents (पुराने निवासी) might tell you about shifts from traditional methods (पारंपरिक तरीकों से बदलाव) to modern techniques (आधुनिक तकनीकों) in irrigation (सिंचाई में) and production (उत्पादन में).

What are the non-farm production activities taking place in your region? Make a short list.

• Non-farm production activities (गैर-कृषि उत्पादन गतिविधियाँ) in your region might include:
  • Small-scale industries (लघु उद्योग).
  • Dairy farming (डेयरी फार्मिंग).
  • Poultry farming (पोल्ट्री फार्मिंग).
  • Handicrafts (हस्तशिल्प).
  • Retail shops (खुदरा दुकानें).

What can be done so that more non-farm production activities can be started in villages?

• To start more non-farm production activities (अधिक गैर-कृषि उत्पादन गतिविधियाँ शुरू करने के लिए) in villages, the following can be done:
  • Providing financial support (वित्तीय सहायता प्रदान करना) and loans (ऋण).
  • Skill development programs (कौशल विकास कार्यक्रम).
  • Improving infrastructure (बुनियादी ढांचे में सुधार) like roads and electricity (सड़कें और बिजली).
  • Encouraging entrepreneurship (उद्यमिता को प्रोत्साहित करना).