Resources and Development

Everything available in our environment which can be used to satisfy our needs, provided it is technologically accessible, economically feasible, and culturally acceptable.

Obtained from the biosphere and have life. Examples: Human beings, flora and fauna, fisheries, livestock.

Composed of non-living things. Examples: Rocks, metals, minerals, water, solar energy.

Can be renewed or reproduced by physical, chemical, or mechanical processes. Examples: Solar and wind energy, water, forests.

Occur over a very long geological time; cannot be renewed quickly. Examples: Minerals, fossil fuels (coal, petroleum).

Owned privately by individuals. Examples: Plantation, pasture lands, ponds, houses.

Accessible to all members of the community. Examples: Grazing grounds, burial grounds, public parks, village ponds.

Technically, all resources belong to the nation. The country has legal powers to acquire even private property for public good. Examples: Minerals, water resources, forests, wildlife within political boundaries and oceanic area up to 12 nautical miles.

Regulated by international institutions. Oceanic resources beyond 200 nautical miles of the Exclusive Economic Zone belong to open ocean, and no individual country can utilize these without the concurrence of international institutions.

Found in a region, but have not been utilized. Example: Wind and solar energy potential in Rajasthan and Gujarat not yet fully developed.

Resources which are surveyed and their quality and quantity have been determined for utilisation. Their development depends on technology and level of feasibility.

Materials in the environment which have the potential to satisfy human needs but humans do not have the appropriate technology to access these. Example: Hydrogen from water as a rich source of energy, but no advanced tech to use it widely.

The subset of the stock, which can be put into use with the help of existing technical 'know-how' but their use has not been started. Kept for future requirements. Example: Water in dams, forests.

Development should take place without damaging the environment, and development in the present should not compromise with the needs of future generations.

1992, Brazil. For addressing urgent problems of environmental protection and socio-economic development at the global level.

A declaration signed by world leaders in 1992 at UNCED (Rio Summit) to combat environmental damage, poverty, disease through global cooperation. Aims at achieving global sustainable development.

Widely accepted strategy for judicious use of resources. Essential in a country like India with enormous diversity in resource availability.

Identification and inventory of resources across regions (surveying, mapping, qualitative and quantitative estimation).

Judicious and planned use of resources to prevent their over-exploitation and degradation, ensuring their availability for future generations. Vital for socio-economic and environmental problems.

"There is enough for everybody's need and not for anybody's greed." He was against mass production and wanted to replace it with production by the masses.

Decline in the productive capacity of land due to human activities (deforestation, overgrazing, mining, quarrying, over-irrigation) or natural processes.

Over-irrigation leading to waterlogging, which increases salinity and alkalinity in the soil.

Mining (leaving deep scars and traces of over-burdening).

Ploughing along the contour lines (following the shape of the land) can decelerate the flow of water down slopes, preventing erosion.

Cutting out steps (terraces) on slopes for cultivation. Restricts erosion, common in hilly regions (e.g., western and central Himalayas).

Large fields are divided into strips. Strips of grass are left to grow between the crops. This breaks the force of the wind.

Planting rows of trees to create shelter, breaking the force of the wind and stabilizing sand dunes, especially in arid/coastal areas.

Land under permanent cultivation or frequently cultivated. India's total geographical area is 3.28 million sq km, but only 93% data is available due to occupied areas.

Area sown with crops. Has increased over the years due to expansion of irrigation and improved farming techniques, but still varies greatly by state.

Forest area is less than desired 33% (as per National Forest Policy 1952). Net Sown Area is significant (43.4%), but fallow and waste lands pose a challenge.