Given below are two statements:
Statement I: During the colonial period, the occupational structure of India showed little sign of change.
Statement II: During the colonial period, the share of the workforce in agriculture declined in states such as Orissa, Rajasthan and Punjab.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect.
Statement I: During the colonial period, the occupational structure of India showed little sign of change. — True. Agriculture kept about 70-75 per cent of the workforce all through.
Statement II: During the colonial period, the share of the workforce in agriculture declined in states such as Orissa, Rajasthan and Punjab. — False. In Orissa, Rajasthan and Punjab, the share of the workforce in agriculture increased. It fell in parts of the Madras Presidency, Bombay and Bengal.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.7 Occupational Structure During the colonial period, the occupational structure of India, i.e., distribution of working persons across different industries and sectors, showed little sign of change. …” “… Parts of the then Madras Presidency (comprising areas of the present-day states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka), Bombay and Bengal witnessed a decline in the dependence of the workforce on the agricultural sector with a commensurate increase in the manufacturing and the services sectors. However, there had been an increase in the share of workforce in agriculture during the same time in states such as Orissa, Rajasthan and Punjab.” |