Most Indians rarely meet people from other regions and backgrounds at work. Identify the feature of Indian industrialisation behind this, and what offers some corrective to it.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Small size of the organised sector; urban settings, where neighbours may be from a different place
Option (1) Growth of the services sector; trade unions, which bring workers from different regions together — Incorrect. The growth of services is not the cause given for the lack of contact at work. Trade unions are not the corrective either, because very few Indians are members of unions.
Option (2) Small size of the organised sector; trade unions, which bring workers from different regions together — Incorrect. The small size of the organised sector is the right feature. But unions are a feature of the organised sector, and very few Indians are members, so they cannot be the corrective.
Option (3) Growth of the services sector; urban settings, where neighbours may be from a different place — Incorrect. Urban settings are the right corrective, but the services sector is the wrong feature. The cause is the small size of the organised sector.
Option (4) Small size of the organised sector; urban settings, where neighbours may be from a different place — Correct. Over 90% of work is unorganised, so very few people work in large firms where they meet people from other regions. Urban settings give some corrective, since neighbours in a city may be from a different place.
NCERT (2026-27): “The Specificity of Indian Industrialisation … “First, it means that very few people have the experience of employment in large firms where they get to meet people from other regions and backgrounds. Urban settings do provide some corrective to this – your neighbours in a city may be from a different place – but by and large, work for most Indians is still in smallscale workplaces. …” |