Sunita runs a tailoring shop from her home in a small town in Bihar. Her brother loads trucks at the grain market on days when work is offered and is paid at the end of each day. Their uncle is a clerk in a bank and draws a fixed pay every month, with leave and a pension. Their cousin Neha, a nurse in Canada, remarks that most of her neighbours work in hospitals, shops, offices and schools, and hardly anyone farms.
The ways Sunita, her brother and their uncle earn a living reflect which feature of employment in India?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Self-employment is the largest category, and regular salaried jobs are few
Option (1) Self-employment is the largest category, and regular salaried jobs are few — Correct. Sunita is self-employed, her brother is a casual labourer and their uncle holds a regular salaried job. In India over 52% of workers are self-employed, and only about 24% are in regular salaried employment.
Option (2) Casual labour is the largest category, ahead of self-employment — Incorrect. Casual labour, the brother's kind of work, employs only about 24% of workers. Self-employment, at over 52%, is about twice as large.
Option (3) Regular salaried work is the largest category, as in developed countries — Incorrect. Regular salaried work is the main kind in developed countries, where most workers are formally employed. In India only about 24% of workers hold such jobs.
Option (4) Self-employment and regular salaried work employ roughly equal shares — Incorrect. The two shares are far apart. Self-employment covers over 52% of workers and regular salaried work about 24%.
NCERT (2026-27): “The Specificity of Indian Industrialisation … |