India has a small size of organised sector. Which of the following statements is not a social implication of this small size of organised sector?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → People have the experience of collectively fighting for proper wages and safe working conditions
Option (1) Very few people have the experience of working in a large firm — A social implication (Incorrect). Since over 90% of the work is in the unorganised sector, very few people work in large firms where they meet people from other regions and backgrounds; most work in small workplaces where personal relationships decide things.
Option (2) Very few Indians have access to secure jobs — A social implication (Incorrect). Only a small number of people have secure jobs with benefits, and two-thirds of those work for the government. The rest have to depend on their children in old age.
Option (3) People are left to the whims and fancies of the employer or contractor — A social implication (Incorrect). The government has laws to monitor conditions in the unorganised sector, but in practice its workers are left to the whims and fancies of the employer or contractor.
Option (4) People have the experience of collectively fighting for proper wages and safe working conditions — Not a social implication (Correct). The implication is the opposite. Union membership is a feature of the organised sector, and since very few people are members of unions, unorganised sector workers do not have the experience of collectively fighting for proper wages and safe working conditions.
NCERT (2025-26): “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. Here personal relationships determine many aspects of work. If the employer likes you, you may get a salary raise, and if you have a fight with him or her, you may lose your job. This is different from a large organisation with well-defined rules, where recruitment is more transparent and there are mechanisms for complaints and redressal if you disagree with your immediate superior. Second, very few Indians have access to secure jobs with benefits. Of those who do, two-thirds work for the government. This is why people strive hard to get into government jobs. The rest are forced to depend on their children in their old age. Government employment in India has played a major role in overcoming boundaries of caste, religion and region. One sociologist has argued that the reason why there have never been communal riots in a place like Bhilai is because the public sector Bhilai Steel Plant employs people from all over India who work together. Others may question this. Third, since very few people are members of unions, a feature of the organised sector, the unorganised or informal sector workers do not have the experience of collectively fighting for proper wages and safe working conditions. The government has laws to monitor conditions in the unorganised sector, but in practice they are left to the whims and fancies of the employer or contractor.” |