Meena's father spent thirty years as a permanent employee of a big mill in Kanpur. Meena now works in Delhi for a foreign-owned company that has started its own airline, in a field which, in her father's youth, only the government could enter. Her cousin Raju lives in a village nearby, where the government has taken over farmland, including his family's plot, for a new factory zone. The family received some money for the land and had hoped for work in the new factories. Raju is now thinking of moving to the city to look for work.
Which change in Indian industry since the 1990s does Meena's present job show?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Liberalisation
Option (1) Disinvestment — Incorrect. Disinvestment is the government selling its share in public sector companies, as with Modern Foods. Meena works for a foreign private firm that entered a new field, so no government firm is being sold here.
Option (2) Liberalisation — Correct. Since the 1990s, liberalisation has let private companies, especially foreign firms, invest in sectors earlier reserved for the government, such as civil aviation. A foreign-owned company running its own airline is this change.
Option (3) Outsourcing — Incorrect. Outsourcing means big companies cut permanent staff and send their work to smaller companies or even to homes. Meena is employed by the foreign firm itself, and the passage shows no work being passed on to others.
Option (4) Contracting — Incorrect. Contracting means hiring workers on contract, with less status and security than permanent staff get. The passage gives no detail of the terms of Meena's job, so her job does not show this change.
NCERT (2026-27): “Globalisation, Liberalisation and Changes in Indian Industry “The government is trying to sell its share in several public sector companies, a process which is known as disinvestment. …” |