01 · Explore
What is a Resource?
A resource is more than just a physical object; it is a combination of nature, technology, and human utility.
Everything available in our environment which can be used to satisfy our needs is termed as a 'Resource', provided it meets three specific criteria: it must be technologically accessible, economically feasible, and culturally acceptable. For example, a mineral deep underground is only a resource if we have the technology to extract it, the money to fund the mining, and a society that finds its use acceptable.
Resources are not free gifts of nature. They are a function of human activities. Human beings are essential components of resources because they transform material available in the environment into resources and use them. This process involves an interactive relationship between nature, technology, and institutions to accelerate economic development.
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What three conditions must a material satisfy to be called a resource?
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02 · Explore
Classification of Resources
Resources can be grouped into various categories based on their origin, exhaustibility, ownership, and development status.
On the basis of origin, resources are Biotic (obtained from the biosphere, like flora and fauna) or Abiotic (composed of non-living things, like rocks and metals). Based on exhaustibility, they are Renewable (can be replenished by physical or chemical processes, like solar energy) or Non-renewable (take millions of years to form and get exhausted with use, like fossil fuels).
Ownership gives four groups: Individual resources are privately owned, such as a field; Community resources are shared, such as village ponds; National resources include land, minerals, forests and wildlife within national boundaries and resources in territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles from the coast. International oceanic resources lie beyond national jurisdiction; the chapter uses the 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone to explain this distinction.
The status of development categorizes resources as Potential (found but not yet utilized, like solar energy in Rajasthan), Developed (surveyed and quantified for use), Stock (materials with potential but lacking technology to use), and Reserves (subset of stock that can be used with existing technology but are saved for the future).
| Basis of Classification | Types |
|---|---|
| Origin | Biotic and Abiotic |
| Exhaustibility | Renewable and Non-renewable |
| Ownership | Individual, Community, National, and International |
| Status of Development | Potential, Developed, Stock and Reserves |
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What is the difference between Stock and Reserves?
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03 · Explore
Sustainable Development and Global Initiatives
Indiscriminate use of resources has led to global crises, making sustainable development a necessity.
The belief that resources are free gifts of nature led to their depletion for the greed of a few, accumulation in few hands (creating 'haves' and 'have-nots'), and global ecological crises like global warming and ozone layer depletion. Sustainable economic development means development should take place without damaging the environment, and development in the present should not compromise the needs of future generations.
In June 1992, more than 100 heads of states met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the first International Earth Summit. They signed the Declaration on Global Climatic Change and Biological Diversity. The summit adopted 'Agenda 21' to achieve global sustainable development in the 21st century, aiming to combat environmental damage, poverty, and disease through global cooperation.
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What was the primary objective of Agenda 21?
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04 · Explore
Resource Planning in India
Planning is the strategy for judicious use of resources, especially in a diverse country like India.
India has enormous diversity in resource availability. Some regions are rich in certain resources but deficient in others. For example, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are rich in minerals and coal, while Arunachal Pradesh has abundant water but lacks infrastructure. Rajasthan has solar and wind energy but lacks water. This imbalance requires planning at national, state, and local levels.
Resource planning is a complex three-step process: (1) Identification and inventory of resources through surveying and mapping; (2) Evolving a planning structure with appropriate technology and skills; and (3) Matching resource development plans with overall national development goals. India has focused on this since the First Five Year Plan.
Regional Resource Imbalance
Resource Richness != Economic Development
The history of colonization shows that resource-rich regions were exploited by invaders with superior technology. Thus, resources only contribute to development when accompanied by technological and institutional changes.
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Why is resource planning essential in India?
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05 · Explore
Land Resources and Relief Features
Land is a finite asset that supports all human activities and natural life.
India possesses a variety of relief features. About 43% of the land is plains, which are ideal for agriculture and industry. Mountains account for 30% of the area, ensuring the perennial flow of rivers and providing sites for tourism. Plateaus make up 27% of the country, containing rich reserves of minerals, fossil fuels, and forests.
Land utilization is categorized into forests, land not available for cultivation (barren or non-agricultural use like roads), other uncultivated land (pastures and grazing land), fallow lands (left uncultivated to regain fertility), and Net Sown Area (the actual area where crops are grown and harvested).
| Relief Feature | Percentage Share | Primary Utility |
|---|---|---|
| Plains | 43% | Agriculture and Industry |
| Mountains | 30% | Perennial rivers, Tourism, Ecology |
| Plateaus | 27% | Minerals, Fossil fuels, and Forests |
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What is the difference between Net Sown Area and Gross Cropped Area?
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06 · Explore
Land Use Pattern in India
Land use is determined by physical factors like topography and human factors like population density.
India's total geographical area is 3.28 million sq km, but land use data is available for only 93% of it. This is because reporting for most North-eastern states (except Assam) is incomplete, and some areas occupied by Pakistan and China have not been surveyed.
The chapter’s 2019–20 land-use chart shows Net Sown Area at 45.64% and land under forests at 23.41% of the reporting area. Land recorded under forests is a land-use category; it is not the same measure as forest cover seen in satellite surveys. The chapter compares forest area with the 33% of geographical area desired by the National Forest Policy (1952). Net Sown Area varies widely: over 80% in Punjab and Haryana, but below 10% in Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. These are the chapter’s dated figures, not a live land-use report.
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Why is land use data not available for the entire 3.28 million sq km of India?
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