2. What are the advantages to foreign companies in setting up production in
India?
Answer
Advantages to foreign companies in setting up production in India are:
→ Cheap labour: - Wages that the companies pay to workers say in the U.S.A. are
far higher than what they have to pay workers in India. → For lower pay: -
Companies can get longer hours of work.
→ Additional expenses such as housing facilities for workers are also fewer.
Thus, companies can save costs and earn higher profits. → Cost cutting can also
be done by other more dangerous means.
→ Lower working conditions including lower safety measures are used as ways of
cutting costs.
3. Do you think the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy got justice?
Discuss.
Answer
No, the victims of Bhopal gas tragedy are still fighting for justice. At first,
the company which owned the pesticide factory- Union Carbide (UC) refused to
accept responsibility despite the wide-open, so many evidences of the tragedy.
The UC got away after paying a bare minimum compensation to the survivors of
this tragedy. Even after 24 years the survivors are still fighting for justice,
for safe drinking water, for health-care facilities and jobs for the poisoned by
UC. Their cases are still pending in numerous courts.
4. What do we mean when we speak of law enforcement? Who is responsible for
enforcement? Why is enforcement so important?
Answer
Law enforcement implies the government's responsibility as lawmaker and
enforcer, to ensure obedience to its laws by everyone within the State that it
governs. It is the responsibility of the government to ascertain that laws are
not violated by anyone. Enforcement is important to maintain the democratic
status of India; if foreign companies are allowed to maintain low working
conditions, then this interferes with the Fundamental Right of the Right to
Life, of a worker. Hence, enforcement is necessary to protect the people.
5. How can laws ensure that markets work in a manner that is fair? Give two
examples to support your answer.
Answer
Laws can ensure that markets work in a fair manner. The frequently upgraded
Minimum Wages Law ensures that workers are not exploited and over-worked by
companies that hire them. Also, a law keeping checks on the quality of
production makes sure that sub-standard goods do not enter the
market.
7. Write a paragraph on the various roles of the government that you have
read about in this unit.
Answer
The government plays a large number of roles in any state. In Unit five, the
government's role in the economic sector is explained. This includes providing
public facilities like water supply, healthcare and sanitation and ensuring that
these amenities are not overtaken by private enterprises; the government also
plays a pivotal role in law enforcement, which is of utmost importance in the
economic sector. The government makes laws to protect workers in production
factories- laws on minimum wages, controlling working conditions and safety
measures. It also makes laws for markets that protect consumers against
over-pricing and substandard products. The government has a law against child
labour and it also punishes organizations that do not follow policies put in
place to protect the environment against pollution.
8. What are the sources of environmental pollution in your area? Discuss with
respect to (a) air; (b)
water and (c) soil. What are the steps being taken to reduce the pollution?
Can you suggest some other measures?
Answer
There are many sources of environmental pollution in our area.
→ Air Pollution: By vehicles, industrial gases disposed through chimneys, smokes
from red brick Bhattas.
→ Water Pollution: Various chemical discharges and other liquid effluents from
some industries like
tanneries, aluminium etc. Because of dry latrines and inefficient discharge of
house wastes and sewerage into the river.
→ Soil Pollution: Due to the throwing of plastic bags here and there, lack of
proper arrangement of disposing household wastes, industrial effluents and ashes
etc.
In the recent years there has been a consistent increase in awareness of the
need for a clean environment. The courts in our country have come out with a
number of strong orders on the environmental issues and accordingly steps are
also being taken to reduce pollutions. But still many more things have to be
done in this direction:
→ Appropriate measures need to be taken by countries and local authorities of
the world to stop the misuse or overuse of resources.
→ Environmental degradation can be checked by conserving land, air and water
resources. For this we have to control the pollutants at the source.
→ By proper enforcement of laws and norms related to environmental issues such
as - use of plastic bags, disposal of all type of wastes, harmful emissions from
different industries, etc.
9. How was environment treated earlier? What has been the change in
perception? Discuss.
Answer
Earlier the environment was treated as a 'free' entity and any industry or even
an individual could pollute the air and water without any restrictions. Whether
it was our rivers, air, and groundwater - the environment was being polluted
since there were no laws in this regard.
In the recent years and particularly the Bhopal gas tragedy has brought the
issue of environment to the forefront. Now the perception has completely changed
and the people have understood that the environment is something which the
people over generations will share. There has been an increasing awareness among
all that a clean environment is a public facility that cannot be destroyed
merely for industrial development. The courts also gave a number of judgments
upholding the right to a healthy environment as intrinsic to the Fundamental
Right to life.