TEXT QUESTIONS :
1. Talk to two workers (for example, construction workers, farm workers, factory workers, workers at any shop) to find out if they are receiving the minimum wages laid down by law .
Ans:
i) Factory workers :
A person named , Pritam Naik is getting Rs 400 per day for 8 hours of work per day . She is getting less than minimum wage rate with no proper transport and working conditions .
ii) Farm workers :
Farm workers get Rs 350 for a day for female and Rs 500 for male workers . There is gender bias which is against the law .
2. What are the advantages to foreign companies in setting up production in India ? Ans:
i) There are favourable working conditions in India .
ii) India has the record of being second largest populated country in the world which provides cheapest labour or workers .
iii) India’s geographical condition is favourable, with eastern,western,southern areas surrounded by oceans or seas. The foreign companies can export their products to any corner of the world .
iv) India is a developing country . There are less developed infrastructural facilities like roads , electricity, educational and training centres, transportation facilities of all types .
3. Do you think the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy got justice ? Discuss .
Ans:
i) I think the victims of the Bhopal tragedy have not got any justice so far as 24 years as past .
ii) The world’s worst industrial tragedy took place in Bhopal. Union carbide (UC), an American company had a company had a factory in the city in which it produced pesticides. At around mid-night on December 2, 1984 Methyl-IsoCyanite (MIC) started leaking from this plant. Within 3 days more than 8000 people died .
iii) Most of those exposed to poison gas came from poor, working class families of which nearly 50,000 people are today too sick to work .
iv) These people or their dependents or legal successors have not got sufficient help or compensation .
4. What do we mean when we speak of law enforcement ? Who is responsible for enforcement ? Why is enforcement so important ?
Ans:
i) When we speak about law enforcement, meaning that law maker and law enforcer, the government is supposed to ensure that safety laws are implemented .
ii) The government is responsible for enforcement of the law .
iii) The enforcement of law is as important as without enforcement no one cannot get justice .
5. How can laws ensure that markets work in a manner that is fair ? Give two examples to support your answer .
Ans:
i) Businessmen/shopkeeper should not sell adulterated foods or things of low quality . Expiry dates should be checked as many workers are illiterate people come to the market .
ii) Every shopkeeper should use proper ISI mark,weights,measurements,prices (MRP) by the producers .
6. Imagine yourself to be a worker working in a chemical factory, which has received orders from the government to move to a different site 100 kms away from the present location . Write about how your life would change ? Read out your responses in the classroom .
Ans:
i) We would have to take, admissions to new schools. If there is no school then their studies would have been affected .
ii) I would have to purchase or find new house and rent. I would have to change address on all documents .
7. Write a paragraph on the various roles of the government that you have read about in this unit .
Ans:
i) One of the important organs of government that is the legislature, which frame laws for the protection of the people from different types of exploitation .
ii) The government appoints different types of employees and officials to enforce its laws and regulations .
iii) Punishment is given to law makers by the judiciary .
iv) Government keeps a check on the employers who are paying minimum wages as decided by the government .
v) Government also takes charge of unfair trade practices, women workers,unpaid workers, minimum wages paid .
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 ?
Ans: Air:
i) Smoke is emitted from factory chimneys. Foul smell is emitted from open drains ; rubbish and dirt are lying at different places. Smokes from vehicle pollutes in different ways air causing air pollution .
ii) A simple example like when Diwali comes we burn crackers which not only pollute air but also cause noise pollution . If air is Dusty then the rain will of course become acid rain which affects our environment also .
Water:
i) Disposal of factory waste in river, immersion of idols and throwing of garbage in river .
ii) Water is polluted by chemical fertilizers used by the farmers . Water is also polluted by the effluents thrown or discharged into the rivers .
Soil:
i) Use of fertilizers and pesticides for cultivation .
ii) Dirt and human waste, as well as wastes thrown by different factories in different fields or farms on open ground, pollute the soil .
The following steps are being taken to check pollution :
i) Cases are filed and actions are taken to protect the environment that is forest,air,water,soil, sea water etc .
ii) Actions are being taken against companies and contractors who are responsible against violation of environment laws, penalty and fine is imposed .
iii) NGO’s and nature lovers also file a complaint against various people breaking the law and causing threat to environment .
The suggestions are as follows :
i) Old vehicles should be banned. Diesel vehicles should be prohibited. Pollution norms should be checked strictly .
ii) Factory should be shifted out of town area .
iii) Idol immersion, waste disposal in river should be banned .
9. How was environment treated earlier ? What has been the change in perception ? Discuss .
Ans:
i) Earlier, the environment was treated as a ‘free’ entity and any industry could pollute the air, water, or soil without any restrictions, whether it was our rivers, soil or air. The environment pollution has affected health of people, animal and aquatic life .
Change in perception :
a) In 1984, there were very few laws for environment protection in India, and hardily any enforcement of laws. In response to pressure from different environmental activists and others, after the Bhopal tragedy, the Indian government introduced news laws on environment . Hence the polluter is to be held accountable .
b) It is required to protect the environment because it is something which should be produced over generations that will be required for years .
c) The people appealed to the courts for the protection of the environment. The Supreme Court held that right to life is a fundamental right under Article 21 of the constitution and includes right to employment of pollution free water and air .
10. What do you think the famous cartoonist R.K. Laxman is trying to convey in this creation? How does it relate to the 2006 law that you read about on page 125 ?
Ans:
The famous cartoonist R.K. Laxman is trying to draw attention of the people about the protection of the children from labour. In the year October 2006, the government amended the child labour prevention Act, banning children less than 14 years of age from working as domestic servant or as workers in dhabas, restaurant, and tea shops and so on .
11. You have read about the Bhopal gas tragedy and the on- going struggle. Students from countries across the world have come together to support this struggle for justice. From protest marches to awareness campaigns, you can read about their activities on the website “http://www.studentsforbhopal.com . The website also has resources such as photos, posters, documentaries, victims’ statements, etc .
Ans: The Bhopal disaster, also referred to as the Bhopal gas tragedy, was a gas leak incident on the night of 2–3 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal , Madhya Pradesh, India. It is considered to be the world’s worst industrial disaster . Over 500,000 people were exposed to Methyl Iso Cyanate (MIC) gas . The highly toxic substance made its way into and around the small towns located near the plant.
Estimates vary on the death toll. The official immediate death toll was 2,259. The government of Madhya Pradesh confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release. A government affidavit in 2006 stated that the leak caused 558,125 injuries, including 38,478 temporary partial injuries and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries.
Others estimate that 8,000 died within two weeks, and another 8,000 or more have since died from gas related diseases. The cause of the disaster remains under debate. The Indian government and local activists argue that slack management and deferred maintenance created a situation where routine pipe maintenance caused a back-flow of water into a MIC tank, triggering the disaster . Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) argues water entered the tank through an act of sabotage .
In 1989, UCC paid $470 million ($929 million in 2017 dollars) to settle litigation arising from the disaster. In 1994, UCC sold its stake in UCIL to Eveready Industries India Limited (EIIL), which subsequently merged with McLeod Russel (India) Ltd. Eveready ended clean-up on the site in 1998, when it terminated its 99-year lease and turned over control of the site to the state government of Madhya Pradesh . This Chemical Company purchased UCC in 2001, seventeen years after the disaster .