NCERT Book Class 12 Geography - India People and Economy PDF

Introduction to India People and Economy NCERT

The study of geography through India People and Economy NCERT helps in instilling greater understanding about the climate, vegetation, weather, land formations and water cycle of the country. These factors cumulatively go on to determine the patterns of climate, availability of food as well as our lifestyle.

Scoring high on the Geography paper in CBSE exam is important as it would ultimately reflect on the aggregate percentage. Your preparation should start with NCERT book class 12 Geography India People and Economy. If you do not have a physical copy at your disposal, you download NCERT book class 12 Geography India People and Economy PDF.

Chapter 1 – Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition

Population has been defined as aggregate of individuals, occupying a specific place in a given period. India is a densely populated country, but the population density in our country is highly uneven. Approximately 76% of the total population is concentrated in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Gujrat. 

There are a host of other aspects which are touched upon in this chapter of NCERT book class 12 Geography India People and Economy. It discusses population composition, growth rate of the country’s population as well as population explosion. The period of population is held to be decades between 1951-1981.

Chapter 2 – Migration: Types, Causes and Consequences

A migrant is essentially a person who, in the course of a particular census, resides at a place other than his or her birthplace for a prolonged duration. The 2011 census showed that total migrant population in India amounted to 314,541,350. Internal migration in our country essentially has four streams – (1) Rural-Urban, (2) Rural-Rural, (3) Urban-Rural, and (4) Urban-Urban. It has been found that men dominate rural-urban inter-state migration.

Chapter 2 in India People and Economy NCERT further elucidates the spatial variation of migration as well as the causes of migration. The causes of migration are further categorised into Push factors and Pull factors.

Push factors such as famine, drought, conflict, etc. forces individuals into voluntary movement on account of a persistent risk. Pull factors largely involve better opportunities like higher wages, education, housing etc.

Chapter 3 – Human Development

Chapter 3 in NCERT book class 12 Geography India People and Economy deals with the pillars and approaches of human development. There are four pillars of human development that includes equity, sustainability, productivity and empowerment.

Equity is equal access to opportunities for everyone. Sustainability is the continuous availability of all opportunities, and productivity relates to human labour productivity. Finally, empowerment is the disposition to make choices freely. 

Moreover, there are four-pronged approaches to human development – (1) Income approach, (2) Welfare approach, (3) Minimum Needs approach, and (4) Capabilities approach. Measurement of human development is undertaken with the Human Development Index (HDI). 

Chapter 4 – Human Settlements

Human settlements in the study of Geography mainly focuses on the rural-urban dichotomy. The point of differentiation is the occupation of the people related to secondary and tertiary sectors in the urban area, and on the other hand, people are mostly engaged in primary activities in the rural area. 

As elaborated in India People and Economy NCERT, rural settlements are directly and closely related to land, and there are a host of factors that influence such settlement – water supply, land, upland etc. Urban settlements can be categorised based on population size, occupational structure, location and administration, among others.

Chapter 5 – Land Resources and Agriculture

Chapter 5 in NCERT book class 12 Geography India People and Economy explains different land use categories. It includes land for non-agricultural use, forests, permanent pasture areas, waste and barren land, culturable wasteland, miscellaneous tree crops area and fallow land, among others. Eventually, with the changes in the composition and size of economy, the number of categories increased.

Chapter 6 – Water Resources

Water resources in India are categorised as surface water resources, groundwater resources, lagoons and backwaters. The main sources of surface water are lakes, rivers, ponds and tanks. The total replenishable groundwater amounts to approximately 430 cu.km. Highest level of utilisation of groundwater is found in the north-west and southern India.

This chapter in India People and Economy NCERT also indicates that there is a higher demand for irrigation owing to seasonal and uneven distribution of rainfall. High temperature leads to more evaporation and extensive growth of water-intensive crops also exacerbated the demand for irrigation.

Chapter 7 – Mineral and Energy Resources

Chapter 7 in NCERT book class 12 Geography India People and Economy elucidates the different types of mineral resources available in India. There is a varied distribution of minerals in India. Most of the metallic minerals are to be found in the Peninsular Plateau region while petroleum reserves are abundant in the Arabian Sea offshore region and sedimentary basins of Assam. Some of the most important minerals such as coal, iron ore, mica, manganese and bauxite, occur in the Chota Nagpur Plateau region along with Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Odisha plateau region.

Chapter 8 – Manufacturing Industries

In chapter 8 of India People and Economy NCERT classifies industries based on – (1) capital, labour force, size, (2) ownership, (3) product, (4) raw materials and (5) nature of product. The first instance includes large, medium, small and cottage industries. Ownership can be – (a) private, (b) public, (c) cooperative or (d) joint. The categorisation of product may be in terms of – (i) capital, (ii) basic, (iii) intermediate, and (iv) consumer industries. Moreover, raw materials may be in the form of – forest, agro-based, mineral or industrially processed. Finally, the end product may amount to – mechanical, metallurgical, textile, chemical, food processing, electronics, electricity generation, communication and more.

Chapter 9 – Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context

Chapter 9 NCERT book class 12 Geography India People and Economy discusses two major approaches of planning – (1) sectoral planning approach, and (2) regional planning approach. Different sectors of the economy such as irrigation, agriculture, manufacture etc. are considered for framing different schemes in the sectoral planning approach. On the other hand, regional planning approaches involve measures for reduction of regional disparities, and drive economic development.

Chapter 10 – Transport and Communication

Chapter 10 India People and Economy NCERT shows that the main modes of transport within intra-region and inter-region are land, air and water. Multiple nodes are joined with the help of a series of routes which creates a transport network. Movement of goods primarily takes place by land, that is, through rails and roads. Roadways are the most economical in terms of freight transport. Apart from regular roads, there are also highways and border roads. Railways are most favourable for intra-region transit, especially in urbanised regions and industrialised areas. The inland waterways are largely dependent on navigability.

Chapter 11 – International Trade

International trade is mainly determined by a host of factors, including (1) difference in national resources, (2) climate, (3) geological structure, (4) population, (5) economic development, (6) foreign investment, (6) transport among others. As elaborated in NCERT book class 12 Geography India People and Economy, the crucial aspects of trade are – trade volume, composition of trade, and direction of trade.

Trade volume, simply put, amounts to total volume of services and goods traded. The composition of trade has changed in recent times with the predominance of the service sector.

Chapter 12 – Geographical Perspective on Selected Issues and Problems

Chapter 12 India People and Economy NCERT enumerate a few issues from geographical perspectives. Environmental pollution has been aggravating with every passing day. It is further classified into – (1) air pollution, (2) water pollution, (3) land pollution, (4) noise pollution. While these have been deliberated upon for quite some time now, urban waste disposal is wreaking havoc in the present days. Improper management of solid wastes adversely affects lives and livelihoods. Rural-urban migration has skewed the population's demographics on a large scale.

Why are NCERT Books Favoured by All?

The books of NCERT are the suggested textbooks followed in school. Apart from the fact that these are prescribed texts, students and teachers have found NCERT books to be particularly effective. The following features of NCERT books contribute to its popularity among all -  

• A Simple Explanation of Fundamental Concepts: The basic concepts of a subject are discussed in a simple manner in NCERT books. It allows for better retention of such concepts in the mind of students. It also ensures that students are less confused about a given topic. 

• Illustrations: The content in NCERT books has a lot of illustrations. The flow charts and diagrams help a student to understand a concept better. The presentation is also kept simple so that the attention of students does not get diverted while reading. 

• Initiating problem - Solving: The NCERT book chapters have brief questions for students. Students get to practice solving questions, and at the same time, becomes aware of the areas where his or her understanding may have fallen short.  

• Scope for Further Deliberation: While mentioning the essentials of a particular chapter, the content keeps enough scope for students to go further and find out more about the topic on their own.

How does Vedantu Help in Your Preparation?

Even though India People and Economy NCERT is a standard text for Geography, a little guidance will go a long way in boosting your exam preparation. This is where we come in. Not only will Vedantu assist you through the process but also make relevant resources available on our website, such as past years’ question papers for your benefit. 

To complement your study of NCERT book class 12 Geography India People and Economy, subscribe to our live classes. The interactive nature of these sessions will enable you to acquire greater clarity on the topics as well have your questions or doubts answered which may not be available in your exam notes.