India After Independence| Question and Answers

India after Independence- Question and Answers| Part-III

 V. Answer the following questions briefly.

    1. How did Sardar Patel make India strong and united?

Ans: Sardar Patel made India strong and united by:

        a. He merged the smaller states with the neighboring states and the states large in size was combined to form a larger state with the consent of the concerned states. 

        b. The process was sometimes completed in stages. The states joined India.

        c. Hyderabad decided to remain independent and not join either India and Pakistan. However, Indian troops secured its accession to India.

        This made India more strong and united.

    2. Write a note on our relations with Pakistan and China.

Ans: India's relation with Pakistan has not always been peaceful and cordial. The relationship deteriorated when Pakistan forcibly laid claim to the state of Jammu and Kashmir which had lawfully acceded to the Indian Union and succeeded in occupying a part of it. 

        India and China had a long history of friendly relationships. India was on very good terms with China in 1947. The relations between the two countries began to strain when China occupied Tibet. On October 20, 1962, China attacked Ladakh, a region in the north of India, and the North-Eastern Frontier Agency(NEFA), the mountainous region in the North-East.

    3. What do you understand by the five principles of Panchsheel and the policy of non-alignment?

Ans: The five principles of Panchsheel are: 

• Mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
• Mutual non-aggression.
• Mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs.
• Equality for mutual benefit.
• Peaceful co-existence

    After the Second World War, the emergence of independent states in Asia and Africa led to the beginning of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

    4. Briefly state the progress made by the country in various directions.

Ans: The progress made by India in various directions are:

• Militarily, the country is quite strong. Our failures against the Chinese invasion made us realize the need of having strong defenses.
• In the economic field, the country has established a sound industrial base. Steel and Cotton industries are fast developing and the Government is laying special emphasis on developing agricultural and agro-industries to provide more employment to rural people.
• Improvement in agricultural technology and irrigation facilities revolutionized agriculture in some parts of the country while revolutionary changes are in the offing in other parts.
• The literacy rate has gone up. India is now witnessing remarkable changes in science and technology, especially in the field of electronics and computers.
• We have also marched ahead in the field of art and architecture and developing nuclear power for peaceful purposes, India is moving forward to face the challenges of the 21st century with confidence.

    5. How do you explain the fact that our progress has been lopsided?

Ans: The fact that our progress has been lopsided can be explained by the following:

    The vastness of the country itself has led to many serious problems. Our economic progress has been lopsided in many respects. The result of this is the regional disparities and widening of the gap between the rich and the poor. Large parts of the rural areas still remain backward., socially as well as economically. Also, the educational system continues to suffer from various defects and shortcomings.