Urban Livelihoods : Chapter 9, Civics Class 6 - NCERT Solution, Social & Political Life - I
Page no - 76
1. What do you see in this illustration ?
Answer :
It is a busy street scene in a city, with hawkers and vendors. Various type of vehicles like buses, cycles and rickshaw are playing on the roads. The people are busy buying goods and some people are trying to board the bus.
2. You have already read about the work that people do in rural areas. Now compare the work that people in this illustration are doing with the work that people do in rural areas.
Answer:
The people in the rural areas mostly work in the field or they go to catch fish, which is sold by the womenfolk. In the cities there are hawkers and vendors, rickshaw pullers and vegetable sellers etc.
3. Some parts of the city are different from others. What differences do you notice in this illustration ?
Answer:
Some parts of the city have high rise buildings. Some parts of the city are crowded and congested, which are occupied by vendors and pavement shops.
Page no - 79
1. Why did Bachchu Manjhi come to the city ?
Answer:
Bachchu Manjhi came to the city to find work. He did not get masonry work regularly. The income that he earned was not sufficient for his family.
2. Why can't Bachchu Manjhi live with his family ?
Answer:
Bachchu Manjhi cannot live with his family because he lives in rented room with his friends.
3. Talk to a vegetable vendor or hawker and find out how do they organise their work, their way of preparing, purchasing, selling etc.
Answer :
A vegetable vendor :
- Early in the morning he goes to the vegetable mandi and buys seasonal vegetables in bigger quantities. He also buys some special vegetable, but in smaller proportion.
- He brings the vegetables, clean them with water and arrange different vegetable like tomatoes, carrot, cauliflowers, cucumbers at the stall so that people can see what vegetables are available.
- He sits in the stall with his weights and money box and waits for the customer.
- He has to tell the price of each vegetable, which the customers ask for. Sometimes there is haggling and he reduces the price for the regular customers.He also gives spray of celery and green chillies in the winter season and when the vegetables purchased are in large quantities.
- In the afternoon he has to cover the vegetable with wet jute cloth.
- Sometimes he gives extra services, like peeling the vegetables, or send the vegetables to the customer's house (home delivery). He has a phone and receives order from the customers.
- He buys the articles like water bottles, lunch boxes, small toys, hair - pins and clips from a nearby factory. He also displays some kid's garments which are on loan from the factory. If he is not able to sell it, he returns them to the factory.
- The people come, they see the goods, ask the price, open and close the boxes. Sometimes they try the garments. But they do not buy it. It is very disappointing and the trolley has to be arranged again.
- One has to be very careful with the probable customers because they try to steal things.
- At night, the articles have to be neatly packed and stored in a cupboard like box below the trolley.
Answer:
Bachchu Manjhi is a rickshaw puller and earns about Rs. 100/- a day. If he takes leave he will not be able to earn money for himself and his family.
Page no - 81
Q. Why did Harpreet and Vandana start a showroom ? What do they have to do to run the showroom ?
Answer:
Harpreet and Vandana opened a showroom, the business had changed. The people prefer to buy readymade clothes, rather than have them stitched. The trend is for readymade garemnts. Vandana is a dress designer. Harpreet knew how to manage the shop.
- To run the showroom, the garments need an attractive display.
- They buy things from different places, the materials from mumbai, Ahmedabad, Ludhiana and Tripura. Some materials also come from Noida and Gurgaon, towns near Delhi. Some dress items are also purchased from foreign countries.
- Advertisements have to put in the newspapers, cinema theatres, televisions and radio channels.
Answer:
The shopkeeper purchases goods from different places and tries to have a variety and latest goods introduced in the market. He displays and advertises his goods. He is polite to the customers. He also hears to the genuine complaints of the customer and sometimes replaces the articles. There is a stiff competition in the market, shopkeepers give discounts and organise sales.
Q. What are the differences between those who sell on the street and those in the market ?
Answer:
The difference between those who sell on the street and those in the market are -
On the street :
- They work on their own. They are not employed by anyone and therefore have to organise their own work.
- They have to plan how much to purchase, as well as where and how to setup their shops.
- Their shops are usually temporary structures, sometimes just some boards or papers spread over discarded boxes or may be a canvas sheet hung on a few poles.
- They may also have their own carts or simply a plastic sheet spread on the pavement.
- The police may ask them to dismantle their shops at any time.
- They have no security, they may not be allowed in some parts of the city.
- In the market, the shops may be small or large, they sell various things.
- Most businessman manage their own shops or business. They are not employed by anyone.
- The shopowners employ a number of other workers as supervisors or helpers.
- These are permanent shops that are given a licence to do business by the Municipal Corporation.
- The Municipal Corporation also decides on which day, the market has to remain closed.
1. Why do you think small workshops and factories employ casual workers ?
Answer:
The small workshops and factories employ casual workers because these workshops get orders from abroad or some other dealer. When there is no work they dismiss the casual workers.
2. Describe the working conditions of the people like Nirmala keeping in mind the following : working hours, conditions in the workplace, earnings, and the days of work available.
Answer:
The working conditions of people like Nirmala are :
- Working hours : They have long working hours, 12 hours a day. They start working at 9 am and finish only by 10 pm, sometimes even later. She works for 6 days a week. At times, when there is more work, or there is an urgent need, she works on Sundays also.
- Conditions in the work place : The working place is a small workshop, people working in a small room on sewing machines, where cloth was being stitched. Clothes that had been stitched were stacked on one side of the room.
- Earnings : The workers are paid Rs. 80/- a day for eight hours and Rs. 40/- extra for working late. There is no job security.
- Days of work available : The casual workers like Nirmala are employed when there is more work, depending upon the season or when orders are received. For some months, there is no work, in a year.
Answer:
Domestic workers like housemaids are not casual workers. They get monthly payment, food and house to live. They may also be given some medical help, when needed. They work throughout the year.
The work - day for the housemaids start early in the morning. They perform all household chores like cleaning the house, washing clothes, cooking food and cleaning the utensils. She may get some rest hours in the afternoon. The working hour ends about 10 pm.
Page no - 84
1. Read and discuss the following description of the living conditions of workers who come to the labour chowk.
Most worker that we find at the labour chowk cannot afford permanent accomodation and so sleep on pavements near the chowk, or they pay Rs 6 a night for a bed at at a nearby night shelter run by the Municipal Corporation. To compensate for the lack of securtiy, local tea and cigarette shops function as banks, moneylenders and safety lockers, all rolled into one. Most worker leave their tools at these shops for the night for safekeeping, and pass on any extra money to them. The shopkeepers keep the money safely and also offer loan to labourers in need.
Source : Aman Sethi, Hindu On-line
Answer:
- These workers are either daily wage earners or they are self employed like carrying loads or pulling carts and rickshaws. If they are sick, they cannot work on those days.
- They live frugally on the street and hardly have anything to eat.
- May be during the rainy season they pay for the night shelter.
- They depend upon the local tea shop or other to keep their belongings for safe keeping. It is very difficult life for them.
| Name | Place of work | Earnings | Security of work | Benefits received | Work on their own or employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachchu Manjhi | Rs 100 a day | ||||
| Harpreet, Vandana | Work on their own | ||||
| Nirmala | No security | ||||
| Sudha | Company | Rs 30,000 p.m |
| Name | Place of work | Earnings | Security of work | Benefits received | Work for their own or employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachchu Manjhi | Cycle Rickshaw puller, stands on the road side to find passengers. | Rs 100/- day | Work on his own. | ||
| Harpreet, Vandana | A showroom selling readymade clothes | Earnings are good, they have booked a flat. | Work on their own | ||
| Nirmala | A tailor is an export garment factory | 80/- + 40/- for working late | No security | Savings for old age | Employed |
| Sudha | Company | Rs. 30,000 p.m. | Holidays, medical facilities | Permanent worker | Employed |
Harpreet and Vandana have their own showroom, they buy goods from different places and advertise their goods over the T.V.
Nirmala is a tailor, works for long hours, gets extra payment. The factory reduces its work by the month of June and she will be asked to leave.
Sudha is a marketing manager, looks after the sales and marketing of biscuits. She tries to increase the sale. She gets holidays, medical benefits upto a certain limit, a part of her salary is kept with the government and on it she gets interest. When she retires she will get this money back.
3. In what ways is a permanent and regular job different from a casual job ? Discuss.
Answer:
The employee in a permanent and regular jobs get monthly salary and number of other benefits, e.g., Sundays are holidays, National days are holidays, medical benefits up to a certain limit and other benefits. They have fixed working hours.
A casual worker gets a daily wage. The day he cannot work, he cannot get any wages. There are no holidays and other benefits for the old age. They work for long hours in order to get extra wages.
4. What benefits does Sudha get along with her salary ?
Answer:
The benefits which Sudha gets along with her salary are -
- Sundays and National days are holidays.
- She also gets some days as annual leave.
- Medical benefits upto a certain limit for her and her family, she gets medical leave if she falls ill.
- Savings for the old age - A part of her salary is kept in a fund with the government. She will earn interest on these savings. When she retires from this job she will get this money and she can live well on that.
5. Fill in the following table to show the services provided by people in the markets which you visit frequently.
| Name of the shop or office | Nature of the service provided |
|---|---|
| Name of the shop or office | Nature of the service provided |
|---|---|
| Tony General Store | Grocery items |
| Ram Dairy | Milk Supply |
| NDPL | For Electricity Supply |
| DJB | For Water Supply |
| Ram Associates | Consulatncy |