India After Independence

Q1. Fill in the blanks.

                          i.        Subjects that were placed on the Union List were taxes, defence and foreign affairs.

                         ii.        Subjects on the Concurrent List were forests and agriculture.

                        iii.        Economic planning by which both the state and the private sector played a role in development was called a mixed economy model.

                        iv.        The death of Potti Sriramulu sparked off such violent protests that the government was forced to give in to the demand for the linguistic state of Andhra.

                         v.        In 1960, the bilingual state of Bombay was divided into separate states for Marathi and Gujarati speakers.

                        vi.        In 1966, the state of Punjab was also divided into Punjab and Haryana.

          vii.        Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was also the foreign minister of newly independent India.

          viii.        Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, respectfully referred to as Babasaheb, belonged to a Marathi-speaking dalit family.

                          ix.        Bridges and dams became the symbol of development in independent India.

                          x.        Dharavi in Bombay is one of the world’s largest slums.

Q2. True/False

                          i.        At independence, the majority of Indians lived in villages. True

                         ii.        The Constituent Assembly was made up of members of the Congress party. False

                         iii.        Soon after Independence, India chose to grant voting right to all its citizens regardless of gender, class or education. True

                         iv.        India’s population in 1947 was large, almost 345million. True

                          v.        In the first national election, only men were allowed to vote. False

                         vi.        The Second Five Year Plan focused on the development of heavy industry. True

          vii.        Along with the former Untouchables, the adivasis or Scheduled Tribes were also granted reservation in seats and jobs. True

Q3. Write any two subjects of the State List.

Ans. Education and Health

Q4. Write any two subjects of the Concurrent List.

Ans.  Forests and Agriculture

Q5. When was Indian Constitution adopted?

Ans.  The Indian Constitution was adopted on 26 January 1950.

Q6. Who is called the father of Indian Constitution?

Ans.  Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is called the father of Indian Constitution.

Q7. When did new state of Andhra Pradesh come into existence?
Or
When did the new state of Andhra Pradesh come into being?

Ans.  On 1 October 1953, the new state of Andhra Pradesh came into being.

Q8. What was the basic objective of foreign policy of independent India?

Ans. The basic objective of foreign policy of independent India was Non-alignment.

Q9. Who was the first deputy prime minister of Independent India?

Ans. Vallabhbhai Patel was the first deputy prime minister of Independent India.

Q10. When was the Bhilai Steel Plant set up?

Ans.  The Bhilai steel plant was set up with the help of the former Soviet Union in 1959.

Q11. Who was Potti Sriramulu?

Ans. Potti Sriramulu was the Gandhian leader who died fasting for a separate state for Telugu speakers.

Q12. What were the points of focus of the Second Five Year Plan?

Ans.  Second Five Year Plan focused strongly on the development of heavy industries such as steel, and on the building of large dams.

Q13. How was the Bhilai steel plant seen?

Ans. The Bhilai steel plant came to be seen as an important sign of the development of modern India after Independence.

Q14. What was the role of the Planning Commission?

Ans. In 1950, the government set up a Planning Commission to help design and execute suitable policies for economic development.

Q15. Which step has been described as revolutionary?

Ans. One feature of the Constitution was its adoption of universal adult franchise. All Indians above the age of 21 would be allowed to vote in state and national elections. This was a revolutionary step – for never before had Indians been allowed to choose their own leaders.