Write down the main indicators of affluence in the Modern World.

What characterizes the modern world is the remarkable speed of generation of wealth. This process started towards the end of 18^th century and has continued since then, though there is considerable unevenness in the generation and spread of wealth among different societies and groups. There are several indicators of new found prosperity. Some of them are:
Development of the means of irrigation and increase in arable land has led to much more production of various crops. Greater availability of food has ensured that famines do not recur as they used to in pre-modern times. The population of the world has increased. This has largely been result of a decline in death rate. Life expectancy in general has gone up. In most societies the literacy has gone up. The size of the middle class has increased, though in poor countries the number of the people in this class is not as much as in developed countries. But there is decrease in the number of people living in poverty all over. Various indicators of economic performance of different societies, such as national income Etc. continue to grow, leading to continuous growth of standard of living. Of course, there is vast difference between developed societies and developing countries and within them but growth is taking place almost everywhere.

Distinguish between science and social sciences.

Science means systematic knowledge of the physical world acquired through the processing of observation and experiments. Scientific knowledge is based on verifiable facts using certain methods that may be checked by anyone and may be made use of anywhere.

Social sciences deal with different aspects of human society and interpersonal relationships among people in society. However there have been long arguments on differences between science and social sciences. Few different are like as follows-

The differences between science and social sciences are related to their subjects and basic approach. While the subject of science is various aspect of physical and material world, in social sciences, we study different aspects of human society and inter-personal relationship in society. As human societies are not the same in different parts of world, and they may change with time, the approach in sciences is to find the common trends and after close study of social facts to draw generalizations. Hence the conclusion and theories of social sciences change with the change in social condition, while the scientific facts are universal in nature.

Discuss about any two social reformers of India before independence.

Satguru Shri Wamanrao Pai was born to a middle class family in Mumbai. He was born on 21st of October, 1923. He completed his graduation majoring in Economics from Mumbai University in 1944. Satguru Wamanrao Pai leads a happy married life and is father to a daughter and a son. After graduation he worked for Maharashtra State Government where he retired in 1981 as a Deputy Secretary, Finance. He was a follower of Shri Nana Maharaj Shreegondekar.At an very early age of 25, he was inclined to spiritualism. He has worked diligently to self realisation. His efforts and devotion have made him attain his highest goals of spiritual sadhana.

Satguru started imparting his spiritual knowledge in the form of courses at different spiritual centres and the Vivekanada Centre in Mumbai. Satguru and his followers established a trust for spiritual upliftment and empowerement of the people. They called the trust Nam Sampraday Mandal in 1955 on the auspicious Dassera day. Nam Sampraday Mandal is know known as Jeevanvidya Mission.

He has more than 25 books to his credit which are learned by many devotees all over. He has delivered more than ten thousand lectures across Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and even the United States. The belief and philosophy of Satguru Wamanrai Pai are life changing and inspirational. His teachings bring a breathe of freshness to one’s thinking and outlook towards life. Everyone part of Jeevanvidya Mission are thankful to Satguru for his contribution to spiritual enlightenment of us all.

Jeevanvidya Mission is a movement started in Maharashtra, India by Satguru Shri Wamanrao Pai for the material and spiritual upliftment of mankind. It is one of the many spiritual movements in India.

The word Jeevanvidya is a Sanskrit word that can be broken down into Jeevan (meaning life) and vidya (meaning knowledge). The aim of this mission is to teach the common people the art of living a happy and prosporous life. Jeevanvidya is a philosophy of life and an art of successful living. It aims at achieving material prosperity and attaining spiritual progress through relentless efforts, on the basis of circumstances as they stand.

The activities of Jeevanvidya Mission include: Conducting Discourses. Satguru Shri Wamanrao Pai's discourses are organized all over Western India for last 60 years. In 1998, a lecture series of Satguru Shri Wamanrao Pai was held in USA. Publication of books. More than 25 books are published, mainly in Marathi. However, some books are also published in other languages such as Hindi, English, Gujarati & Kannada. “Deepastambha” magazine is published quarterly. Conducting courses. Jeevanvidya Basic Courses and Advanced courses are conducted covering various topics of Jeevanvidya Philosophy.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy: (August 14, 1774 – September 27, 1833) was a founder of the Brahma Sabha in 1828 which engendered the Brahmo Samaj, an influential Indian socio-religious reform movement. He is best known for his efforts to abolish the practice of sati, the Hindu funeral practice in which the widow was compelled to sacrifice herself on her husband’s funeral pyre. It was he who first introduced the word "Hinduism" into the English language in 1816. For his diverse contributions to society, Raja Ram Mohan Roy is regarded as one of the most important figures in the Indian Renaissance. Ram Mohan Roy's impact on modern Indian history was a revival of the pure and ethical principles of the Vedanta school of philosophy as found in the Upanishad

Explain the meaning of planning as an instrument of resource allocation. Why is there a need for planning in the development process?

Planning can be defined as a consciously directed activity with predetermined goals and predetermined means to carry them out. It is an instrument or technique or mechanism whereby the use pattern of resources is carried out. Two basic elements of planning are (i) the goals and (ii) the means.

(i)In a plan there may be one or more goals. In case there are many goals, they need to be placed in order of their importance to the economy.

(ii)The means are broadly constituted of two elements: policies and instruments.

The policies describe the outlines of actions for the fulfillment of plan goals.

The instruments may be defined as the qualitatively and quantitatively defined means of action by which it is intended to achieve the plan goals. These instruments are the means by which planned resources are matched with planned requirements.

The various economic factors that make it imperative that economic planning be adopted as an instrument of resource allocation are as follows:

(i)Since resources, whether natural, material, capital or human, are severely limited, planning provides a method of rational and considered choice for securing the optimum combination of inputs.

(ii)Planning help to identify those deficiencies in the economy and the social structure which demand the largest attention.

(iii)A plan for mobilizing resources and savings is a necessary counterpart of the scheme of investment.

(iv)The processes associated with planning and the implementation of plans enlarges the scope for public participation and cooperation.

(v)A role for government planning is thus called for to ensure that potential free-riders play their part.

(vi)As planning techniques improve and more precise statistical data become available, the inter-relationship within the national economy can be seen more clearly and to that extent the effects of different policies and measures can be traced systematically.