Unit 1 : Against the odds

 Unit 1 : Against the odds

કેતન જોષી

(1) For twenty-five years, residents of Taj Nagar village near Gurugram lobbied for a railway station in their village. When their demand was not met, the villagers decided to take matters into their own hands. They pooled in twenty-one lakh rupees and built a railway station on their own.

1. For what did the residents of Taj Nagar lobby? How long?

Ans. The residents of Taj Nagar lobbied for a railway station in their village for twenty-five years.

2. What did the villagers decide? Why?

Ans. The villagers decided to take matters into their own hands because their demand for a railway station was not met. they collect ?

3. How much money did Ans. They collected twenty-one lakh rupees.

( 2 ) “There are a large number of people in the village who need to go to Gurugram, Delhi and Rewar. There are students who go to colleges. Till now, we had to either go to Halimandi or Patli to catch a train. Both the stations are six kilometres away from Taj Nagar. We thought when the railway lines passed through the village we would have a station here. But that didn't happen. So we raised the demand in 1982 and have been continuously asking for it, but the railways told us that they did not have funds. So, finally we decided to craft our own destiny," said Hukamchand, a member of the committee.

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1. Why did the villagers think that they should have a station in their village ?

Ans. The villagers thought that they should have a station in their village because the railway lines passed through the village.

2. What was the response of the railways to the villagers' demand ?

Ans. The railways told the villagers that they did not have funds to build a railway station in their village.

(3 ) As a result, the panchayat passed a resolution in 2008, saying that since the railway was not able to build a station for them, they would do it for themselves and with their own money! Soon, an eleven member team was formed and the team started collecting money from villagers.

On 7 January 2010, as a result of their efforts, the first railway station in the country, on which the railway did not have to spend a single rupee, started operations.

1. What resolution did the panchayat pass ? Ans. The panchayat passed a resolution that since the railways was not able to build a station for them they would do it for themselves and with their own money.

2. What is special about the Taj Nagar railway station ?

 Ans. The Taj Nagar railway station is the first station in the country on which the railway did not spend a single rupee as it was built with the people's money.

( 4 ) In rural Uttar Pradesh, over sixty per cent of households are without power. Sitapur district is one such place with no power. A small social enterprise called Mera Gao Power (MGP) is trying to change things. They are putting two solar panels at a time. In just over a year, MGP has connected more than 3,500 customers to solar power mini-grids at the village level. 

1. What is the main problem in rural Uttar Pradesh ,?

Ans. The main problem in rural Uttar Pradesh is that over sixty per cent of households are without power.

2. How is MGP trying to change things ? Ans. MGP is trying to change things by connecting more than 3,500 customers to solar power mini-grids at the village level.

(5 ) Village by village, MGP is building a network of low cost solar micro-grids that provide two LED lights and a mobile charging point to all paying households at a cost of twenty-five rupees per week. That is cheaper than kerosene, which can cost almost double across a month. Solar power, as a 'smokeless' source of light, comes with added benefits to customer health.

1. What are the advantages of solar power ?

Ans. Solar power is cheaper than kerosene and being a smokeless source of light, it is good for the customer's health. 2. What facilities does MGP provide with a network of low cost solar micro-grids ?

Ans. MGP provides two LED lights and a mobile charging point to all paying households at a cost of twenty-five rupees per week.

( 6 ) “We're saving our environment with these lights, and there's no pollution in our homes either," says a farmer from the village.

"New businesses are starting to emerge amongst the customers too,” says another. “In one village, customers are using the light to weave saris by night. In another, one man now has a night business making plastic tablecloth," he says. "It's nice to have light while we cook and eat. Our children

are also studying more now !”

1. What are the advantages of solar power ?

Ans. Solar power saves environment, stops pollution and helps to start new businesses.

2. Why are the people of the village happy?

Ans. The people of the village are happy because they have light while they cook and eat and the children are also studying more.

(7) In Kerala, the Palakkad District Public Library has been up and running since September, 2013. It is a fine modern library, a centre for information, knowledge, wisdom, cultural activities, research and reference. But it has recently been in the news for different reasons. A third of its thousand members are women. These women, supported by the shared space the library offered them, launched a women's unit in February, 2014. The unit got together to discuss methods of empowering women.

1. What is unique about the library members? 

Ans. One-third of the thousand members of the library are women.

2. The library is a centre for ...

Ans. The library is a centre for information, knowledge, wisdom, cultural activities, research and reference.

3. Why was the library in news ?

Ans. The library was in news because the women members, supported by the shared space the library offered them, launched a women's unit in February, 2014.

(8) The library opened its halls for film screening, workshops in home economics or gardening, child care or the arts, and for women to get help in managing family conflicts, legal disputes and professional problems.

The secretary of the library pointed out that through reading, women would realize their own strength and forge a unity. 

1. What did the secretary point out ?

Ans. The secretary pointed out that through reading, women would realize their own strength and forge a unity.

2. How does the library help women ?

Ans. The library helps women to manage family conflicts, legal disputes and professional problems.

3. What kind of workshops are conducted in the library ? 

Ans. Workshops in home economics, gardening, child care and arts are conducted in the library.

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(9) It was noted that the lending libraries of earlier times were disappearing and the present rural reading rooms were too often full of only male readers. The unit discussed that if the once well-read women of Kerala continued to squander their hours in front of television, it would encourage a climate in which women are afraid to go out after dark. So, the unit has formulated plans on opening separate reading rooms for women.

1. What was the problem of the libraries of earlier times and the present times ?

Ans. The libraries of the earlier times were disappearing and the libraries of the present times were too full of male readers.

2. If the women wasted their time in watching TV, ... Ans. If the women wasted their time in watching TV, it would encourage a climate in which women are afraid to go out after dark.

(10) Palakkad's district library stands tall as a beacon to encourage women's empowerment through classes, clubs, workshops and reading rooms. And then, there are the books, which will provide the women the strength they need to make good use of these opportunities.

1. How does the library encourage women empowerment ? Ans. The library encourages women empowerment through classes, clubs, workshops and reading rooms.

2. How will the books help women ?

Ans. The books will give women the strength to make good use of opportunities to empower themselves.

QUESTION

SET 2

Unit 1 : Against the Odds

(1) Taj Nagar Railway Station

(What was the need for a railway station ? - Why did the people want a railway station ? - What was the response of

- a the railways ? - What did the villagers then do ? - How much money did they pool in ? - When was the railway station built ?) Ans. There were a large number of people and students in Taj Nagar who had to go to Gurugram, Delhi and Rewar. They had to either go to Halimandi or Patli to catch a train. Both the stations are six kilometres away. The railway lines passed through the village and so the people demanded railway station there in 1982. But the railways refused saying that they did not have any funds. So the villagers decided to build a station themselves. Everybody contributed according to their capacity, ranging from three thousand rupees to seventyfive thousand rupees. They pooled in twenty-one lakh rupees and built a railway station on their own. The station started operations on 7 January, 2010.

(2) MGP's Efforts for Solar Power in Sitapur District (What has MGP done in the village ? - What do the solar micro-grids provide the customers ? - At what cost? - Why does the MGP team map the village ? - What are the benefits of solar power ?)

Ans. Mera Gao Power (MGP) has connected more than 3,500 customers to solar power mini-grids at the village level. MGP is building a network of low cost solar micro-grids that provide two LED lights and a mobile charging point to all paying households at a cost of twenty-five rupees per week. The MGP team maps the village, house by house, working out where to place each wire so as to connect customer to the power source. Due to solar micro-grids, there is no pollution and so the environment is also saved. Besides this, new businesses have also emerged in the villages. Children study more. The people enjoy cooking and eating in light.

 (3) Palakkad's

District Library

(when it was established - centre of knowledge, wisdom, etc. women members - women's unit - women's empowerment - activities like film screening, workshops – women get help in family conflicts, legal disputes and professional problems - separate reading rooms for women women's empowerment through classes, clubs, workshops and reading rooms)

Ans. The Palakkad District Public Library was established in September 2013. It is a centre for information, knowledge, wisdom, cultural activities, research and reference. A third of its thousand members are women. So the library launched a women's unit in February, 2014. The unit got together to discuss methods of empowering women. The library opened its halls for film screening, workshops in home economics or gardening, child care or the arts. The women also get help in managing family conflicts, legal disputes and professional problems. The unit formulated plans for opening separate reading rooms for women. It encourages women's empowerment through classes, clubs, workshops and reading rooms.