
Chapter 1: Resources and Development CLASS 10TH
Everything available in our environment which can be used to satisfy our needs, provided, it is technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable can be termed as ‘Resource’.
📌 1. What is a Resource?
A resource is anything that has utility and can satisfy human needs. It must be technologically accessible, economically feasible, and culturally acceptable.
Examples: Water, forests, minerals, electricity, soil, etc.
📌 2. Types of Resources

🔹 Based on Origin:
- Biotic: Living resources (e.g., plants, animals, humans)
- Abiotic: Non-living resources (e.g., minerals, water, air)
🔹 Based on Exhaustibility:
- Renewable: Can be renewed or replenished (e.g., solar energy, forests)
- Non-renewable: Limited; cannot be renewed in a human lifespan (e.g., fossil fuels, minerals)
🔹 Based on Ownership:
- Individual: Owned by individuals (e.g., farmland)
- Community: Used by all people (e.g., village pond)
- National: Belong to the nation (e.g., roads, railways)
- International: Regulated by international institutions (e.g., oceanic resources beyond 200 nautical miles)
🔹 Based on Status of Development:
- Potential: Present but not yet used (e.g., solar energy in Rajasthan)
- Developed: Already in use (e.g., coal in Jharkhand)
- Stock: Available but not usable due to lack of technology (e.g., hydrogen as fuel)
- Reserves: Part of stock that can be used with existing technology (e.g., water in dams)
📌 3. Resource Planning

A technique to ensure judicious use of resources.
Steps:
- Identification and inventory of resources (survey, mapping)
- Evolving planning structure with appropriate technology
- Matching resource development with national development plans
📌 4. Need for Resource Planning in India
- Uneven distribution of resources
- Overutilization leads to depletion
- To conserve for future generations
- To reduce regional imbalances
📌 5. Land Resources in India

- Land is a natural and limited resource.
- India has varied relief features: mountains, plateaus, plains, and deserts.
Land Use Categories (as per land records):
- Forests
- Land not available for cultivation
- Fallow land
- Net sown area
- Other uncultivated land
📌 6. Land Degradation and Conservation

Causes of Land Degradation:
- Deforestation
- Overgrazing
- Mining activities
- Over-irrigation
- Industrial waste
Conservation Measures:
- Afforestation
- Controlled grazing
- Proper waste management
- Terrace farming
- Shelterbelts of trees
📌 7. Soil as a Resource
Soil is a renewable natural resource.
Major Soil Types in India:
Type | Characteristics | Regions Found |
---|---|---|
Alluvial | Fertile, found in plains | Indo-Gangetic plains, northern states |
Black (Regur) | Good for cotton, moisture-retentive | Maharashtra, MP, Gujarat |
Red and Yellow | Less fertile, sandy | Odisha, Chhattisgarh, southern India |
Laterite | Rich in iron, poor in fertility | Karnataka, Kerala, MP |
Arid | Sandy, low humus | Rajasthan, Gujarat |
Mountain | Less developed, rich in humus | Himalayan regions |
📌 8. Soil Erosion and Conservation
Causes of Soil Erosion:
- Deforestation
- Overgrazing
- Shifting cultivation
- Poor farming practices
Types of Soil Erosion:
- Gully erosion: Cuts deep channels (badlands)
- Sheet erosion: Surface layer removed by water
Measures to Conserve Soil:
- Contour ploughing
- Terrace farming
- Strip cropping
- Planting shelter belts
- RESOURCE > CHATGPT
📖 Key Terms:
- Sustainable Development: Development without harming future generations.
- Resource Planning: Judicious use of resources to avoid depletion.
- Soil Erosion: Removal of topsoil due to wind or water.
- Afforestation: Planting of trees to conserve environment.
READ MORE : MINERALS AND ENERGY RESOURCES NOTES
READ MORE : Political Party Notes ( Class 10th )
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