The human activities responsible for land degradation in India are:

1. Deforestation due to mining activities in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha have caused severe land degradation. Mining sites are abandoned after excavation work is completed, leaving deep scars.
2. Mineral processing like grinding of limestone for cement industry as well as calcite and soapstone for ceramic industry generate huge quantities of dust which falls down on land. This retards the process of infiltration of water into the soil.
3. Effluents as waste from industries have become a major source of land and water pollution in many parts of the country.
4. Over-irrigation in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh are responsible for land degradation due to waterlogging, leading to increase in salinity and alkalinity in the soil.
5. Over-grazing: The animals damage the soil surface by eating the vegetation and either digging into wet soil or compacting dry soil with their hooves.  This can prevent grass growing and slow down the percolation of water through the soil. Soils with less vegetation become exposed, drier and prone to further erosion by the wind and rain. In states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra overgrazing are one of the main reasons for land degradation. 

Old fallow land means the land which was unfit for cultivation in terms of fertility, water holding capacity etc. It is no longer used for cultivation.
Current fallow means the land on which the cultivation is being done for the last times and soon the land will too be counted as barren.

If agricultural land is lost, people may find it more difficult to find produce, and prices may also rise.

Soil is the most important natural resource for human life. Agricultural production is done on soil. Other organisms also depend on soil. The absence of soil will impact our lives in the following way:-

• Crops will not be produced.

• We will not get food.

• Plants and forests will not grow.

• All vegetations will be finished.

• Environment related problems will start.

• Our life will be ended.

Social division means division of society on the basis of social differences like language, region, caste, colour, race and ***. Social division sometimes lead to political division of the country.

(i) In the countryside for the rich peasant communities fight,'Swaraj' was a struggle against high revenue.
(ii) The countrymen broke the Salt Law.
(iii) Foreign clothes were boycotted and liquor shops were picketed.
(iv) Peasants refused to pay the land revenue.
(v) Village officials resigned from their jobs.
(vi) People violated forest laws.

• During the First World War, Indian merchants and industrialists had made huge profits and become powerful .
• Keen on expanding their business, they now reacted against colonial policies that restricted business activities.
• They wanted protection against imports of foreign goods, and a rupee-sterling foreign exchange ratio that would discourage imports.
• To organise business interests, they formed the Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress in 1920 and the Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) in 1927.
• Led by prominent industrialists like Purshottamdas Thakurdas and G. D. Birla, the industrialists attacked colonial control over the Indian economy, and supported the Civil Disobedience Movement when it was first launched.
• They gave financial assistance and refused to buy or sell imported goods.
• Most businessmen came to see swaraj as a time when colonial restrictions on business would no longer exist and trade and industry would flourish without constraints

Material culture refers to the physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define their lives. These include homes, neighborhoods, cities, schools, churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, offices, factories and plants, tools, means of production, goods and products, stores, and so forth. All of these physical aspects of a being help to define its members' behaviors and perceptions.

Non‐material culture refers to the nonphysical ideas that people have about their culture and within their lives, including beliefs, values, rules, norms, morals, language, organizations, and institutions. For instance, the non‐material cultural concept of religion/faiths consists of a set of ideas and beliefs about God, worship, morals, and ethics. These beliefs, then, determine how the culture responds to its religious topics, issues, and events.

Decentralisation is the need in India because:
1. India is a vast country, central govt. is unable to hear the needs of people from different areas.
2. The local government can easily understand the needs and demands of their people.
3. It helps women to participate in decision making process because 33% seats are reserved for women in local govt.
4. It takes off burden from central and state govt.
5. It strenghtens democracy.

1.  Different tiers of government govern the same citizens, but each tier has its own jurisdiction in specific matters of legislation, taxation and administration.

2. The jurisdictions of the respective levels or tiers of government are specified in the constitution.

3. The fundamental provisions of the constitution cannot be unilaterally changed by one level of government. Such changes require the consent of both the levels of government.

4. Courts have the power to interpret the constitution and the powers of different levels of government.

5. Sources of revenue for each level of government are clearly specified to ensure its financial autonomy.

6. The federal system thus has dual objectives: to safeguard and promote unity of the country, while at the same time accommodate regional diversity.

1. Northern Ireland of the United Kingdom has been for many years the site of a violent and bitter ethnopolitical conflict.
2. Its population is divided into major sects of Christianity. 53% population is of Protestants and 44% population is of Catholics.
3. This ethnic divided became a politically divided when Catholic were represented by Nationalist parties who demanded that Northern Ireland is unified with the Republic of Ireland, a predominantly Catholic country.
4. Protestants were represented by Unionists who wanted to remain with the UK, which is predominant Protestants.