Tag: indian economy on the eve of independence

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When there is no excess demand or excess supply, the market clears. However, it does not mean that everybody is equally satisfied. At the given market price, some people may not be able to buy the product, and therefore, remain unsatisfied.

The sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. In most sexually reproducing species, the ratio tends to be 1:1. 

In May 1854, the Bombay–Thane line was extended to Kalyan with the Thane viaducts over the Thane creek (India's first railway bridges).

The first railway line in India was constructed during the rule of Lord Dalhousie. The first train started from Bori Bunder in Bombay at 3:35 pm on April 16, 1853 with a 21-gun salute. It had 14 carriages.

The agricultural sector accounted for the largest share of the workforce which was around 70-75%. The manufacturing and the services sectors accounted for only 10 and 15-20 percent respectively. Also, there were increasing regional variations under the British rule.

The state of infrastructure during the pre-British India was very poor. The transportation and communication lines were below average due to insufficient funds. In fact, most of the villages lacked connectivity by pucca roads. Consequently, natural dusty tracks were the roads predominant in India. However, such roads spelt misery during monsoons as they became muddy and difficult to traverse.  During natural calamities, these roads became unfunctional as a result of which various areas became inaccessible and were cut-off. 

 First proposals for railways in India were made in Madras in 1832. The first train in India ran from Red Hills to Chintadripet bridge in 1837. It was called Red Hill Railway and used a rotary steam locomotive manufactured by William Avery.

The first passenger train in India ran between Bombay (Bori Bunder) and Thane on 16 April 1853. The 14-carriage train was hauled by three steam locomotives: Sahib, Sindh and Sultan.

The British introduced the railway system in India because they felt the need for a fast and quick transportation to carry the raw materials across the country easily which was needed by them.  Railways led to increased agricultural output, export of food-grains, widening of markets, commercialization of agriculture, and, hence, cropping pattern. As railways widened the markets for the agricultural sectors, Indian agriculture became linked to the world trade cycles.