CBSE Class 10 · Development

Development Goals of Different People Class 10 Economics

Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Different people have different development goals because their life situations differ, and one person's development may even harm another, as when dams for electricity displace tribals. Most people want more income, but they also seek equal treatment, freedom, security and respect. So national development means asking which goals are fair and just and benefit the most people.

Understand Development Goals of Different People

What development means to people. Development involves thinking about what we need, whether life can be better for all, how people should live together and whether there can be more equality. NCERT's Table 1.1 lists people with different aspirations:

Landless rural labourers: more days of work and better wages; a local school giving quality education; no social discrimination; a chance to become village leaders.
Prosperous farmers from Punjab: high family income through higher support prices for crops and hard-working, cheap labourers; settling their children abroad.
A rural woman from a land-owning family and a girl from a rich urban family: as much freedom as her brother; deciding what to do in life; studying abroad.
Others in the table: rain-dependent farmers, urban unemployed youth, a boy from a rich urban family, an adivasi from the Narmada valley.

Two key conclusions.
1. Different persons can have different developmental goals, because their life situations differ.
2. What may be development for one may not be development for the other; it may even be destructive. Goals can conflict:

A girl expects as much freedom and opportunity as her brother and wants him to share housework; he may not like it.
Industrialists may want more dams for electricity, but dams submerge land and displace people such as tribals, who may prefer small check dams or tanks for irrigation. (NCERT shows a protest against raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada.)

Income and other goals. One thing is common across Table 1.1: people want regular work, better wages and decent prices for what they produce, that is, more income. But they also seek equal treatment, freedom, security and respect, and resent discrimination. These may sometimes matter more than income, because material goods are not all we need.

Money is one factor in life; quality of life also depends on non-material things, such as friendship. What cannot be measured is not unimportant.
Job example: a job far away may pay well, but you also weigh facilities for your family, the working atmosphere and chances to learn. A lower-paid job with regular employment gives security; a high-paid job with no security and no time for family reduces security and freedom.
Women's example: paid work raises women's dignity at home and in society; respect for women leads to more sharing of housework and acceptance of women working outside; a safe environment lets more women take up jobs or run businesses.

So people look at a mix of goals.

National development. If individuals seek different goals, their ideas of national development will differ, and may conflict. National development means asking: are all ideas equally important? If they conflict, how do we decide? What is a fair and just path for all? Is there a better way? Would an idea benefit many people or only a small group? Since even the idea of development varies, there can also be differences about ways of developing.

Development Goals of Different People: key facts

Different goals: People have different development goals because their life situations differ; Not just because 'people are different'.
Conflicting goals: Development for one may be destructive for another (dams for industry vs displaced tribals); Different is not the same as conflicting.
Common goal: More income: regular work, better wages, decent prices
Other goals: Equal treatment, freedom, security, respect of others; no discrimination; May matter more than income.
National development: Weigh goals for fairness and justice; benefit many, not a few; find better ways

How to answer Development Goals of Different People questions

Economics in 2026-27 has 1-, 3- and 5-mark questions. This topic is tested through MCQs on Table 1.1, 3-mark answers on conflicting goals and non-income goals, and 5-mark answers on development as a mix of goals.

1For 'why different goals', point to different life situations, with two examples from Table 1.1.
2For 'conflicting goals', give a case where one group's gain is another's loss: dams vs tribals, or sister vs brother.
3For 'other goals', list equal treatment, freedom, security, respect, with the job or women example.
4For national development, frame questions of fairness, justice and how many benefit.
5Use 3-mark answers of about 60 words and 5-mark answers of about 120 words.

Development Goals of Different People in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Income versus security and freedom

Suppose a young graduate gets two offers: one pays very well but is a short contract with long hours and no weekends; the other pays less but is a permanent job near home with fixed hours.

Using NCERT's ideas, explain why the graduate might choose the lower-paid job.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Income is one goal, but not the only one.
The permanent job offers security.
Fixed hours near home give time for family: freedom.
People look at a mix of goals.

Answer: Income matters, but NCERT shows people also value security, freedom and family life. The lower-paid permanent job offers regular employment, which increases the sense of security, and fixed hours near home leave time for family. The high-paid contract job offers no security and no free time. Since development goals are a mix, the graduate may rationally prefer the second job.

Memory hook: More money is not always more development.

Tricks to remember Development Goals of Different People

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Different vs conflicting
Different = not the same; Conflicting = one's gain is another's loss.
Use it when: NCERT exercise on the two statements.
E-F-S-R goals
Equal treatment, Freedom, Security, Respect: goals beyond income.
Use it when: Non-income goals.
Dams divide
Industrialists want dams; tribals want check dams.
Use it when: Example of conflict.

Development Goals of Different People: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Goal of landless labourers · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

According to NCERT's Table 1.1, which of the following is a developmental goal of landless rural labourers?
(a) Higher support prices for their crops
(b) More days of work and better wages
(c) Settling their children abroad
(d) Hard-working and cheap labourers

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(a), (c) and (d) are goals of prosperous Punjab farmers; landless labourers want more days of work and better wages (1 mark).

Answer: (b) More days of work and better wages

Example 2: Different and conflicting goals (3 marks) · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

'What may be development for one may not be development for the other.' Explain with two examples. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Different people have different goals because their life situations differ, and goals may conflict (1 mark).
Example 1: industrialists want more dams for electricity, but dams submerge land and displace tribals, who may prefer small check dams or tanks (1 mark).
Example 2: a girl wants as much freedom as her brother and wants him to share housework; he may not like this (1 mark).

Answer: People's goals differ with their life situations and can even clash. Industrialists may want more dams for electricity, but dams submerge land and displace tribals, who may prefer small check dams or tanks. A girl wants as much freedom as her brother and wants him to share housework, which he may resent. One person's development can harm another.

Example 3: Assertion-reason: income and other goals · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

Assertion (A): Besides income, people seek equal treatment, freedom, security and respect.
Reason (R): Material goods are not all that people need to live.
(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) A is false, but R is true.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

NCERT explains that non-material goals matter because material goods are not all we need (1 mark).

Answer: (a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

Example 4: Passage: the dam dispute (3 marks) · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Read the passage and answer. NCERT's chapter shows a demonstration against raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada. It notes that industrialists may want more dams to get more electricity, while people displaced by submerged land, such as tribals, may resent this and prefer small check dams or tanks. (a) Why do the two groups disagree? (b) What does this show about development? (c) How should national development handle such a conflict? (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(a) Industrialists gain electricity from dams; tribals lose land and livelihoods to submergence (1 mark).
(b) Development goals can conflict: development for one may be destructive for another (1 mark).
(c) National development must ask what is fair and just for all and whether a better way exists, such as small check dams or tanks, benefiting more people (1 mark).

Answer: (a) Industrialists benefit from more electricity, while tribals lose land and livelihoods when land is submerged. (b) Development goals can conflict, so one group's development may destroy another's way of life. (c) National development should look for a fair and just path that benefits many, and consider better ways such as small check dams or tanks.

Example 5: Development as a mix of goals (5 marks) · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level

'The developmental goals that people have are not only about better income but also about other important things in life.' Examine the statement with examples. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Common to all groups is the wish for more income: regular work, better wages, decent prices (1 mark).
People also seek equal treatment, freedom, security and respect, and resent discrimination; these may matter more than income (1 mark).
Job example: people weigh family facilities, working atmosphere and chances to learn; a secure job may be preferred to a higher-paid insecure one (1 mark).
Women's example: paid work raises dignity; respect brings sharing of housework; a safe environment lets more women work or run businesses (1 mark).
Non-material things like friendship matter even if they cannot be measured, so development is a mix of goals (1 mark).

Answer: All groups want more income, through regular work, better wages and decent prices for their produce. But people also seek equal treatment, freedom, security and respect, and they resent discrimination; sometimes these matter more than income. When choosing a job, people weigh facilities for their family, the working atmosphere and chances to learn, and may prefer a secure job to a better-paid insecure one. For women, paid work raises dignity, respect leads to shared housework, and a safe environment lets more women take jobs or run businesses. Non-material things such as friendship also shape the quality of life, even though they are hard to measure. So development is a mix of goals.

Example 6: National development (3 marks) · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

What questions must be asked when thinking about national development? (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Different persons have different and conflicting notions of national development, so can all ideas be considered equally important? (1 mark)
If ideas conflict, how does one decide, and what is a fair and just path for all? (1 mark)
Is there a better way, and will an idea benefit a large number of people or only a small group? (1 mark)

Answer: Since people's ideas of national development differ and may conflict, we must ask whether all ideas are equally important, how to decide between conflicting ones, and what path is fair and just for all. We must also ask whether there is a better way of doing things, and whether an idea benefits many people or only a small group.

Where students lose marks in Development Goals of Different People

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Treating 'different' and 'conflicting' as the same
Words seem similar.
Wrong working
Different goals always clash.
Right working
Different goals may coexist; conflicting goals harm each other.
Do this: Give one example of each.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks.
Mistake: Saying development means only income
Income is easiest to measure.
Wrong working
Development means earning more money.
Right working
It also includes equal treatment, freedom, security and respect.
Do this: Income plus other goals.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks.
Mistake: Mismatching goals with groups
Table 1.1 has many rows.
Wrong working
Landless labourers want higher support prices.
Right working
That is the prosperous Punjab farmers' goal.
Do this: Learn three key rows.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Writing 2-mark-style answers
Economics has no 2-mark questions in 2026-27.
Wrong working
A two-line answer to a 3-mark question.
Right working
Three distinct points, about 60 words.
Do this: Plan three points.
Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

Learn three rows of Table 1.1 (labourers, Punjab farmers, rural woman) for quick examples.
Use the dams-versus-tribals example whenever 'conflicting goals' appears.
In 5-mark answers, combine income and non-income goals with an example each.
Economics in 2026-27 has 1-, 3- and 5-mark questions; no 2-mark items.

Practice questions on Development Goals of Different People

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
According to NCERT, people have different notions of development mainly because:
(a) people are born different
(b) the life situations of persons are different
(c) the government decides their goals
(d) all people want the same things
Hint
NCERT exercise: which explanation is more important?
Answer
(b) the life situations of persons are different
Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Do 'people have different developmental goals' and 'people have conflicting developmental goals' mean the same? Justify. (3 marks)
Hint
Different need not mean opposed.
Answer
No. Different goals only means people want different things, such as a labourer wanting better wages and a girl wanting freedom to study. Conflicting goals means one person's goal harms another's, as when dams that give industrialists electricity submerge tribals' land. All conflicting goals are different, but not all different goals conflict.
Q3 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Assertion (A): What cannot be measured is not important for development.
Reason (R): Many things that are not easily measured, like friendship, mean a lot to our lives.
(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) A is false, but R is true.
Hint
NCERT warns against this conclusion.
Answer
(d) A is false, but R is true.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose a town plans a new highway through a weekly market. Shop owners on the highway welcome it; vendors in the market fear losing their place. Using NCERT, analyse this as a development question. (3 marks)
Hint
Different and conflicting goals; fair path.
Answer
The groups have different and conflicting goals: shop owners gain customers, while vendors may lose their livelihood, so development for one is destructive for the other. National development requires asking what is fair and just for all, whether the plan benefits many or few, and whether a better way exists, such as relocating the market with the vendors' agreement.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Explain how respect and safety for women are linked to development, according to NCERT. (3 marks)
Hint
Paid work, dignity, housework, safe environment.
Answer
When women do paid work, their dignity in the household and society increases. If women are respected, housework is shared more and women working outside is better accepted. A safe and secure environment allows more women to take up a variety of jobs or run a business. So development involves non-income goals like respect and safety.
Q6 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Examine Table 1.1's examples to show that development goals differ, can conflict, and yet share a common thread. (5 marks)
Hint
Labourers, Punjab farmers, rural woman; conflicts; income and other goals.
Answer
Landless rural labourers want more days of work and better wages, good local schools, no discrimination and a chance to lead in the village. Prosperous Punjab farmers want higher support prices, cheap and hard-working labourers and to settle children abroad. A rural woman from a land-owning family wants as much freedom as her brother and to study abroad. These goals differ because life situations differ, and they can conflict: farmers' wish for cheap labour clashes with labourers' wish for better wages. Yet a common thread runs through them: all want more income through work, wages or prices, and many also seek equality, freedom, security and respect.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.What do prosperous Punjab farmers want, according to Table 1.1?Show answer
High family income through higher support prices and cheap labour; settling children abroad.
2.What do people commonly desire across Table 1.1?Show answer
More income: regular work, better wages, decent prices.
3.Name four non-income goals.Show answer
Equal treatment, freedom, security and respect.
4.What might tribals prefer to big dams?Show answer
Small check dams or tanks.
5.What does national development require us to ask?Show answer
What is a fair and just path that benefits many, not a few.

Development Goals of Different People: frequently asked questions

Why do different people have different development goals?

Because their life situations are different, so they seek what matters most to them.

Can development goals conflict?

Yes. Dams that give industrialists electricity may submerge tribal land; what is development for one can be destructive for another.

Is income the only development goal?

No. People also seek equal treatment, freedom, security and respect, which may sometimes matter more.

What is national development?

Thinking about which goals are fair and just, how to resolve conflicts, and how to benefit the largest number of people.