CBSE Class 10 · Resources and Development

Development of Resources and Resource Planning Class 10 Geography

Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Using resources as if they were free gifts of nature caused depletion, inequality and ecological crises, so resource planning is essential for sustainable development. In India it involves three steps: identifying and listing resources through surveys and mapping, building a planning structure with technology, skill and institutions, and matching resource plans with national development plans.

Wasteful use of resources causes three problems; planning in three steps (survey, framework, link to national plans) leads to sustainable development.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Development of Resources and Resource Planning

What counts as a resource. NCERT defines a resource as anything in our environment that can satisfy our needs, provided it is technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable. Turning things into resources is an interaction between nature, technology and institutions (Fig. 1.1). So resources are not free gifts of nature: they are a function of human activity, and human beings are themselves essential parts of resources.

Why development of resources became a problem. Because people believed resources were free gifts, they used them indiscriminately. NCERT lists three major problems:
1. Depletion of resources to satisfy the greed of a few individuals.
2. Accumulation of resources in a few hands, dividing society into haves and have-nots, rich and poor.
3. Global ecological crises such as global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land degradation.
An equitable distribution of resources is therefore essential for a sustained quality of life and global peace. Resource planning is needed for the sustainable existence of all life, which is part of sustainable development: development without damaging the environment, and without compromising the needs of future generations.

Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992. In June 1992 more than 100 heads of state met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the first International Earth Summit on environmental protection and socio-economic development. They signed the Declaration on Global Climatic Change and Biological Diversity; the Rio Convention endorsed the global Forest Principles and adopted Agenda 21 for sustainable development in the 21st century. Agenda 21, signed at the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), aims to fight environmental damage, poverty and disease through global co-operation; one major objective is that every local government should draw up its own local Agenda 21.

Why India needs planning. Planning is the accepted strategy for judicious use of resources, and it matters in India because availability varies so much:

Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are rich in minerals and coal.
Arunachal Pradesh has abundant water but lacks infrastructure.
Rajasthan is rich in solar and wind energy but short of water.
The cold desert of Ladakh is isolated, with a rich cultural heritage but little water, infrastructure and some vital minerals.

So balanced planning is needed at national, state, regional and local levels.

Resource planning in India: three steps.
1. Identification and inventory of resources across regions: surveying, mapping, and qualitative and quantitative estimation and measurement.
2. Evolving a planning structure with appropriate technology, skill and institutional set-up to carry out resource development plans.
3. Matching resource development plans with overall national development plans.
India has worked towards these goals since the First Five Year Plan after Independence.

Resources alone are not enough. Availability is necessary, but without matching changes in technology and institutions it may hinder development: some resource-rich regions are economically backward, and some resource-poor regions are developed. Colonial history shows this: colonisers' superior technology let them exploit colonies' resources. So in India resource development depends on resources, technology, the quality of human resources and people's historical experiences.

Conservation of resources. Irrational consumption and over-use cause socio-economic and environmental problems, so conservation is needed at all levels.

Gandhiji: 'There is enough for everybody's need and not for anybody's greed.' He blamed greedy individuals and exploitative modern technology, and wanted production by the masses instead of mass production.
Club of Rome (1968) first advocated conservation systematically at the international level.
Schumacher's *Small is Beautiful* (1974) presented Gandhian ideas again.
The Brundtland Commission Report (1987) introduced 'sustainable development', published as *Our Common Future*.
The Rio Earth Summit (1992) was the next major step.

Development of Resources and Resource Planning: key facts

Resource (definition): Anything in the environment that satisfies needs and is technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable; Three conditions: all must be met.
Problems of indiscriminate use: Depletion for a few; accumulation in few hands (haves and have-nots); global ecological crises; Why resource planning is needed.
Sustainable development: Development without damaging the environment and without compromising future generations' needs; Brundtland Report 1987 introduced the concept.
Three steps of resource planning: (i) Identify and inventory (survey, map, measure) -> (ii) planning structure (technology, skill, institutions) -> (iii) match with national plans; The most-used 2- and 5-mark content.
Regional imbalance: Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, MP minerals and coal
Arunachal water, poor infrastructure
Rajasthan solar and wind, little water
Ladakh isolated, short of water and infrastructure; Examples for 'why planning matters in India'.
Conservation milestones: Club of Rome 1968; Small is Beautiful 1974; Brundtland Report 1987 (Our Common Future); Rio Earth Summit 1992 (Agenda 21); Chronology MCQs.

Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, MP	minerals and coal
Arunachal	water, poor infrastructure
Rajasthan	solar and wind, little water
Ladakh	isolated, short of water and infrastructure

How to answer Development of Resources and Resource Planning questions

Geography in 2026-27 has no 3-mark written answers: expect MCQs and assertion-reason, a 2-mark answer, a 5-mark long answer and a 4-mark case. Resource planning fits all of these.

1For 'why is resource planning essential', start from the three problems of indiscriminate use, then add India's uneven distribution with one state example.
2For 'explain the process of resource planning', write the three steps in order, each with what it involves.
3For 'resources alone do not lead to development', pair availability with technology and institutions, and use colonial exploitation as the example.
4For conservation, quote Gandhiji and name one international milestone with its year.
5In a 5-mark answer give five separate points within 120 words; in a 2-mark answer two points within 40 words.

Development of Resources and Resource Planning 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.

The three steps of resource planning

Suppose your gram panchayat wants to solve the village's water shortage. One member suggests simply digging more borewells straight away.

Using the three steps of resource planning, explain a better plan for the panchayat.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Step 1: identify and list resources: survey wells, ponds, rainfall and groundwater levels, and map them.
Step 2: build a planning structure: decide who will manage it, what skills and technology are needed, and set up a committee.
Step 3: match the plan with wider plans, such as district or state water schemes.
Conclude: unplanned digging may deplete groundwater, which is the problem planning prevents.

Answer: Instead of digging borewells at once, the panchayat should first survey and map its water sources and measure how much water is available. It should then set up a committee with the right skills and technology to manage the plan. Finally, it should link the plan with district and state water schemes. Unplanned digging could deplete groundwater for a few, exactly the problem resource planning aims to prevent.

Memory hook: Survey, set up, sync: plan before you dig.

Tricks to remember Development of Resources and Resource Planning

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

I-P-M
Inventory, Planning structure, Matching with national plans: 'I Plan More'.
Use it when: The three steps of resource planning.
Three D's of misuse
Depletion, Division (haves and have-nots), Damage (ecological crises).
Use it when: Why planning is needed.
68-74-87-92
Club of Rome, Small is Beautiful, Brundtland, Rio: each step about a decade or so apart.
Use it when: Conservation chronology MCQs.

Development of Resources and Resource Planning: solved examples

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

Example 1: Agenda 21 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Which one of the following is a major objective of Agenda 21?
(a) Every local government should draw up its own local Agenda 21.
(b) Every country should double its mineral output.
(c) Forests should be cleared for agriculture.
(d) Resources should be owned only by national governments.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Agenda 21 aims at global sustainable development, and one major objective is a local Agenda 21 for every local government (1 mark).

Answer: (a) Every local government should draw up its own local Agenda 21.

Example 2: Why resource planning (2 marks) · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

Why is resource planning essential in India? Give two reasons. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

India has enormous diversity in resource availability: Rajasthan has solar and wind energy but lacks water; Arunachal Pradesh has water but lacks infrastructure (1 mark).
Indiscriminate use leads to depletion, inequality and ecological crises, so planning is needed for judicious, sustainable use (1 mark).

Answer: Resources are unevenly spread: Rajasthan has solar and wind energy but little water, while Arunachal Pradesh has water but poor infrastructure. Also, indiscriminate use causes depletion, inequality and ecological damage, so careful planning is needed for sustainable use.

Example 3: Assertion-reason: resources and development · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

Assertion (A): Some regions of India are rich in resources but are economically backward.
Reason (R): Mere availability of resources, without matching changes in technology and institutions, may hinder development.
(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

The text gives R as the reason why resource-rich regions can remain backward (1 mark).

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

Example 4: Process of resource planning (5 marks) · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Explain the process of resource planning in India, and examine why availability of resources alone does not guarantee development. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Step 1: identification and inventory of resources through surveying, mapping, and qualitative and quantitative estimation and measurement (1 mark).
Step 2: evolving a planning structure with appropriate technology, skill and institutional set-up (1 mark).
Step 3: matching resource development plans with overall national development plans, as attempted since the First Five Year Plan (1 mark).
Without technology and institutions, resources may not help: some resource-rich regions are backward while some resource-poor ones are developed (1 mark).
Colonisers used superior technology to exploit colonies' resources; so development needs resources plus technology, quality human resources and historical experience (1 mark).

Answer: Resource planning in India has three steps. First, resources are identified and listed across regions by surveying, mapping and measuring them. Second, a planning structure is built with suitable technology, skills and institutions. Third, these plans are matched with national development plans, as India has tried since the First Five Year Plan. Yet resources alone do not ensure development. Without matching technology and institutions, some resource-rich regions stay backward while some resource-poor regions develop. Colonial history shows that colonisers' technology let them exploit colonies' riches. So development needs resources, technology, skilled people and lessons from history together.

Example 5: Case: the Rio Earth Summit · 4 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

Read the case and answer the questions.

In June 1992, more than 100 heads of state gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the first International Earth Summit. Their aim was to deal with urgent problems of environmental protection and socio-economic development worldwide. They signed a declaration on global climatic change and biological diversity, endorsed the global Forest Principles and adopted Agenda 21, a plan to fight environmental damage, poverty and disease through global co-operation, so that development in the twenty-first century would be sustainable.

(i) Where and when was the first International Earth Summit held? (1)
(ii) What does sustainable development mean? (1)
(iii) Why does Agenda 21 ask every local government to draw up its own local agenda? Explain with reference to India. (2)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(i) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992 (1 mark).
(ii) Development that does not damage the environment and does not compromise the needs of future generations (1 mark).
(iii) Resources and problems differ from place to place, so local bodies know local needs best (1 mark).
(iii) In India, Rajasthan lacks water but has solar energy, while Arunachal has water but lacks infrastructure; planning must be balanced at national, state, regional and local levels (1 mark).

Answer: (i) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992. (ii) Development that does not harm the environment and does not compromise the needs of future generations. (iii) Resources and problems vary from place to place, so local governments understand their own needs best. In India, Rajasthan is rich in solar and wind energy but short of water, while Arunachal Pradesh has water but weak infrastructure. Global goals work only when planned at national, state, regional and local levels.

Example 6: Problems of indiscriminate use (2 marks) · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level

'Human beings used resources indiscriminately because they believed resources were free gifts of nature.' State two problems this has caused. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Depletion of resources to satisfy the greed of a few, and accumulation in few hands, dividing society into haves and have-nots (1 mark).
Global ecological crises such as global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land degradation (1 mark).

Answer: Resources were depleted for a few people's greed and piled up in few hands, splitting society into rich and poor. It also caused global ecological crises such as global warming, ozone depletion, pollution and land degradation.

Where students lose marks in Development of Resources and Resource Planning

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

Mistake: Writing the three steps in the wrong order or merging them
Students list 'survey, plan, implement' loosely.
Wrong working
Resource planning means making plans and using resources wisely.
Right working
(i) Identify and inventory; (ii) evolve a planning structure; (iii) match with national plans.
Do this: Use I-P-M and explain each step.
Usually costs: 2-3 marks in a 5-mark answer.
Mistake: Giving only two of the three conditions in the definition
One condition is forgotten.
Wrong working
A resource is anything useful that we can afford.
Right working
Technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable.
Do this: Learn all three adjectives.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Mixing up the conservation milestones
Four dates close together.
Wrong working
The Club of Rome introduced sustainable development in 1987.
Right working
Brundtland Report (1987) introduced it; the Club of Rome (1968) first advocated conservation systematically.
Do this: Use 68-74-87-92.
Usually costs: 1 mark in MCQs.
Mistake: Writing about the dropped 'types of resources'
Old guides still include it.
Wrong working
Resources are classified into biotic, abiotic, renewable...
Right working
That classification is dropped from the 2026-27 syllabus; focus on development, planning and conservation.
Do this: Stay with the current NCERT content.
Usually costs: Wasted time and words.

Exam tips

The three steps of resource planning are ideal for a 2-mark question (any two) or part of a 5-mark question (all three with explanation).
Give one state example of uneven resources in any 'why planning in India' answer.
Use Gandhiji's 'need, not greed' line as a strong opening for conservation answers.
Remember: Geography has no 3-mark written questions in 2026-27, so practise both crisp 2-mark and full 5-mark versions.

Practice questions on Development of Resources and Resource Planning

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
Which report introduced the concept of 'Sustainable Development'?
(a) Club of Rome, 1968
(b) Brundtland Commission Report, 1987
(c) Small is Beautiful, 1974
(d) Agenda 21, 1992
Hint
It was published as Our Common Future.
Answer
(b) Brundtland Commission Report, 1987
Q2 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Which one of the following states is rich in solar and wind energy but lacks water resources?
(a) Arunachal Pradesh
(b) Jharkhand
(c) Rajasthan
(d) Chhattisgarh
Hint
A desert state.
Answer
(c) Rajasthan
Q3 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level
Explain Gandhiji's view on resource conservation. (2 marks)
Hint
Need versus greed; mass production.
Answer
Gandhiji said there is enough for everybody's need but not for anybody's greed. He blamed greedy individuals and exploitative modern technology for depletion, and wanted production by the masses instead of mass production.
Q4 · 2 marks · Very short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose a district is rich in coal but has poor roads, few trained workers and no local industries. Using the NCERT idea of resource development, explain why it may remain poor and suggest two steps to change this. (2 marks)
Hint
Resources need technology and institutions.
Answer
Resources help only with matching technology and institutions; without them a resource-rich area can stay backward. It needs infrastructure and suitable technology, and institutions and training so local people gain skills, linked to state and national plans.
Q5 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level
'Resources are not free gifts of nature.' Examine the statement, and explain how the belief that they were free gifts led to problems that resource planning now tries to solve. (5 marks)
Hint
Define resource; nature-technology-institutions; three problems; planning response.
Answer
A resource is anything that satisfies our needs only if it is technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable. Things become resources through interaction of nature, technology and institutions, and human beings are themselves essential parts of resources, so resources are a function of human activity. Believing them to be free gifts, people used them indiscriminately. This depleted resources for a few, concentrated them in few hands, dividing society into haves and have-nots, and caused global warming, ozone depletion, pollution and land degradation. Resource planning responds by surveying resources, building institutions and linking plans to national goals for sustainable development.
Q6 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Assertion (A): Balanced resource planning is needed at national, state, regional and local levels in India.
Reason (R): India has enormous diversity in the availability of resources across regions.
(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
Why does planning need several levels?
Answer
(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
Q7 · 2 marks · Very short answerHOTS / competency
Analyse how colonial history shows that technology, not just resources, decides who benefits from development. (2 marks)
Hint
What attracted invaders, and what let them exploit it?
Answer
Rich resources in colonies attracted foreign invaders, but it was the colonisers' higher technology that let them exploit those resources and dominate. So resources aid development only with matching technology and institutions.

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.When and where was the first International Earth Summit?Show answer
June 1992, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
2.What was the Brundtland Report published as?Show answer
Our Common Future.
3.Who wrote Small is Beautiful?Show answer
Schumacher, in 1974.
4.Since when has India pursued resource planning?Show answer
Since the First Five Year Plan after Independence.
5.Which states are rich in minerals and coal deposits?Show answer
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

Development of Resources and Resource Planning: frequently asked questions

What is resource planning in Class 10 Geography?

A strategy for judicious use of resources, involving three steps: identifying and listing resources, building a planning structure with technology and institutions, and matching resource plans with national development plans.

Why is resource planning necessary?

Resources are limited and unevenly spread across India, and their indiscriminate use causes depletion, inequality and ecological crises, so planning is needed for sustainable development.

What is Agenda 21?

A declaration signed at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to achieve global sustainable development by fighting environmental damage, poverty and disease through co-operation, with a local Agenda 21 for every local government.

Is 'types of resources' in the 2026-27 syllabus?

No. NCERT dropped the types of resources section, so it is not in the board syllabus; development, planning and conservation of resources are.