[short_answer] Gandhiji said, 'There is enough for everybody's need and not for anybody's greed.' Using this idea as a lens, explain how unchecked human greed drives both resource depletion at the national level and specific causes of land degradation in India.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:29 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Gandhiji identified greed as the root cause of resource depletion. Irrational consumption and over-utilisation of resources by greedy individuals and exploitative modern technology lead to socio-economic and environmental problems at the national level.
This greed directly causes land degradation in India through:
- Overgrazing in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, stripping land of vegetation.
- Mining and quarrying in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, leaving deep scars and causing deforestation.
- Over-irrigation in Punjab, Haryana and western UP, causing waterlogging, salinity and alkalinity.
Thus, unchecked human greed accelerates land degradation, making resource conservation essential.
Source: Resources and Development, Conservation of Resources & Land Degradation and Conservation Measures
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Explanation
- The question links Gandhiji's quote directly to resource depletion (national level) and land degradation causes — answer both parts.
- Examiner expects the quote to be connected to greed → over-exploitation, then 2–3 specific causes of land degradation with state examples (these earn marks).
- Don't just define land degradation; name the human activities and states as given in the textbook.
- At 3 marks: one line on the quote's meaning + 3 brief points on causes is the ideal structure.