Exploring Society · Chapter 13 — The Value of Work

Overview

Everyone around us is busy doing something: flying planes, running shops, writing software, cooking, gardening, teaching, caring for elders. This chapter asks what kinds of activities people do and what each contributes to our everyday lives. Through the story of Anu and Kabir and their neighbours, you will learn to sort activities into two groups. Economic activities are done for money or money's worth, like a farmer selling crops, a lawyer earning a fee or a worker in a factory. Non-economic activities earn no income but are done out of love, care, gratitude or respect, like parents cooking for the family or volunteers teaching for free. You will see that the same activity, such as teaching or cooking, can be either kind, depending on whether it is paid. Kavya's visit to Kamlapur introduces four ways of being paid: salary, wage, fee and payment in kind. The example of Rajesh the carpenter, who turns ₹600 of wood into a ₹1,000 chair, explains value addition. Finally, you will discover why non-economic activities such as seva at langars, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Van Mahotsav are so important for society, wellbeing and the quality of life.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the different activities people do in daily life
• Define economic activities and explain market, fee and money's worth
• Define non-economic activities and give examples
• Explain why the same activity can be economic or non-economic
• Distinguish salary, wage, fee and payment in kind
• Explain and calculate value addition
• Explain the importance of seva and community participation
• Appreciate the value of unpaid work in families and communities

Topics in this chapter

6 topics · tap a topic title to jump straight to it.

Key Concepts

Economic activity

An activity done for money or money's worth.

Non-economic activity

An activity done out of love, care, gratitude or respect that does not generate income.

Money's worth

The money value a person places on something, based on the benefit they get from it.

Market

A place where people exchange goods and services, usually for money.

Fee

A payment to a person or organisation for professional advice or services.

Salary

A fixed, regular payment, usually monthly, from an employer to an employee.

Wage

A payment by an employer to a worker for a specific period of time, such as a day.

Payment in kind

A non-cash payment, in goods, received for work done.

Value addition

The increase in money value when something is transformed into another form by skill, time and effort.

Volunteer

A person who works for others or the community without pay.

Seva

Selfless service done without expecting anything in return.

Langar

A community kitchen at a gurudwara that serves free food to every visitor.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

A national cleanliness mission based on the joint efforts of all citizens.

Van Mahotsav

The 'festival of forests', with tree-planting drives to raise awareness about trees and forests.

1. How are economic activities different from non-economic activities? / आर्थिक गतिविधियाँ अनार्थिक गतिविधियों से कैसे भिन्न हैं?
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   Economic activities are done for money or money's worth, like selling goods or working for a salary, while non-economic activities earn no income and are done out of love, care, gratitude or respect, like cooking for the family. / आर्थिक गतिविधियाँ धन या धन के मूल्य के लिए की जाती हैं, जैसे सामान बेचना या वेतन पर काम करना, जबकि अनार्थिक गतिविधियाँ कोई आय नहीं देतीं और प्रेम, देखभाल, कृतज्ञता या सम्मान से की जाती हैं, जैसे परिवार के लिए खाना बनाना।

2. Give three examples of economic activities. / आर्थिक गतिविधियों के तीन उदाहरण दीजिए।
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   A farmer selling crops in the market, a lawyer arguing a case for a fee and a truck driver transporting goods are all economic activities because they earn money. / बाज़ार में फ़सल बेचता किसान, फ़ीस लेकर मुकदमा लड़ता वकील और माल ढोता ट्रक चालक, ये सभी आर्थिक गतिविधियाँ हैं क्योंकि इनसे धन कमाया जाता है।

3. Is Kabir's grandfather's free teaching economic or non-economic? How is it different from a school teacher's work? / कबीर के दादाजी का मुफ़्त पढ़ाना आर्थिक है या अनार्थिक? यह स्कूल शिक्षक के काम से कैसे अलग है?
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   It is non-economic because he teaches out of goodwill and is not paid, while a school teacher receives a salary, so the teacher's work is an economic activity. / यह अनार्थिक है क्योंकि वे सद्भाव से पढ़ाते हैं और उन्हें कोई भुगतान नहीं मिलता, जबकि स्कूल शिक्षक को वेतन मिलता है, इसलिए शिक्षक का काम आर्थिक गतिविधि है।

4. What is the difference between a salary and a wage? / वेतन और मज़दूरी में क्या अंतर है?
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   A salary is a fixed, regular payment usually made monthly to an employee, while a wage is paid to a worker for a specific period such as a day, like Sahil's daily wage. / वेतन कर्मचारी को सामान्यतः हर महीने मिलने वाला निश्चित, नियमित भुगतान है, जबकि मज़दूरी किसी निश्चित अवधि जैसे एक दिन के काम के लिए मिलती है, जैसे साहिल की दैनिक मज़दूरी।

5. What is payment in kind? Give an example. / वस्तु के रूप में भुगतान क्या है? उदाहरण दीजिए।
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   Payment in kind is a non-cash payment in goods for work done; Sahil, the farm labourer, received part of his daily wage as mangoes of equal value. / वस्तु के रूप में भुगतान काम के बदले नकद के स्थान पर वस्तुओं में दिया गया भुगतान है; खेतिहर मज़दूर साहिल को उसकी दैनिक मज़दूरी का एक भाग बराबर मूल्य के आमों के रूप में मिला।

6. Explain value addition with the example of Rajesh the carpenter. / बढ़ई राजेश के उदाहरण से मूल्य संवर्धन समझाइए।
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   Rajesh buys wood for ₹600 and sells the chair he makes for ₹1,000, so he adds ₹400 of value through his skill, time and effort in turning wood into furniture. / राजेश ₹600 में लकड़ी खरीदकर उससे बनी कुर्सी ₹1,000 में बेचता है, इसलिए लकड़ी को फ़र्नीचर में बदलने के अपने कौशल, समय और मेहनत से वह ₹400 का मूल्य जोड़ता है।

7. Name the different ways in which people are paid for economic activities. / आर्थिक गतिविधियों के लिए लोगों को किन-किन तरीकों से भुगतान मिलता है?
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   People may be paid a salary, a wage, a fee for professional services, or payment in kind in the form of goods, as well as earning from sales in business. / लोगों को वेतन, मज़दूरी, पेशेवर सेवाओं के लिए फ़ीस या वस्तुओं के रूप में भुगतान मिल सकता है, और व्यापार में बिक्री से भी कमाई होती है।

8. What is seva? Give an example. / सेवा क्या है? उदाहरण दीजिए।
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   Seva is selfless service done without expecting anything in return, such as the langar at gurudwaras where volunteers serve free food to every visitor. / सेवा बिना किसी अपेक्षा के किया गया निःस्वार्थ कार्य है, जैसे गुरुद्वारों का लंगर जहाँ स्वयंसेवक हर आगंतुक को मुफ़्त भोजन परोसते हैं।

9. How does community participation help in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan? / स्वच्छ भारत अभियान में सामुदायिक भागीदारी कैसे सहायक है?
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   When people keep their own homes clean and also come together to clean streets, parks and public places, their joint efforts lead to a clean neighbourhood, society and nation. / जब लोग अपने घर साफ़ रखते हैं और साथ मिलकर सड़कों, पार्कों व सार्वजनिक स्थानों की सफ़ाई करते हैं, तो उनके संयुक्त प्रयास से पड़ोस, समाज और देश स्वच्छ बनता है।

10. 'People engaged in community service are highly valued.' Comment. / 'सामुदायिक सेवा में लगे लोगों का बहुत मूल्य है।' टिप्पणी कीजिए।
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    This is true because their unpaid work, such as langars, clean-ups and tree planting, improves social welfare, wellbeing and quality of life in ways money alone cannot. / यह सही है क्योंकि लंगर, सफ़ाई अभियान और पेड़ लगाने जैसा उनका बिना वेतन का काम सामाजिक कल्याण, खुशहाली और जीवन की गुणवत्ता को ऐसे बढ़ाता है जैसा केवल पैसे से संभव नहीं।

Foundational laws & principles behind this chapter. Each one opens a full page — what it says, why it matters, five practice questions and the mistakes to avoid.