Manufacturing is the process of producing goods in large quantities by using machines and human labour on a large scale. Production of goods in large quantities after processing from raw materials to more valuable products is called manufacturing. Manufacturing industries are the backbone of the economy, as they not only help in modernising agriculture but also reduce the heavy dependence of people on agricultural income by providing them jobs in secondary and tertiary sectors. The manufacturing industries are also essential for the removal of unemployment and poverty, and they contribute to the national income and the export earnings of the country.
Industries are located in regions where the necessary factors are available, and the chapter studies the factors affecting the location of industries, the classification of industries, the major industries of India such as iron and steel, cotton textiles, and information technology, and the industrial pollution and environmental degradation caused by the industries. The concept of agro-based and mineral-based industries, and the role of industries in the economic development of the country, are also important themes.
For the board examination, students must understand the factors affecting the location of industries, the classification of industries on different bases, the importance of the iron and steel and cotton textile industries, the distribution of industries on a map, and the measures for the control of industrial pollution. The chapter links the study of industries with the concern for the environment, and this is a frequently asked theme in the examination.
Manufacturing is considered the backbone of economic development. It helps in modernising agriculture, as it provides the inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, tractors and other implements to the farmers, and it also provides employment in the secondary and tertiary sectors. Manufacturing reduces the heavy dependence of the people on agricultural income, and it helps in eradicating unemployment and poverty. The growth of the manufacturing sector is essential for the removal of the regional disparities, and it helps in the balanced development of the country.
Manufacturing also brings in foreign exchange by exporting manufactured goods, and it helps in the growth of the tertiary sector, which provides services to the manufacturing industries. The manufacturing sector is also important for the growth of the other sectors of the economy, and it helps in the achievement of self-reliance and the economic security of the nation. The chapter stresses that the development of the manufacturing industries is essential for the prosperity of the country.
However, the share of the manufacturing sector in India's GDP is comparatively low, and it needs to grow. The National Manufacturing Policy aims to raise the share of manufacturing in the GDP, and the growth of the sector is essential for the creation of jobs for the growing labour force. The manufacturing industries have also brought their own set of problems, such as the pollution of the environment and the degradation of the resources, and the need to control these problems is an important concern of the chapter.
The location of industries is affected by several factors. The availability of raw materials, labour, capital, power and market are the most important factors. The industries are generally located in areas where the raw materials are easily available, as the transportation of the raw materials is costly, and the industries that use heavy and bulky raw materials, such as the iron and steel industry, are located near the sources of the raw materials. The availability of cheap and regular power is also important for the location of industries.
The availability of labour is another important factor, as the industries need a large number of workers, and the industries are located in the areas with a large population or good connectivity to the labour markets. The capital, which is needed to set up the industries and to buy the machinery and the raw materials, is usually available in the large cities, and the industries are located in the areas with good banking and financial facilities. The market is important, as the goods produced have to be sold, and the industries are located near the markets or have good transport connections to the markets.
The transport and communication facilities are essential for the movement of the raw materials and the finished goods, and the industries are located in the areas with good road, rail, port and communication facilities. The government policies, the availability of cheap land and water, and the incentives given by the government also affect the location of the industries. In recent years, the policies of liberalisation and globalisation have also influenced the location of the industries in India.
The industries can be classified on different bases. On the basis of the raw materials used, the industries are classified into agro-based industries, which use agricultural products as raw materials, such as the cotton textile, jute, sugar and vegetable oil industries, and mineral-based industries, which use minerals as raw materials, such as the iron and steel, cement and aluminium industries. On the basis of the main role, the industries are classified into basic industries, which supply their products as raw materials to the other industries, such as the iron and steel and the copper smelting industries, and consumer industries, which produce goods for direct use by the consumers, such as sugar, toothpaste and paper industries.
On the basis of the capital investment, the industries are classified into small scale industries, in which the investment is less than one crore rupees, and large scale industries, in which the investment is more than one crore rupees. On the basis of ownership, the industries are classified into public sector industries, which are owned and operated by the government, such as BHEL and SAIL, private sector industries, which are owned by the individuals and the business houses, such as Tata Iron and Steel and Reliance, and joint sector industries, which are jointly owned by the government and the individuals or the firms. On the basis of the bulk and weight of the raw materials and finished goods, the industries are classified into heavy industries and light industries.
The classification of industries helps in understanding their nature, their role in the economy and the policies required for their development. Each type of industry has its own locational and operational characteristics, and the government's industrial policy treats different industries differently. Students should be able to classify industries on all the bases and give examples of each type.
The iron and steel industry is a basic industry, as it provides the raw material, the iron and steel, to all the other industries, such as the machine tools, the transport equipment, the construction and the defence industries. The iron and steel industry is a heavy industry, as it uses heavy and bulky raw materials, namely iron ore, coking coal and limestone, and it is a mineral-based industry. The iron and steel industry is also an example of an integrated industry, in which the raw materials, the smelting, the refining and the rolling of steel are done in a single plant.
The process of manufacturing steel involves the removal of impurities from the iron ore through the process of smelting, and the adding of the required amount of carbon and other elements. The major iron and steel plants in India include the Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) at Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, the Indian Iron and Steel Company (IISCO) at Burnpur in West Bengal, the Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant at Bhadravati in Karnataka, and the steel plants of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) at Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, Rourkela in Odisha, Durgapur in West Bengal and Bokaro in Jharkhand.
The location of the iron and steel plants is influenced by the availability of the raw materials, namely iron ore, coking coal and limestone, and the availability of the market. The Tata Steel plant at Jamshedpur, for instance, is located near the iron ore mines of Noamundi and the coal fields of Jharia. The production of steel in India has grown over the years, and India is now among the leading producers of steel in the world. The iron and steel industry is important for the infrastructure development of the country, and the per capita consumption of steel is an indicator of the level of the industrial development of a country.
The cotton textile industry is one of the oldest industries in India, and it is an agro-based industry, as it uses cotton as its main raw material. The cotton textile industry has a long history in India, and Indian textiles were known for their quality and design since ancient times. The first cotton mill in India was set up at Mumbai in 1854, and the cotton textile industry has grown into one of the largest industries in the country. India has the largest area under cotton cultivation in the world, though the productivity is relatively low.
The cotton textile industry is spread over many parts of the country, and it is concentrated in the cotton growing regions of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. Mumbai and Ahmedabad are the traditional centres of the cotton textile industry, and the industry has spread to other regions as well. The cotton textile industry provides employment to a large number of people, including the weavers and the workers in the spinning and the weaving units, and it is important for the export earnings of the country.
The cotton textile industry in India, however, has some problems, such as the fluctuating prices of cotton, the competition from the synthetic fibre and the imported textiles, the outdated machinery in some units, and the shortage of the skilled workers. The industry also has a large unorganised sector, with the powerlooms and the handlooms accounting for a major share of the production. The chapter stresses the need for the modernisation of the industry and the improvement in the productivity and the quality of the Indian textiles.
The industries are responsible for the pollution of the environment in four major ways: the air, the water, the land and the noise. The air pollution is caused by the smoke and the gases emitted by the industries, such as the sulphur dioxide and the nitrogen oxides, which cause respiratory problems and acid rain. The water pollution is caused by the discharge of the chemical effluents and the waste from the industries into the rivers and the water bodies, which makes the water unfit for drinking and for the aquatic life. The thermal pollution is caused by the discharge of hot water from the thermal power plants.
The land pollution is caused by the dumping of the solid waste and the hazardous waste on the land, and the noise pollution is caused by the machinery and the industrial activities, which affects the health of the workers and the people living nearby. The industries also cause the degradation of the environment by the consumption of the natural resources and the emission of the greenhouse gases, which contribute to the global warming and the climate change.
The chapter discusses the measures to control the pollution, which include the use of the pollution control devices, such as the electrostatic precipitators and the scrubbers, the treatment of the industrial effluents before their discharge, the recycling and the reuse of the waste, the use of the cleaner technologies and the renewable sources of energy, and the enforcement of the environmental laws and the standards. The concept of the sustainable industrialisation, which balances the industrial growth with the environmental protection, is the central message of the chapter.
| Basis of Classification | Types | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Raw materials | Agro-based | Cotton textile, jute, sugar, vegetable oil |
| Raw materials | Mineral-based | Iron and steel, cement, aluminium |
| Main role | Basic industries | Iron and steel, copper smelting |
| Main role | Consumer industries | Sugar, toothpaste, paper |
| Capital investment | Small scale | Investment less than one crore |
| Capital investment | Large scale | Investment more than one crore |
| Ownership | Public sector | BHEL, SAIL |
| Ownership | Private sector | Tata Iron and Steel, Reliance |
| Industry | Type | Major Centres/Factors |
|---|---|---|
| Iron and Steel | Basic, heavy, mineral-based | TISCO (Jamshedpur), IISCO (Burnpur), SAIL plants at Bhilai, Rourkela, Durgapur, Bokaro, Bhadravati |
| Cotton Textile | Agro-based, oldest industry | Mumbai and Ahmedabad (traditional), spread to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, M.P. |
| Information Technology | Tertiary, knowledge-based | Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai |
Manufacturing industries are the engines of modern economic development, providing jobs, raising incomes and bringing in foreign exchange, while also supplying the inputs that modernise agriculture. The location of industries is determined by a combination of factors, including raw materials, labour, capital, power, market and transport, and India's industries are distributed unevenly across the country, reflecting these factors. The iron and steel and the cotton textile industries are among the most important, representing the mineral-based and agro-based sectors respectively, and their growth reflects the industrial development of the nation. At the same time, the chapter warns that industries bring with them the serious problems of air, water, land and noise pollution, and environmental degradation. The way forward is sustainable industrialisation, in which the growth of industries is balanced with the protection of the environment and the welfare of the people.