7th Class

  Role of the State Government in Health Care   In a democracy, the government needs to look after its people's welfare. This means that the government does not merely collect tax and protect life and property, but also works for the growth of the people by promoting health, education, shelter, food and water. Likewise, India's government too takes care of the welfare of its people. Improved health status of the citizens is of great economic value to a nation.   The word 'health' comes from the old English word 'hale', meaning 'whole' or 'being whole, sound or well'. 'Health' as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is being in a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. In order to be called 'healthy', one has to be free from illness, injury, more...

  Functioning of State Government   We have already discussed in the previous class that the government in India works at three levels-local, state and national. We have looked at the work of Local Government and read about Panchayats and Municipalities in some detail. In this chapter, we will read about the second level of governance, i.e., government at the State Level.   India is a union of twenty nine States and seven Union Territories including the National Capital Territory of Delhi. There is one Union or Central Government which is at the centre and there is a State Government in each state. The union territories are run by the Union Government. The Government comprises three branches-the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary. STATE LEGISLATURE   Good governance needs good laws. The legislative bodies in a state are the Legislative Assembly or the Vidhan Sabha and the Legislative more...

  Institutional Representation of Democracy   Representation and participation are cornerstones of representative democracy. At the heart of the system is a commitment to hold regular, free and fair elections. People participate through elections and select representatives to govern them. The representation comes from political parties who, with their various ideologies fight the election. The elected party forms the government while the next in majority forms the opposition which checks every step of the government. Universal Adult Franchise, elections, political parties and coalition governments-are some terms you are already familiar with. These are the institutions that represent democracy. Now let us delve into the whole process.   Maya, the domestic help at Rohini's house has taken the day off to go to vote. Rohini's parents are also going to the voting booth to cast their votes. The next day, Rohini overhears her mother more...

  Democracy   Democracy is a kind of governance in which all citizens have a say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passing of laws in a country. This can be done by the people directly or through representation where people choose their leaders. Leaders of a democracy are answerable to the people. In Class 6, we have already read about this and looked into the key elements of democracy. In this chapter, you will learn about why democracy was chosen at the end by most nations of the world and how it evolved. We will also discuss the elements of democracy in detail and understand our involvement with the law and the Constitution.   Given that democracy privileges some values -equality, dignity, tolerance and justice-today, it is the most popular form of government. India is also more...

  Life In The Hot And Cold Deserts   A desert no matter hot or cold, has very small amount of precipitation throughout the year usually less than 25 cm a year and almost no vegetation. Deserts cover about one-fifth of the earth's surface. Most deserts, such as the Sahara of North Africa and the deserts of the south-western US, Mexico and Australia; that occur near the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn are hot. Cold deserts, occur near the Arctic and in Antarctica or in the high mountainous areas. Let us learn about the Sahara, a hot desert and Ladakh which is a cold desert.   HOT DESERT REGION THE SAHARA Location   Map No. 11.1 the Sahara Deserts in Africa   The Sahara (Africa) is the largest hot desert of the world. In the physical map more...

  Life In The Temperate Grasslands   Large rolling terrains of grasses, flowers, shrubs and herbs cover almost one-fourth of the total land area of the earth. There are two different kinds of grasslands: tropical and temperate. The Tropical grasslands are found in the warm climate where the annual rainfall is about 50 to 127 cm. The Savanna in Africa are such grasslands. The Temperate grasslands are found in the drier zones and have shorter grasses. Grasslands go by many names. In this chapter, we will study about the Prairies and the Velds.   TEMPERATE GRASSLANDS THE PRAIRIES Location and extent Prairie is a French word. It means 'a meadow' or "a grassland'. The Prairies of North America are found both in USA and Canada. They stretch from Texas (USA) in the south to Alberta (Canada) and Saskatchewan (Canada) in the north. more...

  Life In The Tropical And Sub-Tropical Regions   You have studied about the realms of our earth i.e., the lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere which together provide a platform for the origin, development and growth of the biosphere. Have you ever noticed how we adjust, adapt and modify our physical surroundings within the limits of nature? Our economic, social and cultural practices are by and large governed by our physical environment. Through the interactions, of man with the three realms, a distinct kind of human environment develops in each region. These regions are termed as Natural Regions as they follow the boundaries of the natural features.   Natural regions are broadly classified on the basis of temperature belts and rainfall distribution pattern of the world. These are classified into six major categories: i) Tropical equatorial region, ii) Sub tropical region, iii) West tropical desert more...

  Human Environment - Settlements, Transport and Communication   We have learned about the environment in the first chapter followed by four realms of the physical environment in subsequent chapters. After discussing the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere in detail, we need to learn about the human environment as well because man is responsible for many changes on the earth. In the process of fulfilling his basic and higher needs, man has changed the face of the earth and what we see today around us is all, the man-made environment.   The settlements, transport mediums and the communication system together build up a complete human environment for the people living therein to turn into a civilization.   SETTLEMENTS   Human Environment as we discussed in the initial chapters, refers to the man-made surroundings that include the Physical, social and economic components that determine the state, condition and more...

  World Vegetation Distribution of Natural Vegetation and Wildlife   If you visit a desert area, you will see camels, palm trees and cacti all around; while a hilly region will have plenty of oaks, pines, deodars and yaks, bears, leopards, etc. Similarly, a river or a pond or an ocean house fish of various kinds and plankton. Plants and animals are adapted to the environment in which they live. Here in this chapter, we will learn about the distribution of natural vegetation and wildlife.   The earth's environment provides suitable conditions for all forms of life to exist. Plants, animals and micro-organisms are the different forms of life on the earth. We often use the term vegetation for natural vegetation, but, in fact, there is a difference between the two. We know that plants grow where there is sufficient water, sunlight, soil and air. Plants which more...

  The Hydrosphere     When ten year old Ranjit and his sister returned from school, they were in a thoughtful mood. Their Social Studies teacher had said that 70 per cent of the earth's surface is covered with water. Yet their mother asks them not to waste water. They asked their mother 'why??  Their mother explained that 97 per cent of the water is present in oceans and seas which is too salty to drink or to be used for farming. Only 3 per cent is fresh water in rivers, lakes and under the ground which is about a spoonful in a bucket full of water. Their mother then explained in detail about the Hydrosphere.   The earth is the only planet in our solar system that has the necessary elements to sustain life. These are air, water and soil. Each of these elements forms its own more...