Resource planning
Topic: Natural Resources: Classification, Planning and Sustainable Use · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 1 "Resources and Development"
Meaning
Resource planning means planning how to use resources wisely. India needs it because its resources are spread very unevenly. Some states are rich in one resource but short of others. It works in three steps:
- Identify and inventory resources by surveying, mapping, and estimating their quality and quantity.
- Build a planning structure with the right technology, skills and institutions.
- Match resource plans with national development plans.
Planning must happen at national, state, regional and local levels. India has followed these goals since the First Five Year Plan (1951).
Example
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are rich in coal and minerals. Arunachal Pradesh has plenty of water but little infrastructure. Rajasthan has solar and wind energy but little water. Each needs its own plan, because having resources without matching technology and institutions keeps a region backward.