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HSC English First Paper English For Today - Unit 12 Lesson 5 Greater Common Good

HSC English First Paper English For Today - Unit 12 Lesson 5 Greater Common Good

Greater Common Good

According to a detailed study of the 54 Large Dams done by the Indian Institute of Public Administration, the average number of people displaced by a Large Dam is 44,182. Admittedly, 54 dams out of 3,300 is not a big enough sample. But since it's all we have, let's try and do some rough arithmetic. A first draft. To err on the side of caution, let's halve the number of people. Or, let's err on the side of abundant caution and take an average of just 10,000 people per Large Dam. It's an improbably low figure, I know, but... never mind. Whip out your calculators. 3,300 x 10,000 = 33 million. That's what it works out to. Thirty-three million people. Displaced by big dams alone in the last fifty years. What about those that have been displaced by the thousands of other Development Projects? At a private lecture, N. C. Saxena, Secretary to the Planning Commission, said he thought the number was in the region of 50 million (of which 40 million were displaced by dams). We daren't say so, because it isn't official. It isn't official because we daren't say so. You have to murmur it for fear of being accused of hyperbole. You have to whisper it to yourself, because it really does sound unbelievable. It can't be, I've been telling myself. I must have got the zeroes muddled. It can't be true. I barely have the courage to say it aloud....  
Fifty million people.  

I feel like someone who's just stumbled on a mass grave. Fifty million is more than the population of Gujarat. Almost three times the population of Australia. 

More than three times the number of refugees that Partition created in India. Ten times the number of Palestinian refugees. The Western world today is convulsed over the future of one million people who have fled from Kosovo.

Read the passage again and answer the questions that follow.

(1) What is the average number of people displaced by a large dam according to the Indian Institute of Public Administration's study? 

Answer. The average number of people displaced by a large dam according to the Indian Institute of Public Administration's study is 44,182.   

(2) How many large dams are mentioned in the study, and what is the total estimated number of displaced people if the average is 10,000 people per dam? 

Answer. The study mentions 54 large dams, leading to an estimated total of 33 million displaced people if the average is 10,000 people per dam.   

(3) What additional context does N. C. Saxena provide regarding the total number of displaced people due to development projects? 

Answer. N. C. Saxena estimates the total number of displaced people due to various development projects could be around 50 million.  

(4) How does the author describe their feelings upon estimating the number of displaced people? 

Answer. The author feels like he has stumbled upon a mass grave and expresses disbelief about the staggering number of displaced people.   

(5) How does the number of displaced people compare to the population of Gujarat and Australia? 

Answer. The number of displaced people (50 million) is more than the population of Gujarat and almost three times the population of Australia.   

(6) What does the study by the Indian Institute of Public Administration reveal about large dams? 

Answer. The study reveals that large dams displace a significant number of people, averaging 44,182 per dam.   

(7) How many large dams were included in the study?

Answer. The study included 54 large dams out of approximately 3,300.    

(8) What calculation does the author make to estimate the total number of displaced people due to large dams? 

Answer. The author estimates that if the average is reduced to 10,000 people per dam, the total displacement would be around 33 million (3,300 x 10,000).   

(9) What additional figure does N. C. Saxena mention regarding displacement due to development projects? 

Answer. N. C. Saxena mentions that the total number of displaced people due to all development projects could be around 50 million.

(10) How does the author express their disbelief about the number of displaced individuals? 

Answer. The author expresses disbelief, feeling the number is so high It sounds unbelievable and fearing accusations of exaggeration.  

(11) Why does the author feel the need to be cautious in discussing the number of displaced people? 

Answer. The author feels the need to be cautious because discussing such large figures can lead to accusations of hyperbole or disbelief.  

(12) How does the author compare the number of displaced people to historical refugee situations? 

Answer. The author compares the number of displaced people to the populations created by historical events, such as Partition and the Palestinian refugee crisis.

(13) What emotional response does the author have to the staggering figure of 50 million?

Answer. The author feels a heavy emotional response, likening the discovery to finding a mass grave and struggling to accept the magnitude of the figure.

(14) In what way does the author highlight the significance of the number 50 million?

Answer. The author highlights the significance of the number 50 million by comparing the number to the population of some entire regions and countries.   

(15) What implications does the author suggest about the impact of large dams and development projects?

Answer. The author suggests that the impact of large dams and development projects is severe, displacing millions and causing significant humanitarian concerns.

গ্রেটার কমন গুড

সর্বাধিক মানুষের সর্বোত্তম কল্যাণ

ভারতীয় পাবলিক অ্যাডমিনিস্ট্রেশন ইনস্টিটিউট কর্তৃক ৫৪টি বৃহৎ বাঁধের উপর পরিচালিত একটি বিশদ গবেষণায় দেখা গেছে যে একটি বড় বাঁধ দ্বারা গড়ে ৪৪,১৮২ জন মানুষ বাস্তুচ্যুত হয় । অবশ্যই, ৩,৩০০টির মধ্যে ৫৪টি বাঁধ পর্যাপ্ত নমুনা নয় । কিন্তু যেহেতু আমাদের কাছে এটুকুই আছে, তাই আসুন কিছু সাধারণ গাণিতিক হিসাব করি। প্রথম খসড়া। সতর্কতা অবলম্বনের জন্য, ভুল এড়াতে আমরা সংখ্যাটিকে অর্ধেক করি। অথবা অতিরিক্ত সতর্কতার পক্ষে, ভুল এড়াতে একটি বড় বাঁধ দ্বারা গড়ে মাত্র ১০,০০০ মানুষ বাস্তুচ্যুত হয়েছে বলে ধরে নিই। আমি জানি, সংখ্যাটি অবিশ্বাস্য রকমের কম, তবে তাতে কোনো সমস্যা নেই। আপনার ক্যালকুলেটর বের করুন । ৩,৩০০×১০,০০০=৩৩ মিলিয়ন। এই সংখ্যাটি দাঁড়ায়। তেত্রিশ মিলিয়ন মানুষ । শুধুমাত্র বড় বাঁধ দ্বারা গত পঞ্চাশ বছরে বাস্তুচ্যুত হয়েছে। অন্য হাজার হাজার উন্নয়ন প্রকল্পের মাধ্যমে বাস্তুচ্যুত হওয়া মানুষদের কী হবে? একটি ব্যক্তিগত বক্তৃতায়, পরিকল্পনা কমিশনের সচিব এন. সি. সাক্সেনা বলেছেন, তিনি মনে করেন সংখ্যাটি প্রায় ৫০ মিলিয়নের কাছাকাছি (যার মধ্যে ৪০ মিলিয়ন মানুষ বাঁধ দ্বারা বাস্তুচ্যুত হয়েছেন)। আমরা এটি প্রকাশ করতে সাহস করি না, কারণ এটি আনুষ্ঠানিক নয় । এটি আনুষ্ঠানিক নয় কারণ আমরা এটি বলতে সাহস করি না। আপনাকে এটি ফিসফিস করে বলতে হবে, কারণ এটি শুনে অতিরঞ্জনের অভিযোগ আনা হতে পারে। আপনাকে নিজেকে ফিসফিস করে বলতে হবে, কারণ এটি সত্যিই অবিশ্বাস্য শোনায়। এটি হতে পারে না, আমি নিজেকে বলে আসছি। আমি নিশ্চিতভাবে শূন্যগুলোতে গণ্ডগোল করেছি। এটি সত্য হতে পারে না। আমি এটি উচ্চস্বরে বলার সাহসও পাচ্ছি না.....  

পঞ্চাশ মিলিয়ন মানুষ ।  

আমি নিজেকে এমন একজনের মতো অনুভব করছি, যে হঠাৎ করে একটি গণকবরের ওপর হোঁচট খেয়েছে। পঞ্চাশ মিলিয়ন মানুষ গুজরাটের জনসংখ্যার চেয়েও বেশি। অস্ট্রেলিয়ার জনসংখ্যার প্রায় তিন গুণ ।  

ভারত ভাগের কারণে সৃষ্ট শরণার্থীর সংখ্যার তিনগুণেরও বেশি। ফিলিস্তিনি শরণার্থীর সংখ্যার দশগুণ। পশ্চিমা বিশ্ব আজ কসোভো থেকে পালিয়ে আসা এক মিলিয়ন মানুষের ভবিষ্যত নিয়ে আতঙ্কিত।  

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