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UPSC Prelims 1979 · Indian Geography · Industries, Ports and Transport
Maximum number of workers are employed in which of the following industries in India?
- (a) Sugar
- (b) Textiles
- (c) Jute
- (d) Iron and Steel
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (b) Textiles
Textiles is India’s largest industrial employer (and second only to agriculture overall).
The idea
Labour-intensive industries need many workers relative to their investment and output. Textile production includes several stages and many small units, allowing employment to spread widely. The 1979 question compares industrial employment, rather than output value or employment in the whole economy.
Fibre is prepared → Yarn is spun → Fabric is woven or knitted → Fabric is dyed and finished → Garments are cut and stitched → Products enter wholesale and retail markets
Why the others are wrong
(a) Sugar is seasonal and employs far fewer people.
(c) Jute is concentrated in West Bengal.
(d) Steel is capital-intensive.
Also know
Ahmedabad and Mumbai are traditional cotton-textile centres; Coimbatore is a spinning anchor and Tiruppur a knitwear centre. Ludhiana is associated with hosiery, while the Hooghly belt is associated with jute. Capital-intensive steel plants can produce great output without employing as many workers as a dispersed textile sector.
🔒 Textiles: largest employer after agriculture (~45 million directly).
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