NIOS Class 12 English READING WITH UNDERSTANDING (Thimmakka and Biomedical Waste Management)
📘 INTRODUCTION (in English)
The chapter “Reading with Understanding: Thimmakka and Biomedical Waste Management” highlights two important themes – environmental conservation and responsible waste management. The first part presents the inspiring life of Thimmakka, a simple village woman from Karnataka, who along with her husband planted and nurtured hundreds of banyan trees despite poverty and social neglect. Her dedication proves that sincere efforts can bring meaningful change to society and nature.
The second part of the lesson focuses on biomedical waste management, explaining the dangers of improper disposal of medical waste such as syringes, gauze and anatomical waste. It stresses the importance of safe handling, recycling and proper disposal to protect public health and the environment. Together, the chapter encourages awareness, responsibility and respect for nature.
NIOS Class 12 English READING WITH UNDERSTANDING (Thimmakka and Biomedical Waste Management)
📗 INTRODUCTION (in Hindi)
अध्याय “Reading with Understanding: Thimmakka and Biomedical Waste Management” दो महत्वपूर्ण विषयों पर आधारित है – पर्यावरण संरक्षण और कचरा प्रबंधन। अध्याय के पहले भाग में कर्नाटक की एक साधारण ग्रामीण महिला थिम्मक्का के प्रेरणादायक जीवन का वर्णन है, जिन्होंने अपने पति के साथ सैकड़ों बरगद के पेड़ लगाए और उनका पालन-पोषण किया। गरीबी और सामाजिक उपेक्षा के बावजूद उनका संकल्प अटूट रहा।
अध्याय का दूसरा भाग जैव-चिकित्सीय अपशिष्ट प्रबंधन पर केंद्रित है, जिसमें अस्पतालों और क्लीनिकों से निकलने वाले खतरनाक कचरे के दुष्परिणामों को समझाया गया है। यह अध्याय हमें पर्यावरण और जन-स्वास्थ्य के प्रति जागरूक तथा जिम्मेदार बनने की प्रेरणा देता है।
NIOS Class 12 English READING WITH UNDERSTANDING (Thimmakka and Biomedical Waste Management)
📝 SUMMARY (in English)
The chapter is divided into two sections. The first section narrates the remarkable story of Thimmakka and her husband Bikkalu Chikkaiah, a childless couple from Hulikal village in Karnataka. Hurt by social taunts, Thimmakka decided to plant banyan trees and care for them like her children. In the 1950s, despite financial hardships and her husband’s disability, she planted around 300 saplings along a 3 km stretch of road. She carried water daily from long distances, protected the plants from cattle and nurtured them for years. Today, 284 banyan trees stand tall, providing shade, preventing soil erosion and supporting wildlife. Her efforts earned her national recognition and awards.
The second section discusses biomedical waste management. It explains how waste from hospitals and clinics, if not disposed of properly, poses serious health hazards. Such waste becomes a breeding ground for disease-carrying insects and spreads illnesses like jaundice, dysentery and plague. The chapter emphasizes the need for proper collection, transportation, incineration, recycling and reuse of waste. Effective waste management is essential for maintaining cleanliness, preventing diseases and protecting the environment.
NIOS Class 12 English READING WITH UNDERSTANDING (Thimmakka and Biomedical Waste Management)
📝 SUMMARY (in Hindi)
यह अध्याय दो भागों में विभाजित है। पहले भाग में कर्नाटक के हुलीकल गाँव की थिम्मक्का और उनके पति बिक्कलु चिक्कैया की प्रेरणादायक कहानी प्रस्तुत की गई है। संतान न होने के कारण समाज के तानों से आहत होकर थिम्मक्का ने बरगद के पेड़ लगाने का निर्णय लिया और उन्हें अपने बच्चों की तरह पाला। 1950 के दशक में अत्यधिक गरीबी और पति की विकलांगता के बावजूद उन्होंने सड़क के दोनों ओर लगभग 300 पौधे लगाए। वे दूर से पानी लाकर रोज़ पौधों को सींचती थीं और वर्षों तक उनकी देखभाल करती रहीं। आज 284 विशाल बरगद के पेड़ पर्यावरण की रक्षा कर रहे हैं और यह उनकी मेहनत का प्रमाण हैं।
अध्याय का दूसरा भाग जैव-चिकित्सीय कचरा प्रबंधन से संबंधित है। इसमें बताया गया है कि अस्पतालों से निकलने वाला कचरा यदि सही ढंग से नष्ट न किया जाए तो यह गंभीर बीमारियों का कारण बन सकता है। यह कचरा मक्खियों, मच्छरों और चूहों को जन्म देता है, जो कई घातक रोग फैलाते हैं। अध्याय में कचरे के सुरक्षित संग्रह, निपटान, पुनर्चक्रण और पुनः उपयोग पर बल दिया गया है। सही कचरा प्रबंधन स्वच्छता, स्वास्थ्य और पर्यावरण सुरक्षा के लिए अत्यंत आवश्यक है।
NIOS Class 12 English READING WITH UNDERSTANDING (Thimmakka and Biomedical Waste Management)
Question-Answers
INTEXT QUESTIONS 15.1
- Choose and tick the correct answer:
a) The couple look after the saplings because:
i. they earned money from it
ii. it gave them happiness and satisfactioniii. it would get them an award
b) The trees provided:
i. employment to some people
ii. food for the animals
iii. shade along the 3 km stretch of road. - Select the correct information from the box and write it in the blanks:
1950s \(\quad\quad\)10 \(\quad\quad\) 284
3 km \(\quad\quad\) 300 \(\quad\quad\) 85
a) Trees were planted along a _______ stretch of road.
b) The trees were planted in the _______.
c) Thimmakka planted _______ saplings.
d) They looked after the trees for ___years.
e) _______ trees grew along the National Highway.
f) The approximate cost of the trees are _______ crores. - Answer the following questions:
a) Why did Thimakka receive the National Citizens Award?
b) What made Thimmakka and her husband decide to plant banyan trees along the highway?
c) What did Thimmakka do to ensure the safety of the plants? - Complete the sentences:
a) To take good care of the saplings after ensuring their safety Thimmakka had to:
(i) ______________
(ii) ______________
(iii) ______________
b) Thimmakka’s banyan trees have benefited the environment by:
(i) ______________
(ii) ______________
(iii) ______________ - Find a word in the passage which means ‘a cover’.
Answer
- a) ii) it gave them happiness and satisfaction
b) iii) Shade along the 3 k.m. stretch of road - a) 3 km
b) 1950s
c) 300
d) 10
e) 284
f) 85 - a) For planting 284 banyan trees along a 3 km stretch of a National Highway.
b) They didn’t have children so they decided to adopt trees as their children.
c) put thorny bushes. - a) i. bring pots of water from a long distance
ii. poked at the roots during the rainy season.
iii. kept constant vigil/nursed them for 10 years.
b) i. providing a green canopy for 3 km.
ii. providing nests for birds.
iii. preventing soil erosion. - Canopy
NIOS Class 12 English READING WITH UNDERSTANDING (Thimmakka and Biomedical Waste Management)
INTEXT QUESTIONS 15.2
- Tick True (T) or False (F) against the following statements:
a) Nearly 25 human diseases are caused by accumulating garbage.
b) Preventive steps can be taken to reduce accumulating garbage.
c) Recycling and reusing of garbage can bring revenue.
d) Flies are carriers of bio-organisms which cause plague. - Fill in the blanks in the following sentences using the information given in the passage:
a) Heaps of garbage can cause the breeding of ___________.
b) One cubic metre of garbage can have ___________ flies.
c) Diseases like ___________ are caused by pathogenic organisms.
d) Fire hazard leading to accidents can be due to ___________ . - a) What does bio-medical waste consist of?
b) Who is more likely to be affected by the bio-medical waste?
c) A suitable title for the passage can be:
i. Garbage
ii. Garbage mountains-a nuisance.
iii. Protection from medical waste.
iv. Pathogenic organisms. - There is a serious concern about solid wastes because: (Tick all the correct answers)
a) They cause a lot of expenditure.
b) They spoil the beauty of the city.
c) They are a threat to health.
d) They bring revenue
Answer
- a) True b) False c) True d) False.
- a ) disease carrying vectors.
b) 8,00,000
c ) dysentery, diarrhoea
d) accumulation of litter, refuse and junk. - a) anatomical waste, syringes, gauze, absorbents, glass.
b) Rag pickers.
c) ii) Garbage mountains -a nuisance. - b, c
NIOS Class 12 English READING WITH UNDERSTANDING (Thimmakka and Biomedical Waste Management)

