Q.Explain the term 'infrastructure'.

Infrastructure is the set of support structures and services on which the working of a modern economy depends.

The term infrastructure refers to the supporting services in the main areas of industrial and agricultural production, of domestic and foreign trade, and of commerce. These services include roads, railways, ports, airports, dams, power stations, oil and gas pipelines, telecommunication facilities, the country's educational system (schools and colleges), its health system (hospitals), its sanitary system (clean drinking water) and its monetary system (banks, insurance and other financial institutions).

Some of these facilities affect the production of goods and services directly, while others give indirect support by building up the social sector of the economy. This is why infrastructure is often divided into economic infrastructure (energy, transport, communication) and social infrastructure (education, health, housing). In short, infrastructure is the foundation on which the efficient working of a modern industrial economy rests.