CHAPTER  VIII

 

MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS

 

             The chapter deals with miscellaneous occupations, which do not fall in major categories, viz. agriculture, industry, trade and commerce, transport, communications, etc. These occupations cover a wide range of public and private services and constitute a significant part of daily life. The occupations, here described include Government or Semi-Government services, defence services, services in private sector and self employed persons. Besides there are a considerable number of people who earn their livelihood   by following small crafts and other occupations such as hair-cutting, tailoring, laundry work or are engaged in education, legal services, etc. These occupations also include persons working as domestic servants. These occupations are of miscellaneous nature and provide employment to large number of people both in urban and rural areas. The statistics regarding these professions were collected only during 1961 Census, the ensuring Census ignored these statistics, so the data regarding the personal and domestic services have been collected from the municipal councils/nagar panchayats functioning in the district. However, wherever possible, latest data have been included. Persons in services and earning through miscellaneous occupations form a very small proportion of the total population of the district.  

 

(a)   Public Administration

 

              Central, State and Local Government Services.- After the Independence, with the implementation of Five-Year Plans, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of jobs in public sector (both State and Central Government), private sector as well as in quasi-government organizations and local bodies. Several new departments came into being to carry out developmental activities.   Employment in government service is highly valued for its prestige, security of service and housing facilities. Employees not provided with accommodations are given house rent allowance. The pay is also comparable to other sectors and dearness allowance has been linked with cost of living. Government housing is a substantial facility for government servants. Besides, government servants are given free medical facilities for indoor treatment and for outdoor treatment fixed medical allowance of Rs 250 per month is given. Loans are also offered for the purchase of vehicles, plots, construction of house, etc. The Central as well as State Government employees are entitled to avail themselves for leave travel concession along with members of their family to visit any place in the country in a block of four years. In addition Class IV employees are provided with free liveries and interest free loan for purchase

158

 of wheat. The female employees are entitled to maternity leave upto 180 days. There is also a   provision for compulsory contribution to the provident fund for government employees so that their dependants may be provided for in case of their premature death. On superannuation, the government employees are entitled to the benefits of compassionate gratuity, pension, etc. The employees of the Police Department are provided with rent-free accommodation, whereas those of the Railway Department are provided quarters on nominal rent. The railway employees and their families are provided free and privilege passes for travel.

               The Punjab Government introduced Group Insurance Scheme in 1982 for State Government employees. Under this scheme a fixed amount1 is deducted from the employees’ pay and provisions have been made to pay fixed insurance amount2 to the family of the employee who dies while in service. The other security provisions like ex-gratia grant, family pension and other benefits for the families of government employees who die while in service have also been provided.  

             To provide for retirement, the government servants contribute to general provident fund while public sector employees have contributory provident fund. The employees are also given gratuity on retirement based on length of service. Government servants are given pension, while public sector employees are given matching contribution to their contributory provident fund.   

             The number of employees in government service, public sector and local bodies increased since the formation of Mansa District. As on 31 March 1999, there were 6,962 government employees and 613 local bodies employees in Mansa District. Then total number of government employees on the same date in the State was 3,73,270. The department-wise distribution of government employees in the Mansa District and in the state as a whole as on 31 March 1999 is given in Appendix 1 at pages 165-166.               .

            The number of semi-government employees working in Corporations, Boards, Municipal Councils, Improvement Trusts, Zila Parishads, Panchayat Samities and Market Committees in the Mansa District in comparison to State as on 31 March 1999 is given in Appendix II at page 167.

            With the development of Industry and Information and Technology Sectors the employment opportunities have increased tremendously in the private sector. Industrialization and urbanization has opened new jobs for thousands of people. Private sector includes organized private industry and commercial establishments, shops and hotels. The private sector absorbs a large number of employees. However, the employees in large industries are well  paid  and  given  other  perks. Others  are  provided adequate protection

 

1  Rs 120 Class 1;  Rs 60 for Class II;  Rs 30 for Class III and  Rs 15 for Class IV employees

2  Insurance amount is Rs 1,20,000; 60,000;  30,000;  and 15,000 for Class I, Class II, Class   III and Class IV employees, respectively.

under various labour laws, while the trade unions have also been organized to protect the rights of industrial workers.

                  The commercial establishments, shops and hotels/restaurants in towns employ assistants, salesmen, cooks and helpers. These workers are not well organized and their working conditions and wages are protected by the Government, under the Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1958.

            As on 31 December 1999, the district had 7,383 shops with 1,563 employees while the number of commercial establishments was 438 with 756 employees and the number of hotels/restaurants was 101 with 269 employees in the towns. The hotels offer facilities for stay and meals

 

           Public Employees Organizations.- A number of organizations have been formed by the employees to safeguard their interest. The trade unions functioning in Mansa District alongwith their date of registration are given below: 

 

Serial No.

Name of Organization

Date of Registration

 

1

State Bank of Patiala Employees’ National Union, Mansa

11 April 1977

2

Forest Department Field Workers’ Union, Mansa

  8 February 1989

3

The Mansa Central Co-operative Bank Employees’ Union, Mansa

19 July 1995

4

Municipal Employees’ Union, Mansa

  5 May 1992

5

Punjab Municipal Employees’ Union, Budhlada

  7 July 1971

                         (Source: Labour Commissioner, Punjab, Chandigarh)

(b)   Learned Professions

            These professions include teachers, doctors, advocates, engineers, architects, journalists, etc. The information available on each of these professions in the district is given below:

 

            Educational services.- Education plays an important role in the social and economic life of a community. It enables to bring out inherent qualities in a man and makes him reasonable and self confident. This profession include professors, lecturers, teachers and research workers. The number of teacher working in arts, science, commerce and home science colleges, senior secondary schools, high schools, middle schools, primary schools, elementary teachers training schools and technical industrial art and craft schools in the district, as on 30 September 1999 was 2,828 (1,541 males and 1,287 females). The persons engaged in the teaching profession are much respected by the people. They are also well paid.

            Medical and Health Services.- There has been a considerable expansion of medical and health services in the district. This profession includes physicians, surgeons, ayurvedic and homeopathic doctors, dentists, ophthalmologists, nurses, midwives, vaccinators, compounders, vaids, hakims, etc. The number of registered medical and para-medical personnel,    (doctors, midwives, nurses and dais), working in recognized medical institutions in the district, as on 1 April 1999 was 441. Homoeopathy is practiced by some in the towns. The Ayurvedic and Unani systems are, however, liked more by the people because of the simpler and familiar medicines prescribed. Besides, there are also a large number of private medical practitioners who generally practice in their small clinics and nursing homes. On the veterinary side, there is a network of veterinary hospitals and dispensaries in the district to improve cattle breeds and to treat various diseases of animals.

             Legal Services.- Legal profession has an important role to play in the present day complex life when countless laws govern the society. This profession includes judges, advocates, pleaders and munshis. This is a paying profession and attracts good number of persons. Lawyers plead for the fundamental rights of the individuals and represent the cases of the litigants before the courts. Then lawyers occupy a high status in the society. The number of persons engaged in this profession is increasing day by day due to the increase in litigation and general rise in literacy and educational standards of the area. There is only one bar association in the district, which is situated at District headquarters at Mansa. This association is rendering useful service to its membership and is responsible for maintaining professional conduct and disciplines towards the public. Besides, there is a taxation bar association at Mansa. As on 31 March 2000 District Bar Association had 100 members and members of Taxation Bar Association was 20.

            Engineering Services.- The engineers play an important role in the alround development of an area. They attend to various development works such as construction of building and roads, opening of canals, installation of power houses and small to heavy industrial plants. The details of the persons employed in engineering service in various Government Departments have been given in Chapter XIII, ‘Other Departments’. Besides, there are some persons who are engaged in allied professions as contractors, architects or as consulting engineers. The number of overseers, architects, engineers and surveyors in urban areas of the district working as private consultants was 80 as on 31 March 2000.

 

(c) Personal and Domestic Services

 

            Personal Services.- These services include barbers, washermen, launderers, drycleaners, tailors, water-carriers, carpenters, blacksmiths, weavers, cobblers, etc. These services employ a considerable number of persons as detailed hereunder:

            Barbers.- The profession of the barbers, in fact is one of those which are traditionally pursued by men only, and usually by the member of one community. The women of this community as well as the men by custom are considered indispensable in many functions and ceremonies of the society. In urban areas the old practice of family barber has come to an end. Now, the towns have exclusive hair dressing saloons and beauty parlours, as women have also begun cutting their hair short. These are equipped with modern tools and instruments for hairdressing and hair cutting. Besides, barbers also sit in the open to cater to the need of lower income people. Generally, the barbers charge Rs 12 for haircut, Rs 7 for a shave and the beauticians charge Rs 25 for haircutting and Rs 60 for facial. The number of barbers including hairdressers, beauticians and related workers in the towns of the district as on 31 March 2000 was 240. The barbers in towns have formed their unions to look after their interests. Tuesday is generally observed as holiday.

            In rural areas, some barbers continue the old tradition of visiting the homes of their customers. The wife of barbers, called nain, does some sort of periodical hair cleaning of the women folk of the families to which the barber is attached. However, many barbers have also set-up hair-cutting shops in rural areas.

            Washermen.- Washermen or dhobis are losing their business with the introduction of synthetic yarn clothes and the people now prefer to wash their clothes at home and sent to dhobis for pressing, who have set up their pressing stalls at convenient points. Many washermen have opened laundry shops where they do washing and dry-cleaning. Many exclusive shops for dry-cleaning have also opened. The dry-cleaning shops and laundaries are mostly located in urban areas. This business is becoming popular since launderers are more prompt and efficient as compared to washermen. The charges of laundaries are higher than those of washermen. The washing and pressing charges are taken in cash on per piece basis. The average washing rate charged by washermen is Rs 5 per cloth. The number of washermen including pressers, launders, and dry-cleaners in the municipal areas of the district as on 31 March 2002 was 128.

            Tailors.- Like other occupations, tailoring is also an age old occupation in the area of present Mansa District. In the past, tailors made traditional dresses and it was a caste profession. Family tailor used to sit in the house of his client and stitch the clothes of the whole family. He got the remuneration in kind at the time of harvesting, but now this system of family tailor is no more prevalent in these days. This occupation includes the services of tailors, dressmakers, sewers, cutters and related workers. Tailoring shops are very common in the towns, as the population has increased considerably and their demand for new clothes has also increased. The tailors in urban areas prepare clothes according to the tastes and fashions prevalent in towns and cities, while those in rural areas prepare ordinary types of clothes worn by the villagers. It is a paying profession and there is no social bar for its adoption. Well-to-do persons, high income professionals and college students generally prefer to wear quality-stitched clothes. Some large tailoring shops in towns employ a number of tailors for stitching. They are paid a monthly salary or on job basis.  Master tailors usually   take measurements and do cutting. Tailoring charges vary from shop to shop, depending on the skill of tailor. In rural areas, the charges are slightly less than the urban areas. However, the stitching charges have increased considerably over the years. Some women also do tailoring work in their houses to supplement their family income. They have their own sewing machines and work independently. The total number of tailors, cutters and related workers in the urban areas of the district as on 31 March 2000 was 1,149.

             Carpenters.- The carpenters or tarkhans form an important occupational class. They manufacture and repair wooden structures, doors, windows, chairs and other building fixtures. The village carpenters make agricultural implements and domestic articles. In urban areas many carpenters manufacture the sophisticated items of furniture and established show rooms., They get their remuneration in cash. The number of carpenters, cabinetmakers and related workers in the urban areas of the district as on 31 March 2000 was 632.

 

             Cobblers.- The cobblers or mochies recondition old, worn-out or defective shoes to make them serviceable. The experienced cobblers make complete footwears like shoes, chappals and sandals. Some of them have small establishments. The total number of shoemakers, shoe repairers, leather cutters in the municipal areas of the district as on 31 March 2000 was 460.

 

             Self-Employed Persons.- Self-employed persons include all those who work independently or sell their individual services. These include persons, like shoemakers, weavers, potters, sweepers, hand-cart pullers, hawkers, porters at railway stations and bus-stands, vendors and hosiery-weavers. Besides, new occupations have come up with the changing times such as repairs and motor mechanics. The habit of tea drinking has helped to open tea stalls in urban areas and at bus stops in rural areas. They are spread throughout the district and serve the rural as well as the urban community by producing articles or rendering services. These persons also run all kinds of shops such as halwai, pan bidi, grocery, vegetables/fruits. It also includes goldsmiths in rural areas

.

             Domestic Services.- The domestic services include cooks, servants and maid servants. Employment of a domestic servants was considered a sign of affluence in the past. Some well-to-do families in urban and some landlords in rural areas employ domestic servants. Some of them are engaged as cooks while the others are employed for cleaning of utensils, washing clothes and other domestic work. Most of these servants are illiterate. The part-time servants work as utensil cleaners, washermen, gardeners, sweepers, cooks, etc. Usually women belonging to poor families adopt this profession for supplementing their family income. Such full-time female servants are paid between Rs 300 to 550 per month in addition to other sundry facilities provided by their employers. In rural areas most of the women do their own domestic chores. The total number of housekeepers, cooks, maids and related workers in the municipal areas of the district as on 31 March 2000 was 969.

 

(c)    Miscellaneous Services

 

            Transport Service.- Transport plays an important role in the social and economic life of the people. These services include persons who work on various transport vehicles like buses, trucks, tractors and all those who drive bullock-carts, tempos, ply-rickshaws, auto-rickshaws etc. After the Independence the transport services have considerably increased especially after the Punjab Government’s plan to link all revenue villages with metalled roads. Rickshaws ply in urban and semi-urban areas and provide cheaper means of conveyance. Auto-rickshaws and taxies which are faster are also catering to the needs of transport of the people. For the carriage of goods, hand carts and animals driver carts are used where the load is light and the destination distance is short. However, for heavy loads and longer distance, the services of goods transport companies are utilized.

            A number of transport workers, such as drivers, conductors, mechanics and cleaners are employed in the transport companies. They are provided with various facilities such as free uniform, bonus, allowances for overtime, etc. The total number of drivers, conductors, auto-rickshaw /tempo drivers, rickshaw pullers, tonga drivers, etc. in the municipal areas of the district as on 31 March 2000, was 4,995.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                         

                                             APPENDIX I                     (Vide page 159)

 

Department-wise Distribution of Government Employees in Mansa District and in Punjab State as on 31 March 2000

 

Serial No.

Name of the Department

Number of Employees

Mansa District      Punjab State

1

2

3

4

 

General Services

 

 

  1

Vidhan Sabha

-

316

  2

Raj Bhawan

-

128

  3

Legal Remembrance

-

122

  4

Advocate General

-

210

  5

Prosecution & Litigation

-

405

  6

Justice

   10

3,757

  7

Election

-

284

  8

Languages

     5

379

  9

Financial Commissioners’ Secretariat

-

798

10

Revenue

494

10,657

11

Excise & Taxation

  25

2,545

12

Punjab Public Service Commission

-

79

13

Civil Secretariat

-

824

14

Police

630

61,811

15

Home Guards

    7

4,255

16

Jails

-

2,997

17

Treasury & Accounts

 25

1,056

18

Local Fund Examiner

-

461

19

Controller of Internal Audit Organization

-

173

20

Institute of Finance & Banking

-

37

21

Printing & Stationery

  6

890

22

Local Government

-

770

 

Social Services

 

 

23

General Education

    2,762

1,24,334

24

Technical Education & Industrial Training

         62

4,532

25

Sports

           4

810

26

Youth Services

-

72

27

Cultural Affairs, Museum, Archaeology & Archieves

-

388

28

Medical Health & Family Welfare

      954

37,984

29

Water Supply (Public Health)

      479

15,019

30

Housing & Urban Development

-

1,899

31

Town & Country Planning

-

609

1

2

3

4

32

Architecture

-

143

33

Information & Publicity

 14

1,242

34

Social Welfare & Welfare of Scheduled Castes & Backward Classes

325

4,982

35

Labour

    3

485

36

Employment

    9

530

37

Subordinate Service Selection Board

-

57

38

Sainik Welfare

    7

238

39

Administrator General and Official Trustee and Treasurer Charitable Endowment

-

22

40

Hospitality

-

555

 

Economic Services

 

 

41

Agriculture

        118

4,390

42

Horticulture

          13

1,048

43

Soil Conservation

   81

2,119

44

Animal Husbandry

        224

6,580

45

Dairy Development

    8

323

46

Fisheries

          10

405

47

Forest

          34

2,103

48

Co-operation

            8

3,260

49

Rural Development & Panchayats

          47

2,926

50

Consolidation

-

139

51

Irrigation

        417

31,428

52

Colonization

-

65

53

Chief Electrical Inspector

-

131

54

Industries

         14

2,017

55

Transport

           8

12,781

56

Civil Aviation

-

100

57

Public Works ( B & R)

         96

12,607

58

Tourism

-

17

59

Economic & Statistical Organization

         11

553

60

Food & Supplies

         62

3,278

61

 Punjab State Planning Board

-

139

62

Lotteries

-

53

63

Rehabilitation

-

3

 

Total

    6,962

3,73,270

(Source: Economic Adviser to Government Punjab, Chandigarh)

 

 

 

 

 

 

                          

                                                 APPENDIX II                     (Vide page 159)

 

Number of Semi-Government Employees Working in Corporations and Boards, Municipal Councils, Improvement Trusts, Zila Parishads, Market Committees and Panchayat Samitis as on 31 March 2000 in Mansa District and in Punjab State

 

Serial No.

Name of the Department

Number of Employees

Mansa District

Punjab State

1

Corporations/Boards

-

1,15,043

2

Municipal Councils/Corporations

374

   32,043

3

Improvement Trusts

-

        836

4

Zila Parishad

    9

       842

5

Market Committees

145

    4,754

6

Panchayat Samities

  85

    2,661

 

Total

613

1,56,179

(Source: Economic Advisor to Government Punjab, Chandigarh)

 

 

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