Wages

 

            Wages generally signify all remuneration capable of being expressed in the terms of money paid to a person for the work done by him. The level of wages obtaining at a particular period throw sufficient light on the prevailing economic condition of region and living standards of its people. Variation in prices on account of fiscal polices and other factors such as the rise in demand, shortage of goods, insufficient production, etc. generally influence the wage level.

 

The wage level over a period of time has undergone somewhat similar fluctuations as the price level. In the early days, wages, especially in the agricultural sector, were determined by custom and tradition. The agricultural labourers and artisans were generally paid either in cash or in kind or in both. The characteristic phenomenon of wages in the later part of the nineteenth century as in the case of prices was that if a general rise. The wage rates of labour prevalent in the Gurdaspur District, from 1870-71 to 1930-31, are given in Appendix II on pages 267-268. The rates of pay fixed for class IV Government servants working in the different offices in the Gurdaspur District, during 1971-72, are given in Appendix III on page 269.

 

      Standard of Living.- Information  about the standard of living of the various strata of society is useful in understanding the general economic condition of the people. The standard of living of the people is dependent on two factors, namely, the total income that a family earns and the total expenditure that it incurs for maintaining a comfortable standard of living.

 

            A working class family living survey was conducted in Dhariwal (Gurdaspur Tahsil) in 1965-662. It was started on July 1, 1965, and ended on June 30, 1966. Prices for the base period were, however, collected for the calendar year 1966.    The number of factories being small, all the units were taken for coverage.  According to the 1961 Census, out of the total population of 9,601 of Dhariwal, the essential number of working class families was 2,342, the estimated population of the working families was 14,965, and the estimate number of employees in working class families was 2,809.

 

            The percentage distribution of employees (including apprentice) by industry was: 74:35 in manufacture of textile-wool; 3.26in manufacture of wood and wood products; 0.77 in manufacture of chemicals and chemical products; 1.46 in manufacture of transport equipment; 1.39 in construction; 0.91 in electricity, gas, water and sanitary services; 3.00 in commerce; 3.16 in services and 11.70 in rest.

 

            The industry-wise average monthly family income per employee was: Rs 105.01 manufacture of textile-wool; Rs123.68 manufacture of wood and wood products; Rs

_______________________________________________________________

               

2. Report on the Working Class Family Living Survey, 1964-66, (Publication No. 82, issued by the Economic Adviser to Government, Punjab, Chandigarh, in 1968), pp. 1.4-7, 10-11, 26, 38, 82-83, 95-96.

 

 

88.36 manufacture of chemicals and chemicals products; Rs 146.17 manufacture of transport equipments; Rs 122.89 construction; Rs 125.42 electricity, gas, water and communication; Rs 106.12 commerce; Rs 116.14 services; and Rs 79.78 of the rest.

 

 

            The percentage distribution of families by their income was: 5.05 in income groups below Rs 90,21.80 in income group Rs 90-120, 30.8 in income group Rs 120-150, 29.91 in income group Rs 150-210, 8.14 in income group RS 210-300 and 4.52 in income group Rs 300-450.

 

            The percentage distribution of families by per capita was income was: 10.08 in income group below Rs 15, 24.26 in income group Rs 15-20, 22.52 in income group Rs 20-25, 21.34 in income group Rs 25-35, 12.92 in income group Rs 35-50, 4.44 in income Rs 50-65, 0.73 in income group Rs 65-80, and 3.51 in income group Rs 80 and above.

 

            The average monthly per capita income by income classes was: Rs 16.69 in income groups below Rs 90, Rs 20 in income group Rs 90-120, Rs 20.46 in income group Rs 120-150, Rs 26.90 in income group Rs 150-210, Rs 30.33 in income group Rs  210-300, and Rs 34.76 in income group, Rs 300-450, and Rs 24.18 in all the above income groups.

 

            The comparison of consumption expenditure pattern in terms of percentage expenditure on groups/sub-groups of items is given below:

 

Group and Sub-group of items

 

Percentage expenditure

Food

..

57.26

Pan, supari, tobacco and alcoholic beverages

..

1.44

Fuel and lights

..

5.25

Rent for houses and water charges

..

5.58

House repairs and upkeep, household appliances and utilities, furniture and house hold services

..

3.11

Clothing, bedding, footwear, headwear and miscellaneous

..

16.21

Personal care

..

2.08

Education and reading

..

2.81

Recreation and amusement

..

0.21

Medical care

..

2.47

Other consumption expenditure

..

3.28

                                                                       Total

..

100.00

              

As regard the distribution of employees by social security benefits, 93.33 per cent contributed towards Provident Fund Scheme and 100 per cent contributed towards the Employees’ State Insurance Scheme.

 

            The average amount of saving and assets per reporting family by income classes was as under.

 

Monthly income class

Average amount of savings and assets per reporting family

     (Rs)

        (Rs)

Below 90

     2,232.61

90-150

     4,770.60

150-210

     5,703.11

210 and above

     5,848.00

                                                       All :

     4,398.76

 

 

The Board of Economic Enquiry, Punjab, conducted a survey regarding the family budgets of twelve cultivators in the Punjab for the year 1969-70.3   It aimed at finding out the returns to the farmers for their work on the holdings.  The inquiry revealed that the budget of the family in the village of Badowal Khurd in the Batala Tahsil was surplus.  The annual income of the family in Badowal Khurd was Rs 8,337.23 and expenditure Rs 5,908.11.  The study also showed that, on an average, a peasant proprietor’s family in the Punjab spent 62 per cent of its income on food, 10 per cent on clothing, 7 per cant on housing, 7 per cent on fuel, 3 per cent on travelling and 11 per cent on other items.  The goods consumed worth Rs 3,391.04 (57 per cent), by the family in Badowal Khurd were furnished by the farm, while those worth Rs 2,517.07 (43 per cent) were purchased from outside.

 

(b)     Employment Situation

 

In the review of economic resources, an important factor that has to be taken into account is the utilization of human resources, as determined by its working force in the different  economic activities.  A study of changes in their distribution in different sectors of economy is helpful in the assessment of progress made in various sectors.

_______________________________________________________________

           

3.  Family Budget of Twelve Cultivators in the Punjab for the year 1969-70 (Publication No. 125 : issued by the Economic Adviser to Government, Punjab, Chandigarh, in 1971)

 

The inhabitants of the district are primarily engaged in agriculture which, however, provides employment for about 6 months in a year.  On December 31, 1972, there were 39,397 labourers employed in the district as compared to 36,358 in the previous year.  The employment increased by 7.8 per cent in 1972 and the index rose from 123.3 on December 31, 1971 to 131.1 on December 31,1972 (with March 1966 as base-100).  On December 31, 1972, the employment of women was 10.3 per cent of the total employment on December 31,1971.

 

            The number of persons waiting for employment in the district at the close of the year 1971 was 12,390  which rose to 15,592 in 1972.  There was a shortage of veterinary compounders, jail warders, teachers in Punjabi, Sanskrit, science, mathematics, and agriculture, overseers (civil), steno-typists (Punjabi), patwaris and plumbers.  However, there was a surplus of trained dais, primary school teachers, drivers, bus-conductors, sweepers, chowkidars, motor mechanics and unskilled workers.4

 

            Employment Exchange. -  Employment exchanges were first started throughout the country to provide employment to the demobilized persons of the World War II (1939-45).  Even after this problem was solved, the exchanges were continued to tackle the greater problem of general unemployment in the country.  In order to make the employment exchanges more purposeful, the system of registration and placements of all categories of employment seekers was introduced in March 1948.  With effect from November 1, 1956, the administrative control of the employment exchanges was handed over to the State Governments.  The District Employment Exchange at Gurdaspur was started in 1947.  Later on, as a result of the increase in the volume of work, employment exchanges were also opened at Pathankot and Batala in 1960 and 1961, respectively.

 

            The main functions of an employment exchange are : to register applicants and to provide employment assistance; to impart vocational guidance to the youth and adults, to choose a better career; and to collect employment market information to assess the employment trends, impact of Government plans on the employment situations and to collect employment statistics for the Planning Commission of India.

 

            The overall level of employment in the Gurdaspur District has shown an upward trend in both the private and public sectors.  The number of employees working in both the sectors, as on December 31, 1972 was 39,397, out of which 27,204 were in public sector and 12,193 in private sector.  The number of employees in previous year was 36,358.

 

            The work done by the District Employment Exchanges, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Batala is shown in Appendix IV on page 270.

_______________________________________________________________

 

4.  Employment Market Report of District Gurdaspur for the Quarter Ending December 31, 1972 in Punjabi (issued by the Sub-Regional Employment Officer, Amritsar)

 

            The number of unemployed persons aged 15 and above by sex and educational levels, both in the urban and rural areas of the Gurdaspur district, as per 1961 Census is given below :

 

Unemployment in the urban areas by sex and educational levels

 

 

 

       Total unemployed

 

 

Persons

Males

Females

Total

 

1,632

1,587

45

Illiterate

..

301

298

3

Literate (without educational level)

..

76

76

..

Primary or Junior Basic

..

551

547

4

Matriculation or Higher Secondary

..

609

584

25

Technical diploma not equal to a degree

 

10

7

3

Non-technical diploma not equal to a degree

 

15

9

6

University degree or post graduate degree other than a technical degree

 

..

64

61

3

Technical degree or diploma equal to a degree or diploma equal to a degree or post graduate degree

 

..

6

5

1

(i)  Engineering

..

1

1

..

(ii)  Medicine

..

..

..

..

..(iii)  Agriculture

..

..

..

..

(iv) Veterinary and Dairying

..

..

..

..

(v) Technology

..

..

..

..

(vi) Teaching

..

3

2

1

(vii) Others

..

2

2

..

 

 

 

Unemployment in the rural areas by sex and educational levels

 

 

 

       Total unemployed

 

 

Persons

Males

Females

Total

 

2,757

2,749

8

Illiterate

..

780

778

32

Literate (without educational level)

..

181

181

..

Primary or Junior Basic

..

905

904

1

Matriculation or Higher Secondary

..

891

886

5

 

            (Census of India 1961, Punjab District Census Handbook, No. 14, Gurdaspur District, pp.234-35


Tahsil-wise unemployment in the rural areas by sex and educational levels in the Gurdaspur District, 1961

 

District/Tahsil

 

Total unemployed

Illiterate

Literate (without educational level)

Primary or Junior Basic

Matriculation and above

 

 

P

M

F

P

M

F

P

M

F

P

M

F

P

M

F

Gurdaspur District

..

2,757

2,749

8

780

778

2

181

181

..

905

904

1

891

886

5

Pathankot Tahsil

..

805

803

2

240

238

2

37

37

..

334

..

..

194

194

..

Gurdaspur Tahsil

..

1,291

1,288

3

385

385

..

106

106

..

365

1

1

435

433

2

Batala Tahsil

..

661

658

3

155

155

..

38

38

..

206

206

..

262

259

1

 

            (Census of India, 1961, Punjab District Census Handbook, No. 14, Gurdaspur District, pp. 234-35)

 


            Economic Market Information Scheme.-  The aim of this scheme is to watch the trends of employment in the state so as to make available to the Government and to the Planning Commission information on the periodical expansion and contraction of employment in various industries and occupations in each district and in the State as a whole.  The information thus collected is also used for determining the location of the industries training institutes and the trades to be taught therein.

 

            Introduced into state in 1957-58, the Employment Market Information Scheme is operated under the Director of Employment, Punjab, Chandigarh.  Initially, it covered only the Public sector, but from 1960-61, it was also extended to the private sector.

 

            Under the scheme, the employment exchange is responsible for collecting regularly information about the employment in the private sector as well as in the public sector.  This is done by what is known as “Establishment Reporting” system. Under this scheme, all establishments in the public sector and selected establishments in the private sector engaged in non-agricultural activities are asked to give details regularly about the number of persons they are employing, the vacancies that have occurred therein and the type of persons they find to be in short supply.  The information is collected from all establishments in the public sector and those employing 25 or more persons in the private sector under the provision of the Employment Exchanges) Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959, which makes it obligatory on them to submit it to the local employment exchange.  Information from smaller establishments in the private sector is, however, collected on voluntary basis.  The information which is processed at the district level is finally tabulated at the State and the National levels respectively to know precisely the employment potential at these levels.  An Employment Market Unit in the Employment Exchange, Gurdaspur, has been functioning since 1958.  The following

 


statement clearly shows the changes in the volume of employment both in the private and public sectors in the district as on December 31, 1971 and December 31, 1972: -

 

Industrial Division

 

Number of establishments

Number of employees

 

 

December 31, 1971

December 31,1972

December 31, 1971

December 31,1972

Agriculture

..

8

6

502

5,19

Mining and quarrying

..

..

1

..

45

Manufacturing

..

248

256

8,417

9,271

Construction

..

49

59

4,471

4,717

Electricity, water supply and public health

..

23

25

1,400

1,543

Trade and commerce

..

37

40

1,135

1,172

Transport, storage and communication

..

21

21

3,606

3,677

Other Services

..

240

258

16,827

18,453

                        Total

..

626

666

36,358

39,397

 

 

[Employment Market Reports of the District Gurdaspur for the Quarter Ending December 31, 1971 and December 31, 1972in Punjabi (issued by the Sub-Regional Employment Officer, Amritsar)]

 

The above table indicates that during the period the employment increased in almost all the industrial divisions.

           

            Vocational Guidance Scheme.-  The vocational guidance and employment counselling programmes are designed to give intensive vocational guidance to those who seek such assistance.  The term vocational guidance more appropriately connotes to youth, whereas employment counselling refers to the assistance given to adults.

 

            The programme is jointly operated by the Directorate of Employment Exchanges of the Directorate General of Employment and Training, Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the Directorate of Employment, in the State.  The ministry of Labour and Employment, through the Director of Employment Exchanges, is responsible for the general policies and procedure which are devised in collaboration with the State Government through the National Working group of the Employment Service.  The State Directorate of Employment administers the service through the Employment Exchange, coordinating it with the guidance service of the Education Department of the State Government.

 

            The Officer-in-charge of the Employment Exchange, Gurdaspur, is responsible for the efficient working and general supervision of this scheme in the district.  The functions of a Vocational Guidance Unit are to provide vocational guidance and employment counselling to youth (boys and girls) and adults (men and women) in groups as well as individually ; assist in the placement of youth in institutions or inplant training centres or in entry jobs ; follow up and review the progress of guided youth and adults ; review the records of applicants on the live register and to give them such guidance  as would lead to early and suitable placement ; assist other sections of the exchanges in improving the quality of registrations and submissions, assist in the collection and compilation of up-to-date information on occupations, training facilities, educational courses , employment trends and employment outlook for youth and adults, scholarships and sources of financial assistance ; maintenance of regular information of up-to-date library on occupation literature, ; and educate the public  by undertaking publicity measures in vocational  guidance with a view to encouraging community consciousness.  The guidance procedure at an Employment Exchange, with a Vocational Guidance Unit, consists of group guidance comprising invitational talks, group discussions and invitational talk-cum-group discussions according to the needs of the groups ; individual guidance; and giving information individually.

 

            A Vocational Guidance Unit was started in the District Employment Exchange, Gurdaspur, in January 1962.

 

            The following table shows the work done by Vocational Guidance Unit, Gurdaspur, during 1967-68 to 1971-72 :-

 

Year

Number of individuals provided

 

Group guidance talks

Individual guidance cases

Individual information

1967-68

         915

              70

        836

1968-69

         432

              41

       308

1969-70

         704

              79

       373

1970-71

       1,163

              58

     1,288

1971-72

       1,187

              39

     1,340

 

                                    (Source: District Employment Officer, Gurdaspur)

 


            Another Vocational Guidance Unit was stated at the Employment Exchange, Pathankot, in November 1969.  The work done by it, during 1969-70 to 1971-72, is given below:

 

Year

Number of individuals provided

Group guidance talks

Individual guidance talks

Individual Information

1969-70

1359

108

963

1970-71

344

12

147

1971-72

2154

101

725

 

            (Source : Assistant Employment Officer, Pathankot)

 

(c)  Planning and Community Development

 

Planning.-  planning is necessary to achieve a balance growth of different sectors of the economy of a region as also in raising the standard of living of the people.  It bring about socio-economic advancement of the people by formulating definite schemes, fixing up to targets of progress in various sectors of the economy and in directing efforts to achieve them within a stipulated.

 

            The First Five-Year Plan (1951-56) was launched in 1951-52.  It aimed at achieving a balanced growth within a stipulated period of time by raising the necessary resources for implementation, the underlying idea being to improve the standard of living of the people at large.  It was followed by the Second (1956-61), the third (1961-66) and the fourth (1969-74), five-Year Plans, interspersed by three Annual Plans (for 1966-67, 1967-68 and 1968-69) between the Third and the fourth. 

 

            Under these plans, the State and district plans have been formulated keeping in view the concept of Welfare State and implemented through the district administrative machinery, which has been expanded and strengthened from time to time for undertaking the tasks of development.  For each scheme of development, there is a fixed target and estimate of expenditure have been worked out to the desired social and economic goals.

 

            Community Development.-  The Community Development Programme is a bold effort to mobilize public enthusiasm and co-operation and to raise the standard of living of the people.  It was introduced with a view to enlisting popular participation in the implementation of the development programmes in the blocks.  It is altogether a unique and scientific endeavor for an integrated approach to the rural development, based on public participation and working through representative institutions of the people.

 

            The Community Development Programme was started in the Gurdaspur District as early as in 1952 with the inception of ‘Batala Community Project’.  The project was known as ‘Trail Project’ and the programme sprang up gradually when Intensive Development Blocks were set up.  The Batala Community Project was subdivided into three blocks, viz.   Batala, Srigobindpur and Dera Baba Nanak Block was further slashed into two in 1961 when a new unit, known as the Fatehgarh Churian Block, came into being straight away in stage II.

 

            In the beginning, three types of development blocks such as the National Extension Service, Community Development and Post Intensive Stage blocks were conceived.  These marked three different phases of development of the rural areas.  The National Extension Service (N.E.S.) was taken to be the preparatory period, when the area was prepared for receiving a heavy dose for development during the next sage of community development. It was envisaged that the development tempo generated would be maintained then and further progress ensured. However the Community Development Programme could not evoke and enlist sufficient co-operative of the people in implementation of the development scheme. Therefore, in pursuance of the recommendation of the Balwantrai Mehta Committee appointed by the Planning Commission in 1957 organizational and structural changes were made in the programme. Thus, the distinction between the N.E.S. stage, intensive development stage, and the post-intensive stage was abolished from April 1, 1958, and all blocks under the all India programme, expect those in the community development stage which had then not completed three years of existence, were classified into stage I and stage II blocks, with revised financial pattern and period of operation. The Community Development Blocks on completing stage I period would enter stage II. A stage I block has five years of operation with the ceiling of expenditure of Rs.12 lakhs. It is the intensive development phase in which the people’s participation is to be promoted by a closer association of people’s institutions, like the gram panchayats. The degree of success attained during the first stage would be evidence by the growth and functioning of self-reliant rural communities which was the basic objective of the programme. After completing stage I, the blocks would enter stage II and then the post-stage II of the programme. .

 

            Each community block is intended to be an area of intensive effort in which all development agencies of the Government work together as a term in correct with the local leadership and talent, represented in the panchayats.

 

            The block programmes have an important bearing on the preparation of the State Plan in the fields of  agriculture, minor irrigation, co-operatives, communications, village industries, education, rural amenities and the utilization of available man-power resources. The block plans include all social and economic activities undertaken for the benefit of the people.

 

            The Community Development Programme covers the entire district of Gurdaspur comprising 11 Community Development Blocks5, viz. Gurdaspur, Kalanuwan, Dorangla (with headquarters at Dinanagar (in Tahsil Gurdaspur), Batala, Dera Baba Nanak, Srigobindpur, Fetehgarh Churian, (in Tahsil Batala), Pathankot, Narot Jaimalsingh and Dhar Kalan, (in Tahsil Pathankot). On March 31,1972, these blocks covered 1,526 inhabited villages with a total population of 9,80,165..

 

            The people in the district have extended commendable co-operation and have also contribution liberally as and when they were required to do so.

 

Community Development Training Centre, Batala

                                                  

            The Community Development Training Centre, Batala, is situated at a distance of 3 km from the Batala town on the Amritsar-Pathankot road. It was named as Extension Training Centre, which was changed in 1952 to Gramsevaks Training Centre. Later on in March 1969, it was converted into Intermediate Level Composite Training Centre and again, in 1973, its name was changed to Community Development Training Centre.

 

            The Community Development Training Centre, Batala, is the only centre in the Punjab State which caters to the training of the higher officers of Development Department. All probationers, above the level of Village Level workers in the Development Department, undergo a training for a specific period. The centre is designed to enable the participants to know about themselves and about their work so that they may develop techniques of enlisting support of the people with whom they have to work. The training is imparted to the various categories of functionaries, including Non-officials engaged in the development work. The centre impacts elementary training and field education in the various subjects, viz. community development, agriculture, animal husbandry, co-operation, health, education, industry, etc.

           

5. In 1974, another separate block, viz. Dhariwal Block, was created, thus raising the total number of the Community Development Blocks in the Gurdaspur District From 11 to 12.


APPENDIX I

 

Sample household classification by the number of members and by the number of rooms occupied in the                         Gurdaspur District, 1971

Rural/ Urban Total

Total number of census house-holds

Total Number of members

Total number of rooms

Households with one room

Households with two rooms

Households with three rooms

Male

Females

 

No. of house-hold

Number of members

No. of house-holds

Number of members

No. of house-hold

Number of members

 

 

 

 

 

Males

Females

Males

Females

Males

Females

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Rural

1,52,965

5,11,515

4,51,440

3,03,795

67,410

1,89,365

1,65,665

49,500

1,69,935

1,50,065

20,595

80,745

72,240

Urban

43,105

1,37,301

1,13,150

94,310

17,220

44,590

34,025

13,500

42,440

37,120

6,050

21,330

19,020

Total:

1,96,070

6,48,825

5,64,590

3,98,105

84,360

2,33,955

1,99,690

63,000

2,12,375

1,87,185

26,645

1,02,075

91,260

                                                                                                                                                                                                (contd.)


APPENDIX I- concld.

(contd. From pre-page)

 

 

Rural/ Urban Total

Households with four room

Households with five rooms and above

Households with unspecified number of rooms

Number of house-holds

Number of members

Number of house-holds

Number of members

Number of house-hold

Number of members

Number of households with details unspecified

Males

Females

 

Males

Females

 

Males

Females

 

Rural ..

8,820

38,455

34,040

6,620

32,965

29,405

20

50

25

..

Urban ..

3,330

13,175

11,590

2,900

15,770

11,395

5

5

..

..

Total: 

12,150

51,630

45,630

9,520

48,735

40,800

25

55

25

..

 

Census of India, 1971, Series 17- Punjab, Part IV, Housing Reports and Tables, Part IV, pp. 106-107) 

 

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