CHAPTER VIII
MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS
|
(a) |
|
|
(b) |
|
|
(c) |
|
|
(d) |
The principal sectors of the district economy such as agriculture, industry, banking, trade, commerce, etc. have already been dealt with at length in the preceding chapters. But a large number of economic pursuits which contribute materially to the economy of the district and which remained uncovered are detailed in this chapter. These pursuits are broadly grouped under he caption “Miscellaneous Occupations”. The occupations are of miscellaneous nature and provide employment to a large number of people both in the urban and rural areas.
The Hoshiarpur District is predominantly a rural district having 87.91 per cent of its population in villages against the corresponding figure of 76.27 per cent for the State, as per 1971 Census. The main profession of inhabitants of the district is agriculture. According to the 1971 Census, 2,75,621 persons (26.20 per cent) of the total population of the district (10,52,153) were workers. Out of the total working force, 1,69,525 persons (61.51 per cent) depended directly on agriculture; 1,20,204 (43.61 per cent) were cultivators and 49,321 (17.90 per cent) agricultural labourers. As many as 1,06,096 (38.49 per cent) were engaged in other occupations both in the urban and rural areas, which included livestock, forestry, plantation, etc.; industries; transport, storage and communications; trade and commerce; and other services such as construction; professionals-law, medical education, engineering, etc, self-employed occupations and personal and domestic services, etc, besides the Central, States and Local Government employees. A good number of people from rural population endowed with steadiness and god physique join armed forces.
Central, State and Local Government Services. –There has been a considerable increase in the number of jobs in the public services under the State Government, Central government and Local Bodies after 1947. Several new departments came into being to carry out developmental activities in the country and the States. The inclination of the people towards Government job is due to security of service and facilities given by the Government such as, dearness allowance linked with the price index, advance for the construction or purchase of a house; purchase of a vehicle; compensatory allowance, house rent allowance to those who are not provided Government accommodation; medical reimbursement of employees and their dependents; free liveries to Class IV employees and railway employees. Police employees are provided with rent-free residential accommodation. Railway authorities issue free passes for travel to the employees and their families. All government employees’ avail of casual and earned leave and married female employees are entitled to maternity leave additionally. On superannuation, government employees are entitled to the benefits of compassionate gratuity and pension.
The number of Punjab Government employees in the district as on March 31, 1975, was 17,300. Besides, there is a good number of employees working in the Central Government and semi-Government offices.
Public Employees’ Organizations. –The following public employees’ organizations exist in the district. These have been formed by the employees to safeguard their interests: -
(14) Workers’ Union Beas Dam, Talwara Township
(14) Special Foreman Association, Talwara Township
(14) Pong Dam Mazdoor Union, Talwara Township
(14) Beas Dam Karamchari Sangh, Talwara Township
(14) Beas Dam Project Employees’ Union Talwara Township
(14) Heavy Earth Moving Operators’ Union, Talwara Township
(14) Project Earth Moving Operators’ Union, Talwara Township
(14) Beas Project Ekta Mazdoor Union, Talwara Township
(14) The Depressed Class Employees’ Federation, Talwara Township
(14) Hoshiarpur Central Co-operative Bank Employees, Union Hoshiarpur
(14) Store Keepers’ Association, Punjab State Electricity Board, Hoshiarpur
(14) The Hoshiarpur Press Workers’ Union, Hoshiarpur
(14) Municipal Subordinate Employees’ Union, Dasuya
(14) Municipal Employees’ Union, Dasuya
The information in respect of the most important of the learned professions such as teaching, medical, legal, engineering, etc. in the district is given below:
Educational Services. –After independence, the progressive educational policies formulated by the State Government from time to time have had opened new vistas of employment opportunities in the district.
In 1974-75, there were 12 colleges in the district in which 381 teachers were working. The number of teachers working in 1299 high/higher secondary, middle, primary (including basic primary) schools as on June 15, 1975 was 7,619, out of which 2,965 were women teachers. The pay-scales of the college teachers have recently been revised by the State government on the basis of recommendations made by the University Grants Commission which are lucrative and attractive. Similarly, the pay-scales of schools teachers are also satisfactory. The college teachers and school teachers have associations of their own. There is hardly any residential accommodation available for the teachers in rural areas and they, therefore, reside in nearby urban areas and usually go to school daily. This gives set-back to the extra curricular and other social activities of the schools in the rural areas.
Medical and Health Services. –In the past, the people being superstitious, especially in the rural areas, did not visit doctors at the time of illness. But with the spread of literacy, change of attitudes, popularity of scientific medicines and drugs and increase in dispensaries and hospitals in rural/urban areas, the people have become prone to medical aid and relief. The number of medical institutions has increased from 39 in 1950 to 49 in 1961, and 55 in 1965 to 64 in 1975. The number of doctors, midwives, nurses and dais working in the district in 1975 was 327, 418, 176 and 1,009 respectively. Ayurvedic and Unani treatment is fairly popular in the district as the number of institutions functioning in 1975 was 42. Besides, a number of M.B.B.S. doctors and Registered Medical Practitioners are also rendering medical service in the district.
On the veterinary side, the district is fairly well served by 22 veterinary hospitals, 19 permanent outlying dispensaries and 11 touring veterinary dispensaries to control contagious diseases among animals.
Legal Services. –Legal services are rendered by lawyers, pleaders, etc, besides a number of munshis assisting them. In the social life of the community, lawyers occupy a high status. According to the 1961 Census, the number of legal practitioners and advisors in the district was 144, which rose to 170 on May 26, 1975.
There are four bar associations in the district, one each at Hoshiarpur, Dasuya, Garhshankar and Balachaur. These associations maintain professional conduct and discipline among the public.
Engineering Services. –The engineers play an important role in the economic development of the district. They attend to various development works such as opening of canals, construction of buildings and roads and installation of electricity. The details of the persons employed in engineering services in various Government departments have been given in Chapter XIII ‘Other Departments’. Besides, a number of persons have adopted the profession of contractors and architects or consulting engineers. According to the 1961 Census, the number of overseers, architects, engineers and surveyors in the district was 1,266.
Artists, Writers, Musicians and Related Workers. –According to the 1961 Census, the number of artists, writers, musicians and related workers in the district was 465.
(c) Personal and Domestic Services
Personal
Services
These services include barbers, washermen, launderers, tailors, water-carriers, weavers, cobblers, carpenters and the like which employ a considerable number of persons as detailed below:
Barbers. –The traditions practice of family barber (nai) in urban areas had become outdated. People go to hair cutting saloons for service. In villages, however, the old practice of family barbers in still found. In urban areas, the posh hair dressing saloons and beauty shops are becoming popular. The charges for a haircut and shave vary between Rs 1 to 1.50 and 30 to 50 paise respectively. There is no lady hair dresser in the district. The barbers in the towns have formed their unions to look after their interests. Tuesdays are generally observed as holidays by barbers in urban areas.
The total number of barbers, hairdressers and beauticians and related workers in the district, according to the 1961 Census, was 1,595.
Washermen. –The laundry services are mostly available in towns and cities. These are becoming more popular due to their quick and efficient service as compared to those of washermen. The scope of laundry business has increased considerably with the increasing of urbanization and the tendency of the people in both towns and cities to wear clean clothes. The washermen, the launderers, and those engaged exclusively in ironing are the three components serving the clientele in their own way. The increasing use of terelene/terrene garments has affected their business. The average rate per cloth charged by washermen is 20-30 paise. Some washermen also do washing work of families on monthly basis.
The total number of launderers, dry-cleaners and pressers in the district, according to the 1961 Census, was 549.
Tailors. –The tailor is an indispensable unit of the society as he fulfils the primary needs of the community. A few tailors depend for their livelihood on many subsidiary occupations, but most of them depend solely on this principal profession. Though tailoring shops are in good number in cities and towns, in rural areas such shops are scarce. Most of the tailors have their own sewing machines and work independently. There are also some big tailoring concerns, which get the work done on commission basis. Now in almost every home, ladies do some stitching work of miscellaneous type.
The total number of tailors, cutters, furriers and related workers in the district, according to the 1961 Census, was 4,459.
Carpenters. –The carpenters make and repair wooden structures, doors, windows, chairs and other building fixtures. The village carpenters make ploughs, carts and other agricultural and domestic articles. According to the 1961 Census , the number of carpenters, joiners, cabinet markers, coopers and related workers in the district was 6,221.
Cobblers. –The cobbler or mochis recondition old, wornout or defective footwear to make them serviceable. The experienced cobblers make complete footwear like shoes, chappals and sandals. Some of them have small establishments. According to the 1961 Census, the number of shoemakers and shoe repairers in the district was 5,219.
Self-employed Persons. –In this category of service are included weavers, shoemakers, potters, sweepers, handcart peddlers, porters, etc.
Domestic Services
Only families with good incomes, both in urban and rural areas employ the services of domestic servants. According to the 1961 Census, the total number of domestic servants in the district was 1,944.
There has been a considerable decrease in the number of persons following this occupation because of the new avenues of employment available in the mills and factories where they can earn higher wages. In urban areas a few people employ female domestic servants (mais) either for full-time or part-time household work. Generally families with mediocre means engage them on part-time basis for washing of clothes and cleaning of utensils, etc. These part-time servants work as utensil cleaners, washermen, gardeners, sweepers, cooks, etc. Usually these services are rendered by families, who are paid Rs 15 to 30 per mensum in addition to sundry facilities provided by their employers.
Transport Services. –Transport plays an important part in the economic development of a region. Transport services have shown an upward trend after the partition of the country, especially after the Punjab Government’s plan to link villages with pucca roads. In the district, there is a Punjab Roadways Depot at Hoshiarpur, besides eight private transport companies. Apart from the bus service, the other modes of transportation like, taxis, rickshaws, scooter-rickshaws and tongas also render such services. However, tongas are fast disappearing with the increasing popularity of rickshaws.
The persons employed by the private transport companies or the Punjab Roadways, include drivers, conductors, mechanics and cleaners. They are provided with various facilities such as free uniforms, bonus, etc. They have formed unions to safeguard their interests.
According to the 1971 Census, 5,360 persons were engaged in transport, storage and communication services in the district. Besides this, a good number of persons are engaged as rickshaw-pullers, rickshaw drivers, tonga drivers, scooter-rickshaw drivers, tampo drivers, etc.
ECONOMIC TRENDS
|
(a) |
Livelihood Pattern
and the General Level of Prices and Wages |
|
(b) |
|
|
(c) |
The economic progress of a region depends on a number of factors such as the availability of the requisite infrastructure comprising the natural resources like agriculture, minerals, forests, etc. and necessary facilities for their exploitation by setting up different types of industries. Besides, availability of technical know-how, financial and political stability are also essential for the economic growth of a region.
(a) Livelihood
Pattern, General Level of Prices and Wages and Standard of Living.
Livelihood Pattern. –The livelihood pattern of the people of a region and the nature and variety of occupations followed by them are conditioned by the stages of economic development and the extent to which all available resources are utilized for socio-economic growth of that region.
According to the 1971 Census, 26.2 per cent of the population of the Hoshiarpur District is engaged in various economic pursuits which means, three persons depend upon one workers for their livelihood. Out of the total working force of the district, about 62 per cent are engaged in agriculture including livestock-keeping, forestry, etc. 9 per cent in industry, 6 per cent in trade, 2 per cent in transport, 4.5 per cent in construction and 16.5 per cent in other services. Thus, the economy of the district continues to be predominantly agricultural.
On the basis of economic activity pursued, the workers are further classified into 9 industrial categories as under:
Classification
of Workers in the Hoshiarpur District according to the 1971 Census
|
|
Classification of workers to their professions |
Number
of Persons according to the 1971 Census |
||||||
|
|
Rural |
Urban |
Total |
|||||
|
|
Males |
Females |
Males |
Females |
Males |
Females |
Persons |
|
|
1. |
Cultivators |
1,17,597 |
510 |
2,092 |
5 |
1,19,689 |
515 |
1,20,204 |
|
2. |
Agricultural labourers |
47,369 |
498 |
1,425 |
29 |
48,794 |
527 |
49,321 |
|
3. |
Livestock-keeping, forestry, fishing, hunting, plantations, orchards and allied activities |
1,244 |
49 |
166 |
3 |
1,410 |
52 |
1,462 |
|
4. |
Mining and Quarrying |
19 |
- |
- |
1 |
19 |
1 |
20 |
|
5. |
Manufacturing, processing, servicing and repairs- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a) Household industry |
10,660 |
385 |
470 |
20 |
11,130 |
405 |
11,535 |
|
|
(b) Manufacturing other than house hold industry |
7,888 |
277 |
4,427 |
24 |
12,315 |
301 |
12,616 |
|
6. |
Construction |
6,702 |
8 |
5,583 |
48 |
12,285 |
56 |
12,341 |
|
7. |
Trade and commerce |
8,489 |
22 |
8,740 |
42 |
17,229 |
64 |
17,293 |
|
8. |
Transport, storage and communications |
3,275 |
3 |
2,078 |
4 |
5,353 |
7 |
5,360 |
|
9. |
Other services |
34,187 |
1,924 |
7,738 |
1,620 |
41,925 |
3,544 |
45,469 |
|
|
Total Workers |
2,37,430 |
3,676 |
32,719 |
1,796 |
2,70149 |
5,472 |
2,75,621 |
|
10. |
Non-workers |
2,48,423 |
4,35,401 |
35,374 |
57,334 |
2,83,797 |
4,92,735 |
7,76,532 |
|
|
Total Population |
4,83,853 |
4,39,077 |
68,093 |
59,130 |
5,53,946 |
4,98,207 |
10,52,153 |
(Census of 1971, Series 17-Punjab, Part X A & B, Hoshiarpur District Census Handbook pp. 124-127,
According to the above table, out of the total population of 10,52,153 persons in the Hoshiarpur District 2,75,621 were engaged in some kind of economic activity. The number of non-workers was 7,76,532. The ratio of workers to non-workers was 26.2 and 73.8 as against the corresponding ratio of 28.87 and 71.13 for the Punjab State.
Apart from other factors, the standard of living of a community is judged from the way its members are housed. The primary need of human beings in civilized life is the provision of decent housing accommodation. In urban areas in the district, the dwellings are almost pucca and are generally provided with modern amenities. But in the rural areas, the dwellings are mostly kutcha and modern facilities are lacking. Except for Hoshiarpur and Talwara Township, civic amenities are not adequately available in other towns of the district.
With a view to creating better conditions in the villages and to accelerate the pace of development work in the rural area, the Model Village Scheme was introduced in the State in 1969-70. Under the scheme, 3 villages in each block are selected as model villages and are provided with all types of amenities, including sanitation.
According to the 1971 Census, the total number of households in the district was 1,93,030 (rural 1,66,735 and urban 26,295). Out of these, the number of occupied residential houses was 1,81,287. The number of persons per household was 5.80. The break-up of the households, classified by number of members and by number of rooms is given in Appendix I on page 249-50.
Prices and Wages. –The level of prices has a bearing both on the real income and the standard of living of the people because it is not the money income but the purchases there from that matter.
Prices
The study of prices is very important from many points and, for a developing economy like India, it has a particular significance. Prices influence the allocation of the economy’s resources; affect incomes and costs of production and determine the profit margins. As such, these influence the attitude of investors, determine the course of foreign trade, and lead to changes in wages. The volume and character of government expenditure also depend on the level of prevailing prices.
Before the advent of railways and construction of roads, prices in India were governed by custom and status. There were big variations in prices from place to place and from season to season at the same place. But later on when the isolation of the Indian villag2e was broken, India came in contact with the rest of the world through international trade and the world factors began to intervene in India prices as the index number rose from 100 in 1873 to 105 in 1893. The rise in prices gathered momentum thereafter and especially during the World War I (1914-18). The failure of rains in 1918-19 and 1919-20 accentuated the rise in prices which reached their highest level in 1920. However, the prices showed a downward trend during 1920-29 on account of the policy of deflation followed by all the countries. This was followed by the Great Depression of 1929-33 when the price level fell further. India suffered more because it was an agricultural country and the prices of agricultural commodities fell more than those of the industrial goods. In 1931, the prices actually fell below the 1913 level, and these were lowest in 1934, when these were 87 against 100 in 1913.
The recent rise in prices is continuing unabated since 1939, when the World War Ii (1939-45) broke out. Just after the declaration of war, prices of both primary and manufactured goods shot up. The general price index which was 125.6 in 1939-40 reached to 245 in 1945-46. This enormous rise was due to increase in money supply, scarcity of goods, shortages of consumer’s goods, both foodstuffs and manufactured goods, indigenous as well as imported, mal-distribution of goods, etc.
The increasing trend in prices continued due to shortage of goods and pent up demand from increased population as the price index rose to 275 in 1946-47, 308 in 1947-48 and 389 in August, 1949. Despite the devaluation of rupee in August, 1949, prices further increased due to the outbreak of Korean War in 1950. The price index reached new heights of 439 in March, 1951 as against 396 in June, 1950.
The First Five-Year Plan was launched in the country in 1951 with avowed objective of combating inflation in the economy. This objective was achieved considerably through favourable monsoons, would factors, bumper crops and disinflationary fiscal and monetary measures. As a result, the wholesale prices fell by 22 per cent, of food articles by 25.9 per cent, of manufactures by 3.6 per cent and of industrial raw materials by 31.9 per cent.
During the Second Five-Year Plan (1956-61), the prices again started showing an upward trend, because this plan was much bigger than the first one. Over the five-year period, the general index of wholesale prices rose from 92.5 (base 1952-53=100) to 124.9, i.e. by 32.4 per cent, food articles by 33.4 per cent, industrial raw materials by 46.4 per cent and manufactures by 24.2 per cent on account of heavy investment outlays, deficit financing and the failure of agricultural crops.
The rise in the price level during the Third Five-Year Plan (1961-66) was steep. Though during the first two years of plan, the prices treaded downward yet over the five year period there was an increase in the general price index by 32 per cent, of food articles by 41 per cent, of industrial raw material by 32.6 per cent and of manufactures by 17.7 per cent. The All-India Consumer Price Index (with 1949 as base) also shot up from 125 in 1960-61 to 174 in 1965-66. This unhealthy trend was owing to the rising defence expenditure due to Chinese aggression in 1962, the Indo-Pakistan Conflict of 1965, increase in investments both private and public, increase in money incomes and increase in population.
The prices since the end of the Third Five-Year Plan, i.e. since March 1966, continued rising till October 1967. These were comparatively stable from October 1967 to February 1969 and are again rising since February 1969 which is depicted from the movement of price index which rose from 165 in 1965-66 to 224 in October 1967. The rising trend in prices could not be held during the Plan Holiday Period (1966-67 to 1968-69) and the Fourth Five-Year Plan (1969-74). This period was worst in the record of movement of prices.
The retail prices of foodgrains at Hoshiarpur, from 1901 to 1932, are shown in the following table: -
Retail prices of
foodgrains prevalent at Hoshiarpur on the Ist January each year in seers and chhataks
per rupee from 1901-32.
|
Year |
Average |
Wheat |
Barley |
Gram |
Maize |
Jowar |
Bajra |
||||||
|
S |
C |
S |
C |
S |
C |
S |
C |
S |
C |
S |
C |
||
|
1901 to 1905 |
,, |
16 |
9 |
21 |
3 |
20 |
5 |
24 |
2 |
23 |
5 |
18 |
3 |
|
1906 to 1910 |
,, |
12 |
2 |
15 |
13 |
14 |
12 |
15 |
4 |
15 |
3 |
11 |
6 |
|
1911 to 1915 |
,, |
12 |
8 |
16 |
0 |
14 |
10 |
16 |
8 |
14 |
8 |
12 |
0 |
|
1916 to 1920 |
,, |
7 |
8 |
10 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
10 |
6 |
9 |
4 |
10 |
0 |
|
1921 |
|
6 |
12 |
10 |
0 |
7 |
4 |
8 |
12 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
|
1922 |
|
4 |
4 |
5 |
8 |
4 |
12 |
6 |
8 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
|
1923 |
|
9 |
8 |
14 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
14 |
8 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
|
1924 |
|
10 |
8 |
18 |
0 |
13 |
0 |
14 |
0 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
|
1925 |
|
8 |
0 |
11 |
0 |
9 |
8 |
12 |
0 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
|
1926 |
|
6 |
4 |
8 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
7 |
8 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
|
1927 |
|
8 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
8 |
8 |
11 |
8 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
|
1928 |
|
9 |
0 |
10 |
8 |
9 |
4 |
12 |
0 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
|
Year |
Average |
Wheat |
Barley |
Gram |
Maize |
Jowar |
Bajra |
||||||
|
S |
C |
S |
C |
S |
C |
S |
C |
S |
C |
S |
C |
||
|
1929 |
|
6 |
12 |
7 |
8 |
7 |
0 |
9 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
|
1930 |
|
8 |
8 |
11 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
11 |
0 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
|
1931 |
|
18 |
0 |
23 |
0 |
12 |
8 |
26 |
0 |
24 |
0 |
21 |
0 |
|
1932 |
|
15 |
0 |
26 |
0 |
15 |
0 |
21 |
8 |
17 |
0 |
23 |
0 |
(Punjab District Gazetteers, VOL VIII, Part B, Hoshiarpur District, Statistical Tables, 1935 (Lahore, 1936) pp. lxxxviii-lxxxix)
The prices of foodgrains per quintal at Hoshiarpur, during 1964-65 and 1974-75, are shown in the following table: -
(per quintal)
|
Year |
Wheat (Rs) |
Gram (Rs) |
Maize (Rs) |
Jowar (Rs) |
Bazra (Rs) |
Paddy (Rs) |
Barley (Rs) |
|
1964-65 |
56.00 |
68.00 |
54.50 |
70.00 |
51.00 |
78.00 |
54.00 |
|
1974-75 |
117.00 |
219.00 |
148.00 |
130.00 |
158.00 |
130.00 |
118.00 |
(Source: District Statistical Officer, Hoshiarpur)
Wages
The constitution of India envisages the importance of wage policy. The principle of equal pay for equal work for both men and women has been laid down as one of the Directive Principles of the State Policy in Article 39 of the Constitution. Articles 43 deals with it as one of the Directive Principles of the State Policy and provides that the State shall endeavour to secure by suitable legislation or economic organization or in any other way, a living wage, conditions of work ensuring a decent standard of life and full employment of leisure and social and cultural opportunities.
Of all the economic problems concerning labour, that of wages is the most persistent. Wages are the remunerations paid to a worker in lieu of the work done by him. In the early days, wages, especially in the agricultural sector, were determined by custom and tradition. In the industrial sector also, custom and tradition considerably influenced the wage policy. Now these wages are mostly determined by the industrial policy of the Government which is formed in view of the natural resources, availability of labour force, productivity, industrial competition, labour efficiency, etc. The wage-level is influenced mainly by the variations in prices on account of fiscal policies and other subsidiary factors like rise in demand, shortage of goods, insufficient production, etc. The welfare of the labour class is another allied subject. When compared with welfare measures that assure for the worker better working and living conditions in respect of health, safety, housing, education, recreation and social security, the guarantee of reasonable remuneration provides the firmest basis for harmonious industrial relations and, therefore, for the economic prosperity of the country. The payment of satisfactory wage ensures the co-operation of labour and enables the worker to take his place as partner in the programmes of national development, where the significance of his job has long been accepted1.
The wage rates of labour prevalent in the Hoshiarpur District from 1909 to 1932 are given in Appendix II on pages 251-52. The rates of pay fixed for the Class IV Government employees, working in the different offices in the Hoshiarpur District, during 1974-75, are given in Appendix III on pages 253-55.
Standard of Living. –The study regarding the standard of living of the people in a district is necessary to know the economic prosperity of a region. Standard of living refers to the amount of necessaries, comforts and luxuries, which a person consumes. However, necessaries, comforts and luxuries are relative terms and they differ from place to place, from time to time and from person to person.
One popular method of knowing the standard of living is to find out the items of income and expenditure, that is, to adopt the method of the formation and analysis of the family budget. Besides income and expenditure of a family, the standard of living depends on two factors, viz. the size and composition of the family and tastes and preferences of the members. The other method to judge the standard of living of the people is to measure the economic prosperity of the district in monetary terms in relation to fluctuations in price level.
The Economic and Statistical Organization, Punjab, conducted a survey regarding the family budgets of twenty-six cultivators in the State during the year 1974-751. The aim of the survey was to find out the returns accruing to the farmers for their work on the holdings. Four families of villages, viz. Amia Mangat (Tahsil Dasuya), Gondpur (Tahsil Hoshiarpur), Bhamian (Tahsil Garhshankar) and Majari (Tahsil Garhshankar) in the Hoshiarpur District were included in the survey.
The findings of the survey pertaining to the income and expenditure are shown in the following table: -
|
Name of the family/ Villages |
Net income from all sources (Rs) |
Net ex-penditure (Rs) |
Surplus/ deficit (Rs) |
|
Aima Mangat |
26,552.60 |
10,104.50 |
(+)16,448.10 |
|
Gondpur |
18,884.08 |
6,683.44 |
(+)12,200.64 |
|
Bhamian |
18,181.31 |
6,580.65 |
(+)11,600.66 |
|
Majari |
22,354.88 |
16,673.28 |
(+)5,681.60 |
1 Giri V.V., Labour Problems in Indian Industry
(Bombay, 1947), pp. 215-16
1 Family Budgets of Twenty-Six cultivators in the
Punjab for the year 1974-75
(Publication No. 250, issued by the Economic Adviser to Government,
Punjab, Chandigarh, in 1970.
The above figures show that these families in the Hoshiarpur District have surplus budget. The survey also showed that on an average, a peasant proprietor’s family in the Punjab spent 58 per cent of its income on food, 13 per cent on clothing, 10 per cent on housing, 9 per cent on fuel, 3 per cent on traveling, 2 per cent on education, 2 per cent on amusements and luxuries and 3 per cent on other items.
The goods consumed by the families in the three villages were as under:
|
Name of the family/villages |
Total expenditure (Rs) |
Supplied by the farm (Rs) |
Per-centage |
Purchased from outside (Rs) |
Per-centage |
|
Aima Mangat |
10,104.50 |
6,678.10 |
66 |
3,426.32 |
34 |
|
Gondpur |
6,683.45 |
3,904.54 |
58 |
3,778.90 |
42 |
|
Bhamian |
6,580.65 |
3,349.48 |
51 |
3,231.17 |
49 |
|
Majari |
16,673.28 |
8,235.46 |
49 |
8,437.82 |
51 |
In 1974-75, the per capita income of the Hoshiarpur District at the then current prices was Rs 1,262 as compared to Rs 1,482 for the Punjab State as a whole. It is an indicator of the standard of living of the people residing in the district.
Employment has been a major objective of planning. Full utilization of the available manpower resources can be achieved after considerable period of development. However, expansion of employment opportunities commensurate with the increase in the labour force over the plan period is conceived as an important objective of planning.
The inhabitants of the district are primarily engaged in agriculture which, however, provides employment for about 6 months in a year. On March 31, 1975, there were 38,733 workers employed in the district as compared to 41,843 in the previous year. The employment decreased by 7.4 per cent. The employment index number of March 31, 1974 (with March 31, 1966 as base-100) was 84.4. However, on March 31, 1975, it was 116.9 (with March 31, 1969 as base) which fell to 113.8 on March 31, 1976. There were 5,864 women workers in the district on March 31, 1975 as against 4,844 in the previous year showing an increase of 21 per cent.
The number of persons waiting for employment in the district, on March 31, 1974, was 18,127 which rose to 21,370 on March 31,1975. Thus 3,243 persons got themselves registered during the year 1974-75. The number of vacancies filled by the District Employment Exchanges, Hoshiarpur and Talwara, was 1,906. There was a shortage of teachers (in science and arithmetic subjects), stenographers (English), experienced turners and fitters. However, there was surplus of trained dais, bus drivers, conductors, peons, sweepers, primary and high school teachers and newly passed matric, B.As and M.As.
Employment Exchange. –The District Employment Exchange, Hoshiarpur, was opened in 1947. Later on as a result of the increase in the volume of work, a Sub-Employment Exchange was opened at Talwara in 1961, which was upgraded to District Employment Exchange in 1968.
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; to elicit 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 number of employees working in both the private and public sectors, as on March 31, 1974, was 41,843, whereas, on March 31, 1973, their number was 40,948. Thus there has been an increase of 2.1 per cent over the last year’s level of employment and this has been possible due to the ‘Half-A-Million Jobs’ scheme and due to the upgrading of the new educational institutions.
The work done by the District Employment Exchanges, Hoshiarpur and Talwara Township, is shown in Appendices IV & V at the end of this Chapter on pages 256-57.
The number of unemployed persons aged 13 and above by sex and educational levels, both in the urban and rural areas of the Hoshiarpur District, as per 1961 Census is given below: -
Unemployment in
the urban areas by sex and educational levels
|
|
Total
unemployed |
||
|
Persons |
Males |
Females |
|
|
Total |
1,132 |
1,044 |
88 |
|
Illiterate |
133 |
133 |
.. |
|
Literate (without educational level) |
69 |
68 |
1 |
|
Primary or Junior Basic |
366 |
358 |
8 |
|
Matriculation or Higher Secondary |
477 |
424 |
53 |
|
Technical diploma not equal to a degree |
9 |
5 |
4 |
|
Non-technical diploma not equal to a degree |
8 |
2 |
6 |
|
University degree or a post-graduate degree other than a technical degree |
62 |
52 |
10 |
|
Technical degree or diploma equal to a degree or post-graduate degree |
8 |
2 |
6 |
|
(i) Engineering |
- |
- |
- |
|
(ii) Medicine |
- |
- |
- |
|
(iii) Agriculture |
- |
- |
- |
|
(iv) Veterinary and Dairying |
- |
- |
- |
|
(v) Technology |
- |
- |
- |
|
(vi) Teaching |
- |
- |
- |
|
(vii) Others |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
Total
unemployed |
||
|
Persons |
Males |
Females |
|
|
Unemployment
in the rural areas by sex and educational levels |
|||
|
Total |
4,766 |
4,674 |
92 |
|
Illiterate |
459 |
458 |
1 |
|
Literate (without educational level) |
208 |
207 |
1 |
|
Primary or Junior Basic |
1,666 |
1,650 |
16 |
|
Matriculation and above |
2,433 |
2,359 |
74 |
(Census of India, 1961 Punjab District Census Handbook, No. 9 Hoshiarpur District pp. 241-42)
Employment 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 industrial training institutes and the trades to be taught therein.
This scheme was introduced in the State in 1957-58, and is operated under the Director of Employment, Punjab, Chandigarh. Initially, it covered only the public sector, but since 1960-61, it had been extended to the private sector also.
Under the scheme, the employment exchange is responsible for collecting regular 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 none-agricultural activities are asked to give details regularly about the number of persons they are employing, the vacancies that have occurred 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 National level respectively to know precisely the employment potential at these levels. An Employment Market Unit in the Employment Exchange, Hoshiarpur, has been functioning since 1958. The following table clearly shows the changes in the volume of employment both in the private and public sectors in the district, as on March 31, 1974 and march 31, 1975: -
|
Industrial Division |
Number
of establishments |
Number
of employees |
|||
|
March 31, 1974 |
March 31, 1975 |
March 31, 1974 |
March 31, 1975 |
||
|
1. |
Agriculture, horticulture, forestry, fishing-mining and quarrying |
4 |
5 |
279 |
293 |
|
2. |
Manufacturing |
13 |
14 |
473 |
485 |
|
3. |
Water supply, construction of roads and houses and canal water resources |
47 |
45 |
18,559 |
15,577 |
|
4. |
Electricity |
3 |
4 |
1,210 |
1,223 |
|
5. |
Trade and commerce |
26 |
28 |
616 |
668 |
|
6. |
Transport, communication and storage |
12 |
12 |
2,278 |
2,143 |
|
7. |
Public services |
238 |
247 |
18,428 |
19,405 |
|
|
Total |
343 |
355 |
41,843 |
41,814 |
(Source: Director of Employment, Punjab, Chandigarh)
Vocational Guidance Scheme. –The vocational guidance and employment counseling programmes are designed to give intensive vocational guidance to those who seek such assistance. The term vocational guidance more appropriately connotes assistance to youth, whereas employment counseling refers to the assistance given to adults.
The programme is jointly operated by the Directorate General of Employment and Training, Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, and 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 exchanges and co-ordinates with the guidance service of the Education Department of the State Government.
The officer-in-charge of the Employment Exchange, Hoshiarpur, 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 counseling to youth (boys and girls) and adults (men and women’s in groups as well as individually; assist in the placement of youth in institutions or 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 uptodate information on occupations, training facilities, educational courses, employment trends and employment outlook for youth and adults, scholarships and sources of financial assistance. Its other functions include maintenance of regular information for the use of applicants and visitors seeking information; maintenance of uptodate library on occupation literature; and educate the public undertaking publicity measures in vocational guidance principles 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, groups 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, Hoshiarpur, in 1963. The work done by the unit, during 1974 and 1975, is given in the following table: -
|
Year |
Number
of individuals provided |
|||
|
Group guidance talks |
Individuals given group guidance |
Individual guidance cases |
Individuals given occupational information |
|
|
1974 |
747 |
747 |
142 |
103 |
|
1975 |
1,316 |
1,313 |
597 |
229 |
(Source: District Employment Officer, Hoshiarpur)
(c) Planning and Community Development
Planning. –Within the framework of National 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 are fixed targets and estimates of expenditure have been worked out to achieve the desired social and economic goals.
Community Development. –The Community Development Programme was launched in Punjab as in the rest of the country on October 2, 1952, exactly after one year, the National Extension Programme was started. Both of these were regarded as the related phases of the same programme and were envisaged to improve the lot of the rural population. When first sets of community projects were taken up, Community Development was described as the method and the National Extension as the agency through which transformation of social and economic life in villages was to be initiated. The concept of National Extension had later on broadened into that of Panchayati Raj.
The Community Development Programme in the district was started with the setting up of Garhshankar Block on April 1, 1954.
The main objects of the Community Development Programme are: area development with a minimum all-round progress; self-help programme-people’s participation being the essential feature; and development of the whole community with special emphasis on the weaker and the under-privileged sections.
The main emphasis of the community development is on improvement of agriculture and ancillary services like animal husbandry and irrigation, which employ about 70 per cent of the rural population. The development of small-scale industries also receives increasing attention for creating more employment opportunities. Other features of the programme include the provision of basic amenities like those of drinking water, village primary schools, communications, adult literacy, social education and the promotion of community organizations.
The community development programme has grown into a gigantic programme for rural development. It provides the machinery for the introduction of new technology and assists in bringing about changes in social attitudes. It has also been instrumental in setting up the new units of local government below the State level thus enlarging the base for democratic participation by the people.
The achievements of the Community Development Scheme is the result of the combined efforts of the State Development Departments, viz. Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Co-operation, Industries, Public Health, etc. The block programmes have an important bearing on the preparation of the State plans in the fields of agriculture, minor irrigation, co-operatives, communications, village industries, education, rural amenities and the utilization of available manpower resources.
The Community Development Programme covers the entire district of Hoshiarpur comprising 11 blocks, as per particulars given below:
|
Serial No. |
Block/Subdivision |
Date of start |
|
|
Hoshiarpur
Subdivision |
|
|
1. |
Hoshiarpur-I |
1-4-1962 |
|
2. |
Hoshiarpur-2 (Bajwara) |
1-4-1963 |
|
3. |
Bhunga |
1-10-1963 |
|
|
Dasuya
Subdivision |
|
|
4. |
Dasuya |
1-4-1958 |
|
5. |
Talwara |
1-4-1958 |
|
6. |
Tanda |
1-4-1959 |
|
7. |
Mukerian |
1-4-1962 |
|
|
Garhshankar
Subdivision |
|
|
8. |
Garhshankar |
1-4-1959 |
|
9. |
Mahalpur |
1-4-1957 |
|
10. |
Saroya |
1-4-1963 |
|
11. |
Balachaur |
1-4-1956 |
On March 31, 1975, these 11 blocks covered 1,582 inhabited villages with a total population of 9,24,930.