Family Welfare clinics in the Firozpur District as
existing on 31 March 1980
|
Serial No. |
Name and location |
Rural/Urban |
Type of
Management |
Area of
location |
|
|
Tehsil |
Block
(if any) |
||||
|
1 |
Uran Family Welfare Unit, Abohar |
Urban |
Government |
Fazlika |
Abohar |
|
2 |
Uran Family Welfare Unit, Firozpur |
Do |
Do |
Firozpur |
Firozpur |
|
3 |
Uran Family Welfare Unit, Khui Khera |
Rural |
Do |
Fazlika |
Khuian Sarwar |
|
4 |
Rural Family Welfare Unit, Kot Ise Khan |
Do |
Do |
Zira |
Dharm kot |
|
5 |
Rural Family Welfare Unit, Kasoana |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Zira |
|
6 |
Rural Family Welfare Unit, Ferozeshah |
Do |
Do |
Firozpur |
Ghal Khurd |
|
7 |
Rural Family Welfare Unit, Mamkot |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Firozpur |
|
8 |
Rural Family Welfare Unit, Guru Har Sahai |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Guru Har Sahai |
|
9 |
Rural Family Welfare Unit, Jand Wala Bhime Shah |
Do |
Do |
Fazilka |
Jalalabad |
|
10 |
Rural Family Welfare Unit, Sitto Gunno |
Do |
Do |
Fazilka |
Abohar |
|
11 |
Rural Family Welfare Unit, Dab Wala Kalan |
Do |
Do |
Fazlika |
Fazlika |
|
12 |
Family Welfare Clinic, Firozpur Cantonment |
Do |
Cantonment Board |
Firozpur |
Firozpur |
(Source : Civil Surgeon, Firozpur)
Maternity and child health centre in the Firozpur
District, as functioning on 31 March 1980
|
Serial No. |
Name and location |
Rural/Urban |
Type of
Management |
Area of
location |
|
|
Tehsil |
Block
(if any) |
||||
|
1 |
Jalalabad West |
Urban |
State public |
Fazlika |
Jalalabad |
|
2 |
Fazlika |
Do |
Municipal Committee (Local Body) |
Fazlika |
Fazlika |
|
3 |
Abohar |
Do |
State Public |
Do |
Abohar |
|
4 |
Firozpur 1 |
Do |
Municipal Committee (Local Body) |
Firozpur |
Firozpur |
|
5 |
Firozpur II |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Do |
|
6 |
Zira |
Do |
District Red Cross Society |
Zira |
Zira |
Ayurvedic/Unani
Institutions in Firozpur District, as on 31 March 1988
|
Serial No. |
Name and location |
Ayurvedic/Unani |
Rural/ Urban |
Type of
Management |
Area of
location |
|
|
Tehsil |
Block (if any) |
|||||
|
1 |
Buraj Hanuman Garh |
Ayurvedic |
Rural |
Government |
Fazlika |
Fazilka |
|
2 |
Kandh Wala Amar Kot |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Do |
-- |
|
3 |
Dhinga Wali |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Do |
-- |
|
4. |
Dotarian Wali |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Abohar |
|
5 |
Cahk Budhoke |
Unani |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Jalalalabad |
|
6 |
Panje Ke |
Ayurvedic |
Do |
Do |
Firozpur |
Guru Har Sahai |
|
7 |
Bharana |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Zira |
Zira |
|
8 |
Nizam Wala |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Firozpur |
Firozpur |
|
9 |
Abhun |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Fazilka |
-- |
|
10- |
Sappan Wali |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Khuian Sarwar |
|
11 |
Yara Wala |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Firozpur |
Firozpur Cantt |
|
12 |
Fateh Garh Sarbran |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Zira |
Zira |
|
13 |
Dane Wala Sat Kosi |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Fazlika |
-- |
|
14 |
Shamakhana |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Fazlika |
|
15 |
Ghubia |
Homoeopahty |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Jalalabad |
|
16 |
Chugate Wala |
Ayurvedic |
Do |
Do |
Firozpur |
Ghall Khud |
|
17 |
Rana |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Fazilka |
Fazilka |
|
18 |
Chri Wala Dhana |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Khuian Sarwar |
|
19 |
Karian Pehalwan |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Firozpur |
-- |
|
20 |
Chak Saido Ke |
Uniani |
Do |
Do |
Fazilka |
Guruharsahai |
|
21 |
Firizpur City |
Ayurvedic |
Urban |
Do |
Firozpur |
Firozpur |
|
22 |
Cham |
Do |
Rural |
Do |
Zira |
-- |
|
23 |
Jhok Tehal Singh |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Firozpur |
Guruharsahai |
|
24 |
Gobindgarh |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Fazilka |
Abohar |
|
25 |
Dholewala |
Unani |
Do |
Do |
Zira |
-- |
|
26 |
Dode Wala |
Aurvedic |
Do |
Do |
Fazilka |
Abohar |
|
27 |
Ghatian Wali Jatta |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Fazilka |
|
28 |
Wara Bhai Ka |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Firozpur |
Ghall Khurd |
|
29 |
Ram Garh |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Fazilka |
Abohar |
|
30 |
Mahuana Bodla |
Unani |
Do |
Do |
Do |
-- |
|
31 |
Chak Jamsar |
Ayurvedic |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Jalalalabad |
|
32 |
Kot Karor Kalan |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Firozpur |
Ghall Khurd |
|
33 |
Chak Kale wala |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Jalalalbad |
|
34 |
Talwandi Bhai |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Ghall Khurd |
|
35 |
Karmu Wala |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Jalalabad |
|
36 |
Chamla |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Zia |
-- |
|
37 |
Bhindar Kalan |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Do |
Dharmkot |
Work done by blood banks
with respect to the colleciton and transfusion of blood in the Firozpur
District, 1972-1980
|
Name of the Institute |
Year (Calendar year) |
Blood donors |
Blood given in cc |
Tran-sfusion |
Blood collected in cc |
Blood discharged in cc |
Blood grouping |
Blood matcings |
Blood injected in cc |
|
Civil Hospital
Firizpur |
1976 |
70 |
28,000 |
70 |
28,000 |
28,000 |
386 |
70 |
-- |
|
|
1977 |
101 |
40,400 |
101 |
40,400 |
40,400 |
580 |
104 |
-- |
|
|
1978 |
143 |
56,800 |
142 |
57,200 |
56,800 |
507 |
143 |
1 |
|
|
1989 |
169 |
66,400 |
166 |
67,600 |
66,400 |
965 |
168 |
3 |
|
|
1980 |
193 |
76,000 |
190 |
77,200 |
76,000 |
785 |
196 |
3 |
|
Francos Newton Hospital,
Firozpur Cantonment |
1976 |
1,319 |
5,93,550 |
1,297 |
5,93,550 |
5,83,650 |
2,831 |
1,913 |
9,900 |
|
|
1977 |
1,927 |
8,67,150 |
1,866 |
8,67,150 |
8,39,700 |
2,001 |
1,585 |
27,450 |
|
|
1978 |
1,350 |
5,87,250 |
1,262 |
5,87,250 |
5,67,900 |
3,543 |
2,162 |
19,350 |
|
|
1989 |
1,449 |
6,52,050 |
1,314 |
6,52,050 |
5,91,300 |
3,642 |
2,205 |
7,750 |
|
|
1980 |
1,549 |
6,97,050 |
1,506 |
6,97,050 |
6,77,700 |
6,363 |
2,561 |
19,350 |
(source : Civil Surgeon,
Firozpur and Medical Superintendent, Frances Newton Hospital, Firozpur
Cantonment)
Work done under the Prevention of Food Adulteration
Act, 1954, in the Firozpur District 1974-1980
|
Year |
Number of samples seized |
Number of prosecutions launched |
Number of cases punished |
Fine realized |
|
1974 |
204 |
45 |
84 |
12,800 |
|
1975 |
305 |
76 |
30 |
24,500 |
|
1976 |
206 |
41 |
22 |
19,000 |
|
1977 |
28 |
63 |
22 |
23,000 |
|
1978 |
416 |
119 |
27 |
21,450 |
|
1979 |
296 |
54 |
9 |
3,500 |
|
1980 |
297 |
64 |
17 |
17,00 |
(Sourc: Civil
Surgeon, Firozpur)
Social
services mean those activities of the State and individuals which are undertaken
to bring about social equilibrium among individuals, clauses or groups of
persons. These activities play an important role in making administration more
effective and in utilizing welfare
servcies and their scope has been widening continually. It is almost an
obligation on the part of a progressive modern State to promote the general
well-being of the community. The State also renders a good number of
specialized services in different spheres, such as education, public health and
housing. The modern welfare State is, thus, built on a strong framework of
social services. The successive Five-Year-Plans have also afforded wide
opportunities and scope for further improving and expanding social services.
(a) Labour Welfare
Labour
welfare, as a movement, began in the early years of the Industrial Revolution,
especially in the Western countries. In the present century, the growth of
labour welfare, to a great extent, is due to the growth of industrialization,
urbanization and acceptance of modern techniques. Labour welfare implies such services, facilities and amenities as may be established in
or in the vicinity of undertakings to enable the persons employed in them to
perform their work in healthy and
congenial surroundings and provide them with amenities conducive to good health
and sound morals. Welfare activities also include such activities as may be
carried out for improving the health, safety, general well-being and the
industrial efficiency of the workers beyond the minimum standards laid down by
the Factory Acts and other labour legislation. Thus labour welfare includes
housing, medical and educational facilities, nutrition, facilities for rest and
recreation, co-operative societies, day nurseries and crèches, provision of
healthy accommodation, holidays with pay, social insurance measures, etc.
undertaken voluntarily by the employers.
Labour
welfare may be classified into three
broad categories, i.e. statutory, voluntary and mutual. Statutory welfare
constitutes those provisions of welfare work, the observance of which is
binding on the employers under law. Voluntary welfare includes all these
activities conducive to the welfare of the workers, undertaken by the employers
themselves. Mutual welfare is a co-operative enterprise of the workers to
improve their lot in a suitable manner.
Before Independence, there was hardly any systematic and regular
governmental organization for the prevention and settlement of industrial
disputes for the welfare of industrial workers and for dealing with other
labour problems in the State. To look after labour welfare in the State, a
separate Labour Department was established in 1949. The Labour-cum-Conciliation
Officer, Moga (Faridkot District) looks after Firozpur also. He is assisted by
one labour inspector, grade 1, posted at Firozpur and 2 labour inspectors,
grade II, one each posted at Firozpur and Abohar. The Labour-cum-Conciliation
Officer deals with the administration and disputes under the Industrial
Disputes Act, 1947. The shop inspectors, although under the immediate control
of the Labour-cum-Conciliation Officer, Moga, function under the Chief
Inspector of Shops and Commercial Establishments-cum-Labour Officer
(Headquarters), Chandigarh. They are responsible for the administration of
Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, 1958, the Minimum Wages Act,
1948, and the Payment of Wages Act, 1936..
The
Labour-cum-conciliation Officer, Moga, is the Conciliation Officer for the
Di8strict under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. He initiates conciliation
proceedings for the settlement of industrial disputes and tries to settle
disputes by mediation through joint discussion. If he fails, the matter is
referred through Government, to the Labour Court, Ludhiana or the Industrial
Tribunal, Punjab, Chandigarh. Appointed under section 7-A of the Industrial
Disputes Act, 1947, the Industrial Tribunal, Punjab, Chandigarh, plays a very
important role in the redress of grievances of the industrial workers in the
State.
Labour
legislation is essentially a socio-economic legislation pertaining to various
human problems in relation to industry. In every country, large-scale
industrialization has adversely affected the working classes people in the
shape of long working hours and industrial hazards, concentration of population
of population in dirty slums, insanitary conditions, industrial diseases, etc.
Modern industrialization creates social and economic problems, whereas labour
legislation is an attempt to tackle them.
The problem cropping up as the result of industrialization can broadly
be divided into various heads, viz. working conditions, industrial safety,
hygienic and welfare inside the place of work, wages, industrial relations,
trade unionism, social security, welfare outside the place of work, employment
and unemployment, and miscellaneous. Since ordinary civil laws are insufficient
to govern these problems, labour laws are enacted to facilitate their
solutions. These laws also deal with the
regulation of industrial relations between the management and the
workers. The State is following the labour policy of the Government of Indian, which is generally used on the
principles enunciated in the provisions laid down in the International Labour Code of the International Labour
Organization. Under the Constitution of India, the enactment as well as the
administration of labour laws in the responsibility of both the Union and State
governments.
The
salient features of the Central and State Labour Acts in force in the District
are the Factories Act, 1948, to ensure adequate safety measures and to promote
the health and welfare of the workers; the Punjab Shops and Commercial
Establishments Act, 1958, regulating, inter alia, the daily and weekly hours of
work, rest intervals, the opening and closing hours of establishments, the
payment of wages, overtime payment holidays with pay, annual leave, the
employment of children and young persons, etc. The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961,
provides for the grant of cash maternity benefits for specified periods before
and after confinement, the grant of leave and certain other facilities to women
employees in factories. The Employment of Children Act, 1938, prohibits the
employment of young children below the age of 15 years in certain risky and
unhealthy occupations. The Payment of Wages Act, 1936, provides for the regular
and prompt payment of wages and to prevent the exploitation of wage-earners by
prohibiting the imposition of fines and making deductions from wages. The Minimum Wages Act, 1948, requires to fix
the minimum rates of wages payable to employees in the schedules employments.
The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947
provides for the investigation, and settlement of industrial disputes through
mediation conciliation, adjudication and arbitration. There is scope for the
payment of compensation in the case of lay-off
and retrenchment under the Act.
The Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946, regulars the
conditions of recruitment, discharge, disciplinary action, holidays etc. of the
workers employed in industrial undertakings. The Workmen’s Compensation Act,
1923, provides for compensation to injured workers of certain categories and,
in the case of fatal accidents, to their dependants, if the accidents arose out
of, and in the course of their employment.
It also provides for the payment of compensation in the case of certain occupational diseases. The Indian Trade
Unions Act, 1926, confers a legal and corporate status on registered trade
unions. The main provisions of the Act relate to the recognition of rights, privileges and obligations, and
liabilities of registered trade unions. The Employees’ State Insurance Act,
1948, is a pioneering measure in the field of
social insurance and provides for certain benefits to the employees in
case of sickness, maternity and employment injury. the Employees’s Provident
Fund Act, 1952, seeks to make provision for the future of an industrial worker
after he retire or is retrenched, or for his dependants in case of his early
death. The Punjab Industrial Housing Act, 1956, provides for the
administration, allotment, realization of rent, etc. with respect to the
quarters constructed under the subsidized Industrial Housing Scheme.
The
‘Labour Welfare Activities’ of the employers, in particular, and of the State, in
general, are not only conducive it the
improvement in the conditions of the
working class, but are the best kind
of investment of employers for promoting industrial efficiency. Besides,
the labour welfare has tremendous potentialities for fostering good industrial
relations between the employers and the worker. Dye labour laws in the State
are administered by the Labour Department headed by the Labour Commissioner,
Punjab, Chandigarh. The Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948, and the
Employees’ Provident Fund Act, 1952, are, however, operated under the direction
of the Regional Director, Employees, State Insurance Corporation, Chandigarh,
and the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, Punjab, Chandigarh, respectively.
The Labour Commissioner is assisted by the Chief Inspector of Factories at the
State headquarters, and by the Labour-cum-Conciliation Officer (stationed at Moga), a factory
inspector, labour, labour inspectors and other staff at the district level.
According
to the 1971 Census, the number of workers in the Firozpur District was
3,08,043, forming 29.5 per cent of the total population of the District. In
1978, the average number of workers employed
in the 175 registered working factories in the District and, thus,
covered under the various labour laws, was 49,90.
The
Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, provides for a scheme for the payment of
gratuity to employees engaged in factories, mines, ports, oil-fields,
plantations, railway companies, shops or other establishments and in the
matters connected there with or incidental thereto. For the administration of
this Act, the labour-cum-conciliation officers are the controlling authority.
Industrial Relations :- Industrial relations play a vital role in
the establishment and maintenance of industrial democracy. The relations
between the employees and employers are governed by the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. the machinery provided under
the Act is two-fold: first, the prevention of disputes by providing internal
machinery in the form of works committees and welfare officers; and second, the
provision of the permanent Conciliation Officer, the Conciliation Board, the
Court of Inquiry, and the Industrial Tribunal. The Labour-cum-Conciliation
Officer is responsible for enforcing the provisions of the Act in the District.
He is to foster good relations between the two sections of industry, viz. the
employees and the employers, by removing all causes of friction and by the
timely redress of grievances of the parties.
Even
though the functions of the Labour-cum-Condition Officer is mediatory, with no
power to give any orders or awards, he has been successful in brining about a
large number of agreements between the
parties. The relations between the employees and the employers are normally
peaceful, but sometimes, they become strained and strikes or lock-outs take
place. During 1972 and in March, 1980, 3 strikes took place in the Shri Bhawani
cotton Mills, Abohar, during 1975-1977 and 1979. The strike of 1979 lasted for
full 21 days and about 1,900 employees out of 2,200 participated in it. As many
as 39,900 man-days were lost during this strike. No industrial unrest was,
however, reported in the District in 1980.
The
following table gives particulars regarding the industrial disputes in the
Firozpur District under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, from 1974 to 1979.
Disputes Strike and
work involved man-days
Lock-outs in strikes lost
1974 24 -- -- --
1975 38 1 2,000 10,000
1976 33 -- -- --
1977 30 1 2,000 36,000
1978 50 -- -- --
1979 35 1 1,900 39,900
(Source : Labour-cum-Conciliation Officer, Moga)
The Industrial Disputes Act, 194, provide for the establishment of
works committees at the plant level, consisting of representatives of employers
and workers. The aim of these committees is to promote measures for securing
and preserving unit and good relations between the employers and the workers. The Act empower the State
Government to constitute works committees in every industrial
establishment, employing 100 or more
workers, in which both employers and employees are to have an equal representation.
The number of the representatives of
employers and workers in a works committee is not to exceed twenty. They
Act also lays down provisions for their terms of office, the procedure of work,
etc.
Trade Unions :- Trade unions are voluntary associations of employees
formed to promote and protect their interests through collective action and
securing them a better and healthier status in industry as well as in society. These are continued
associations of wage-earners for the purpose
of maintaining or improving the conditions of their working lives. The
existence of a trade union is
indispensable because the workers require help in time of sickness or death,
and protection against suffering and want when they are out of job, on when
they are too old to work any more. Further, the trade union provides adequate
machinery for settling the relations between the employers and the employees.
Trade unions, developed on proper lines, lessen violent class conflicts and are
beneficial to the employers, the employees, the State and the public. They have
acquired an important place in the economic, political and social life of the
community.
Since
Independence, there has been a considerable growth of trade union movement in
the District and, as a result, there has been a constant increase in the number
of registered trade unions. The particulars of trade unions, registered under
the Indian Trade Unions. Act, 1926,
functioning in the District, are given in the Appendix on page 425.
The Factories Act, 1948 :- The first Act for regulating the conditions
of labour in factories was passed in 1881. The law was revised in 1891, 1911,
1922 and 1934 to meet the new needs which arose from time to time. In 1947, the
Government of India framed a bill for radically overhauling the existing law,
which was passed into Act on 23 September 1948. The new Act, called the
Factories Act, 1948, was put into force on 1 April 1949.
The
main object of the Act is to ensure adequate safety measures and to promote the
health and welfare of the workers employed in factories. The Act applied to all
establishments, employing 20 or more persons, where power is not used. The
number of working factories registered under the Act in the District in
1978 was 175. The labour welfare
officers have been employed by Shre Bhawani Cotton Mills Ltd., Abohar, to look
after the general welfare of the employees.
The Employees’ Provident
Fund Scheme :- The Employees’ Provident Fund
Act was passed in March 1952. The scheme under the Act was formulated and
collections to the provident funds in the factories, covered under the Act,
were started in November 1952.
The
Provident Fund Scheme is compulsory both for employers and workers and both are
required to contribute. The employees and the employers, each contribute 6-1/4
per cent of the total emoluments of the workers. The entire amount is deposited
in the State Bank of India in the employees’ provident funds accounts. The
total number of subscribers to the scheme in the District, as it stood on 31
March 1980, was 2,114.
Necessary
safeguards against the attachment of the amount in the provident funds,
standing to the credit of a member, with respect to any debt or liability, and
against the deduction of wages by an employer by reason of his liability for
all contributions have been made. The fund vests in a tripartite Central Board
of Trustees, having nominees of the Central and State Governments and employers
and employees’ representatives. Withdrawals from the fund are allowed for
making payment towards a policy of life insurance. The grant of advances to
workers is also permissible in cases of serious of prolonged illness of the
member himself or of member of his
family. Besides, non-refundable
advances for the purchase, construction or acquisition of a house are granted under
the Government Housing Scheme.
To
give timely financial assistance to the nominees or heirs of the deceased
members, a Death-Relief Fund was set up in 1964. At least Rs. 500 is given by
way of relief. A non-refundable advance is also granted in case of a person’s
retrenchment from service.
The Employees’
State Insurance Scheme :- The
Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948,
marks the first attempt at introducing a compulsory integrated system of social
insurance covering health, maternity and accident benefits. Under the
provisions of this Act, the Employees, State Insurance Scheme was introduced
into the Punjab in 1953. It is designed
to provide the industrial workers with
security against sickness, maternity and employment injury in the form of cash
benefits, The scheme promotes the general welfare of the worker and his family
and provides the Insured persons with medical benefit, sickness benefit,
disability benefit, dependant benefit and maternity benefit. The scheme is
applicable to workers in all factories other than seasonal factories, run with
power, and employing 20 or more
workers. It covers manual as well as clerical, supervisory and technical
personnel, but it does not apply to person whose remuneration exceeds Rs. 500
per month. It also excludes the personnel of the Armed Forces. The scheme,
however, does not apply to the mines under the operation of the Mines under the
operation of the Mines Act, 1952 and a railway running shed. The contribution
has to be made by both the employer and the employee at specified rates.
The provision
of medical benefit is the statutory responsibility of the State Government and
the facilities are to be provided in accordance with the standards laid down by the Employees’ State
Insurance Corporation. The expenditure on other cash benefits is to be met
entirely out of the Employees State Insurance Fund and is arranged by the
Regional Director.
The
scheme functions under the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation, which has
its headquarters at New Delhi. It is under the administrative control of the
Director-General, th4e Employees, State Insurance Corporation, New Delhi. The
scheme is executed in the State through the Regional Director, Employees’ State
Insurance Corporation, Chandigarh who inspects factories, collects contribution
and arranges the payment of cash benefits.
The
scheme was implemented at Abohar on 21 February 1965. An E.S.I. dispensary has
been established at Abohar for the benefit of the workers. By the end of March
1980, there were 4,350 insured persons at Abohar, covered under the scheme.
Subsidized Industrial Housing Scheme :- During the
First Five-Year Plan, the Government of India, after consulting the State
Governments and the representatives of employers and workers, finalized the
scheme of Subsidized Industrial Housing in September 1952. Under this scheme,
three types of tenements have been included for subsidies and loans; those to
be constructed by the State Government or statutory bodies such as improvement
trusts or development boards; those to be constructed by the industrial employers for the use of the
workers of their establishments, and those to be constructed by the co-operative housing societies of the
workers.
The Subsidized Industrial Housing Scheme, in its original form, did not
record any substantial progress. Hence
several modifications have been introduced into it from time to time . The State advances loans and
gives grants to private employers for the construction of tenements which are
let out to the workers at subsidized rates. So far, no labour colony has been
constructed in the District under the Scheme.
However, Message Shree Bhawani cotton Mills, Abohar, has constructed
about 200 quarters for its employees.
(b) Prohibition
Like
other districts of the State, Firozpur is also not a dry area. On 31 March
1980, the number of country liquor vends and foreign liquor vends in the
District was 77 and 38, respectively.
The consumption of excisable articles in the
District during 1975076 to 1979-80 is given below :
spirt made liquor
beer
foreign
spirit
(Proof (Proof (Proof)
(bulk (Kg)
liters litres
liters liters
1975-76 4,20,829 3,12,626 137 1,39,673 0,400
1976-77 4,60,830 4,00,239 345 3,48,866 2,500
1977-78 5,13,100 4,46,134 183 3,32,228 3,000
1978-79 6,25,060 4,23,470 12 4,23,133 4,000
1979-80 6,39,475 4,73,871 6 4,24,886 7,000
(Source : Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner , Firozpur)
The Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner,
Firozpur, administers the Excise and Opium Acts in the District. He is assisted
by 2 district excise inspectors, 8 excise inspectors and 2 sub-inspectors. The
number of cases registered under these Acts in the District, during 1975-76 to
1979-80, is given below :
Year Number of Cases detected
--------------------------------------------------------
Excise
Act Opium Act Total
1975-76 2,941 394 3,335
1976-77 3,221 331 3,552
1977-78 3,582 500 4,082
1978-79 3,861 610 4,471
1979-80 4,186 746 4,932
(Source :
Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner , Firozpur
© Advancement of Backward
Classes and Tribes
The caste system served a useful purpose when it was originally
devised. In the early times, it permitted considerable inter-caste mobility and
served as a useful measure for the divisions of labour according to the talents
and aptitudes of the individuals and groups.
But the caste system, originally
conceived as a practical method of dividing labour with the object of
securing the maximum of social efficiency and
responsibility with the minimum of social friction, hardened during the
centuries into a rigid mould which
hampered national progress. The caste system raised strong walls of mutual
exclusiveness. Some castes began to look down upon others instead of realizing
that all were equally essential for the healthy growth of society and
national economy. In this way, nearly one-fifth of the population of India came
to be considered to be belonging to the lowest rung of the social ladder. Even
among these castes, there were further divisions and many millions all over the
country were treated as untouchables and outcastes.
Before 1950, the classifications of the Scheduled Castes and the
Scheduled. Tribes were governed by the Government of India (Schedule Castes)
Order, 1936, and the Thirteenth Schedules of the Government of India
(Provincial Legislative Assemblies) Order, 1936. The tribes, thus classified, were termed Backward Class. While
the Thirteenth Scheduled of the Government of India (Legislative Assemblies)
Order, 1936, did not specify any area as Scheduled Areas, the Constitution
(Scheduled Tribes Order, 1950, indicated
in the Schedule appended to the order certain specified areas, and the
listed tribes which could be regarded as the Scheduled Tribes, if they lived in
these Scheduled Areas.
Apart from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the State Government prepared a provincial list of
Backward Classes. The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, residing
outside the areas specified in Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950,
respectively, were deemed to be Backward Classes, for the purpose of provincial
lists. There are persons belonging to Scheduled Tribes in the Punjab.
Scheduled Castes
and Backward Classes :- According
to the 1981 Census, the number of persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes in
the District was 2,73,328 (1,46,535
males and 1,26,7993 females), forming 20.9 percent of the total population of
the District. Out of these, 2,20,361 (1,18,302 males and 1,02,059 females),
i.e. 80.6 per cent, lived in the rural areas and 52,967 (28,233 males and
24,734 females, i.e. 19.4 per cent, lived in the urban areas.
The different Scheduled Castes
and Backward Classes in the District
Sr. Name of the Caste Main
Professions
No
1 Ad Dharmi Agricultural
labour, shoe-making and leather
tanning.
2. Barar, Burar or Berar Manufacturing
of chhaj (Winnowing basket)
and begging.
3. Batwal Cultivation, Construction, etc.
4. Bauria or Bawaria Cultivation,
agricultural labour, household
industries, hunting, etc.
5. Bazigar Agricultural
labour, household industries,etc.
6. Balmiki, Chura or Bhangi Cultivation, agricultural labour, household
industries, tanning and currying of hides, skin
Scavenging etc.
7. Chmar, Jatia Chmar Cultivation,
agricultural labour,household
Rehgar, Raigar, Ramdasi industries shoemaking, tanning etc.
Ravidasi
8. Chanal ----
9 Dagi ---
10. Darain ---
11. Dhanak Cultivation, agricultural, labour,
weaving etc.
12. Dhogi, Dhangri or Siggi ---
13. Dumna Mahasha or Doom Agricultural labour, etc.
14. Kabirpanthi or Julaha Cultivation, agricultural, labour,
household
industries, etc.
15. Khatik Agricultural labour, leatheridyeing and piggery.
16. Kori or Koli Manufacturing,
construction, etc.
17 Mazhabi Cultivation, agricultural labour,
household
industries, manufacturing,
construction, tanning
and currying of hides and skins,
scavenging.
18. Megh Cultivation, agricultural labour, household.
19. Nat Cultivation, etc.
20 Od Agricultural labour, work on canals, roads.
21 Pasi Construction, etc.
22.
Sanhai Cultivation and
agricultural labour.
23.
Sanhal ---
24.
Sansi, Bhedkut or Manesh Cultivation,
agricultural labour house hold
25.
Sapela ---
26.
Sirkiband Cultivation
Backward Classes
27 Jhiwar Supplying water to people in their houses and
attending to other household jobs.
28. Kamjot Agricultural
29 Rai Sikh Agricultural
30 Baragi Begging
31. Chhimba, Chhipi, Darzi Tailoring and printing of cloth
32. Dhobi Washinig of clothes
33. Khati Carpentary
34. Kumhar Pottery and using donkeys as beasts
of burden
for others
35. Nai Barber’s job
All these castes or classes are backward in economic,
social, education and other fields. Education was rare among them in the past,
but with the passage of the time, the position has improved. Now there is an
urge among them for getting education
at all levels. Among the Scheduled Castes in the District, the number of
literats in 1971 was 16,802 (10,987 in the rural and 5,815 in the urban areas.
For
the progress of the country, as a whole, the advancement of the Backward
Classes is essential. Their social, educational, cultural and economic standard
need be raised. With this end in view, the Indian Constitution recognized the
need for safeguards, laws and administrative measures to ameliorate the lot of the
downtrodden section of society. These classes have been described as Scheduled
Castes because their names are listed in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes)
Order, 1950. Their rights and interests have been safeguarded. The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order,
1950. Their rights and interests have been safeguarded. The Constitution also
provides that no discrimination can be made against them in any shape or form.
The
Punjab Government have taken steps to safeguard and promote the interests of
Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes in accordance with the special provisions
contained in the Constitution. The
Punjab took the lead in enacting legislation for the abolition of
untouchability. The Punjab Removal of the Religious and Social Disabilities
Act, 1948, was passed to ensure free and unhindered use of public places by the
Harijans. The enforcement of the Untouchabillity Offences Act, 1955, totally
removed the last vestiges of disabilities, religious and social, from which the
Harijans have been suffering for centuries.
The
Directive Principles, as laid down in the Constitution, make it binding upon
the States to adopt special measures for ameliorating the lot of these
neglected classes and tribes. Therefore every possible effort is being made to
provide the Backward Classes with the maximum possible opportunities to advance
them socially and economically. The Directorate of Welfare of Scheduled Castes
and Backward Classes, Punjab, Chandigarh, attends to the work of the uplift and
advancement of the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes, in the State . To
look after this work at the
District level, the office of the District Welfare Officer was established at
Firozpur on 1 November 1956. He is assisted by 3 tehsil welfare officers, one
posted at the headquarters of each tehsil, viz. Firozpur, Zira and Fazilka.
The Constitution provides for the reservation of seats for the
Scheduled Castes in Parliament and also in the State assemblies for 10 years,
i.e., up to 19600. this period has been extended further up to 1990. A number
of seats have been reserved for these classes in the panchayats and panchayat
samitis and zila parishads.