Central,
State and Local Government Services. – After the independence, all-round
expansion in various sectors, particularly the agricultural sector, has led to
increased employment opportunities in the country. In the agricultural sector, employment opportunities have
expanded enormously through increased production and expansion in marketing,
storage and transportation of produce.
There has been a considerable increase in the number of Government
employees due to the expansion of different departments and creation of new
ones. Major contribution in providing
additional employment opportunities in the services sector has come from the
expansion of educational facilities, opening of primary schools and upgrading of
the schools.
According
to the 1961 Census, the number of Government employees in the district was
13,155 (13,113 males and 42 females).
These comprised 11,175 (11,166 males and 9 females) Central Government
employees, 416 (412 males and 4 females) State Government employees, 1,440
(1,411 males and 29 females) village officials and 124 miscellaneous workers.
The
number of municipal employees in the district, in 1968, was 3,594.
As
a matter of policy, every Government servant is entitled to security of
service, pension and Government built accommodation on rent. Besides, the Central, State and local
Governments provide various other facilities to their employees in the form of
dearness allowance, provident fund benefit, loans for building of houses and
purchase of vehicles, etc. In addition
of this, Government also pays house-rent allowance to the employees who do not
get Government accommodation. Police
employees are provided with rent-free residential accommodation. The railway authorities provide quarters on
nominal rent and issue free and privilege passes for travel to the employees
and their families. Uniforms are also
provided to the railway employees.
Class IV employees, under the State and Central Governments, are also
given free liveries.
All
Government servants and their dependents are allowed free medical aid. Leave, casual and earned, is allowed to
every Government employees in times of need.
Female employees are entitled to maternity leave. The State Government have allowed additional
financial relief to its employees so as to bring them at par with the Central
Government employees in regard of dearness allowance/interim relief, etc. On superannuation, Government employees are
entitled to the benefits of compassionate gratuity and pension.
Public
Employees’ Organizations. – The following public employees’ organizations which exist in the
district have been formed by the employees to look after their interests :-
|
1. |
Suraksha Karamchari Union, Pathankot |
|
2. |
Municipal Safai Karamchari Union, Pathankot |
|
3. |
Municipal Karamchari Sangh, Batala |
|
4. |
Municipal Employees’ Union, Pathankot |
|
5. |
Municipal Employees’ Union, Gurdaspur |
|
6. |
Pathankot Municipal Workers’ Union, Pathankot |
|
7. |
District Fire Brigade Workers’ Union’ Pathankot |
|
8. |
Municipal Employees’ Union, Batala |
|
9. |
Nagarpalika Karamchari Union, Pathankot |
|
10. |
Batala Fire Brigade Workers’ Union, Batala |
|
11. |
Press Workers’ Union, Pathankot |
|
12. |
Western Command M.E.S. Employees’ Union, Pathankot |
|
13. |
Municipal Employees’ Union, Dinanagar |
|
14. |
Hydel Worker’ Union, Pathankot |
|
15. |
Jal Khoj Vibhag Karamchari Union, Malakpur |
|
16. |
Gurdaspur Central Co-operative Bank Employees’ Union, Gurdaspur |
The
learned professions include teaching, medical, legal, engineering, etc. The
part played by each of these in the life of the district is detailed below :
Educational
Services. - Education plays an
important role in the life of a community.
It enables to bring out inherent qualities in a man and makes him
rational, reasonal and self-confident.
The
number of college teachers in the district, according to the 1961 Census, was
108. The number of teachers working in
high/higher secondary, middle, primary (including basic primary) schools in the
district, as on March 31, 1972, was 5,456.
The grades of teachers are now better and attractive. However, there is an acute shortage of trained
teachers. The non-availability of
residential accommodation of teachers in rural areas greatly hampers the
extra-curricular activities of the schools.
Medical
and Health Services. – There has
been a continuous expansion of medical and health services in the
district. The old concept of providing
partial curative services through the dispensaries has changed. Emphasis is now laid on providing both
curative and preventive services through a single co-ordinated source of
primary health centre. With the spread
of education and scientific treatment of human ills coming near the reach of
the people, the methods of faith-cure and quackery are taken resort to by a few
people. The homoeopathy is practised by
a few practised by a few practitioners in towns. The Ayurvedic and Unani systems are liked by the people because
of the simpler and familiar medicines prescribed. The State Government is also encouraging these indigenous system
of medicine. The number of Ayurvedic
dispensaries in the district from 18 in 1965 to 45 in 1975.
In olden days, people living in remote and far-flung villages could not get medical aid at the time of illness. But, with the spread of education and better provision of health and other medical facilities, large number of people visit hospitals and dispensaries to seek necessary medical aid. The number of patients treated in the various hospitals and dispensaries in the district rose from 3,42,630 in 1951 to 68,84,005 in 1972. The number of hospitals, dispensaries and primary health centres in the district as on January 1, 1972, was 45.
The
members of medical profession in the district have formed an association which
is accredited to the Indian Medical Association. The annual meetings of the associations are held in which grievances
of the members are discussed. The Vaids
in the district have also formed a separate union of their own.
The
Medical profession includes persons employed in medical services rendered by
organisation and individual such as hospitals, nursing homes, maternity and
child welfare clinics, as also by Unani, Ayurvedic, Alopathic and homeopathic
practitioners and persons employed in maternity service.
The
total number of persons involued in medical and health services in the
district, according to the 1961, census, was 1,580 (1,217 males and 363
females). These included physicians,
surgeons, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, midwives, health visitors, nursing
attendants and allied workers, etc.
Besides, there are also a large number of private medical practitioners
who generally have their small clinics and dispense their own prescriptions.
On
the veterinary side, the district is fairly well served by 22 veterinary
hospitals, 20 permanent outlaying dispensaries to control contagious diseases
among the animals and to improve their breeds.
Legal
Services.- In the present life ,
when countless laws governess the society, legal profession had an important
role to play. The profession includes
barristers, advocates, pleaders, munshis.
This is a paying occupation and attracts good number of persons. Lawyers plead for the fundamental rights of
the individual and serve as a link between the litigant public and the
government officers. According to the
1961 census, the number of legal practitioners and advisors in the district was
113.
There
are three bar associations in the district, on at the district headquarters and
two at the tahsil headquarters at Batala and Pathankot. These association rendered useful service
and are responsible for maintaining professional conduct and discipline among
the public.
Engineering
Services.- The engineering services
are fairly well-represented in the district.
The engineers contribute a good deal in the construction plans at the
district headquarters as well as the sub-divisional levels. They attend to various development works
like 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 good 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 305.
Artists,
Writers and Related Workers. – According to the 1961 Census, the number of
artists, writers and related workers in the district was 321.
(c) Personal and Domestic Services
Personal
Services. – These Services include barbers, washermen, launderes, tailors,
water-carriers, weavers, cobblers, carpenters and the like and employ a
considerable number of persons as detailed hereunder :
Barbers.
– The total number of barbers including hair-dressers and related workers
in the district, according to the 1961 Census, was 1,226.
The
practice of family barber (nai) is still in vogue in most of the
villages in the district, but it is no longer prevalent in urban areas. In rural areas, besides haircutting and
shaving, barbers are wngaged for conveying messages on the occasions of
marriage and death, etc.
In
the urban areas, hairdressing saloons or beauty shops are becoming
popular. These are well equipped with
modern implements for haircutting and dressing. The old practice of barbers visiting the house of their customers
is fast disappearing. The customer also
finds it more convenient and cheaper to visit the saloon. Generally, the barbers charge Re 1 to Re
1.25 paise for a haircut and 25 to 30 paise for a chave. There is no lady hairdressing saloon in the
district.
In
the rural areas, the practice of barbers visiting the houses of their clients
is still in vogue. The wife of barber,
called nain, does some sort of periodical hair-cleaning and hairdressing
of the womenfolk of the families to which the barber is attached.
The
barbers in the towns have formed unions to look after their interests and for
their social and economic welfare.
Tuesdays are usually observed as holidays by them.
Washermen.
– The total number of launderes, dry-cleaners and pressers in the district,
according to the 1961 Census, was 795.
These also included laundrymen, washermen and dhobis.
The
good laundries are mostly located in urban area. This business is becoming popular since launderes are more prompt
and efficient as compared to washermen.
The laundries generally employ washermen for washing the clothes while
pressing is done at the shops.
The
laundry business has adversely affected the washermen. The average rate per cloth charged by
washermen.is 25-30 paise for washing and 10-15 for only pressing. Some washermen work of families on monthly
basis also.
There
are also a good number of dry-cleaning shops in the towns. Their charges vary from Rs 3 to Rs 4.50 for
the dry-cleaning of woolen / terelene suit.
Tailors.
– The total number of tailors, cutters, furriers and related workers in the
district, according to the 1961 Census, was 3,846. Out of these, 835 were working in the urban areas.
The
tailors in urban areas prepare clothes according to the tastes and fashions
prevalent in towns and cities while those in rural areas prepare ordinary types
of clothes worn by the villagers. The
stitching charges naturally vary in urban and rural areas.
Most
of the tailors have their own sewing machines and work independently. There are also some big concerns, which get
the work done on commission basis. In
rural areas, the old practice of darzi (tailor) going to different
houses for stitching clothes still continues.
Self-employed
persons. – The persons engaged in these services include weavers,
shoemakers, potters, sweepers, handcart pedlars, railway station or bus stand
porters and vendors, hosiery weavers, etc.
Some of them also assist the farmers in agricultural activities at the
harvesting time.
Domestic
Services. - These services include
cooks, house-keepers, maids and other indoor servants. According to the 1961 Census, their total
number in the district was 2,461.
For
sometime past, the number of domestic servants is decreasing. The households which used to keep them as an
essential part of their living, have been giving a second thought to their
continuance. The persons of mediocre
means now find it difficult to afford domestic servants. Some of the households, which used to keep
domestic servants on permanent basis, have started engaging part-time
servants. These part-time servants work
as utensil cleaners, washermen/washerwomen and malis (gardeners)
etc. The wages of domestic servants in
wholetime employment are Rs 25 to Rs 40 per mensem in addition to free meals
and clothing. Majority of the domestic servants hail from Kangra (Himachal
Pradesh) and Hoshiarpur districts.
In
urban areas, female domestic servants (mais) are engaged for wholetime
or part-time employment. Generally,
women belonging to poor families adopt this profession to supplement their
income. They are engaged in washing of
clothes, sweeping of houses, cleaning of utensils, cooking, etc. Such part-time female servants are paid Rs
10 to Rs 30 per mensem in addition to sundry facilities provided by their
employers.
There
is no association of domestic servants in the district.
Transport
Services. – Road transport plays a vital role in the economic, social and
commercial development of a country.
The position of these services has improved much with the expansion of
roads after the independence. The
industrial growth has also given a considerable fillip to the goods
transport. There are two Punjab
Roadways Depots in the District at Pathankot and Batala. Besides, there are eight private transport
companies operating in the district.
According
to the 1961 Census, 5,934 persons were engaged in transport and communication
occupations in the district. These
included drivers, conductors, etc.
Besides
the above, a good number of persons are engaged as rickshaw-pullers, tongs
drivers, scooter-rickshaw drivers, etc.
Some persons invest money on the purchase of vehicles and give these on
hire to others. In 1973, the State
Government introduced a scheme under which loans are advanced to
rickshaw-pullers to purchase their own rickshaws. Besides, the banks, advance loans to scooter-rickshaw drivers to
purchase their own vehicles. The number of cycle rickshaw pullers in the
district, according to the 1961 Census, was 848. Animal driven carts and hand-driven carts also ply in large
numbers. The business of tonga drivers
is, however, declining with the increase in the number of rickshaws and
scooter-rickshaws.
Private
cars and jeeps also cater to the needs of the people in their day-to-day
avocations. The number of such vehicles
has been gradually on the increase.
Some of the owners of these vehicles keep a driver while others drive
themselves.
The persons employed by the transport companies include drivers, conductors and cleaners. They are provided with various facilities such as free uniforms, bonus, allowances for over-time work, etc. Their income and social status is better than that of the rickshaw-pullers and tonga drivers. They have formed unions to look after their interests.
|
(a) |
Livelihood Pattern and the General Level of Prices and Wages |
|
(b) |
|
|
(c) |
ECONOMIC TRENDS
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. Availability of technical know-how-, and
financail and political stability are the other essential factors for the
economic growth of a region.
(a) Livelihood Pattern
and 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, 26.43 per cent of the population of the district is engaged
in various economic pursuits, of which agriculture and allied activities alone
accounted for 58.84 per cent. The
economy of the district, therefore, continues to be predominantly agricultural.
On
the basis of economic activity pursued, the workers are further classified into
nine industrial categories as under :
|
Classification of workers according to their profession |
|
Number of persons according to the 1971 Census |
|
|
||||
|
|
Rural |
Urban |
Total |
|
||||
|
|
Males |
Females |
Males |
Females |
Males |
Females |
Persons |
|
|
1. Cultivators |
.. |
1,25,845 |
289 |
2,537 |
7 |
1,28,391 |
296 |
1,28,687 |
|
2. Agriculture labourers |
.. |
59,803 |
662 |
1,991 |
20 |
61,794 |
682 |
62,476 |
|
3. Livestock-keeping, forestry, fishing, hunting, plantations, orchards, and allied activities |
.. |
2,316 |
75 |
361 |
2 |
2,677 |
77 |
2,754 |
|
4. Mining and quarrying |
.. |
66 |
|
11 |
|
77 |
|
77 |
|
5. Manufacturing processing servicing and repairs |
.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a) Household industry |
.. |
7,303 |
546 |
1,009 |
41 |
8,312 |
587 |
8,899 |
|
(b) Manufacturing other than household industry |
.. |
10,472 |
302 |
13,249 |
163 |
23,721 |
465 |
24,186 |
|
6. Construction |
.. |
5,472 |
43 |
1,800 |
10 |
7,272 |
53 |
7,325 |
|
7. Trade and commerce |
.. |
9,576 |
95 |
15,724 |
75 |
25,000 |
170 |
25,470 |
|
8. Transport, storage and communication |
.. |
4,149 |
6 |
5,903 |
19 |
10,052 |
25 |
10,077 |
|
9. Other services |
.. |
31,333 |
1,397 |
19,942 |
2,229 |
51,275 |
3626 |
54,901 |
|
Total Workers |
.. |
2,56,344 |
3,415 |
62,527 |
2,566 |
3,18,871 |
5981 |
3,24,852 |
|
10. Non –Workers |
.. |
2,61,483 |
4,58,923 |
69,928 |
1,14,063 |
3,31,411 |
572986 |
9,04,397 |
|
Total Population |
.. |
5,17,827 |
4,62,338 |
1,32,455 |
1,16,629 |
6,50,282 |
578967 |
12,29,249 |
Classification of Workers in the Gurdaspur District according to the 1971 Census
According to the above table, out of
the total population of 12,29,249 persons in the district, 3,24,852 were
engaged income kind of economic activity.
The number of non-workers was 9,04,397.
The ratio of workers to non-workers varied from 26.43 to 73.57 as
against the corresponding ration of 28.87 to 71.13 for the Punjab State. These figures indicate that the proportion
of economically active population in the district was lower by 2.44 per cent
than the State average.
The
standard of living of a community is, apart from other things, also judged from
the way its members are housed. The
provision of cheap and decent housing accommodation is the primary need of a human
family in civilised life. This means
the provision of comfortable shelter and such surroundings as would keep the
worker healthy, fit and cheerful. It
also includes proper arrangement for water supply, drainage, lighting and means
of communications in every village and town of the district. In the urban areas of the district, the
dwellings are almost entirely pucka and double storeyed, and are provided with
modern amenities such as kitchen, bathroom, latrine, etc. Houses constructed in the new townships are
also provided with all such amenities.
But, in the rural areas, people are not provided with all such
facilities. Under the Model Village
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 dwellings in the district was 1,90,535 (rural 1,48,825 and urban
41,710). The total number of households
was 1,96,070 (rural 1,52,965 and urban 43,105). The number of persons per household was 6.19. The break up of the households, classified
by number of members and by number of rooms is given in Appendix I on pages
265-266.
In
1971-72, the per capita income of the Gurdaspur District at the then current
prices was Rs 921 as compared to Rs 1,054 for the Punjab State as a whole. It is an indicator of the standard of living
of the people residing in the district.
Prices
and Wages. – The level of prices has a bearing both on the real income and
standard of living of the people because it is not the money income but the
purchases therefrom that matter.
Prices
mechanism is influenced by the laws of demand and supply. Its impact is felt on the entire economy of
a region and is reflected in the levels of living of the people of that
region. The role of prices is not
merely passive, i.e. reflecting only the changes in the price levels, but is
active and causes in the entire economy and may either cause inflation or
recession or may help recovery of the economic growth of a region. A brief history of the price fluctuation
during the past century or so is as under :
Prior
to the great rebellion of 1857, before the construction of roads and railways
in India, prices were ruled by custom.
There were big variations from season to season and place to place, with
the construction of roads and railways, the isolation of the Indian village was
gradually broken. Custom and status,
however, prevailed in the rural areas for a long time, while competition and
contract rules only in the big towns.
The period 1893-1913 saw a rapid rise in prices. Prices rose during the World War I
(1914-1918), but these showed downward trend from 1920-1929. This downward trend was further accelerated
by the great depression of 1929-1933.
In 1931, prices actually fell below the 1913 level. The prices were the lowest in 1934.
After
1934, prices started improving, except during 1937-38, when there was a
recession and a set-back. It was only
in 1939, with the onset of the World War II (1939-45), that the prices finally
started recovering. In 1942, there was
a heavy increase in the prices of goods, and, in 1943, prices rocketed sky-high
bringing untold suffering to the poor.
The end of the World War II in August 1945 did not relieve the strain on
India’s economy. Wholesale prices did
not register a fall; on the other hand, there was a constant rise.
There was a heavy decline of prices
in mid-April of 1952. Prices further
rose till September 1952, registered a fall till December 1952, and then resumed
their upswing throughout 1953 and then gradually falling till March 1954.1 But again from June 1955, prices started
rising and remained high except 1957-58, when these declined. The price
situation continued to cause anxiety during 1958-61. During the emergency period of the Chinese aggression in 1962,
prices went up like anything. The
upward trend in prices continued during the sixties and thereafter.
The retail prices of food grains
from 1861-1931 and the prices of food-grains per quintal during 1961-62 and
1971-72, prevalent at Gurdaspur, are given in the following tables :-
_______________________________________________________________
1. Kewal Krishan Dewett and
Gurcharan Singh, Indian Economics (Delhi, 1954), pp. 517-24
Retail Price of Foodgrains at
Gurdaspur on the 1st January each year in sers and chhataks per
rupee
|
Year |
Average |
Wheat |
Barley |
Garm |
Maize |
Jowar |
Bajar |
|||||||
|
S. |
C. |
S. |
C. |
S. |
C. |
S. |
C. |
S. |
C. |
S. |
C. |
|||
|
1861-65 |
.. |
33 |
8 |
44 |
3 |
25 |
6 |
.. |
.. |
32 |
0 |
22 |
15 |
|
|
1866-70 |
.. |
23 |
14 |
29 |
15 |
24 |
6 |
.. |
.. |
20 |
11 |
26 |
5 |
|
|
1871-75 |
.. |
25 |
7 |
34 |
12 |
27 |
10 |
30 |
0 |
27 |
0 |
23 |
0 |
|
|
1876-80 |
.. |
17 |
2 |
19 |
10 |
22 |
8 |
20 |
5 |
21 |
3 |
16 |
8 |
|
|
1881-85 |
.. |
27 |
6 |
35 |
7 |
30 |
1 |
28 |
3 |
26 |
14 |
13 |
14 |
|
|
1886-90 |
.. |
19 |
11 |
25 |
3 |
22 |
7 |
23 |
1 |
19 |
1 |
13 |
.. |
|
|
1891-95 |
.. |
18 |
9 |
24 |
9 |
23 |
6 |
23 |
0 |
25 |
9 |
19 |
9 |
|
|
1896-1900 |
.. |
13 |
10 |
20 |
3 |
14 |
13 |
17 |
11 |
16 |
6 |
8 |
6 |
|
|
1901-05 |
.. |
16 |
5 |
24 |
6 |
21 |
6 |
23 |
12 |
24 |
0 |
.. |
.. |
|
|
1906-10 |
.. |
11 |
13 |
15 |
0 |
13 |
6 |
14 |
9 |
12 |
6 |
.. |
.. |
|
|
1911-15 |
.. |
13 |
17 |
0 |
14 |
8 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
0 |
13 |
6 |
0 |
|
|
1916-20 |
.. |
8 |
4 |
10 |
5 |
8 |
11 |
10 |
11 |
9 |
3 |
.. |
.. |
|
|
1921 |
.. |
7 |
4 |
10 |
0 |
6 |
8 |
10 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
.. |
.. |
|
|
1926 |
.. |
6 |
8 |
9 |
0 |
7 |
8 |
7 |
8 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
|
|
1931 |
.. |
20 |
0 |
30 |
0 |
14 |
0 |
29 |
0 |
15 |
0 |
.. |
.. |
|
(Punjab District Gazetteers, Vol.
XIV, Part B, Gurdaspur District, Statistical Tables, 1936 (Lahore, 1936),
pp.cxii-cxiii)
(Per quinta)
|
Year |
Wheat (Rs) |
Gram (Rs) |
Maize (Rs) |
Jowar (Rs) |
Bajar (Rs) |
Paddy (Rs) |
Barly (Rs) |
|
1961-62 |
37 |
35 |
22 |
26 |
22 |
37.75 |
25 |
|
1971-72 |
78 |
85 |
55 |
57 |
60 |
49 |
48 |
(Source:
District Statistical Officer, Gurdaspur)