(iii) Home Life

Dwellings. –There is not much difference in the nature of dwellings in the urban and rural areas of the district of Kapurthala. Gone are the days when the dwellings in the rural areas were suffocating and dirty as theses were mostly made of mud and without any system of ventilation. In the urban areas of the distinct, viz. Kapurthala, Phagwara, etc. dwellings are pucca and semi-pucca, double storeyed, and having lawns on the front as well as on the back. The recently constructed houses are of modern designs. Cement and iron are mostly used in the construction of modern dwellings. In the adjoining districts of Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur, there has still been a vast difference in the dwellings, in the rural and urban areas, whereas in the Kapurthala District one can easily find out the dwellings on the roadside villages resembles those of seen i the urban areas of the district. Even in the rural areas of the district, most of the houses are pucca and are constructed with cement, iron and bricks. Mud is used rarely. In the urban areas, the newly constructed houses have drawing rooms and other rooms, modern amenities of life like underground drainage, scientific system of sanitation i.e. flush system and separate apartments for the cattle. The kitchen is generally found in the courtyard during summer season, but in winter a room is used for this purpose. In the kitchens, modern crockery as well as kerosene stoves are commonly seen and these replacing rapidly the earthen and some metal utensils.

Furniture and decoration. –In urban areas, the items of furniture are practically the same among all of people but for their quality and variety. In modern time, the status of the people is judged by the standards of their dwellings and their decoration thereof. Since furniture and decorations have become a matter of prestige, people vie with one another in having costly and elegant things. The items of furniture which are preferred are modern types of beds and cots, dressing table, sofa-set, dinner table and chairs, electric fans, air conditioners, floor carpet or drugget particularly for the drawing room, steel almirahs etc. Table radios or portable transistors are found in almost every home, rich or poor. Television is also becoming popular not only in the urban areas but also in the rural areas of the district. The well-off people in the rural areas of the district have almost all the items of furniture as those found in the urban areas. In the houses of the economically weaker sections of the people, chairs and a small besides old type of furniture like pihri, muhra could be easily seen.

Pots and pans of stainless steel are becoming popular though their prices keep their use limited. Modern cutlery is in big demand and the well to do entertain guests in dinner sets of fine type of China wares. In the rural areas, people also use utensils made of stainless steel and modern cutlery, but they have not still abandoned the use of bronze and brass utensils like thalis, karahis, glasses, lotas, kettles, etc.

Dress and Ornaments. –In the rural areas of the district, the dress of a farmer consists of a safa (turban), a kurta (shirt), and a chadra (ankle deep cloth tied round the waist). This type of dress is used in the summer season whiled winter there is an addition of normally a sweater and especially a loi (thin warm cloth) or a blanket. Besides, a loose-fit pyjama is also invariably used by the people. The educated villagers especially the younger generation have started using western type of clothes like pants and coats. the woken wear a shirt of plain or patterned cloth extending up to the knees and a salwar. They cover their heads with depattas (headgears) which are coloured in the case of married women and plain in the case of old ladies and widows. In winter, women wear khesis, woolen shawls and pullovers.

The educated people in urban as well as rural areas have mostly taken to the western dress, i.e. pant, shirt, bushirt, coat, pullover, etc. the use of pyjama and kurta is confined to home only. The Sikhs wear turban, but among others it is confined to the old people. The younger people do not use any headgear.

In theurban areas of the district, thewomen wear shirt, salwar and dupatta, but among the younger generation sari is becoming very popular. The school as well as thecollege going girls also wear salwar and shirt. The use of western trousers is very rare in the district.

Both in the urban and rural areas of the district, the use of heavy ornaments of gold and silver have become rare. Only the newly married women, display a good deal of jewellery, the commonest among which are; sangar patti on the forehead, chaunk on the headtop, ear rings and jhumkian in the ears and a nath (a large nose-ring). The nath is used only at the time of one’s marriage and is replaced by tilli or dandi. The women also wear bangles and a variety of finger rings. They also wear matter-mala (a kind of golden necklace). The newly wedded brides also wear chura of white plastic in decorative designs. Formerly, the chura was made of ivory.

Men do not wear much jewellery except on festival occasions when kanthas (gold necklaces are often seen. However, now days these necklaces are made of rough metal and are polished in golden colour. Fingers rings are also commonly worn.

Food. –In the morning an average villager takes roti (wheat loaf), dahi (curd) and tea or lassi (butter-milk). During, noon, roti with onion and mango pickle in addition to some pulse or vegetable is taken. In the afternoon, parched grams or maize is eaten by many. The evening meal consists of roti with some pulse or vegetable. During winter, maize rotis with sag sarson. (Cooked mustard leaves) is taken. Meat and eggs are also taken by the people. On the occasions of marriage and festivity, the use of rice is very common. Tea has become very popular and is taken at least thrice a day. it is replacing lassi to a great extent. In the post-partition period on account of the rise in price of desi ghee, the use of vegetable oils, as a cooking medium, has increased much. The people of the Bist Doab have special liking for sweetmeats.

(iv) Communal Life

Fairs and Festivals. –The most important fairs and festivals celebrated in the district are Lohri, Basant, Holi/Hola, Baisakhi, Raksha Bandhan, Dussehra and Dewali. All these fairs are attended by all the communities.

Among the Sikhs, gurupurbs are celebrated with great enthusiasm. Big diwans are held on the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev at Sultanpur Lodhi, where the Guru spent more than 14 years of his life. Besides, gurpurbs to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh are also celebrated. Martyrdom days of Guru Arjan Devand Guru Tegh Bahadur are also celebrated annually. In commemoration of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Guru of the Sikhs, big fairs are held at Nadala and Phagwara.

Siltanpur Lodhi in the district is especially known as the pilgrim center where people from all where people from all walks of life pay their homage to the places where Guru Nanak dev stayed and where now the gurudwaras associated with him stand details regarding various pilgrim centers in the district given in Chapter XIX, ‘Places of Interest’.

Games, Sports and Recreations. –Almost all sorts of modern games and sports are played in schools and colleges, the more important among these being hockey, football, volleyball, cricket, basketball, etc. Now days, girls are taking as much interest in games and sports as boys. Among the indigenous games, mentioned may be made of kabaddi and wrestling. Playing cards, chess, chaupat, kite flying, etc. are the common pastimes. Dramas, cultural shows including bhangra and dance, cinema, etc. form the usual sources of entertainment.

Folk Songs and Cultural Life. –These songs express the sentiments of the people and are sung on various occasions. A few important couples are given below:

Barin Barsin Khattan Gya

Barin barsin khattan gya si, khatt ke liandi karrahi,

Bhangra pa mudia, chhabbi Janwari aai;

Barin barsin khattan gya si, khatt ke liandi aalloo,

Mahatama Gandhi ne, charkha kita chaalu.

English Translation

Went to Earn Livelihood After Twelve Years

Went to earn livelihood after twelve years,

Earned and brought only a pan,

Dance ‘O’ boy, it is 26^th January.

Went to earn livelihood after twelve years,

Earned and brought potatoes,

Mahatma Gandhi introduced the spinning wheel.

Paise Di Vadiai

Jad tak paisa si paas merey, aake khushammad karan batherey,

Subh kehinde naukar terey, liavange hukam bajake,

Paise di vadiai......

Jad paisa reha na palley, pith dikhai sabhin murr challey,

Boilian maran her her galle,

Jehre tere sukhdai, hun dushman ban gae sarey,

paise di vadiai........

Mata kehindi puttar hamara, pita kehe mujhelage piara,

Bhain kahe mera bhai, paise descendants dass bathere,

Paise di vadiai.....

All Praise For Money

So long as I had money, many came to flatter me,

All said they were my servants, and were ready to carry out my orders,

All praise for money...............................................................

When I was left with no money, all turned their back,

and made sarcastic remarks at every point,

Those who were well wishers, turned into enemies,

All praise for money...................................................

Mother Says, ‘Son is mine,’ father says, ‘He is my dear’,

Sister says, ‘Brother in mine’ many are slaves of money,

All praise for money............

(e) Rehabilitation

The disastrous effect of the partition of the country in 1947 resulted in communal riots, murder, arson and loot, etc. These atrocities brought sufferings to the people of minority community on both sides of the border. Excessive harassments compelled the minorities to migrate to the other side of the country. At that time, Kapurthala District was a princely State, which was ruled by the late Maharaja Jagatjit Singh. There was wide spread communal frenzy in the surrounding districts. Consequently, a large number of Muslims from these districts took shelter in the Kapurthala State where there were no communal tensions. But with the gap of sometime, circumstances deteriorated in the surrounding districts to a great extent with the result that mass evacuation started from this side of the border to Pakistan. These happenings terrified the Muslims of the then Kapurthala State so much that in spite of the safety ensured to them by the Maharaja, they decided to migrate to Pakistan. Thus at their persistent request for evacuation, the State authorities made arrangements for their safe exit. The younger son of the Maharaja made elaborate arrangements in this respect with full cooperation of the Chief Minister, Diwan Bahadur Dr R. L. Sikand. Camp was set up at suitable places and adequate arrangement for food and medical need was made. Thereafter, these people were evacuated with the help of military police. The evacuation of the Muslims of this State was quite peaceful and safe. It was due to the fact that the late Maharaja of Kapurthala was a secular ruler.

Among the 8 districts of the erstwhile PEPSU, the district of Kapurthala accommodated the largest number of displaced persons, the analysis of which is given as under:

Tehsil	No. of displaced persons
Kapurthala	47,987
Sultanpur Sub-Tehsil (now a Tehsil)	27,000
Phagwara	12,000
Bhunga Sub-Tehsil (transferred to Hoshiarpur District)	400
Total	87,387

The displaced persons settled in the district were mostly from Lahore, Sialkot, Sheikhpura, Lyallpur, Montgomery, Gujranwala and Bahawalpur State. Prior to the partition, this district was predominantly inhabited by the Muslims but after their migration to Pakistan on the partition, the Muslim population in the district is negligible. The district is now dominated by the Sikh community.

To rehabilitate the influx of refugees from Pakistan in the Kapurthala State, accommodation was arranged for them in schools and colleges, hospitals and temples. The public contributed liberally towards the fund for the rehabilitation of these refuges. Camps were set up at various places in the district and necessary arrangements for food, clothes and shelter were made. Besides, adequate arrangements of public health were made to avoid the spread of diseases.

Urban Rehabilitation. –It was not possible to keep the refugees for indefinite period in the relief camps. The urban refugees were, therefore, sent to towns where they were allotted shops and houses. Bur there were many difficulties in rehabilitating the urban people in this district. Most of the areas of Kapurthala and Sultanpur tehsils were fold-affected and, therefore, there was little scope for new townships. However, with the construction of the Dhussi Bund, the position improved. In Phagwara Tehsil, the conditions were quite favorable. In the very beginning, model town came into existence and became attractive for permanent settlement.

Another problem was that the Muslim population migrated to Pakistan consisted mostly of lab our class and artisans. Consequently, the agricultural community could not meet day-to-day needs of the villages. The artisans who migrated to Punjab preferred to settle down in the towns/cities. Having realized this difficulty the Government set up industrial institutions in towns where technical education was imparted.

In order to enable the widows to earn their livelihood, sewing machines were supplied to them free of cost. Houses were allotted to them according to their needs. Wheat and clothes were also given to them liberally.

The work of permanent disposal of evacuee houses and plots were started in 1954. It was decided by the Central Government that the property falling more than Rs 10,000 should be auctioned, whereas the property assessed below Rs 10,000 should be transferred to the allottees or to those who were in legal possession thereof 1957. Those properties, which were lying evacuee or were under unauthorised possession after the year 1957 were also to be dis posed off through open auction. In Kapurthala District, there were 2,896 evacuee properties falling above Rs 10,000 and 2,294 properties falling below Rs 10,000. These properties were transferred to the claimants through open auction.

Rural Rehabilitation

A large number of displaced persons who had migrated from Pakistan were agriculturists. Therefore, for the sake of professional convenience, they were asked to shift to the villages where they go back to cultivation.

Quasi-permanent Allotment of Agricultural Land and Advancement of Agricultural Loans

The following statement shows the detail of refugees settled by the State Government (Kapurthala State) by 20 November 1947, on temporary allotment basis:-

Tehsil	Area available	Area allotted	No. of persons settled
Kapurthala	40,529	33,701	21,315
Bholath (now a Sub-Tehsil)	38,698	30,129	26,672
Phagwara	17,117	13,044	12,000
Sultanpur	39,089	29,000	27,000
Bhunga (transferred to District Hoshiarpur	1,800	400	400
Total	1,37,233	1,06,274	87,387

Evacuee houses given to refugees to take shelter. A sum of Rs 20,86,408 was advanced as loans to the refugees in the rural areas for the purchase of bullocks, carts, and agricultural implements and for the repair of houses. Besides, all the other facilities like woolen clothes, ration and multi-vitamin tablets were given, free of cost. After the resettlement of refugees, their claims in respect of property left by them in Pakistan were got registered and later on they were given land on quasti-permenent basis, as under:

Tehsil	No. of allottees
Kapurthala	10,423
Phagwara	1,107
Total	11,530

In order to ascertain the area of land occupied by the refugees in Pakistan, they were required to file their claims of property. Later on, copies of the record were obtained from Pakistan authorities and the area owned by each refugee was determined on the basis of the record. In order to bring at par, the area left by evacuees in Pakistan and in India, lands in different types of soil in different tracts of Pakistan and in India were property valued. The area available in East Punjab was only about 60 percent of the area left by the refugees in Pakistan. This disparity in area made it essential that a certain cut should be applied. The scheme of graded cuts in terms of standard acres was as under:

Up to 10 acres	25 per cent
More than 10 acres but not more than 30 acres	30 per cent
More than 30 acres but not more than 40 acres	40 per cent
More than 40 acres but not more than 60 acres	50 per cent
More than 60 acres but not more than 100 acres	65 per cent
More than 100 acres but not more than 150 acres	70 per cent
Morethan 150 acres but not more than 200 acres	75 per cent
More than 200 acres but not more than 250 acres	80 per cent
More than 250 acres but not more than 500 acres	85 per cent
More than 500 acres but not more than 1,000 acres	90 per cent
More than 1,000 acres	96 per cent

Thus, the cut was heaviest on the big landlords. Gradually, permanent proprietary rights were conferred upon the quasi-permanent allotees, which led to rapid strides in developing the lands and stepping up agricultural production.

Thus, the cut was heaviest on the big landlords. Gradually, permanent proprietary rights were conferred upon the quasi-permanent allottees which led to rapid strides in developing the lands and stepping up agricultural production.

CHAPTER IV

AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

v Land Reclamation and Utilization

v Irrigation

v Agriculture including Horticulture

v Animal Husbandry Poultry and Fisheries

v Forestry

v Floods

v Famine

Agriculture continues to be the mainstay of the district’s economy. Emphasis has been laid on increasing the area under irrigation and also on increasing production per acre by using high-yielding verities of seed, judicious application of fertilizers, controlled and economical use of proactive chemical and above all, the introduction of scientific multiple cropping.

According to the 1981 Census, 70.03 percent of the population of the Kapurthala District was rural as against the corresponding figure of 72.32 percent for the State as a whole. Out of the total working force, 53.46 percent of the population was dependent on agriculture as cultivators’ nd agricultural laborers. The break-up of persons engaged in agriculture in the district in 1981 was as follows:

As Cultivators 55,010

As Agricultural Laborers 28,258

Total 83,268

(Census of India, 1981, Series—17, Punjab, Part II, A and Part II—B, General Population Tables and Primary Census Abstract)

(a) Land Reclamation and Utilization

(i) Land Utilization. –There is very little scope for increasing agricultural production through increase in area under cultivation. The production has to be increased per unit of area and per unit of time. With the latest technical know-how and the availability of short duration high varieties and the potential created in the first three Five-Year Plans, it became possible to step up agricultural production quickly. In 1981, about 89 percent of the area of the district was under cultivation. The area under forests was almost negligible and about one-tenth of the total area was not available for cultivation.

Classification of area by land use in the Kapurthala District, during 1966-67, 1971-72 and 1975-76 to 1981-82

(Thousand hectares)

Particulars	1966-67	1971-72	1975-76	1976-77	1977-78	1978-79	1979-80	1980-81	1981-82
1. Total area according to village papers	167	167	167	167	167	167	167	167	167
2. Area under forests	1	2	2	2	2	2	1	2	2
3. Land not available for cultivation	32	31	31	24	21	17	17	17	16
4. Other uncultivated land excluding fallow land	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5. Fallow land	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
6. Net area sown	131	132	133	140	143	147	148	147	148
7. Area sown more than once	28	23	38	42	47	53	61	63	71
8. Total cropped area (6+7)	159	155	171	182	190	200	209	210	219

(a) means less than 500 hectare

(Statistical Abstracts of Punjab, 1972, 1973, 1977 to 1982)

The following statements give the classification of area by land use in the Kapurthala District, during 1966-67, 1971-72 and 1975-76 to 1981-82:

The area, according to village papers is based on returns of area prepared by village staff for revenue purpose in the district, area by professional survey is worked out by the Surveyor General of India. In 1981-82, the area of the district was 167 thousand hectares.

The area under forests in the district during 1981-82 was 2 thousand hectares. This includes actually area on the lands, classed for administered as forest under any legal enactment dealing with forests whether State owned or private except in areas in areas not cadastrally surveyed. The area under forests given in this section does not tally with that of the Forest department owing to the fact that certain lands, though not weeded, are taken as forest by the Forest Department, while these are not treated as such by the Director of Land Records, Punjab.

Land not available for cultivation includes absolutely barren and unculturable land, which cannot be brought under plough except at exorbitant cost, or the land covered by buildings, roads and railways and water or otherwise appropriated for non-agricultural purposes. The totals area of land not available for cultivation in the district in 1981-82 was 16 thousand hectares.

Other uncultivated land excluding fallow lands denotes land available for cultivation, whether not taken up for cultivation or abandoned later on for one reason or the other, and includes culturable wastes, permanent pastures and other grazing lands and lands under miscellaneous tree crops and groves not included in the net sown area.

Fallow lands denote cultivable land which after abandonment remains uncultivated over a long period called ‘old fallow’ and those kept uncultivated during the current year are called ‘current fallows.’ in 1981-82, the area under fallow land in the district was one thousand hectares. This area was under ‘current fallow.’

Net area sown is the area on which sowing is actually done during the course of a year. In 1981-82, the net area sown in the district was 148 thousand hectares.

The total cropped area denotes total area covered with crops during the year. In case different crops are raised on the same land during the year, the same area is counted more than once. Such area in the district during 1981-82 was 219 thousand hectares. The cultivable area per agricultural worker in the district, during 1981, was 1.79 hectares as against 2.63 hectares in 1961. The percentage of area sown more than once to net area sown in the district, during 1981-82, was 47.9 as against 13.39 in 1960-61.

(ii) Reclamation of Waterlogged Areas, Swamps, etc.

Water logging is a serious problem in some parts of the district especially in the bet area. Untimely rains and floods since 1955 have added to the gravity of the problem. Reclamation was attempted by the erstwhile PEPSU Government, but due to the apathy of the farmers the results did not prove lasting. A bund called the Dhusi Bund has been constructed on the left bank of River Beas to prevent floods. Extensive damage work has been done which included the Wadala Drain, Phulewala Drain, Wing Drain, Ramgarh Drain, Sultanpur Drain and Dali Drain. As a result of these measures, the acreage under thur and sem is sharply decreasing. The holdings with the farmers are by no means big and with the opportunities offered by the Five-Year Plans, they are eager to bring as much land under the plough as they can.

At the district level, there is a Sub Divisional Officer, Drainage Sub-division, Kapurthala. The main functions of this subdivision are : to construct drains to drain flood waters, and to construct Flood Protection Embankments along the River Beas to save culturable lands and village abadies in the area between Dhilwan to village Ahli, from floods. The length of the Dhusi Bund is about 50 km. It saves from floods, numerous villages situated on its left side, viz. Gurmukh Singhwala, Nurpur Januhan, Jaitke, Surkhpur, Miani Bola, Dhandupur, Nathupur, Burewal, Talwandi Chaudhrian and Sultanpur Lodhi.

There is another bund constructed on the right side of the West or Black Bein from Sultanpur Lodhi to Ahli joining the bund with main Dhusi Bund. The length of this bund is about 16 km. The bund saves villages, viz. Ahli, Hazara, Sahdullapur, Ahluwal, etc.

There is a third bund constructed on the left side of the West Bein which starts from Sultanpur Lodhi. This bund may be subdivided into two parts. The first part extends from Sultanpur Lodhi to village Bharowana. The length of this bund is about 18 km. This bund saves Sultanpur Lodhi, Bhago Arain, Sherpur, Watanwali, Miranpur, Sarupwal, etc. The second part of the bund is popularly known as Giddarpindi Extension Bund. This bund starts from Giddarpindi-Firozpur Road and joins the left hand along the West Bein near village Bharowana. This bund saves the village Giddarpindi and Bharowana from spill of the River Satluj.

There are two drains under the charge of this sub-division, viz. Wadala Drain and Sultanpur Drain. The length of the former is about 29 km. It gives relief to numerous villages from water logging in Kapurthala, and Kartarpur (Jalandhar) area. The length of the latter, popularly known as Sultanpur Drain, is about 24 km. It gives relief to numerous villages of Kapurthala and Sultanpur Lodhi area from water logging caused by excessive rains.

To put agricultural development on a sound footing and to increase crop production, control floods and eliminate water logging, a master plan has also been prepared for the entire State. This plan known as the Flood Control Drainage and Anti-Water Scheme, envisages the construction of 1,160 kn. of flood protection embankments along major rivers and 11,270 km of surface drains and canalization of chos along with ancillary protection works. In order to prevent seepage, work on lining of 70 km of irrigation channel has also been taken up.

The area under thur and sem in the district, during 1977-78 to 1981-82, is given below :

Year	Thur	Sem	Total
1977-78	294	-	294
1978-79	215	-	215
1979-80	1,215	-	215
1980-81	157	-	157
1981-82	157	-	157

(Financial Commissioner, Revenue, Punjab, Chandigarh)

(b) Irrigation

The development of agriculture is of paramount importance to the district’s economy. It rests mainly on assured sources of irrigation and their provision is receiving the special attention of the Government. In order to bring more areas under irrigation and to step up the intensity of irrigation in the State, several irrigation schemes have been taken in hand. These include extension of non-perennial irrigation in Upper Bari Doab Canal tract; use of surplus Ravi-Beas water; extension and remodeling of existing Bhakra and Sirhind canal system; Shah Nahar feeder project; extension and improvement of Shah Nahar Canal system; lining of channels; and installation of tubewells through the agency of Punjab State Tubewell Corporation, Ltd. In the last few years, the total areas under assured irrigation has increased.

(i) Rainfall:

The rainfall in the district occurs mostly during June to September. The average annual amount of rainfall in the district during the last five years, from 1977 to 1981 was 50.78 centimetres. With the extension of irrigation facilities after Independence, the failure of crops for want of rain has not occurred in the district. The monthly average rainfall in the Kapurthala District from 1977 to 1981 is given in the following statement:-

Monthly Average Rainfall in Kapurthala District, during 1977 to 1981

(Centimeters)

Year	Jan	Feb	March	April	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
1977	8.75	-	-	1.40	5.60	5.20	10.00	13.80	11.00	-	-	5.20	60.95
1978	..	..	..	0.90	..	0.90	..	..	..	..	..	..	1.80*
1979	1.80	9.20	7.60	1.80	5.70	5.50	16.10	4.70	4.00	1.00	0.80	-	58.20
1980	3.20	1.20	3.40	0.80	-	2.30	37.20	14.70	-	0.40	0.90	4.20	68.30
1981	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..

*Total of two months only

(Statistical Abstracts of Punjab, 1977 to 1982)

(ii) Irrigation facilities:

The provision of irrigation facilities has assumed greater significance, and efforts are afoot to mobilize the maximum additional resources possible to achieve quicker results in this sphere. However, almost all the major facilities of irrigation, i.e. canals, tubewells, wells, and pumping-sets are available in the district. The gross area irrigated during 1981-82 was 199.7 thousand hectares as compared to 192.2 thousand hectares in 1980-81. The gross area irrigated as percentage to the total cropped area in the district, during 1980-81 and 1981-82 was 91.5 and 91.2, respectively.

The table given below shows the net area irrigatede in thousand hectares along with the percentage to the net area sown through different sources of irrigation in the district, during 1971-72 and 1976-77 to 1981-82:

Year	Government canals	Wells including tubewells and pumping-sets	Other sources	Total	Percentage to net area sown
1971-72	5.3	98.9	-	104.3	79.0
1976-77	2.8	113.8	-	116.6	83.0
1977-78	2.2	120.0	-	122.2	85.5
1978-89	3.2	126.2	-	129.4	88.0
1979-80	3.8	127.1	-	130.9	88.4
1980-81	4.1	125.8	-	129.9	88.4
1981-82	3.6	125.5	-	129.1	87.2

(Statistical Abstracts of Punjab, 1972 and 1977 to 1982)

Canals

Canals irrigation was introduced in the district in 1954. The Bist Doab Canal serving the district takes off from the right bank of the River Satluj at the Rupnagar Headworks. It was constructed during the First Five-Year Plan and, besides Kapurthala, irrigates the districts of Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar. The Bist Doab Canal irrigated, 5,119 hectares and 5,255 hectares of area in the district during 1980-81 and 1981-82, respectively.

The following table shows the area irrigated by the Bist Doab Canal in the district, during 1971-72 and 1976-77 to 1981-82:-

Year	Area irrigated by Bist Doab Canal (hectares)
1971-72	4,123
1976-77	4,645
1977-78	4,603
1978-79	4,697
1979-80	4,695
1980-81	5,119
1981-82	5,255

(Source: Executive Engineer, Bist Doab Division, Jalandhar)

Wells (including Tube-wells and Pumping-sets)

Since the district lies in the basin of the Beas and the Satluj, its soil is alluvial and fertile. The Sub-soil water is suitable for irrigation and the depth of the water-table is also not low. The holdings are small. All these factors are conducive to well-irrigation which has been popular since long. Formerly, kutcha wells were common in the bet area, but they have now been replaced by masonry wells, and some of them work on pumping-sets. Chargas is used at places where water-table is low. Dhingli is used where water-table is quite high.

The main sources of irrigation in the district are wells/tube-wells and pumping-sets. For installation of tube-wells, a separate organization called ‘Punjab State Tubewell Corporation’ has been set up to accelerate this work by utilizing institutional finances. A number of tube-wells irrigations schemes have been taken in hand by the Corporation.

In order to investigate and evaluate stable and assured ground water potential of the State with a view to preparing the optimum and economical development plan for the entire water resources, both ground and surface, a project has been prepared. It would work out the total quantity of water which will be needed within 30 years, for agricultural production, industrial growth and power generation. However, there is scope for extension of wells/tube-wells irrigation in the district.

During 1954-55, a scheme was also sanctioned for drilling 100 tube-wells in the district and it was implemented in 1955-56. There is a Tube-well Subdivision, Kapurthala, which has three sections, each under one Sectional Officer. Each tube-well is run by a tube-well operator. In Kapurthala section, there are 34 tube-wells, which cover Kapurthala and Sultanpur Lodhi tehsil of the district. In Nadala and Phagwara sections, there are 44 and 22 tube-wells, respectively, which cover Bholath Sub-Tehsil and Phagwara Tehsil of the district. Originally the scheme covered 50,000 acres but these tube-wells could not irrigate the whole Chak and subsequently the area was reduced to 30,000 acres covered by these tube-wells. These were drilled for grow more food campaign as well as to convert this arid area into a green belt. The discharge of each tube-well is 1.25 cusecs. The water is supplied to the cultivators on unit basis, i.e. the electricity consumed by them at the rate of 0.34 paise per unit.

Each section has a gang of technical work charged staff headed by one foreman.

The number of wells (percolation), tube-wells and pumping-sets in the Kapurthala District, during the 1971-72 and 1976-77 to 1981-82, is given below:

Item	1971-72	1976-77	1977-78	1978-79	1979-80	1980-81	1981-82
Wells (percolation	12,244	7,072	2,073	2,132	2,010	..	..
Tube-wells and pumping-sets	2,503	15,501	19,560	21,436	26,490	..	..

(Statistical Abstracts of Punjab, 1972 and 1977 to 1982)

(C) Agriculture including Horticulture

(i) Settlement-up and Activities of the Agriculture Department:

The department is represented in the district by the Chief Agricultural Officer, Kapurthala, who is under the control of the Director of Agriculture, Punjab, Chandigarh. The Chief Agricultural Officer is overall in charge of the entire agricultural activities in the district. He guides the farmers in proper cultivation of land, in supplying artifical manures of good quality to them, and in arranging good quality seeds. He is assisted by 8 Class II Officers, 28 Agricultural Inspectors, besides ministerial and Class Iv staff. Besides, there are two more Class I officers, viz. District Training Officer and Project Officer Reclamation, who also look after the Development work of agriculture.

The Agriculture Department is very successful in mechanizing agriculture and boosting up production in the whole State. The Department has approached, every farmer and has demonstrated to him, in his own fields, the new trends in agriculture, i.e. sampling, use of improved seeds, proper fertilizers doses, insect and pest control, use of weedicides and in-time sowing of crops. Both during rabi and kharif crops, training camps are organized. Similarly, competitions are held which encourage the farmers to sow crops according to the package and practices. Besides, co-operatives have also played a significant role in credit and production. A well-organized drive has been launched to grow more food.

The State’s agricultural policy-farmers also pay special attention towards improved methods of marketing farm crops so as to give better returns to the producer and to make high-quality produce available to the consumer at reasonable rates by eliminating as far as possible the profiteering middlemen.

(ii) Soils, Climate and Crops:

Soils:- The entire district is composed of alluvium and its soil at different places consists of varying degrees of clay, loam and sand. The only mineral to be found here and there is kankar (calcareous modules) which is used for road making or is burnt for lime. The organic processes, associated with alluvial and seolian actions have modified the area into a vast stretch old and recent alluvial plains. These deposits were later on modified or new deposits laid by occasional shifting of the course of the Beas River. The discharge of the Beas River fluctuates widely due to variation in the intensity of rains in its catchment area. These fluctuations induce the river to meander and braid, resulting in the formation of sand bar complexes.

Physiographically, the soils of the district can be divided into five units the descriptions of which are given as under:

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