INDUSTRIES

section i-LARGE AND SMALL INDUSTRIES

The following table gives the number of working factories and average daily employment in major groups of industries in the district during 1964 and 1965.

TABLE No. 10

Number of Working Factories and Average Daily Employment in Major Groups of Industries, Akola District, 1964 and 1965

Cotton Textile: Akola is a cotton producing district, and it is but natural that it should provide a favourable location for textile mills. Akola is a big market place situated on the Howrah-Bombay trunk railway route which passes from west to east and the Khandawa-Hingoli-Purna meter gauge railway line which passes north to south. Good transportation and other market facilities encouraged the establishment of cotton textile mills at Akola. They are: (1) Mohata Mill, Akola and (2) Savatram Ramprasad Mill, Akola. The Mohata Mill was closed in 1959-60 on account of scarcity of finance, labour-problem, absenteeism of labourers and structural defects. The Maharashtra Government undertook management of this mill on 1st September 1961 in order to provide employment to the workers. The Maharashtra State Textile Corporation which has been established to run the closed textile mills in the state is the authorised controller of this mill since 15-9-1970.

The Savatram Ramprasad Mill, Akola, which was established in 1912 and registered on 31st May 1954 under the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951, also experienced difficulties on account of financial, managerial and labour problems and was closed during the period from 1964 to 1968. In order to provide employment to the workers, the Maharashtra Government undertook the management of this mill on 15th August 1968 and subsequently handed it over to the Maharashtra State Textile Corporation since 1st April 1972. At present this mill alongwith the Mohata mill is under the control of the said Corporation.

One Co-operative spinning Mill was also registered in the district in 1966-67 which has not started functioning as yet.

The two mills stated above produce both yarn and cloth. The combined installed capacity of these two mills in 1961 was 36176 spindles and 783 looms. At present the installed capacity of the Mohata Mill is 21568 spindles and 464 looms while the capacity of the Savatram Ramprasad Mill is 14208 spindles and 310 looms. The cost of machinery of both mills amounts to Rs. 9.5 lakhs approximately.

The authorised share capital of the Mohata Mill was Rs. 1,00,00,000 on 30th June 1971, of which the paid up capital was Rs. 48,10,220. Its reserve and other funds amounted to Rs. 1,63,554 on the same date. At present this mill is pledged to the Maharashtra State Textile Corporation for Rs. 24.5 lakhs. The Savatram Ramprasad Mill which was brought under operation since 15th August 1968 is now pledged to the Maharashtra State Textile Corporation for Rs. 25 lakhs on 1st April 1972.

The total employment in these mills was 2289 in 1969 which increased to 2619 on 30th June 1972. Of the total number of workers 2449 persons were employed as workers and 170 as office staff. Out of 2449 persons, 2281 were males and the rest were females. The work is done in two shifts in both the mills. The labour force is from the adjoining areas. The wages paid in both the mills amounted to Rs. 59,08,000 in 1971-72. The average daily wages paid to the workers in the month of March 1972 in Mohata Mill is shown in the following statement.

Absenteeism in cotton-textile industry is a problem all over the State and Akola district is not an exception to it. The statistics of absenteeism in cotton textile industry at Akola centre arc given below: —

Absenteeism is a problem not. confined to cotton textile alone but it is laced by other industrial units. The labourers are generally from the adjoining areas which factor contributes to absenteeism, especially during the harvesting season.

The raw material comprises cotton of medium and long staple which is available in ample quantity in the district. In weaving section, bleaching and sizing materials are also required besides cloth, hooks, gunny bags, hemp twine, craft paper and label-papers, etc. The total value of cotton consumed by both the mills amounted to Rs. 182.45 lakhs in 1971-72.

Coal, crude oil and electricity are used as power and fuel. The total value of power and fuel for both the mills amounted to Rs. 12,32,000 during 1971-72. Savatram Ramprasad Mill uses more coal than electricity for operating the machinery, while the Mohata Mill uses more electricity than coal. Nearness to the Paras Thermal Power Station facilitates the ready availability of electricity and the process of gradual replacement of coal by electricity is expected in the near future.

The principal products of the mills at Akola are cotton yarn and cloth. These mills produce coarse and medium types of cloth. The total out put was valued at Rs. 2,14,40,000 in 1971-72, while the sale value of cloth and yarn of both the mills amounted to Rs. 2,12,09,000 and the sale value of waste amounted to Rs. 2,31,000 in the same year. Cloth and yarn produced by the mills have a wide demand and have captured many markets in Maharashtra. Besides, the cloth produced by the Mohata Mill is exported to the U. K., Singapore, Nepal and Kuwait also.

The cotton textile industry at Akola as the textile industry in the State suffers from structural defects with the result that the mills are not showing any signs of prospective development. It may, however, be noted that though these industries suffered very much during the last decade, now they are showing some progress since they have been undertaken by the Government. The Mohata Mill earned a profit amounting to Rs. 12 lakhs in 1971-72 while the profit of the Savatram Ramprasad Mill amounted to Rs. 5.90 lakhs during the same year.

Miring and Quarrying: No mineral resources of any significance have so far been noticed in the district. As per the old Akola District Gazetteer published in 1910 much of the alluvium produced efflorescences of salts and soda and especially on the north of river Purna wells were sunk in earlier times to obtain salt. Some of these wells near Dahihanda in the south-east of Akot tahsil were over 100' in depth.

As per 1961 Census, the mining activity in the district was restricted only to the quarrying of stones. It provided employment to 865 persons, 600 males and 265 females. Four persons were reported as working on mining of coal. However, the District Census Hand Book of Akola District, 1961 also mentions that these four persons might be working in coal mines in Chandrapur district and might have come to Akola temporarily during the 1961 Census enumeration period.

During the year 1961, 255 tons of clay and 22.86 tons of other minerals were unearthed in the district.

The following statement gives the mineral production in the district during 1963 and 1964.

(In Metric tonnes)

Electricity Generation and Consumption: There is only one power generation station in the district located at Paras. It is thermal and is under the control of the Maharashtra State Electricity Board. Power is supplied through two units to the Vidarbha, Khandesh and Marathawada areas of the State. It has an installed capacity of 92.5 MW and the entire power is utilised. Power is supplied for economic production as well as domestic purposes.

The fixed capital investment in the generation station was put around Rs. 10,91,59,920-81 and the working capital around Rs. 5,01,044-56. The total value of productive machinery was Rs. 10,96,60,965-37. As on 7th July 1969, it provided employment to 655 workers whose annual wage bill came to Rs. 21,34,573.00.

As per 1961 Census, only 89 towns and villages in the district were electrified. The following table shows the district consumption of electricity on different items for the period 1953 to 1958-59 and 1960-61 to 1965-66.

TABLE No. 11

Electrical Energy Generated, Purchased and Consumed

(In thousand K. W. H.)

NA:—Not available.

Note:—Figures for the year 1957-58 pertain to 15 months.

Source:—(1) Reports of Central Water and Power Commission. (2) Executive Engineer, M. S. Electricity Board, Akola.

N. B.:—The data for 1960-61 is for entire revenue district; but for 1961-62 data for few villages of Akola revenue district could not be made available. Hence the data for these two years are not comparable.

Ginning and Pressing Factories : The area under all kinds of fibres in the district in 1964-65 was 3,38,602 hectares of which an area of 3.35.621 hectares was under cotton. With the production of 79,295 bales of cotton of 392 lbs each during the same year, it is bid natural that industrial units that ginned and pressed cotton occupied an important place in the industrial complex in the district. The main centres of ginning and pressing industry in the district are Akola, Murtizapur, Karanja, Telhara, Akot, Washim and Malegaon.

Of the ginning and pressing units surveyed, one was established as early as 1923. Almost all of them were seasonal and worked for about 160 days in a year between November and June.

The. average fixed capital of a unit was about Rs. 1,80,000 the maximum being rupees five lakhs and the minimum being Rs. 16,000. The average working capital of a unit was placed around Rs. 1,70,000. The fixed capital was invested in land and buildings, plants and machinery, furniture and fixtures, while the working capital was required for the purchases of fuel, raw materials, etc.

On an average a unit provided employment to 50 workers including four skilled workers and four persons other than workers. Male workers were paid about Rs. 3 per day, while the female workers received Rs. 2 per day. The skilled workers were paid at about Rs. 4.50 to Rs. 5 per day. A unit on an average disbursed about Rs. 8,000 annually by way of wages.

The fuel required by these units comprised different types of oils, charcoal, wood fuel and electricity and each unit on an average spent about Rs. 10,000 per annum upon the same, the maximum expenditure on this account in case of a unit being Rs. 56,000 and the minimum being Rs. 1,800.

Generally a unit charged about Rs. 20 to 22 per quintal for ginning and about Rs. 18 to 20 per quintal for pressing.

Almost all the ginned and pressed cotton is sent to Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Nagpur, Sholapur and Ahmedabad.

Only two of these units were given financial assistance by the Government to the extent of Rs. 13,000 in aggregate.

Oil-Mills: Besides cotton ginning and pressing, another important agro-based industry in the district is oil-seeds crushing. During 1964-65 the cultivation of different oil-seeds was spread over an area of 46,104 hectares with groundnut occupying as many as 33,707 hectares. During the same year the total production of groundnut was put at 18,187 metric tonnes, of sesamum at 508 metric tonnes and of linseed at 1,320 metric tonnes. This production of oil-seeds had facilitated the establishment of oil-crushing industry and oil-ghanis. The oil-mills in the district are mainly located at Akola, Borgaon, Pinjar, Alegaon, Malegaon, Washim, Risod, Mangrulpir, Murtizapur, Karanja and Akot.

All the oil-seed crushing units surveyed were seasonal in character and they worked for about 200 days between October and June.

The fixed capital investment of every unit was consisting of land and buildings, plants and machinery, furniture and fixtures. The average investment in fixed capital was about Rs. 75,000, the maximum being Rs. 2,50,000 and the minimum being Rs. 20,000.

The working capital required by a unit per annum averaged around Rs. one lakh and was spent on the purchase of raw materials, mainly cotton-seed and groundnut, fuel, etc.

Every unit on an average provided employment to 19 workers of whom one person undertook accounting and managerial jobs. Only two units employed six skilled workers in aggregate. Male workers were paid around Rs. 2.50 per day as against Rs. 1.75 paid to female workers. Those doing accounting and managerial jobs were generally the permanent employees of the establishment and were paid monthly remuneration of about Rs. 150 besides lodging and boarding facilities.

The average annual expenditure of a unit on electricity and other fuel came to about Rs. 15,000. The raw materials were mainly purchased from the local market as also from outside centres by a few larger establishments.

Almost the entire quantity of oil and oil-cake produced by these units with a few exceptions was consumed locally. One unit was found sending these products to the neighbouring districts of Yeotmal, Buldhana and Amravati, while one had buyers even in Bombay, Delhi and other cities and towns in the country.

Saw Mills: With only a small percentage of the total geographical area under forests and the consequent paucity of forest produce there is almost no scope for the development of saw milling in the district. However, there are a few saw mills in the district that cater to local needs. Saw mills are mainly located at Akola, Kapsi, Balapur, Nimkarda, Malegaon, Washim, Kata, Risod, Mangrulpir, Telhara, Akot, and Shelubazar.

All the reporting units work all the year round. The average fixed capital investment of a unit was about Rs. 50,000 and mainly consisted of land and buildings, machinery as well as furniture and fixtures.

Each unit on an average provided employment to four workers including two skilled workers. Every unit on an average disbursed annually a sum of Rs. 4,000 by way of wages.

A unit spent about Rs. 900 on electricity and fuel. Most of the units worked on contract basis while only one manufactured its own requirements and consumed raw materials worth Rs. 15,000 in a year. The total turnover of that unit was to the tune of Rs. 45 to 50 thousand per year and all the produced goods were sold in the local market.

Dal and Poha Mills. All the dal and poha mills in the district work throughout the year. The average fixed capital of the reporting units was consisting of land and buildings, machinery, and furniture, and fixtures, and on an average its estimated value was about Rs. 18,000. Each unit required about Rs. 10,000 per year by way of working capital. A unit on an average provided employment to 6 persons and paid them annually about Rs. 6,000 in aggregate by way of wages. Every unit on an average consumed electricity and other fuel worth Rs. 2,000 per year. The processed products are sold generally in the local market.

Iron and Steel products and Engineering workshops. The main centres of the iron and steel based workshops in the district are Akola, Akot, Telhara, Washim, Murtizapur and Malegaon. These units were mainly engaged in the manufacture of steel furniture, agricultural implements and other iron and steel products. They also undertook repairs to machinery. Two of the reporting units were established as early as 1919 and 1928. All these units worked all the year round. The average fixed capital investment of a unit in land and buildings, plants and machinery and furniture and fixtures was estimated at about Rs. 22,000. Each unit required working capital of about Rs. 20,000 in a year. Every unit, on an average, provided employment to four workers and one person other than those doing managerial jobs. Every year, each unit distributed about Rs. 14,000 by way of wages. As mostly the skilled workers were employed, they were generally paid higher wages than those paid in other industrial establishments. The per unit annual expenditure on electricity and fuel came to about Rs. 1,500. Their products, such as steel cupboards, buckets, ghamelis, were sold within the district as well as the neighbouring districts of Yeotmal, Amravati, Buldhana and Wardha. They obtained their raw material from Bombay and other major market centres. Two of the reporting units were given financial assistance by the Bank of Maharashtra to the extent of Rs. 17,500 in aggregate. The Directorate of Industries of the Stale assisted one unit in obtaining machinery valued at Rs. 11,000. The main difficulty encountered by these units was shortage of skilled labour as well as shortage of raw materials.

Soap Factories. There are many soap factories in the district. Though the soap produced in the district is not of high quality, it always has a local demand. Almost all the soap factories worked throughout the year. The average capital investment of a unit in fixed capital came to about Rs. 5,000. The working capital required by a unit in a year was placed around Rs. 10,000. Each unit on an average provided employment to about five workers including one skilled worker and one person doing managerial and administrative jobs. They were paid about Rs. 10,000 a year by way of salaries and wages.

The following statement gives the production of soap in the district during 1960, 1961, 1963-64 and 1964-65.

Production of soap in Akola District.

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