THE PEOPLE

POPULATION

Akola district accommodates 15,01,478 persons (males 7,73,569, females 7,27,909) according to 1971 Census. The following table gives the tahsil-wise distribution of population in the district in 1971.

TABLE No. 1

Tahsil-wise Population of Akola District, 1971

The table given above shows that the population of 15,01,478 is spread over the district area of 10567.0 km.² which works out to about 142 persons to a square km. Of these, 11,48,129 persons or 76.47 per cent are distributed over the rural area of 10,414.9 km.² and the remaining 3,53,349 persons or 23.53 per cent are spread over the urban area of 152.1 km.² This shows a very low percentage of urbanisation in the district.

Variation in population 1901-1971 : The population of the district and the decade variation rates since 1901 are as follows: —

In the decade (1951-61) the district population had suddenly moved from its slow rate of growth in the earlier fifty years and had increased at an extremely high rate. From 1901 to 1951, it had increased by 26 percent but during the subsequent ten years after 1951 it had grown by more than 25 per cent. At this high rate the district population will double itself in less than 30 years.

During the decade 1901-11 the population of the district had increased by 4.52 per cent. Though there had not been any famine of the order of 1899 in the decade, scarcity conditions and repeated crop failure had affected the growth of the population. In the following decade in addition to the failure of crop in some years, the influenza epidemic of 1918-19 took a heavy toll of life which is revealed by the small increase of 1.12 per cent in the population of the district in the decade 1911-21. Recovery from influenza epidemic and fairly good agricultural seasons in the decade 1921-31 led to an increase of 10.26 per cent in the population during that decade. In the following two decades the population almost remained stagnant. In those two decades the rates of variation were very low as compared to those of the other districts in Maharashtra. The decade (1951-61) how-ever, showed a spectacular growth of about 25 per cent in the population. The addition in population during the decade was larger than the total addition during the preceding fifty years. The growth of Akola city, the construction of the Khandwa-Hingoli railway line and increase in trade and commerce and in industries were the main causes of the high rate of growth, combined of course with the anti-malaria and other campaigns organised by the health department during the same decade.

The 1961-71 decade variation for the district and each tahsil is given below:—

The net percentage increase since 1901, 1921 and 1961 for the district and the State has been as follows:—

During the last seventy years the district population increased by nearly 100 per cent while that of Maharashtra increased by nearly 160 per cent. Since 1961 the district population increased by 26 per cent as against 27 per cent for Maharashtra.

The district growth rate has always been lower than the corresponding growth rate for the State except for the decade of 1951-61, when the growth rate for the district was higher (25.06), than for the State (23.60).

Density of Population : The density of population in Maharashtra, Akola district and its tahsils in 1971 is given below:--

In the area that now forms the Akola district, there were 184 persons per square mile in 1901, 194 in 1921 and 291 in 1961 and 368, (142 per Sq. km.) in 1971. The district average of density was higher than Maharashtra up to 1931 but since then the average density has increased sharply for the State than that for the district.

Within the district, the density varies from 110 persons per square km. in Mangrulpir tahsil to 204 in Akola tahsil. The high density in Akola tahsil is due to the inclusion of Akola city in the tahsil. Among other tahsils, Akot tahsil has the most dense population in the district. It is so because of the very fertile soils and the predominance of labour intensive cultivation of cotton in its cropping pattern. The densities in Mangrulpir and Washim are lower because of more hilly terrain and lower proportion of rich soils.

Urban Population: The following table gives the urban population at each census and its variation since 1901 besides the variation in population for each town in the district.

TABLE No. 2

Towns* Classified by Population In 1971 with Variation since 1901 in Akola District

TABLE No. 2—Cont.

TABLE No. 2—Cont.

* All the Towns are Municipal Towns.

The table No. 2 shows the change in area of four towns during 1961-1971. viz., Akola, Karanja, Balapur and Patur.

The area of Akola town increased from 16.39 km.- to 20.88 km.² in 1971 while the area of Patur town decreased significantly from 41.36 km.² to 5.18 km.² in 1971. Jurisdictional change and the revised computation are the only factors which caused these changes. The area of Karanja town marked a decrease from 11.99 km.² in 1961 to 7.51 km.² in 1971, and Balapur, from 26.42 to 16.84 km.² due to revised computation.

The number of towns, the rate of decade variation in urban population, the percentage of urban population to total population at each census since 1901 for the district and the State are as follows:—

The net growth in urban population of the district in 1971 over that of 1901 is 183.64 per cent as against 388.34 per cent for the State.

The statement above shows that Akola is less urbanised than Maharashtra. In 1901, the district proportion of urban population was equal to that of the State. In 1971 the State proportion of urban population increased to 31.17 per cent while that of the district increased only to 23.53 per cent. The number of towns declined from 10 in 1951 to 9 in 1961 as Barshi Takli was declassified as a village because it did not fulfil the criteria used to define a town in the 1961 Census. There was no addition of any new town.

Akola city, is the most important urban centre in the region. Its population has increased from 29,289 in 1901 to 1,68,438 in 1971 or by 475 per cent during the last seventy years. The town had all along been an important commercial centre. With the construction of the new Khandwa-Hingoli metre-gauge railway line, it has become an important railway junction. In addition, with the extension of the electric grid system and establishment of the Paras Thermal Station, and adequate supply of power, it has started industrial development in the recent years. The establishment of a good number of colleges and the Agricultural University at Akola, has also contributed to the increase in its population in 1971.

Rural Population: The following table shows the number of inhabited villages and their population according to various size-groups in 1971.

TABLE No. 3

Villages Classified by Population in Akola District, 1971

TABLE No. 3 —Contd.

TABLE No. 3 —Contd.

ABLE No. 3 —Contd.

The rates of variation in rural population and the percentage of rural population to the total population in the district and the State since 1901 are given below.

Rate of Variation in Rural Population.

The net increase in rural population of the district in 1971 has been 82.98 per cent over that of 1901 and 72.41 per cent over that of 1921. The corresponding figures for the State are 114.54 per cent and 104.21 per cent, respectively.

There had been an increase of 8.83 per cent in the rural population during 1901-11 though the district population had increased only by 4.52 per cent. In the following decade though the district population increased by 1.12 per cent, the rural population actually decreased by 2.49 per cent. This was due to the increase in urban population during the post First World War period and the boom in cotton trade. The decade (1951-61) had however shown a very high rate of growth in rural population (25.08) which decreased slightly to 23.92 during the last decade (1961-71). The proportion of rural population in the district decreased from 83.43 in 1901 to 76.47 in 1971. In the same period the percentage of rural population decreased from 8341 to 68.83 in the State.

Size of villages: The distribution of population and of villages of various population sizes for the district and the State in 1971 is given below.

43,82 or half of the rural population of the district lives in villages with population of less than 1,000. Those villages constitute 78.04 per cent of the total number of villages in the district. As compared to the State averages (32.48), more of the district rural population (43.82) is residing in small villages.

The 1971 Census statistics about rural area, number of villages and average population per village in each tahsil are given in the following table.

TABLE No. 4

Tahsil-wise Number of Villages average population per village in Akola District in 1971

Migration: According to the 1961 [ 1971 Census statistics on this subject are not available.] Census, 6,69,843 persons (males 415,512, females 254, 331) or 56.46 per cent of the total population were enumerated at the places of birth, 26.90 per cent were enumerated at other places than their places of birth but within the district. This shows the movement of population within the district. In-migration from outside the district and outside the State also had sizable proportions. About 14.39 per cent persons were born outside the district but within the State and 2.25 per cent were born outside the State. The percentage distribution of males and females by place of birth explained some of the probable causes of migration. The movement within the district was mainly of females because of marriage. This was so also for those born outside the district but within the State. On the other hand, migrants from outside the State had preponderance of males. The following statement gives proportion of population of the district by places of birth in 1961.

The following table gives the percentage distribution of male population born at the place of enumeration, born elsewhere within the district and born outside the district by the nine categories of economic activities and of non-workers.

TABLE No. 5

Percentage Distribution of Male Population According to Economic Activity in Akola District 1961

TABLE No. 5

Age distribution : The proportion of population by broad age groups in the district in 1951 and 1961 are given below.

The following table gives the population of rural and urban areas by age-groups as per 1971 Census.

TABLE No. 6

Population by age-groups 1971, Akola District

TABLE No. 6 —Cont.

Marital status: During the decade 1951-61 the proportion of single (never married) persons increased for both the sexes as proportion or the widowed showed a decline. The proportion of the divorced or separated was on the increase but yet insignificant. Consequently the proportion of the married decreased for both males and females. The changes in the marital status were similar for males and females. The proportion of the married was higher in rural than in urban areas. The proportion of the widowed was almost the same in rural and urban areas. The proportion of single (never married) persons was more in urban areas. It may be partly explained by a higher age at marriage in urban areas. The proportion of never married persons both among the males and females in the 0-14 years age-group was lower in 1961 than that in 1951. The reduction among females was really significant. It indicated an increase in the age at marriage of girls. The following table gives distribution of the population in different age-groups and marital status as per 1961 Census.

TABLE No. 7

Distribution of Population by Age-groups and Marital Status, Akola District, 1961

Sex-ratio : The following table shows the changes in the sex ratio during the period 1901 to 1971 for the rural and urban areas of Maharashtra and of the district.

TABLE No. 8

Change in sex ratio during 1901-71

In India, the Census convention of sex composition has been to express the number of females per 1,000 males. The sex-ratio for Maharashtra has declined continuously from 978 in 1901 to 930 in 1971 except for a slight improvement during 1931-41. The Sex-ratio for the district decreased from 968 in 1901 (968 females per 1,000 males) to 941 in 1971 with slight increases, during the decades 1931-41, 1941-51 and 1961-71.

In 1901, the State Sex-ratio was higher (978) than the district Sex-ratio (968), while in 1971, the district sex-ratio was higher as compared to the State Sex-ratio. The rural Sex-ratio for the district and the State has always been higher than the urban sex-ratio.

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