AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

FAMINES

Early Famines [Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Bhandara District, 1908. pp. 140—46.]—No records remain of the occurrence of famines prior to 1868, but it is known that in 1822 and again in 1832 the people were severely distressed. In both cases failure of the harvest is said to have been caused by want of rain following two or three bad seasons. The famine was aggravated in 1832 by an unusual number of fires, perhaps incendiary, and by hoarding by merchants and traders. The Government stores having been emptied in giving seed-grain for the previous harvest were unable to lower the market. In both years the famine is said to have lasted about eight months and to have spread over the whole District. The price of grain rose to 4 or 5 seers to the rupee and it was procurable with difficulty even at that rate. It was common for parents to offer their children in exchange for a small supply of grain, and thousands were said to have perished from want. Establishment of relief-houses at central points and the gratuitous distribution of cooked food and grain, forced sale of private stocks at fixed rates, inducements and rewards to Banjaras and other carriers for import of grain from Berar and Chhattisgarh, and remission of revenue and Government loans in the case of the most needy, with a system of payment by instalments for those who were not so hardly pressed, were the principal measures taken by the Maharashtra Government.

The Famine of 1869.—In 1868 the open season from January to May was broken by an unusual amount of cloudy and rainy weather. The monsoon was favourable till the middle of August, when it suddenly ceased, and subsequently only two inches of rain were received in September and some slight showers when the spring crops were in flower. The bulk of the rice harvest perished and the spring crops were poor, while the yield of the mahua flower was 50 per cent below the average. Wheat and rice were sold at 9 and 10 seers per rupee in November 1868. Work was started on the Great Eastern Road and the repair of the Sagar tank at Bhandara, and in May four poor-houses were opened, and subsequently increased to eight. It is reported that 76,000 persons were fed at relief-houses, but this apparently indicated the total number fed throughout the period. Many landowners also distributed cooked food from their private funds. Grain was imported by boat along the Wainganga during the rains and this tended to keep down prices at the most difficult time of the year. It was estimated that about 400 persons perished from direct starvation. The rice crop of 1869 was a bumper one and distress ceased at the harvest.

Scarcity in 1878 and 1886.— In 1878 the light rice failed from want of rain in October, and close and cloudy weather in December and January injured the spring crops. Prices were high and there was some distress among the poorer classes. But a sufficiency of work was available, and many people made a good living by selling bundles of grass to the cartmen on the Great Eastern Road, the traffic on which was so heavy at this period that Rs. 900 were collected in tolls in one week at the Sondar bridge. In 1886 only 6 inches of rain were received in August and much anxiety was felt for the harvest, but a fall of more than 10 inches in September and October saved a considerable part of the crop, and only slight stringency was experienced.

The Seasons from 1892.- A succession of poor harvests commenced from 1892. In that year the rain of September and October was more than 20 inches in Bhandara and the light rice was swamped, while even the transplanted crop did not give a full outturn. Further heavy showers in the winter months injured the spring crops. The season of 1893-94 was very similar to the preceding one and both the rice and the spring crops were again poor, while the harvest of juar was less than half the normal. In 1894-95, though the rain of September to November was only 13½ inches, it is stated that the ripening rice crop was beaten down and swamped, and where the early rice had been harvested its quality deteriorated owing to the damp weather. Owing to the saturated condition of the ground the spring grains which are largely sown as second crops in the rice fields gave a very poor outturn and the combined harvest was only 58 per cent of normal. The monsoon of 1895 began early and continued with seasonable breaks till the beginning of September, when it abruptly terminated, and with the exception of slight showers in October drought prevailed for the remainder of the year. Rice gave only about a half outturn and the spring crops were still worse. Some distress was felt by the poorer classes in this year, the birth-rate declining to 32 per mille and the death-rate rising to 36.

The Famine of 1897. — In 1896 the monsoon was very heavy up to the latter part of August, 33 inches being received in that month alone. It then failed and September and October were practically rainless. The outturn of rice was only 45 per cent of normal and juar was the same. The spring crops could not be sown over a large area owing to the dryness of the ground, though a good shower in November greatly benefited the fields in which germination had been successful. Both in this and the preceding year however, owing to the heavy rain of July and August, the tanks were filled and the irrigated area was almost a maximum, the failure being thus substantially mitigated. The district would not have experienced a regular famine but for the cumulative effect of the bad harvests of previous years. The net cropped area declined from 898,000 acres in 1893-94 to 799,000 in 1896-97. A regular system of famine relief was initiated, labour being principally employed on roads under the Public Works Department. New roads were made from Arjuni to Gondia and from Amgaon to Satgaon. A large number of loans were given to malguzars for the construction and improvement of tanks, Rs. 2.12 lakhs being distributed in special famine loans. It was stated that in June some kind of work was in progress in 499 villages. Village relief and children's kitchens only came into prominence in the later stages of the famine. Relief was given from November 1896 to December 1897, and the largest number in receipt of assistance was 43,000 persons or 6 per cent, of the population in June 1897. The expenditure was Rs. 10 lakhs. A sum of Rs. 33,000 was distributed in Agricultural loans and a lakh was received from the Charitable Relief Fund. Only about a sixth of the District demand for land revenue was suspended. The death-rate for the year was 61 per mille, the mortality, as in other Districts, showing a heavy increase after the breaking of the rains. The birth-rate fell to 26 per mille. The price of rice rose to 7½ seers during the worst part of the famine, the rate for the year being a little less than 9 seers.

The Famine of 1900.— The two following seasons were on the whole favourable, though in 1898 the spring crops were again affected by the premature cessation of the rains. But in 1899 the monsoon again failed completely from July. The total fall of the year was only 26½ inches or half the average. The broadcast rice withered and transplantation could not be carried out at all. As the rain was so scanty the tanks never filled and the irrigated area fell to 45,000 acres. The rice crop was practically lost. Juar, the second autumn crop in importance, grew straight and tall, but owing to the lack of September rain its produce was most meagre and equalled a bare quarter of an average crop. The spring crops, which in this District are largely sown following the rice, failed almost completely.

Administrative Measures.— As the fate of the harvest was doubtful from the first, the moneylenders stopped the usual potga or loans for subsistence on the security of the crop and distress began to be felt very early. The great advantage of this was that the necessity for a complete famine organisation was foreseen from the first and fully provided for. Working camps began to be opened from the 15th October and altogether 12 were established. New roads were made from Kardha to Pauni, from Tirora to Khairlanji and from Mohali to Tumsar, and embankment of the Gondia-Jubbulpore railway was constructed by famine labour. The other camps were generally employed on metal-breaking. A large number of tanks were improved or repaired by means of grants to village proprietors, the amount given in this manner being Rs. 1.08 lakhs for 166 works. On these earthwork was paid for by contract at the usual rate of five pasoris or 420 cubic feet to the rupee. New tanks were constructed at Amgaon and Dongri under the supervision of the Public Works Department. Grass-cutting was also undertaken in order to afford a supply of fodder, in the event of scarcity and about 7,000 tons of grass were cut at rate of Rs. 3.11 per ton. Relief in return for work in villages was given to able-bodied persons in the rains, and they were employed on transplantation and weeding and on the improvement of village sites and roads. Advances were made to indigent weavers to the extent of about Rs. 1,000 and cloth to the value of Rs. 5,000 was purchased from them. There were no poor-houses, but pauper wards were attached to the dispensaries. The distribution of cooked food at kitchens was a leading feature of the system of relief. Kitchens were opened at the commencement of the operations, at which food was given to anybody who applied for it. As the relief works were organised able-bodied paupers were sent on to them until the rains, when kitchen relief was again afforded to all comers. In August 1900, 256 kitchens were open and 79,000 adults and children were receiving food. The system of cash doles was proportionately less prominent but 24,000 persons were in receipt of them in July 1900. A substantial proportion of these were the relatives of kotwars or village watchmen.

Statistics of expenditure.— Relief measures lasted from September 1899 to November 1900, and the highest number of persons in receipt of assistance was 140,000 or nearly 19 per cent of the population in July 1900. In March the numbers were 127,000, and they declined steadily after July. The expenditure was Rs. 26 lakhs. About l ½ lakhs were distributed in charitable grants and 4 lakhs in loans and more than four-fifths of the revenue demand was suspended. Agricultural loans were given out on the joint security of all the cultivators and this system was found to be very successful. During the early part of the famine the mortality was not severe, but it rose largely in the rains from 4 per mille in May to 7 in June, 8 in July and between 7 and 8 per mille per month in August, September and October. These figures afford a good justification for the liberal policy adopted during the rains, without which they must probably have been even higher. The death-rate for the year was 62 and the birth-rate 28 per mille. The price of rice reached 7 ½ seers in October 1899, but after this it fell and was never so high again. The average rate for 1900 was 9 ½ seers per rupee.

The Years 1901-1902—Even now the misfortunes of the District were by no means ended. The monsoon of 1900 was not established till July, and it stopped with a cyclonic storm at the end of September. Some of the early rice was swamped and the heavier varieties were affected by the want of rain in October. The outturn of the harvests was returned as only 26 per cent. Of normal, but it must apparently have been underestimated, as there was no distress. About half the land revenue was again suspended, and the bulk of the outstanding balance remitted. In the following year the autumn crops were fairly good, but the late rains were very inadequate and the spring harvest, largely sown as a second crop was poor. The cultivating classes remained in a very depressed condition, but labourers were able to command good wages owing to railway construction and the inception of the mining industry.

The Scarcity of 1903.— The chief features of the monsoon of 1902 were its lateness in arrival, its weakness in August and its early withdrawal. The rainfall of the year was only 29 inches. In the country round Gondia and the Chandpur pargana the rice crop failed as completely as in 1899, and over the whole District the crop did not exceed 2 annas. The winter rains were again scanty and the spring harvest was a poor one, the outturn for the year being only 30 per cent of normal. It was anticipated that relief would be necessary, but the fact that the failure was only local and that an effective demand for labour existed in Berar, combined with the employment afforded locally by the mines and the railway, prevented any real distress. The death-rate remained extremely low and prices hardly rose till the rains, when the demand for seed grain forced them up. A liberal distribution of loans was made to the extent of 3½ lakhs, and employment was afforded on ordinary works supplemented by a system of grants-in-aid to malguzars for the construction and repair of tanks. The bulk of these were completed in subsequent years under the supervision of the Irrigation Department. The generous measures adopted by Government since 1900 put heart into the people and the year passed without any serious effects, in the following year the cropped area showed a substantial increase, and in 1905-06 it had recovered to 846,000 acres as against 661,000 in 1899-1900 and a maximum of 898,000 in 1893. The season of 1903-04 gave an excellent harvest, and though the two following years were less favourable the effects of the famines had nearly passed away. The above recital of the successive failures of the rice crop, generally on account of insufficient or badly distributed rainfall especially in the autumn months, sufficiently demonstrates the wisdom of the irrigation policy now being vigorously pursued by Government.

The details of famines from 1910 to 1931 are not available. Scarcity or near-famine conditions have prevailed in Bhandara district in the recent past on several occasions due to scanty rainfall and its uneven distribution. A brief account of the same is given below.

The Years 1940-41.— In 1940-41, owing to insufficient rainfall and consequent shortage of moisture in light soil, the rabi crops in 169 villages were affected by famine. The tahsil wise break-up of villages is as under: —

As a relief measure, land revenue amounting to Rs. 17,444 was suspended for one year.

The Years 1950-51.—In 1950-51. due to the uneven distribution of rains all over the district, the district was affected by a long drought which continued from 19th July 1950 till 25th October 1951. The details of population and area affected are as under: 78,210 persons and 351 villages in Bhandara tahsil, 260 villages and 52,000 persons in Gondia tahsil and 252 villages and 40,000 persons in Sakoli tahsil. As a relief measure 10 works of metal collection were started, improvement of road and murum collection was undertaken which gave relief to 61,688 people. A sum of Rs. 1,83,277 was distributed to them. Tagai and other loans amounting to Rs. 16,63,076 were also distributed. Land revenue amounting to Rs. 1,79,034 was suspended during the same period.

The Years 1952-53.— In 1952-53, scarcity conditions prevailed in 145 villages in Bhandara tahsil and a population of 75,000 was affected. ' The period of scarcity conditions continued from August 1952 till March 1953. As relief measure Rs. 41,376 were distributed to 411 persons. Tagai and other loans amounting to Rs. 1,76,634 were also distributed. Land revenue amounting to Rs. 35,432 was suspended during the same period.

The Years 1953-54.—During 1953-54, scarcity conditions prevailed in Gondia tahsil affecting 30 villages and a population of 27,000. The period of scarcity ranged from August 1953 till July 1954. As relief measures, work on the construction of 30 tanks and one road was undertaken involving an expenditure of Rs. 1,47,350 and Rs. 83,884, respectively, thereby giving benefit to 26,344 persons. Tagai aind other loans' amounting to Rs, 7,640 were also distributed during the same period. Land revenue amounting to Rs. 35,432 was also suspended during the same period.

The Years 1954-55.— In 1954-55, scarcity conditions prevailed in 21 villages in Gondia tahsil for a very short period, i.e., from 4th February 1955 till July 1955, affecting a population of 21,691. As a relief measure, a sum of Rs. 69,607 was distributed among 2,009 persons by undertaking one road work and two tanks works in the district. Land revenue amounting to Rs. 12,912 was also suspended during the same period.

The Years 1965-66.—During 1965-66, scarcity conditions prevailed in 451, 304 and 267 villages in Bhandara, Gondia and Sakoli tahsils affecting 286,318; 231,621 and 1,12,298 persons in the respective tahsils. The period of scarcity extended from 5th June 1966 to 30th October 1966. As relief measures the work on construction of tanks and roads were undertaken giving relief to 44,509 persons who benefited to the tune of Rs. 1,47,61,955 as a result of these measures. Besides free food, cloth, fodder, seed, etc., valued at Rs. 27,53,935 were also distributed. Land revenue amounting to Rs. 3,37,543 was suspended during the same period.

The Years 1966-67.— During 1966-67, scarcity conditions prevailed in 243; 141 and 69 villages in Bhandara, Gondia and Sakoli tahsils affecting 177,588; 117,660 and 66,082 persons in the respective tahsils. The period of scarcity ranged from 12th April 1967 to 25th March 1968. As relief measures, building up of tanks and roads was undertaken giving relief to 36,237 persons. A sum of Rs. 1,38,01,101 was distributed among the affected persons. Besides food, clothes, fodder, seed etc., valued at Rs. 20,15,030 were distributed. Land revenue amounting to Rs. 4,22,535 was also suspended during the same period.

In 1972-73, scarcity conditions prevailed in 502 villages and affected 492,026 persons in Bhandara district. As relief measures 332 relief works were undertaken giving relief to 35,578 persons. A sum of Rs. 38,60,313 was distributed among the affected persons. Besides, takavi loans were distributed to the extent of Rs. 11,03,000 under the Agriculturists Loans Acts.

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