MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS

MEDICAL, LEGAL AND TEACHING PROFESSIONS

The increase in the number of persons belonging to these categories is an indication of the educational achievement of the society. During the past few years, the number of earners in these professions has considerably gone up. Persons engaged in the educational profession could be divided into four categories, viz., primary teachers, secondary teachers, those engaged in colleges and institutions imparting higher education and persons employed in the various technical institutions. As per the Census of 1961, there were 5,034 persons engaged in this profession as against 1,256 in 1951.

The income of a school teacher on an average is found to range between Rs. 150 and Rs. 300 and that of a teacher in a technical institution or a college between Rs. 250 and Rs. 600 per month. In respect of qualifications and earning, this category shows a definite improvement over the past. There is also a variety in training secured by the teachers with the introduction of technical subjects, physical education and methods of teaching technical education.

The medical profession has also gained ground during the last fifty years or so. The number of practitioners and consultants has increased considerably during this period. The people have become more conscious about their health and this has resulted in the increase in the number as also of the earnings of the medical practitioners. The monthly income of a general practitioner was found to vary between Rs. 400 and Rs. 1,000 per month. A number of primary health centres, maternity homes and child health centres have been established under rural health programme. However, the proportion of the doctors to the entire population of the district is very low especially in the rural areas. The number of medical practitioners and persons engaged in health services increased from 662 in 1951 to 1,539 in 1961.

The passage of various laws relating to the land by Government has resulted in a diminution in the cases involving land and this has adversely affected the practice of lawyers who have specialised on the civil side. Although the number of persons receiving education in law has increased, very few of them take to regular practice. The average income of a lawyer was found to vary between Rs. 300 and Rs. 1,000 though cases of lawyers having twice or thrice this practice were not rare. The number of persons engaged in the legal services was 82 in 1951 as against 160 in 1961.

In addition to the occupations described above, there are a number of other miscellaneous occupations, such as, sweetmeat making, photo-frame making, watch repairing, gold and silver smithy, cap making, etc., in the district.

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