INDUSTRIES

LARGE AND SMALL INDUSTRIES

There are 42 large-scale registered factories in the district, using power and employing 50 or more workers. Of the total number of large-scale factories 36 are cotton ginning and pressing factories.

In 1963, the district stood 5th in the division and 14th in the State in so far as the number of workers per lakh of population employed in registered factories was concerned. The following statement [Source.—Bureau of Economics and Statistics, Maharashtra State, Bombay.] presents the tahsilwise figures of the number of workers in registered factories per lakh of population in 1961 and 1966:—

The number of workers employed in registered factories per lakh of population for the year 1961 was 487 for the district as a whole. The number decreased in 1966, to 391. Khamgaon tahsil had the largest employment with 767 factory workers per lakh of population. On the other hand Chikhli had the lowest figure of employment with 84 persons per lakh of population in that year.

There are no authorised estimates available relating to industrial production in the district. However, the data collected in Annual Survey of Industries is 1966 reported 11 registered factories in 1966. The value added on manufacture by these factories amounted to Rs. 195 lakhs. The total employment in the 11 factories was 634 and the total productive capital was to the tune of Rs. 45,30,000 while the gross output of these factories amounted to Rs. 3,24,35,000.

Electricity Generation.—The consumption of electricity is cited as an index of economic development. The process of industrialisation of a district accumulates the speed, only with the help of power development and the extension of electricity to more rural and urban areas of the district. Electricity generation reduces the period of production and wastage of energy of labourers. Now-a-days electriciy is considered as an indispensable condition of living, as also an absolutely necessary factor for the growth of industries, especially in big cities. In fact, industrial planning and electricity planning must go hand in hand. The productive capacity of a hydro-electric system is governed by the available generating capacity of the plant and the quantity of effective water storage. It is argued that introduction of electrical plant in an area which is industrially backward, would lead to a gradual increase in the demand for electricity. This argument assumes that there is a certain amount of potential demand for electricity in the region and that this demand will become effective once the supply is available. But mere demand for electricity produced is not sufficient unless and until there is demand for the products which are to be produced with the use of electricity.

Centralization of industries leads to many social and economic problems. So, the electrification in small towns and rural areas is extremely important for decentralization of industries and tor the progressive use of underground water resources for agriculture.

Khamgaon, a town with the highest population was the first to be electrified in March 1954 in the district. By the end of the First Five-Year Plan, five towns and one village were using electricity and the per capita consumption of electricity had risen from 14 to 25 units. By the end of 1957-58, all the towns and six villages were electrified. Besides, power was also utilised by small industrial units, cinema houses as also by allied commercial activities. Electricity was also made available for lift irrigation.

Electricity is generated with the use of diesel at Buldhana, Deulgaon Raja and Mehkar towns. Deulgaon Raja and Mehkar power houses were fitted with 3 generators, two of them of 75 KW and one of them of 28 KW capacity. These two power houses supplied power to these two towns only, while the power house at Buldhana which had three generators, 2 of them with 100 KW and with 70 KW capacity respectively supplied power to Buldhana and Chikhli towns and Kelwad (a village). Other towns, viz., Khamgaon, Shegaon, Malkapur, Nandura and Jalgaon were only receiving stations where supply from Khaparkheda Power Project was received. These towns also supplied some of the power to the nearest villages. But power generated by diesel was costly and the charges were higher as against the charge per unit for the power from Khaparkheda. After the reorganization of States in 1956, the Maharashtra State Electricity Board took over the supply of electricity in the district and 20 places from Khamgaon, Malkapur, and Jalgaon tahsils were covered under the Khaparkheda Electric Supply Scheme up to 1961. The Board also started diesel generating stations at Deulgaon Raja and Mehkar in 1957. From April 1961, the power supply to all the centres in Chikhli and Mehkar tahsils is from Paras Thermal Station near Akola. Now there is an independent electricity generation centre in the district. The number of villages electrified, has been gradually on the increase as a result of the implementation of the rural electrification programme. The following table shows the progress of the scheme of rural electrification: —

TABLE No. 4

NUMBER OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES ELECTRIFIED AND POPULATION COVERED IN BULDHANA DISTRICT

Source.—Bureau of Economics and Statistics, Maharashtra State, Bombay.

The table shows that the number of towns and villages electrified stood at 142, covering about 39 per cent of the population and about 10.11 per cent of the total number of towns and villages of the district.

Electricity consumption per million Kilowatts worked out to 77.90 and 148.34 during the years 1964-65 and 1965-66 respectively. About 52 per cent of electricity was consumed for industrial purposes during 1965-66, as against 37 per cent during 1964-65. Electricity consumed for domestic purposes was about 22 per cent during 1965-66, as against 12 per cent during 1964-65.

Table No. 5 shows the generation and consumption of electricity in Buldhana district.

TABLE No. 5

GENERATION AND CONSUMPTION OF ELECTRICITY IN BULDHANA DISTRICT
(IN '000 K. W.)

Source.—Bureau of Economics and Statistics, Maharashtra State, Bombay.

*Revised.

The district ranked 7th in Nagpur Division and 18th in Maharashtra on the basis of the number of establishments (manufacturing and repairs) using electricity in 1961. The maximum number of villages electrified as on 31-3-65 was in Jalgaon tahsil followed by Malkapur, Khamgaon, Mehkar and Chikhli tahsils.

The percentage increase in 1965-66 over that of 1964-65 was 14.9 as regards domestic consumption, 8.5 as regards commercial light and small power, 38.7 in the case of industrial power, 11.4 in public lighting and 82.6 as regards other purposes. The total consumption during 1965-66 increased bv 37.4 per cent.

Textiles.—Cotton: The area under cotton in this district in 1907-08 was 661,637 acres. In 1872 cotton occupied 22 per cent of the total cropped area in the district, whereas it moved to 43 per cent in 1907-1908. The gradual increase in the material prosperity of the people is evident in the cotton-growing districts and was due to two factors, one natural and the other economic viz., seasons of light rainfall favourable to cotton coupled with rise in prices. Naturally, production of cotton became more profitable than the production of any other food or non-food crop grown in the district.

The area under cotton showed an increase in 1964-65 over that in 1960-61, and the increase was to the tune of 10.47 per cent. The outturn of cotton however decreased during 1964-65 as compared to that of 1960-61, the decrease being to the tune of 7 per cent.

Thus the substantial availability of raw-cotton in the district, led to the establishment of a number of textile units in the district. Most of the units had, however, been established well before two decades. These large-scale units are mostly confined to cotton ginning and pressing and a few of them combine ginning and pressing with oil milling.

In what follows is an account of the cotton ginning and pressing factories in the district. The old Gazetteer of Buldhana has the following to say about the ginning and pressing units in the district.

"Prior to the introduction of steam power, cotton was invariably separated from its seed by means of a hand gin. These hand gins numbered 13,839 in 1897, but the growth of ginning factories has since reduced the number considerably, there being only 1,605 in 1908. Cultivators still however prefer for sowing purposes the seed that has been separated by the hand gin. The first cotton press was set up at Shegaon in 1868 by the Mofussil Company with a capital of Rs. 10 lakhs and the same company opened another press at Khamgaon in 1872. The Cotton Press Company in 1871, and the New French Company in 1873, opened presses at Khamgaon and Ralli Brothers did the same at Shegaon in 1873. The number of factories then remained unchanged till the end of 1886. In the next four years the number gradually increased to 12, and by 1900, it had reached 24. A great development took place in the next seven years, not less than 41 factories being erected. The following table shows the factories according to talukas as they stand at present:—

Of these 65 factories, 60 fall within the scope of Factory Act. Their collective capital is, not known accurately, but it is estimated to be almost a crore of rupees. During the three years 1905—07, each factory worked on an average 80 days in the year, and the average number of operatives employed was 3,229, consisting of 1,797 males and 1,432 females. The wages of unskilled labour vary from 4 annas to 8 annas for a man and from 2¹/2 annas to 4 annas for a woman. The rate for ginning cotton is Rs. 4-10 per bojha of 10 maunds or 280 lbs. in the lower taluks and Rs. 3-8 in the upper taluks. For pressing a bale of cotton of 15 maunds or 420 lbs., the charge is Rs. 4. The ratio of ginned to seed cotton is 33 per cent for superior cotton, and 35 for inferior varieties." [Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Buldhana District, Vol. A., 1910.]

In 1961, there were 68 cotton ginning, cleaning, pressing and baling establishments in the district. The number of cotton ginning and baling factories decreased to 49 in 1964 as compared to 51 in 1963. However, the number of working factories submitting returns was 42 and 37 in the respective years. Similarly the average daily number of workers employed was 4,206 (2,593 men and 1,613 women) in 1963 and 3,632 (2,168 men and 1,494 women) in 1964. [ Bureau of Economics and Statistics, Maharashtra State, Bombay.]

The labour force of a cotton-ginning and pressing industry is generally composed of skilled and unskilled labour as also others on administrative side. The skilled labour includes fitters, boilers, attendants, ginmen and roll-cutters. The unskilled labour includes coolies, etc., whereas the administrative staff consists of managers, clerks, supervisors, etc. The wages paid to skilled workers are generally high as compared to those paid to unskilled workers.

The industry is seasonal. The working season starts from November and ends in April. The actual working days generally vary from 60 to 120 though in some cases, the working days are even less than 60. The labour force is composed of both men and women.

The tools and equipment used in these units consist of roller gins, pressure presses, steam or oil engines, drilling machine, etc.

For want of adequate supply of electricity, oil, diesel, and coal are used as fuel in most of the units, only few units using power.

The cotton ginning and pressing factories are mainly located at Khamgaon, Malkapur, Chikhli, Nandura, Shegaon, Mehkar, and Deulgaon Raja.

The State Government has taken an active part in improving the productive capacity of the industry. The State Government in collaboration with many research organisations has established research institutions in Vidarbha region for the all-round development and proper utilization of the products of this industry. One such centre established at Buldhana has undertaken research pertaining to the genetic improvement of cotton and agronomic requirement for optimum yield.

The Master Plan implemented in 1960 with a view to bringing about rapid industrialization of the State recommended Khamgaon as a suitable site for the concentration of ginning and pressing units.

Silk : The working of the textile industries of the district is not merely restricted to cotton ginning and pressing, but they also undertake manufacturing of silk cloth and woollen blankets.

The 1961 Census mentions one large-scale silk mill at Pimprala manufacturing silk cloth and employing 186 workers and also one small-scale unit producing silk cloth, established at the same place. The small-scale unit employs about 17 workers. The other small units engaged in the manufacture of woollen blankets are located at Khamgaon, the tahsil headquarters and Sarangpur, Sultanpur and Sindkhed Raja in Mehkar tahsil.

Oil-seed Crushing.—The second important crop of the district is groundnut which is used in the mills producing edible oils. In 1958, there were 10 factories manufacturing edible oils (other than hydrogenated oils). However of these 10 units only 7 were working units. At present there are four independent oil-mills working as large scale units at Khamgaon. The total number of establishments undertaking production of edible fats and oils (other than hydrogenated oils) is 214 in the district. The number of workers employed in all these establishments is 654 consisting of both men and women workers.

The oil-mills generally work almost all the year round.

The Master Plan prepared by Industries Department in 1960 had indicated prospects for the establishment of cotton seed oil, solvent extraction, refining, fat splitting and distillation of fatty acids industries in the district.

Oil is manufactured from sesamum, safflower, cotton-seed, niger-seed, linseed and castor seed which are grown in the district.

In the large industrial units, all the processes from crushing of oil to making of oil-cakes from the remnant of seeds are carried out with the help of machinery. The equipment of an oil mill consists of decorticators, expellers, hullers, steam engines, etc. The oil-ghanis are mostly used in the villages for oil-seed crushing.

The old Gazetteer of Buldhana district has the following to say about the oil mill at Shegaon:—

"The oil-mill at Shegaon was established in 1891-92 by the Mofussil Company Limited. In 1907-08, it worked for 231 days and the raw material consumed was 23,510 cwts. of linseed, value Rs. 189.500. and 5,408 cwts. of til seed, value Rs. 51,000. The outturn in oil and cake was 7,647 cwts. of linseed oil, 2,307 cwts. of til and niger-seed oil. 16,007 cwts. of linseed cake and 3,446 cwts. of mixed til and niger-seed oil-cake. The oil is locally sold, but the oil-cake except a certain amount of broken cake, was all exported to England. The mill is a paying concern. The average number of daily workers operating in the mill is 19" [Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Buldhana District, Vol. A, 1910, pp. 251-252.]

There are now, 4 large-scale oil mills at Khamgaon, established under Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951 and engaged in oil extraction from cotton-seed. There are 4 small-scale oil mills in the district, registered under the Factories Act, 1948. and established at Malkapur and Khamgaon. One oil mill combines processing of two products i.e., extracting of oil and milling of dal.

Solvent extraction of oilcakes to recover the residual oil and obtain practically oil free cake is an important feature of the oil industry. One oil mill has the capacity of producing daily 300 tons of oil from cotton-seeds. One of the mills was established in 1954, and one in 1958.

The Master plan for the industrialization of the State prepared in 1960 has recommended Khamgaon as one of the particularly suitable places for the establishment of an oil extraction unit in view of the availability of oil cakes and cotton seed and other necessary facilities. It recommends further that " it would be possible to consider location of cotton seed extraction/expression/ units at places like Khamgaon and Shegaon of Buldhana district".

The only hydrogenation plant in the district located at Shegaon has been closed now.

Clay and Clay Products.—Manufacture of Bricks and Tiles: This is an old industry and run on a small scale. Manufacture of bricks and tiles as stated by the old Gazetteer was undertaken all over the district in 1909. However the industry was mainly confined to Kumbhars alone as they could make better quality bricks and tiles. Of the clay products, Nandura was famous for its red and black vessels. In 1951 there were 16 establishments in Malkapur tahsil undertaking manufacture of clay products such as bricks, tiles, etc. The total number of workers employed in these 16 establishments was 134, consisting of both males and females. In addition there were 10 establishments in Khamgaon tahsil and 12 in Buldhana tahsil. The total number of small-scale establishments undertaking manufacture of pottery and makers of earthenware was 62 in the district in the same year. Some of the establishments make statues of Gods and Goddesses and some also make earthen toys and artwares.

As per 1961 Census, there were 408 small-scale establishments undertaking manufacture of earthenware employing about 645 workers. In addition there were 15 small-scale industries engaged in the manufacture of earthen images and earthen busts and statues, employing 25 workers.

The equipment of the establishments consists of the traditional potter's wheel, moulds, pick axes, ghamelas, and kiln to bake the pots. The raw materials are composed of horse-dung, clay and coal ash.

Lack of sufficient finance and age-old techniques are the main handicaps in the growth of this industry. The industry however shows no signs of decay as the similar machine-made articles cannot easily replace the products of a skilled artisan.

Manufacture of Glass Products.—In 1909, manufacture of glass bangles was confined to two places viz., Dhar and Warna in the Chikhli tahsil of the district, and it was confined to a few families of the Kachera caste. The industry however could not flourish due to the competition from the machine industry whose product was freely imported. Bangles which once fetched Rs. 2 per 1,000 were sold for 12 annas. The glass used in the manufacture was imported from Khandesh. The bangles were sold by weight generally to dealers who were Muhammedan Manihars.

As per 1951 Census there were 17 establishments in Malkapur tahsil manufacturing bangles, beeds and necklaces out of glass, and 3 at other places in the district.

Manufacture of Tobacco.—The bidi factories were the most important constituents of the unregulated establishments in old time and Buldhana district had 5 bidi factories in the year 1921.

In 1961, there were 46 bidi factories, employing 93 workers. The bidi factories are mostly located in Malkapur and Khamgaon tahsils. In addition, there is one establishment manufacturing cigarettes and cigarette tobacco. The above factories undertake the manufacture of jerda and other varieties of chewing tobacco in addition to the manufacture of bidis.

Mining and Quarrying.— Some part of the district is covered with Deccan trap containing material generally used in building industry. Buldhana district is not known to have any mineral products of outstanding importance except some saline deposits in the lake of Lonar. It appears from the old District Gazetteer, that these saline deposits were worked for some time past, but since they were found to be unprofitable their further exploitation was stopped, as could be seen from the account reproduced from the old Gazetteer of Buldhana district.

'At present day there is only a very small local demand for the Lonar Lake products, as the industries which in former times utilized the salts have largely been swept away by foreign competition. Bangles and other glass articles are not now prepared upon anything at all approaching the scale of an industry, and although soap is made in the neighbourhood some of it is of very poor quality. Lime can easily be obtained locally but the manufacture of caustic alkali has apparently never been undertaken. Some of the salts were formerly employed for the fixation of colour in silk dyeing, but this industry is also now practically dead: in fact, the former large export trade from the lake into the Berars, Hyderabad and Nagpur districts has practically died away'.

'In 1872 the lake was taken under the direct management of Government and was worked with gradually decreasing profits till 1897, when it was again let out on contract for a period of five years for a sum of Rs. 3,505. In 1903, the present contractor paid Rs. 1.000 for the five years' contract, and he states that till now the products have been practically unsalable, although samples have been sent to various centres of commerce in India and to England, Japan and America. The lead from the lake to the nearest railway station (Khamgaon) appears to be an insurmountable drawback to the profitable working of the lake unless an examination of the lake itself by an expert should disclose more valuable products than are at present known of.'

It was thought that the natural occurrence of bicarbonate and carbonate of soda in large quantities with common salt will be of interest over a wider field. But it will have more prospects particularly to those engaged in industries in which alkalies play an important part.

The other minerals found in the trap in the southern part of the district viz., agates, cornelians, and calcite have some possible value. The first two are useful for ornamental purposes and the last one for optical purposes.

Though there is no major mineral production in this district, some minor minerals such as building stones, boulders, murrum, brick earth, sand, road metal, hakkal, etc., are found in abundance.

As per 1951 Census, 403 persons including 8 women were employed in mining and quarrying industries. The number showed a decrease in 1961 and stood at 151 persons, including 22 women. Most of the activity pertaining to this industry was confined to the rural areas of the district.

Other Large-scale and Small-scale Industries.— There is one large scale bone crushing mill at Malkapur, known as Madhya Pradesh Bone Fertilizer Factory. At Khamgaon, there is one letter-press and lithographic, printing and book-binding industry, employing about 75 workers.

Besides, the aforementioned small-scale industries there are other small-scale industries in the district, registered under the Factories Act, 1948. They are a silk mill, a foundry, an engineering work and four printing presses.

Of the four printing presses 3 are located at Khamgaon and one at Malkapur. Out of the three at Khamgaon, one undertakes every type of printing work while the rest undertake the work of printing of books, notebooks, and account-books. All the four printing presses together employ about 111 workers. One small-scale engineering workshop at Khamgaon employs about 35 workers. It undertakes rolling of scrap and other rolling works as well as manufacture of round bars, steel hoops, etc. There is only one small scale foundry registered under the Factories Act, employing about 26 workers and undertaking the work of iron and steel casting.

All the small-scale registered factories employ nearly 1,000 workers in the district. " The number of registered factories (small-scale) has decreased from 86 in 1956 to 55 in 1961. This reduction in both the number of factories and employees is mainly due to closure of some of the seasonal units pertaining to ginning and pressing and oil-milling.

According to the Census of Manufacturing Industries in 1959, the manufacturing industries in the district had a combined fixed capital of Rs. 38.2 lakhs and working capital of Rs. 14.6 lakhs. The total value of annual production was Rs. 124.6 lakhs and the value added by manufacturing was Rs. 34.9 lakhs. These figures relate only to the industries covered by the Census of Manufacturing Industries Act.

The value added by manufacture in the district in 1959 was, however, only 0.17 per cent of the total for Maharashtra." [District Census Hand-book, Buldhana, 1951.]

In 1969 there were 112 units registered as small-scale industries in Buldhana district. The following statement indicates the number of units registered as Small-Scale Industries in Buldhana district from 1961 to 1969:—

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