The Gazetteers Department

THE TOTAL POPULATION OF BID DISTRICT ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS OF 1961 is 10,01,466 (m. 5,08,827, f. 4,92,639), and is distributed over its seven tahsils as stated below:—

TABLE No. 1.

TOTAL POPULATION (TAHSILWISE) IN BID DISTRICT, 1961.

Bid district	Total Rural Urban	Area in km²	Population per Sq. mile	Persons	Males	Females
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)
Bid district	T	10,921.771 (4,216.9)*	237	1,001,466	508,827	492,639
	R	10,599.057 (4,092.3)	221	902,817	457,483	445,334
	U	322.714 (124.6)	792	98,649	51,344	47,305
Gevra tahsil	T	1,601.137 (618.2)	219	135,519	68,565	66,954
	R	1,548.819 (598.0)	215	128,390	64,922	63,468
	U	52.318 (20.2)	353	7,129	3,643	3,486
Manjleganv tahsil	T	1,540.012 (594.6)	241	143,487	72,541	70,946
	R	1,504.789 (581.0)	232	134,611	67,958	66,653
	U	35.224 (13.6)	652	8,876	4,583	4,293
Asti tahsil	T	1,505.048 (581.1)	186	108,123	54,415	53,708
	R	1,453.248 (561.1)	184	103,143	51,860	51,283
	U	51.800 (20.0)	249	4,980	2,555	2,425

*Figures in brackets indicate area in Sq. miles.

TABLE No. 1—contd.

TOTAL POPULATION (TAHSILWISE) IN BID DISTRICT, 1961.

Bid district	Total Rural Urban	Area in km²	Population per Sq. mile	Persons	Males	Females
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)
Bid tahsil	T	1,508.414 (582.4)	274	159,622	81,336	78,286
	R	1,439.261 (555.7)	228	126,556	64,165	62,391
	U	69.153 (26.7)	1,238	33,066	17,171	15,895
Patoda tahsil	T	1,321.159 (510.1)	178	90,849	45,443	45,406
	R	1,321.159 (510.1)	178	90,849	45,443	45,406
	U	--	--	--	--	--
Kaij tahsil	T	1,791.760 (691.8)	238	164,331	84,315	80,016
	R	1,731.931 (668.7)	235	156,867	80,504	76,363
	U	59.829 (23.1)	324	7,464	3,811	3,65
Ambejogai tahsil	T	1,654.232 (638.7)	312	199,535	102,212	97,32
	R	1,599.841 (617.7)	263	162,401	82,631	79,77
	U	54.390 (21.0)	1,767	37,134	19,581	17,55

As seen from the above table, the district population in 10,01,466 spread over an area of 4,216.9 sq. miles (10,921.8 km2) works out at 237 persons to a sq. mile. Of these, 9,02,817 or 90.15 per cent are spread over the rural area of 4,092.3 sq. miles (10,599.0 km2) giving an average of about 221 persons to a sq. mile for the rural area, and 98,649 or 9.85 per cent are spread over the urban area of 124.6 sq. miles (322.8 km2) giving an average of 792 persons to a sq. mile in the urban area. In respect of its population the district ranks fifth, and in respect of area, fourth in the five districts of the Aurangabad division. Of the tahsils in the district, in respect of size Kaij tahsil with an area of 691.8 sq. miles (1,791.76 km2) is the biggest, and Patoda tahsil with an area of 510.1 (1,321.15 km2) sq. miles is the smallest. Similarly, Bid tahsil touches the highest and Patoda tahsil the lowest tahsil population mark in the district.

Growth of Population

The population of the district recorded as early as 1881 by the census was 2,86,170. The following statement shows the variation of the population in the district since 1901. While computing population figures for the six previous censuses, transfer of territory has been duly taken account of and adjustment made accordingly. To ensure comparability of growth-rate over long periods, mean decennial growth-rates are computed.

TABLE No. 2.

VARIATION IN POPULATION DURING SIXTY YEARS, FROM 1901 TO 1961 IN BID DISTRICT

Year	Persons	Decade variation	Percentage Decade variation	Mean Decennial growth rate	Male	Female
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)
1901	506,349	--	--	--	255,135	251,214
1911	637,861	+ 131,512	+ 25.97	+ 22.98	322,137	315,724
1921	477,623	-160,238	-25.12	-28.73	243,362	234,261
1931	648,986	+ 171,363	+ 35.88	+ 30.42	332,966	316,020
1941	728,201	+ 79,215	+ 12.21	+ 11.50	375,187	353,014
1951	826,046	+ 97,845	+ 13.44	+ 12.33	422,069	403,977
1961	1,001,466	+ 175,420	+ 21.24	+ 19.19	508,827	492,639

These rates are arrived at by expressing the difference between the general population totals of two successive censuses as a percentage of the arithmetical mean of these totals.

The population of the district has increased by 97.78 per cent during the sixty years with a net variation of +4,95,117 in the population of 1901. The mean decennial growth-rates of increase or decrease during the period were +22.98,-28.73, +30.42, + 11.50, +12.33 and +19.19, respectively, for each decade since 1901.

There have been considerable changes in the boundaries of Bid district since 1901. With the Re-organisation of States in 1956, the district was transferred from Hyderabad State to the then Bombay State. It forms a part of the Maharastra State since 1st May, 1960. The following observations regarding the variations in population of the district made by the superintendent of census operations in the census report of 1951 hold good about Bid district in its condition as a part of the former Hyderabad State at the census year:—

"Since 1921, the population of this district has increased by 72.9 per cent which is remarkably higher than the corresponding increase of 49.7 per cent recorded for the State. But this accelerated growth is due (as in the case of Aurangabad district) almost exclusively to an extraordinary increase of 35.9 per cent recorded during the decade 1921—31. Unfortunately, the 1931 Census Report does not give any reasons for this tremendous increase. It is likely that it may have been more or less a reaction to the heavy decline (exceeding 25 per cent) recorded in the population of the district in the preceding decade, i.e., in 1911—21. because of epidemics and famines. During the two subsequent decades of 1934—41 and 1941—51 the growth of its population approximated to that of the State, though at both the censuses it was slightly lower. The increase of 13.4 per cent in its population during 1941—51 is, however, the highest recorded among the north. western districts of the state. From available figures pertaining to migration from and into the district, it appears that the natural population of the district is increasing at an appreciably higher rate. The number of immigrants into this district from all areas beyond it, which was 19,339 in 1921 and 21,816 in 1931 has now risen to 67,931. As against this, the number of Bid emigrants residing in other districts within the State itself which was 37,477 in 1921 and 35,468 in 1931 has now risen only to 41,242. On the basis of these two sets of figures alone, the district has lost 18,138 persons in 1921 and 13,652 in 1931 but had gained by 16,689 persons in 1951. But in this estimate the number of Bid emigrants living in areas beyond the State has not been taken into account. Bid, which is one of the most industrially backward districts in the whole of the State, must be sending thousands of emigrants to Bombay State. This is borne out by the fact that the number of Hyderabad emigrants in the Bombay district of Ahmadnagar, which adjoins Bid, has increased from 23,820 in 1921 and 28,084 in 1931 to as much as 63,795 in 1951. Besides, a fair proportion of the Hyderabad emigrants in Bombay and Poona cities must have migrated from this district. The latter of the two cities is not very far from its borders. It would thus be obvious that, on the whole Bid district is now losing considerable number by the movement in population. The heavy increase in its natural population is explained by the fact that both widow remarriages and early marriages are more common in this district than in most other areas of the State. Only about 13.5 per cent of its total female population is widowed and only about 71 per cent of its female population aged between 5—14 is unmarried. The former is the lowest and the latter among the relatively low in the State. The proportion of children between 0—4 to every 10,000 of its total population is 1,381, the third highest in the State."

The rate of growth of population of this district during 1951—61, though not poor, is not at all impressive. During the period, its population has increased by 21.24 per cent while the corresponding figures for the Aurangabad division and the Maharastra State are 23.24 and 23.60, respectively.

From the point of view of the growth of its population during the last sixty years Bid district does not seem to have fared well. Its percentage of growth for the period which is + 97.78, though compares well with that of Aurangabad division, which is + 95.79, is lower than that of Maharastra State, which is +103.97.

Density of Population

The district with a population of 237 persons to a square mile ranks 24th in the 26 districts of Maharastra which has an average density of 334 persons to a square mile, and as such, could be said to be one of the thinly populated districts of the State. The density in Patoda tahsil in the west of the district, which accounts for about 12 per cent of the total district area and nine per cent of its population, is only 178 which is the lowest for the district tahsils. Ambejogai tahsil situated in the extreme east of the district occupies about 15 per cent of the district area, and about 20 per cent of its population has a density of 312, which is the highest for the tahsils in the district. Asti tahsil, which lies to the extreme west of the district, accounts for about 13.7 per cent of the district area and about 10.8 per cent of its population has a low density of 186. The three tahsils of Gevrai, Manjleganv and Kaij which together occupy about 45 per cent of the district area and claim also about 45 per cent of its population have each a density between 200 and 250. The density in the remaining two tahsils of the district, viz., Bid and Ambejogai which together account for about 44 per cent of its total area and about 36 per cent of its population, hovers about 300. The total number of revenue units in the district, according to the Census of 1961, are 1,050 of which 1,031 are inhabited villages, 12 uninhabited villages and 7 towns.

Urban Population

The district has in 1961 the total urban population of 98,649 (m. 51,344; f. 47,305). Distributed over the seven towns and an urban area of 322.71 km2 (124.6 sq. miles), it works out at 14,092 persons per town and an urban density of 792 per square mile.

The towns graded according to their population and class stand as under: Bid (pop. 33,066—m. 17,171; f. 15,895) belongs to class III, Parali (pop. 19,691—m. 10,164; f. 9,527) and Mominabad (Ambejogai) (pop. 17,443—m. 9,417; f. 8,026) to class IV: Manjleganv (pop. 8,876— m. 4,583; f. 4,293), Dharur (pop. 7,464— m. 3.811; f. 3,653) and Gevrai (pop. 7,129—m. 3,643: f. 3,486) to class V and Asti (pop. 4,980—m. 2,555; f. 2,425) to class VI. Two places in the district, viz., Panganv and Kaij had the status of a town in the past. Panganv town, which was reduced to class VI in 1951 from class V in 1941, was declassified in 1961 and has been merged, with Panganv village. Kaij had the status of class VI town in 1931 and has been declassified since 1941.

The urban population of the district as distributed among the different classes of town is as under: —

TABLE No. 3

CLASSIFICATION OF TOWNS ACCORDING TO POPULATION IN BID DISTRICT

Class	Towns with population	Number of towns	Total population	Population as percentage with total urban population
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)
I	1,00,000 and above	--	--	--
II	50 000 to 99,999	--	--	--
III	20,000 to 49,999	1	33,066	33.52
IV	10 000 to 19,999	2	37,134	37.66
V	5,000 to 9,999	3	23,469	23.78
VI	Less than 5,000	1	4,980	5.04
	Total	7	98,649	100.00

The demarcation of the urban from the rural areas has always been a problem to the census authorities. At which present stage a large village could be said to have transformed into a town, or as would sometimes happen, a small town recedes into a village was rather vague and a matter open to controversy And it was for the first time in the history of Indian census that at the 1961 census specific criterion for determining whether a place was urban or not was fixed [For purposes of 1961 Census, a town or an urban area is defined as a place which has—(1) a municipality, a cantonment or civil lines or (2) (i) a population of 5,000 or over; and (ii) at least 3 4th or more of male workers engaged in non agricultural pursuits. Figures for urban population for the past censuses are recast according to the definition of 'urban' endorsed by the 1961 Census]. The growth of urban population in the district, in figures recast according to the definition laid down by the census of 1961, is as follows:—

TABLE No. 4

GROWTH OF URBAN POPULATION, BID DISTRICT, 1901—61

Census	Urban population (recast)	Variation	Increase or decrease per cent	Urban population as percentage of district population	Total for 1901—61
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)
1901	43,286	--	--	8.54	--
1911	40,201	—3,085	—7.12	6.32	--
1921	35,969	—4,232	— 10.54	7.53	--
1931	49,335	+ 13,386	+ 37.21	7.58	--
1941	66,089	+ 16,734	+ 33.90	9.07	--
1951	83,007	+ 16,918	+ 25.75	10.04	--
1961	98,649	+ 15,642	+ 18.84	9.85	127.90

As could be seen from the above table, while the population of the district as a whole has grown by + 97.78 per cent within the sixty years since 1901, the increase in the urban population of the district during the period has been + 127.90 per cent. The relative figures of increase for Aurangabad division for the period are + 95.70 per cent and+192.18 per cent and for the Maharastra State +103.97 per cent and + 246.96 per cent, respectively. The urban growth of the district compared with that of the division as well as that of the State is very poor. However, it could be noted that the urban population of the district has been consistently increasing since 1901, except for the set-back it received during the disastrous decades, partially of 1901—1911 and fully of 1911—1921. It appears to have grown in good spurts in the decades of 1921—1931 and 1931 — 1941 and since then comparatively, there is a gradual decline.

In the case of individual towns in the district, however, the rate of increase or decrease differed considerably from decade to decade, a fact clearly revealed by the following table: —

TABLE No. 5

PERCENTAGES OF DECADE VARIATIONS OF TOWNS, 1901—1961 BID DISTRICT

Name of the Town	1911	1921	1931	1941	1951	1961	Net variation 1911 — 1961
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)
1. Gevrai	+ 1812	—26.55	+ 51.68	+ 38.37	— 15.26	+ 16.53	+ 79.0
2. Manjleganv	— 1.02	—17.23	+ 12.68	—0.49	+ 22.07	+ 38.93	+ 55.77
3. Asti	— 2.26	+ 12.52	—2.89	+ 33.76	+ 1.43	.14.48	+ 23.91
4. Bid	—9.4	— 15.38	+ 9.54	+ 2.57	+ 68.41	+ 28.98	+ 87.12
5. Dharur		— 19.52	+ 29.96	+ 29.98	—6.35	+ 15.61	+ 46.79
6. Parali	+ 2.59	+ 13.32	— 8.44	+ 22.80	+ 73.93	+ 18.82	+ 171.3
7. Mominabad (Ambejogai)	— 12.31	—16.19	+ 18.25	+ 48.08	— 1.46	+ 8.93	+ 38.12

Of the seven towns in the district the only town which has maintained a steady increase in the population is Parali, which is known to be a place of religious importance for the Hindus. Bid, the district town, which shows a net variation of + 87.12 has had an extraordinary increase of over 68 per cent during the decade 1941—51. The town is not yet connected by rail. It has not registered any significant progress in respect of large industries and has lost for all practical purposes, the cottage industries for which it was once famous. Its present strength seems to be almost entirely dependent on its being the administrative headquarters of the district and an agricultural market of minor importance.

Rural Population

The district had, in 1961, a rural population of 9,02,817 (m. 4,57.483; f. 4,45,334) which is 90.15 per cent of the total population. Distributed, as it is, over 1,031 inhabited villages and an area of 4,092.3 square miles (10,599 km2), it works out an average of about 876 persons per village and a rural density of 221 per sq. mile which is appreciably lower than the average for the Maharastra State which is 245 per sq. mile but nearer to the average for the Aurangabad division which is 225 per sq. mile. The total number of villages in the district is classified as: 73 very small villages (pop. less than 200), 299 small villages (pop. 200— 499), 364 medium villages (pop. 500—999), 230 average villages (pop. 1,000—1,999), 57 large villages (pop. 2,000—4,999) and 8 very large villages (pop. 5,000—9,999). Within the district itself the average village in Patoda tahsil with a population of 998 per village would be considered the most populous, the actual population per village in other tahsils in the district being 966 in Ambejogai, 956 in Kaij, 852 in Asti, 828 in Gevrai, 825 in Manjleganv and 748 in Bid.

TABLE No. 6

AVERAGE RURAL POPULATION BY TAHSIL, BID DISTRICT, 1961

Tahsil	Number of inhabited villages	Population	Population average
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
Gevrai	155	128,390	828
Manjleganv	163	134,611	825
Asti	121	130,143	852
Bid	169	126,.556	748
Patoda	91	90,849	998
Kaij	164	156,867	956
Ambejogai	168	162,401	966
Total	1,031	902,817	876

TABLE No. 7

FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF VILLAGES, BID DISTRICT, 1961

Villages	Number of villages	Population	Percentage in total number of villages	Percentage of total rural population
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)
With less than 200 persons	73	9,494	7.08	1.05
Between 200 and 499	299	105,654	29.00	11.71
Between 500 and 999	364	264,977	35.30	29.12
Between 1,000 and 1,999	230	310,602	22.30	34.41
Between 2,000 and 4,999	57	165,402	5.53	18.32
Between 5,000 and 9999	8	48,688	0.79	5.39
Total	1,031	902,817	100.00	100.00

TABLE No. 8

DISTRIBUTION OF RURAL POPULATION, Bid DISTRICT, 1961

Tahsils	Number per mile of rural population residing in villages with a population of
	Less than 200	Between 200 and 499	Between 500 and 999	Between 1,000 and 1,999	Between 2,000 and 4,999	Between 5,000 and 9,999
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)
Gevrai	14	146	270	351	178	41
Manjleganv	15	138	246	366	195	40
Asti	8	125	282	435	150	--
Bid	17	163	304	297	128	91
Patoda	II	89	232	394	208	66
Kaij	3	69	361	304	228	35
Ambejogai	8	97	309	309	184	93

The rural population of the district has grown since 1901 according to the decennial enumeration as follows: —

TABLE No. 9

GROWTH OF RURAL POPULATION, BID DISTRICT, 1901—61

Census	Rural* population (Recast)	Decade variation	Percentage of decade variation	Rural population as percentage of district population
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)
1901	463,063	--	--	91.46
1911	597,660	+ 134,597	+ 29.06	93.68
1921	441,654	-156,006	- 26.10	92.47
1931	599,631	+ 157,977	+ 35.77	92.42
1941	662,112	+ 62,481	+ 10.42	90.93
1951	743,039	+ 80,927	+ 12.20	89.96
1961	902,817	+ 159,778	+ 21.50	90.1 5

*The rural population figures for the post censuses are recast as per definition of rural adopted by the 1961 census.