GENERAL ECONOMIC SURVEY

POPULATION

The population of Jalgaon district in 1881 and 1951 was 8,15,396 and 14,71,251, respectively, which shows an increase of 6,55,855, i.e., about 80.45 per cent over the period of 70 years. Of these nearly 5,56,352 and 10,03,918 were the residents of rural areas in 1881 and 1951, respectively, which indicates a very slow process of urbanization and the predominantly agricultural character of the district economy. Even to-day as much as 70.46 per cent of the population follows agriculture as its principal means of livelihood and over 16.7 per cent follow it as a subsidiary or secondary means. It is only in three towns, viz., Jalgaon, Bhusawal and Amalner that the population has more than doubled during the course of the last seventy years or so. But this in no way reflects a sudden tendency towards urbanization because the factors to which this growth could be attributed are economic, political and administrative. Moreover, the population of the so-called important towns and taluka headquarters such as Chopda, Parola, Erandol, Yawal, Raver, Bhadgaon and Jamner has hardly gone up by margins varying between 15 per cent and 35 per cent which does not indicate even a slow process of urbanization.

Of the total population of 14,71,351 in 1951, 3,78,238 were self-supporting persons, 2,37,250 earning dependents and 8,55,863 non-earning dependents. The agricultural class (i.e., those depending on agriculture as the principal means of livelihood) numbered 10,36,653. Among these, the self-supporting persons were 2,63,917 earning dependents 2,00,639 and non-earning dependents 5,72,097. On a different basis of classification, among the agricultural classes, (i) cultivators of land wholly or mainly owned and their dependents numbered 6,82,974, (ii) cultivators of land wholly or mainly unowned and their dependents 32,227, (iii) cultivating labourers and their dependents 3,09,714, (iv) non-cultivating owners of land, agricultural rent receivers and their dependents 11.738. The non-agricultural class (i.e., those whose principal means of livelihood were pursuits other than agriculture) numbered 4,34.698 and were composed of 1,14,321 self-supporting persons, 36,611 earning dependents and 2,85,766 non-earning dependents. The independent occupations followed by persons belonging to non-agricultural classes were production other than cultivation 1,52,619, commerce 80,361, transport 33,898 and miscellaneous sources 1,67,820. Besides, quite a large number of earners followed a secondary occupation apart from the principal one. Agriculture provided such occupation to 2,44,293 persons and non-agricultural pursuits to 50,804 persons.

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