PART IV-ECONOMIC ORGANISATION

GENERAL ECONOMIC SURVEY

INTRODUCTION

THIS PART OF THE GAZETTEER IS DEVOTED to describe in some detail all the major factors which are an integral part of the economic life of the district. However, before going into these details it will be helpful to the readers to have a vivid idea of the economic developments that have taken place in the district since the old Gazetteer was published (1886). It would serve as an introduction to the detailed study.

The economic life of a people depends on the resources with which they are endowed in the shape of land, man power, capital, and on a proper organization and utilization of those resources for productive purposes. The term land may be taken to include different types of natural wealth. Man power connotes the working population and their acquired skill. Capital is what has been saved and invested. Organization of production is the way in which the available resources are put to productive use. The part that all these factors play in building up the economic life of a community will naturally change with circumstances. Thus, productivity of land, as much as its acreage is of relevance in determining output; and that productivity can be increased by clearing the land, draining and irrigating it and fertilizing it.

From all these stand points Kolhapur district reveals some peculiar features of its economic organization which, interesting in themselves, help in understanding the life and problems of the people who inhabit it.

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