MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS

INTRODUCTION.

THE FOREGOING CHAPTERS HAVE DESCRIBED IN DETAIL the principal sectors of the economy such as agriculture, industry, trade and transport of the district and about the population engaged in them. A large number of the working population is still left unaccounted. It is the purpose of this chapter to describe briefly the remaining sectors covering population engaged in public administration; professions like law, medicine, education, religion and fine arts; domestic services and in occupations like tailoring, canning of fruits, gold-smithy, hotel-keeping, laundering, hair-cutting, and confectionery. These occupations provide employment to a large number of persons, most of whom produce goods of daily consumption or render useful service in manifold ways to different persons. The following table puts down employment, as enumerated by the Censuses of 1911, 1921, 1931 and 1951, in a few occupations in the district: -

TABLE No. 1.

THE NUMBER OF PERSONS ENGAGED IN DIFFERENT OCCUPATIONS IN 1911, 1921, 1931 AND 1951 IN RATNAGIRI DISTRICT.

A sample survey of such occupations was taken in the two towns, Ratnagiri and Chiplun. The information regarding the establishments, their location and persons engaged in them was obtained from the respective municipalities in 1958. Representative samples of every size and type were selected from different localities of these two towns. A general questionnaire was framed. The information contained in the chapter is based on the replies received from the selected establishments.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION.

The number of persons engaged in public administration is quite large and includes persons working as police and village watchmen; officers of government, municipalities and other local bodies; and village officials and servants.

The Censuses of 1911, 1931 and 1951 followed more or less the same classification under the head, Public Administration. The total number of persons under the heads Police Services of the State, Services of Indian and Foreign States, Municipal and other Local (not village) Services, village officials and servants including village watchmen was 4,604 including 47 women in 1911. In 1931, this number was reduced to 4,226 including 114 women. In 1951, it increased to 8,456 [Sawantwadi, the former Indian State, was merged with this district in 1949. This number includes persons employed in Sawantwadi.] including 659 women.

The following table gives the total number of persons under these heads in 1911, 1931 and 1951.

TABLE No. 2.

THE NUMBER OF PERSONS ENGAGED IN POLICE SERVICES OF THE STATE, MUNICIPAL AND OTHER LOCAL SERVICES, ETC. IN 1911, 1931 AND 1951.

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