ECONOMIC TRENDS

GROUP II

This group was composed of families with an income of between Rs. 1,800 and Rs. 4,200 per annum. The people in this group, though not considered well-to-do, had income enough to maintain themselves with some comfort. In urban areas their accommodation was decent though small. Their rooms were furnished with a chair or two, and occasionally a radio-set and a fan were also noticed.

The family in the group was generally composed of four adults and two minors making a total of five units. In almost fifty per cent of the families surveyed, there were more than one earning members.

Of the seventeen families surveyed from this group, eleven i.e. about 64 per cent owned houses valued at Rs. 81,000 in aggregate; only four families owned landed property worth Rs. 66,000 and only two families owned property in other forms worth about Rs. 1,000. Of the four families that owned landed property, only two were getting an annual income of Rs. 6,000 with an average of Rs. 3,000 per family per annum. Only two families were getting rental income of Rs. 550 per annum. The average occupational income of a family was placed around Rs. 3,000.

Only four families disclosed their cash savings which were to the tune of Rs. 3,900. Ten families had savings in other forms such as provident fund, insurance, etc., which were placed at Rs. 26,500. Only two families were indebted to a comparatively small amount of Rs. 2,100.

On an average every family spent Rs. 115 per month on food items comprising—cereals and pulses, Rs. 55; clarified butter, oils, etc., Rs. 25; vegetables, mutton, eggs, etc. Rs. 15 and milk, Rs. 20. The average monthly expenditure on lighting per family came to Rs. 8. Domestic servants were employed by 11 families and they were paid about Rs. 30 per month. A few of the families employed full time domestic servants while a few others employed the servants for doing a specific job such as cleaning utensils, washing clothes, etc. Only ten families spent about Rs. 20 per family on education. The average monthly expenditure of a family in this group on entertainment was Rs. 8. On an average they spent Rs. 15 per month towards house rent.

The clothes used by the people in this group were of a fairly good quality though they did not possess many sets of dresses. A family on an average spent about Rs. 300 on clothing per annum. The annual expenditure on religious matters and charity came to Rs. 60. These people were also health conscious and spent about Rs. 120 per annum on medical treatment. They spent about Rs. 120 annually on travelling and miscellaneous items.

The house-hold equipment of families in this group consisted of brass and copper utensils with a few of stainless steel. These families did not possess any costly furniture except a cot, a table and a chair, all of an ordinary variety though few of the families had steel cupboards, radio-sets, etc. They generally possessed ornaments which they had made during ceremonial occasions as the lack of savings did not permit them the luxury of preparing gold ornaments periodically. The number of costly apparel was also limited. Their bedding was just enough to meet their day to day requirements and it was not surprising in view of the standard that they had to maintain and their budgetary provisions.

The level of literacy was very high with most of them in urban areas receiving education upto Secondary School Certificate level. It is a resultant of the fact that many of them in the urban areas depended upon the clerical jobs for their livelihood.

The total average monthly expenditure of a family in this group on food items was Rs. 115 and was about 46 per cent of their total monthly expenditure as also monthly income.

The economic condition of many of the families in this group changed for the worse with the passing of different tenancy Acts which have almost forbidden absentee landlordism. Many of them were getting a share from the ancestral landed property. However, now they have been paid compensation for the same and their rights have been alienated to the actual tillers of land. Though this has deprived a small portion of their monetary gains, the legislation has an inspiring effect upon the agriculturists and has been instrumental in the increase of production giving encouragement to the tiller of the soil.

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