THE PEOPLE

POPULATION

TABLE No. 1

POPULATION ACCORDING TO TAHSILS, WARDHA DISTRICT, 1961.

The Population of Wardha District, according to the Census of 1961. is 634,277 (Males. 322,894, Females. 311,383), and is distributed over its three tahsils as stated below:—

As the above table shows, the total population of 634,277 spread over the district area of 2,434 sq. miles. [The district area according to the records of the Surveyor General of India, is 2429 sq. miles. [Census of India, 1961, Vol. X Maharashtra, Part II-A., p. 32]. (6304^.1 square kilometres) works out at about 261 persons to a sq. mile. Of these, 484,262 or 76 35 per cent are spread over the rural area of 2,415'5 sq. miles (6,256^.1 sq. kilometres) and the remaining 150,015 or 23.65 per cent are spread over the urban area of 18^.5 sq. miles (48.0 sq. kilometres) [District Census Hand Book, Wardha District, 1961.].

Growth of Population, 1881-1901.

About the growth of population since 1866, the old Wardha District Gazetter published in 1906 has to say the following.—

"A census of the District has now been taken on five occasions in 1866, 1872, 1881, 1891, and 1901. No transfers of territory have been effected and its area has remained the same throughout, the small differences at successive enumerations being due to corrections in survey. In 1866 the population was 344,000, and in 1872 it increased to 355,000 or by a little over 3 per cent. Even this increase was attributed partly to immigration from Nagpur and Bhandara, the natural growth of population having been retarded by the scarcity of 1869. In 1881 the population was 387,000 persons showing an increase of 9 per cent on 1872. This increase was only half the average for British Districts, and it was mainly due to immigration, the growth in population deduced from vital statistics being less than 2½ per cent. Of the population enumerated 23 per cent were born outside the District. The year 1878 was very unhealthy and the death-rate was over 70 per mile. The District was apparently suffering from scarcity due to the partial failure of the spring crops, and there were very severe epidemics both of cholera and small-pox. The vital statistics of this year were as unfavourable as if there had been a severe famine, the birth-rate being only 32 per mile. The year 1872 was also unhealthy, the number of deaths exceeding that of births. In 1891 the population was 401,000 showing an increase of 3½ per cent on 1881, as against 9½ per cent for British Districts as a whole. The increase deduced from vital statistics was, however 6½ per cent, and it was held that the figures of population had been affected by a temporary emigration to Berar for the spring harvest. The population of Arvi tahsil increased by over 8 per cent, that of Wardha by 2 per cent, and that of Hinganghat by under 1 per cent. The increase in the Wardha and Hinganghat tahsils was wholly due to the growth of the town population. Between 1881 and 1891 the decennial birth-rate was 38 per mile or the lowest in the province, while the death-rate was 32 or slightly less than the provincial average. In 1901 the population was 385,000 persons, having decreased by 16,000 persons or 4 per cent in the previous decade, as against the provincial figure [For British Districts.] of 8½ per cent. The results of the Census were, however, very different in the three tahsils, Wardha showing a decrease of 3½ per cent and Hinganghat of 15 per cent, while the population of Arvi gained by nearly 5 per cent. The tahsil figures of the two decades are thus of considerable interest as indicating a steady growth of prosperity and population in Arvi and a not less continuous decline in Hinganghat. The former tahsil grows the largest proportion of spring and the latter of autumn crops, while Arvi has until recently owing to its more undulating surface and large area of forest been less closely cultivated than Hinganghat. The better outturns given by the autumn crops during the last decade or more, and the large profits reaped from the cultivation of cotton may be assigned as partial causes for the prosperity of Arvi, though the latter did not begin to operate until nearly the close of the period under review. Over the whole District the number of deaths exceeded that of births in every year from 1894 to 1897. Cholera was prevalent in all these years, and in 1896 an epidemic of small-pox also occurred. Wardha was not severely affected by famine in 1897, and a considerable proportion of the death-rate of 60 per mile may be assigned to the immigration of starving wanderers. In 1900, however, the District suffered severely, and as it appears to be usual in areas which have not recently undergone a famine the mortality was very high, the rate for the year being 90 per mile on the deduced population. This was 22,000 while the census figures showed a decrease of population smaller by 6,500 than that deduced from vital statistics. The difference may be attributed to immigration from the adjoining famine-stricken Districts of the Central Provinces in 1897 and from Berar in 1900. During the last three years a rapid development of population has taken place. In 1902 the birth-rate was 60 per mile, in 1903, 50 and in 1904, 58. The total excess of births over deaths for the three years was 22,000, or 6,000 more than the decrease of population during the previous decade."

Variation in Population, 1901-1961. [The account that follows is based upon District Census Handbook, Wardha, 1961.]

"The population of the district and decade variation rates since 1901 are as follows.-

Recovery from the famine of 1900 and fairly good agricultural seasons in the decade 1901-11 might have contributed to a very high growth rate of 19.37 per cent in the district population which is the highest rate of growth observed in the population history of the district so far. Influenza epidemic of 1918-19 coupled with crop failure in some years of the decade 1911-21 arrested the growth of population to a great extent as is revealed by the very low growth rate of 0.63 per cent in the district population. Recovery from the influenza epidemic was largely responsible for a fairly high growth rate of 11.34 per cent in the decade 1921-31. The population can be said to have remained almost stagnant in the decade 1931-41. The growth rate of 0.59 per cent in the district population had been the least ever attained. In the decade 1941-51 the district population has increased by only 3.77 per cent. Malaria and other epidemic diseases including cholera, small-pox and plague which took a heavy toll of human life might be the reason for a low rate of growth in the district population in this decade. In the last decade however the district population has shown a sudden rise and has attained the growth rate of 17 ^.70 per cent. This significant increase in the growth rate during the decade 1951-61 appears to be the result of control of epidemics and other diseases since 1950. Malaria which used to be a major public health problem in the district has now been controlled by DDT spraying. Mass campaigns for B.C.G. and vaccination against small-pox have their share in improving the survival rate. The death rate has thus been reduced and resulted in the higher growth rate although the birth rate may not have increased appreciably.

The 1951-61 decade variation for the district and each of the tahsils is as follows.—

There are wide differences in the rates of variation of different tahsils. Arvi tahsil has recorded a growth rate of 24.16 per cent which is higher than the district average. Wardha and Hinganghat tahsils have growth rates of 14.70 and 16.43 per cent, respectively, which are below the district average.

The net percentage increase since 1901, 1921, and 1951 for the district and the State has been as follows.—

During the last sixty years the district population increased by 64.32 per cent while that of Maharashtra increased by nearly 104 per cent. Since 1921 the district population increased by 36.79 per cent as against 89^.71 per cent for Maharashtra. The district growth rates have always been considerably lower than the corresponding growth rates for the State.".

Density of Population.

"The densities of population for Maharashtra, Wardha district and its tahsils for 1951 and 1961 are as follows.—

The density of the district population increased rather slowly from 191 persons per square mile in 1921 to 261 persons per square mile in 1961 as compared to a rapid increase in the density of Maharashtra from 176 persons in 1921 to 334 persons per square mile in 1961. It was only in the last decade that the district had a little higher density than that of the State.

Within the district density varies from 201 persons per square mile in Arvi tahsil to 353 persons per square mile in Wardha tahsil. Hinganghat tahsil has a density of 229 persons per square mile. The high density in Wardha tahsil may be attributed to the existence of district headquarters in the tahsil which is comparatively a large urban centre. There seems to be a concentration of population in Wardha tahsil. With 33.48 per cent of the district area it accounts for 45.36 per cent of the district population. Arvi and Hinganghat tahsils form a larger percentage of district area but have a smaller percentage of district population."

Urban Population.

Table No. 2 gives the statistics of urban population of the district at each census and its variation since 1901, alongwith the variation in population for each town in the district.

TABLE No. 2

URBAN POPULATION OF THE DISTRICT AT EACH CENSUS AND ITS VARIATION SINCE 1901 ALONGWITH THE VARIATION IN POPULATION FOR EACH TOWN IN THE DISTRICT

"The number of towns, the rate of decade variation in urban population and the percentage of urban population to total population at each Census since 1901 for the district and the State are as follows:—

Wardha district is comparatively less urbanised than Maharashtra State. The proportion of urban population decreased for the State in 1911, since then it gradually increased to an all time high value in 1951 with slight decrease in the following decade 1951-61. For the district, however, the trend of variation in the proportion of urban population is one of continuous increase. But for the addition of two new towns in 1911, the number of towns in the district remained constant till 1951. Because of the redefinition of urban areas in 1961 one town named Ashti was declassified as rural area in the district. No new town was added to the urban areas of the district in 1961.

The population of the declassified town was 3,726 or 2.96 per cent of the urban population in 1951. If population of that town is excluded from the 1951 urban population, the 1961 urban population would be higher by 22.84 per cent over 1951. The slightly lower increase of 19.20 per cent now seen in the table above is thus due solely to the change of definition of urban areas and the declassification of a town.

Wardha, the district headquarters, which is also a junction on Bombay-Calcutta route of the Central Railway, is an important urban area in the district. The percentage growth in the population of Wardha town is 397.50 per cent over 1901 and is 206.11 per cent over 1921. Hinganghat is another important town in the district. Its growth may partly be attributed to the cotton textile industry which provides a means of subsistence to a large number of workers. Its population has increased by 191.34 per cent over 1901 and by 114.48 per cent over 1921."

Rural Population.

"The rates of variation in rural population and the percentages of rural population to total population of the district and the State since 1901 are as follows:—

The net increase in rural population of the district has been 41.37 per cent over that of 1901 and 23.34 per cent over that of 1921. The corresponding figures for the State are 75.53 per cent and 67.08 per cent respectively.

Rural Population.

The rates of variation in rural population have never followed any trend. The urban population of the district had grown faster at the expense of the rural population. As a result the rural population increased at lower rates of variation than the total population. The percentage of rural population to the total population has been decreasing continuously since 1901 for the district whereas for the State it decreased from 1911 to 1951 and again has increased in 1961. The rural population has actually suffered a loss in its numbers in the decades ending 1921, 1941 and 1951."

" The distribution of population by size of villages for the district and the State in 1961 is as follows:—

Villages with less than 1,000 population are 88.79 per cent of the total number of villages in the district and account for 61.49 per cent of the district rural population. For Maharashtra such villages form 76.27 per cent and account for 40.73 per cent of the total rural population. Villages with more than 1,000 population are 11.21 per cent of the total number of villages in the district and cover 38.51 per cent of the district rural population. The corresponding percentages for the State are 23.73 and 59.27, respectively. It is seen that the proportion of small villages (population less than 500) is much higher in the district in comparison with that of the State.

The area, number of inhabited villages, total rural population, average population per village, and the number of inhabited villages per 100 square miles of rural area are shown below for the State, district and each tahsil separately.

Average population per village in 1961 is 498 in the district against 792 in Maharashtra. An average village in the district thus has considerably less population than that of an average village in the State. Within the district the average population per village is 578 in Wardha tahsil which is above the district average while in Arvi and Hinganghat tahsils the average population per village is 468 and 440, respectively. The number of villages per 100 square miles of rural area is 40 in the district against 31 in Maharashtra. Wardha and Hinganghat tahsils have 42 and 41 villages per 100 square miles while Arvi tahsil has 38 villages per 100 square miles.

It may be added that the above discussion is based on villages with their administrative boundaries and does not take into account the existence of wadis, padas or hamlets within those boundaries."

Table No. 3 gives tahsil-wise distribution of villages and their population in the district in 1961.

TABLE No. 3.

TAHSIL-WISE DISTRIBUTION OF VILLAGES AND THEIR POPULATION IN THE DISTRICT

TABLE No. 3.-contd

TABLE No. 3.-contd

TABLE No. 3.-contd

" The 1961 Census showed the proportions of population enumerated at places of birth and other places as shown below:—

PROPORTIONS OF POPULATION BY PLACES OF BIRTH

Migration.

55.95 per cent of the population was enumerated at places of birth. This proportion for males is 67.66 per cent but for females it is only 43.81 per cent. The difference is due to women married at places other than their places of birth. This movement of females on marriage appears to be much more within the district as is revealed by a very high proportion of females among those born elsewhere in the district. Even among persons born in other districts of Maharashtra, marriage seems to be the contributory factor in rendering females a preponderance over males. In the migration stream from outside the State, males outnumber females.

The percentage distribution of male population born at the place of enumeration, born elsewhere within the district and born outside the district by nine categories of economic activity and of non-workers in 1961 is shown below.—

The proportion of non-workers is lower among those born at places other than the place of enumeration. Cultivators have a higher proportion for those born at the place of enumeration. Agricultural labourers exhibit a tendency to migrate within the district. The differences in the percentage distribution of migrants and non-migrants are more significant in categories VII, VIII and IX. It is seen that migrants are generally engaged in non-agricultural activities."

Sex Ratios.

The sex ratios in the district by five year age groups for total, rural and urban areas in 1961 are as follows:—

The rural-urban differentials of sex ratios are less in younger and older age-groups though rural sex ratio is almost always higher than the urban sex ratio. These differences are more significant in adult age-groups among which the age-group 20-24 has the highest sex ratio. The exceptionally high rural sex ratio in the age-group 20-24 may be due to the migration of males for jobs or for higher education in the adjacent district of Nagpur. This may even be true to some extent for urban males in age-groups 20-24 and 25-29. There is a sudden drop in the sex ratio of age-group 55-59 both for rural and urban areas. This may be due to mis-reporting of ages of women of that group in the higher age-group.

Child-Woman Ratio.

"The child woman ratios for 1951 and 1961 i.e., the number of children of 0-4 years age-group for every 1,000 women of 15-44 years age-group as well as for every 1,000 married women of 15-44 years age-group are shown in the next column. The number of widows per 1,000 married women both in 15-44 years age-group is also shown for comparison.

The child woman ratio for rural areas is higher than that for urban areas. When standardised for married women of 15-44 years age-group, it is higher in urban areas. This may indicate either a higher fertility or a higher survival rate in urban areas of the district. Over the decade, the ratio has increased from 674 to 752. It may be due both to a higher birth-rate and somewhat reduced infant mortality.

The number of widows per 1,000 married women in the age-group 15.44 has decreased from 109 in 1951 to 72 in 1961. The incidence of widowhood is higher in rural areas than in urban areas."

Marital Status.

Table No. 4 shows the percentages of population for broad age-groups classified by marital status both for 1951 and 1961.

TABLE No. 4

MARITAL STATUS IN WARDHA DISTRICT IN 1951 AND 1961

"During the decade 1951-61 the proportion of never married has increased both for males and females, while that of widowed decreased. The proportion of divorced and separated showed an increase but it is hardly of any numerical importance. All these changes contributed to lower the proportion of married both for males and females. The proportion of never married is higher for males. The rise in the age at marriage of the total population may be seen from the marital status distribution by age-groups shown above. The proportions of never married in age-groups 0-14 and 15-34 have increased both for males and females over the decade."

Table No. 5 shows the distribution of population by marital status by five-year age-groups in the district in 1961.

TABLE No. 5.

DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION BY MARITAL STATUS IN WARDHA DISTRICT IN 1961.

TABLE No. 5.-contd.

Dependency Ratio.

" The ratio between dependants (age-groups 0-14 and 60+) and 100 of supporting (age-group 15-59) population has an economic significance. The dependency ratios and their two components of youth (0—14) and aged (60+) groups are shown below for 1951 and 1961 for the district and the State separately:.

The dependency ratio is slightly higher in Wardha district than that for Maharashtra though the difference between them is not salient. The dependency ratios for the State and the district are both higher in 1961 than those of 1951. For the State both the components of youth and aged have increased while for the district only youth dependency has increased during the decade, the other component being stagnant. The increase in dependency may be the result both of high fertility and declining mortality. The 1961 population in the district thus has a larger load of dependants than that of 1951. The dependency load is more in urban areas than in rural areas for the district while for the State it is vice versa. "

Age Distribution.

"The proportions of population by broad age-groups in 1961 for the district and the State are shown below separately for males and females compared with the corresponding proportions for 1951 for the district—

During the last decade the proportion of children aged 0-4 has increased from 13.77 to 15.51 per cent for males and from 14.88 to 15.84 per cent for females. The same trend is observed both for males and females in the age-group 5-14. The resultant effect of these changes is seen in the marked increase in the proportion of both males and females of age. group 0-14. The proportions of males and females in the older age-group (60 and over) have decreased in the last decade, though not too much. All these changes contributed to lower the proportion of working age population both for males and females. Comparison with the age structure of the State reveals that the proportions of working age (15-59) persons in the district are in the neighbourhood of those in the State. Proportion of younger population is less and that of older population is more in the district than the corresponding proportions in the State."

Size of the Household.

"Percentage proportions of different types of households are as follows:—

Among the different size groups, households with 4 to 6 members are more common (45.21 per cent) than others. The percentage distribution of rural and urban households by their size shows that single and small size households are more (38.01 per cent) in urban areas than in rural areas (36.96 per cent). The average size of the household is 4.5. It is 4.4 in rural areas and 4.6 in urban areas. The average size of the household is slightly higher in urban areas.

Household Composition.

The percentage distribution of population of sample households by relationship for the district is shown below:—

39.32 per cent of the males are heads of households as against 4. 84 per cent of the females. Married sons are 5.40 per cent of the total males. 51.18 per cent males and 51.13 per cent females which incidentally form the largest group are never married, widowed or divorced relations. Proportion of unrelated persons is 0.71 per cent for males and only 0.23 percent for females. 33.25 per cent females are spouses of heads of households. High proportion of females in other married relations includes the daughters-in-law and married daughters or married sisters of the heads. The heads of the households and their spouses have a higher proportion in rural areas. The proportion of married sons is low in urban areas. It may indicate that the joint family is being replaced by the biological family more in urban areas. Unrelated persons have a higher proportion in urban areas. Domestic servants are included in this category and they appear to be staying with the households more in urban areas than in rural areas."

Table No. 6 shows the proportion of sample households classified by size in 1961 in the district. Table No. 7 gives the distribution of sample households by the type of their composition in Wardha district in 1961.

TABLE No. 6

SAMPLE HOUSEHOLDS CLASSIFIED BY SIZE IN WARDHA DISTRICT IN 1961.

TABLE No. 6-contd.

TABLE No. 6—contd.

TABLE No. 6—contd.

TABLE No. 7.

DISTRIBUTION OF SAMPLE HOUSEHOLD BY THE TYPE OF THEIR COMPOSITION

TABLE No. 7.-contd.

Distribution by Religion.

" The distribution of religious population by rural and urban areas of the district in 1961 is as follows:—

80.6 per cent of the population reported their religion as Hindu. Hindus are 81.7 per cent in rural areas and 77.2 per cent in urban areas. Buddhists account for 15.1 per cent in the district. They are 15.9 per cent in rural areas and account for only 12.6 per cent in urban areas. Muslims are 3.5 per cent of the total population in the district. They are only 2.3 per cent in rural areas but form as much as 7.5 per cent in urban areas. They are almost equally distributed in urban and rural areas in their population. Christians and to some extent Jains are concentrated in urban areas than in rural areas. Persons belonging to other religions are similarly concentrated in urban areas. The Buddhists are more numerous in rural areas than in urban areas. The Christians are the most urbanised group and the Buddhists are the least urbanised.

The comparative position of the religions in 1901 and 1961 is as follows:—

The proportion of Muslims has decreased from 3.81 in 1901 to 3.52 per cent in 1961. Percentage of Christians has increased from 0.04 in 1901 to 0.13 in 1961. The percentage of Jains has remained almost constant during the last sixty years. The proportion of Hindus has gone down from 85.96 in 1901 to 80.62 per cent in 1961 because some persons belonging to Hindu Scheduled Castes returned their religion as Buddhists or Nava-Bauddha. The combined proportion for Hindus and Buddhists has, however, increased by nearly 10 per cent over the last sixty years. The other religions reported 9.57 per cent in 1901 which comprised mostly Animists. They might have reported their religion as Hindu or Buddhist in 1961. If the combined proportion of others is taken with Buddhists and Hindus, it is almost constant in 1961. The 1901 percentages are pertaining to the then Wardha district.

Sex ratio for each religion is as follows:—

Buddhists 997, Christians 764, Hindus 962, Jains 1,015, Muslims 899. All Religions 964.

Higher sex ratio for Jains and Buddhists indicates that more of their males are going out of the district for job. Christians have the lowest sex ratio. It may be that the Christian males are immigrating to Wardha district for job."

Table No. 8 shows the population by religions for the district, each tahsil and towns separately.

TABLE No. 8.

TAHSIL-WISE DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION BY RELIGION IN WARDHA DISTRICT IN 1961.

TABLE No. 8.-contd.