The Gazetteers Department

There is very little information available about famines prior to the establishment of British rule in Berar. The old Gazetteer of the district has to say in this connection that " not because there were none but because neither governments nor historians paid much attention to them ". Among the earliest known famines the Berar Gazetteer of 1870 mentions a famine in 1803 which was remembered fifty years later. General Wellesley wrote in January, 1804, at a time of the year when a famine could not be at its worst: ' The people are starving in hundreds; and there is no government to afford the slightest relief. There seems to have been further famines, though apparently they were not very severe, in 1833, 1839 and 1862. In 1867-68 again there was so much scarcity in this district that government sold grain below the market rate to relieve distress. In 1871-72 cultivation fell off in two taluks, and was checked in the others by a severe drought. Famine was, however, so little known in Berar that in 1893 the Commissioner reported that there was no need of a programme of relief works. In 1896-97 and 1899-1900, famine actually occurred, though in both cases the distress was caused, not by the food produced within the district being insufficient for the population, but by prices rising very high through famine in other parts of India'.

From September 1896 onwards a sudden drought severely affected the rabi crops, including wheat. There was a serious scarcity of water, The labouring class who numbered 155,000 in the four taluks of the old Wun district suffered severely because there was much less employment than usual, and prices were very high. The small tenants who numbered about 12,400, however, did not lose seriously by the drought, though individual cultivators whose crops were especially unfortunate suffered a great deal, and large numbers of cattle died. According to the average of the decade 1890-1900, the two famine years being excluded, the death-rate fell from 4 per thousand per annum in September to 2� in February; rose to 3� in April, fell to 1� in June and then rose again to 4 in September.

In 1896-97 there was a sufficient crop of jowar for the needs of the whole district, hut prices went very high on account of exportation. The average price of the preceding ten years was 22 seers for a rupee, but in this year it rose to an average of ten seers. In ordinary years it varied less than two seers in the whole of twelve months and was cheapest from January to March", just at the end of harvest. In this year it was 21 seers in September, 14 in October, 11 in November, 10 in February and 8 from June to September, after which it gradually returned to the normal by the succeeding January.

The relief works taken up in the four talukas of the old Wun district were the construction of three roads and the collection of broken stone metal. One of the roads was that from Darwha to Karanja. Both the others were in Yeotmal taluk, the one from Lohara to Lasdina, and the other from Jodmoha to Ghatanji. The total cost was Rs. 52,000 and the value at ordinary rates was Rs. 34,000. The Lohara-Lasdina road, which was under the then district board, while the others were under the then Public Works Department, was expensively managed. The largest number of persons on the relief works in any month was 6,200 in May 1897, and the percentage of persons relieved to population was under 1^l/₂ The cost of each person relieved was one anna and four pies a day, and a profit was made on the collection of metalling, though not on the other works. These relief works were opened in April and closed in August.

About the gratuitous relief, the old Gazetteer of the district says as follows: " Gratuitous relief was given in most part of Berar in three ways: by Government, through the Charitable Relief Fund, and by direct private charity; but in Wun district there was no gratuitous relief by Government- The Wun district contributed Rs. 6,000 to the Charitable Fund and received Rs. 7,000 from it. The total number of persons relieved for one day is given as 226,000. Kitchens were opened at ten places, one (that at Yeotmal) in April, and three in each of the next three months. All except the one at Yeotmal were closed by the end of September. Three-quarters of the people fed belonged to the district, the rest being wanderers from the Central Provinces. The average cost of a meal at the kitchens was half an anna. A small amount of food and clothes was also distributed at the dispensaries. Relief seemed to reach the proper people hut there were some unfortunate members of the well-to-do classes who felt unable to accept it in the ordinary form and so had to suffer quietly. Yet on the whole lavish charity was dispensed privately throughout Berar. people of means showing themselves admirably generous. Patels worked excellently both in carrying out their immediate duties and in discharging the general obligations of their position ".

Other relief measures included loans to cultivators under Land Improvement Loans Act and the Agriculturists' Loans Act, forest concessions to provide both employment and fodder. Allowances were also made to public servants on small pay to compensate for the clearness of grain.

Three years after the famine of 1896-1897 came that of 1899-1900. The monsoon of 1899 was weak from the beginning, and continued only till the third week of September. The total fall for the year at Yeotmal was 16 inches instead of an average of 41 inches. At Wun it was 23 inches instead of 40. The whole of Berar. and in fact a great part of India suffered from famine. In the other five districts of Berar both kharif and rabi crops failed, and there was a famine due not only to high prices but to actual scarcity of food. Wun district, comprising four of the taluks of the then Yeotmal district, was to some extent fortunate. In the greater part of Kelapur taluk and the southern part of Wun taluk a fair jowar crop and an excellent cotton crop were obtained, for both of which prices ran high. Only the northern part of Darwha and Yeotmal taluks, and that tract of country in Wun and Kelapur taluks which lies just between Wun and Pandharkawada were seriously affected, and even there the cotton was a six-anna crop and the jowar could not have been much less. On the other hand Pusad taluk, which at that time belonged to Basim district, suffered severely. The labouring class felt the famine severely, though there was such great mortality among cattle that the beef-eating castes, such as, Mahars and Mangs, were able to live much better than those castes which avoided beef. The famine stricken country between Wun and Pandharkawada was largely inhabited by Gonds, Kolams and Pardhans. who though more strictly aboriginal tribes, did not eat beef. A great number of immigrants came from the ex-Nizam's dominions to Digras. The conditions in Yeotmal and Darwha taluks were such that the Berar Famine Code drawn up since 1897 was made applicable there in November 1899. It was not, however, applied to Wun and Kelapur taluks till nearly the end of May, 1900. Again the monsoon of 1900 did not set in properly till July, as such the famine was felt most severely in June and July. The population of the district was 471,613 (excluding Pusad taluk), and the daily average number of persons relieved for the whole period of the famine was nearly 8,000, that is 1� per cent. The greater number in receipt of relief at a time occurred in July 1900, when it was close on 22,000 or 4� per cent, but these were by far the lowest percentages in Berar.

From May till August the death-rate was about four times the normal rate. It then fell equally fast, and in December was again no more than the average. Cholera of a very virulent type prevailed from April to September, causing death-rate in June 1900 almost equal to the usual death-rate from all causes; but many of the deaths were by no means due to Cholera alone.

In October 1899 the rate of jowar went up to ten seers for a rupee and remained constant till May 1900. This rise in the price of jowar might be due to inevitable exportation and to the natural reluctance of cultivators to dispose of all their stocks till they were assured of a good rainfall for the next season. Shri Krishnaji Narayan Kane, commonly known as Master of Bori and others, bought and sold grain without profit in order to keep prices down; but Shri Kane unfortunately died of a disease.

The governmental relief measures included gratuitous relief, digging of wells, provision of grass, loans, and public works. Gratuitous relief was given partly at the cost of the State and partly at that of individuals. That provided by the State took the forms of doles, poor house relief, kitchen relief, and relief to dependents on public works. Doles were gifts of dry grain. They were given in 200 villages between June and October 1900. Poor- house relief was given at Yeotmal, Pandharkawada. Darwha, Kotha and Digras. The Yeotmal poorhouse was opened in February 1900, and the others were opened in May and June. All were closed in October and November. The poorhouse at Yeotmal was managed by the municipality, but the then Central Government contributed Rs. 5,000 towards the expenses, and the municipality less than Rs. 300.

" The most conspicuous agency for dispensing private charity was the Charitable Relief Fund. Nearly Rs. 11,000 were contributed in the four taluks, and Rs. 8,000 in addition were received from the Central Committee at Amravati. Some thousands of rupees were devoted to the purchase of clothes, bullocks, and seed-grain, besides the money spent in providing food. "[ Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Yeotmal District, Vof. A, pp. 159-60. ]

A great number of people came from outside the district before the end of 1899. In October the Forest Department started grasscutting operations in Wun and Kelapur taluks, and employed about 2,000 people for two and a half months in the cold weather. A large quantity of grass was exported to Amravati district. Repairs to the tank at Darwha and a number of other relief works were also opened by the Public Works Department at Lohara and Paloti in Yeotmal taluk and at Goki Nala in Darwha taluk. The total cost of these works was Rs. 2,32,000 an average expenditure of rupee one and ten annas per head including dependents.

Loans to the extent of almost Rs. 60,000 were made to cultivators under the Land Improvement Loans Act and the Agriculturists' Loans Act. The then District Board also deepened a few old wells and dug some temporary wells, jhire, in the beds of streams. Compensation for dearness of grain was given to subordinate officials.

About the effects of these two famines the old Gazetteer of the district has to say as follows: " The district apparently recovered from each famine almost immediately after its close. Within a few months the cultivated area, wages, and public health were all normal. According to the statistics available, the number of cattle decreased by 12 per cent in the first famine and not at all in the second. Whether or not these figures are quite trustworthy it is clear that no crippling loss of cattle occurred. No permanent state of indebtedness was caused to the cultivating class. The natural increase of population was, however, checked in all four taluks, three of them showing a slight fall in the birth-rate in 1901 as compared with 1891, and the other having only a very slight increase. In Pusad the famine was felt far more severely ".

"Pusad taluk belonged to Basim District at the time of the famines, and particulars about it are unfortunately not available. It suffered more severely than the four taluks of the old Wun District, so that its population decreased during the decade from 138,000 in 1891 to 109,000 in 1901, that is by 21 per cent. A larger proportionate decrease occurred in Mehkar taluk alone out of the 22 taluks of Berar, though it is possible that a certain number of people migrated from Pusad to the adjoining taluks of Darwha and Mangrul, when population increased a little. The famine of 1899-1900 was especially severe in Pusad taluk. Large relief works were opened, and the ordinary measures of relief were put in operation. The scarcity was such that sambhar and chital, grown weak from want of food, were not merely run down by village dogs but were caught and killed by the people themselves ".

During the year 1961-62 standing crops were damaged clue to heavy floods. This resulted into low outturn of crops in 166 villages in the district. Conditions akin to scarcity were prevailing in these villages. There were also signs of severe unemployment and consequent distress among agricultural labourers and small cultivators. Condition of crops in Dhanki and Umarkhed revenue circles in Pusad tahsil, till August 1962, was satisfactory. However, due to continuous and rather unseasonal rains between September and December, 1962 crops in the said circles were damaged considerably. The outturn of crops in 37 villages from Dhanki circle and 33 villages from Umarkhed circle was he-low 4 annas. The same was between 4 and 6 annas in 16 villages in Dhanki circle and 23 villages in Umarkhed circle. Thus, there were conditions akin to scarcity in 109 villages in 1962-63. In the subsequent year heavy floods and continuous incessant rainfall was recorded in Pusad tahsil and crops were damaged in about 110 villages. The outturn of crops in these villages was then recorded between 4 and 6 annas. In 1964-65 the annewari of kharif crops was below 6 annas in 252 villages in Wani tahsil, 130 villages in Kelapur tahsil and in 6 villages in Darwha tahsil. In 1965-66 the entire district was affected by scarcity conditions as there was drought from 23rd September 1965. Kharif crops on lighter soils were almost withered away. Scarcity conditions in 483 villages were declared by the Government. The year that followed also did not receive rains till the middle of July 1966. As a result, the sowing operations of the important kharif crops like cotton and jowar were abnormally delayed. Rains commenced in the second half of July (1966) and the sowing operations were carried till the middle of August. But the conditions again took an unhappy turn due to the drought since 28th September 1966. Kharif crops on lighter as well as on rich soils suffered heavily due to want of adequate moisture. The rains re-appeared in the middle of November, 1966 but had adverse effect on the kharif crops. The full grown-up jowar plants fell down and the grains were spoiled. This year also Government declared scarcity conditions in 390 villages in the district. The year 1967-68 showed some signs of prosperity till the germination of kharif crops. However, the months of August and September (1967) witnessed long breaks in rains. Whatever rainfall was received was also unevenly distributed. There was drought in October 1967 and the dry spell had adverse effect on crops on lighter soils. Due to erratic nature of rainfall from August to the end of November 1967 crops suffered heavily, cotton and jowar being the important kharif crops among the victims. However, Government did not declare scarcity conditions in 1967-68.

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