ECONOMIC TRENDS

GROUP II

This group comprised families with an annual income of between Rs. 1,800 and Rs. 4,200. The accommodation of the urbanites in the families was generally decent though small. The tenements were mostly kept clean and neat. Many of the families had a radio-set and a fan. Their premises were generally well-ventilated. The people in this group used quality cloth for their clothes which generally were stitched to their liking. However, they did not have many pairs of dresses inclusive of ceremonial wear. The percentage of literacy among them was very high.

A family in the group was composed of 3 adults and 2 minors making a total of 4 units. Almost every family had one earning member though 20 per cent of the families had more than one earning member. Many of them owned landed property, houses and some other property. The average annual income of a family from all sources came to Rs. 3,000.

The average expenditure of a family on food items per month, came to about Rs. 110 comprising cereals and pulses, Rs. 55; ghee and oils, Rs. 20; vegetables, mutton and eggs, Rs. 15 and milk Rs. 20. Of the remaining monthly expenditure, about Rs. 4 were spent on lighting, Rs. 25 on domestic services, Rs. 10 each on education and entertainment and Rs. 15 on rent, and house taxes and repairs.

The family spent annually about Rs. 360 on clothing, Rs. 96 on religious and charitable items, Rs. 168 on medical relief and! Rs. 240 on travelling and other miscellaneous items.

Their household equipment consisted of brass and copper utensils. However the use of stainless steel, was also common. Only a few possessed silver articles. However the silver articles were not of daily use but were used occasionally on ceremonial days and consisted of such items as, attardani, gulabdani, etc. Their bedding generally comprised beds, chaddar, pillows, etc., and the number of beddings was just enough to meet the requirements of the family. Generally they had a few items of good crockery. Many had radio-sets, fans and bicycles. The family possessed gold ornaments made on some auspicious occasion like, marriage and thread ceremony. They had very few sets of costly apparel, such as, shalus and paithanis. As has been mentioned earlier, the level of literacy as also of education was very high in this group. The families in this group, particularly in urban areas, were health conscious and availed themselves of medical facilities. They also spent considerably on religious and charitable items, and most of their travelling was due to attending fairs and festivals and for the fulfilment of social obligations.

The average expenditure on food items of a family in this group represented represented about 45 per cent of both their income as also of their expenditure.

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