MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS

FLOUR MILLING

Flour milling provided employment to 2,006 persons which included bakers and beverage workers according to 1961 Census.

Flour milling is one of the occupations that have sprung up recently with the advancement of mechanical appliances. The grinding wheels have been replaced by flour mills operated either on electricity or on some other energy. Flour mills have come to be established in almost every village or at least for a group of two to three villages. With the advent of flour mills the sight of womenfolk in rural areas grinding corn on the wheel in the early hours of the dawn and singing owis in a sweet voice has practically disappeared.

A survey of seven flour mills was conducted in the district.

The tools required for the flour mills consist of electric motors, oil engines, grinders, balances and other minor tools and equipment costing between Rs. 6,000 and Rs. 8,000. The repairing charges vary between Rs. 300 and Rs. 500 per annum. The capital invested by almost all the flour mills was more than Rs. 5,000 per unit. The working capital varied between Rs. 120 and Rs. 300 per month depending upon the work load of each unit. In most of the cases the occupation was not a hereditary one.

Of the seven units surveyed only two employed one. worker each. The worker was paid about Rs. 60 per month as wages. Almost all the units were located in rented premises, paying a rent of about Rs. 30 to Rs. 40 per month. Another item of expenditure was electric power on which the expenditure varied between Rs. 200 and Rs. 300 per month in case of a big establishment and Rs. 100 and Rs. 150 per month in case of small establishment depending upon the work load of each unit. The daily net earnings of a unit varied from Rs. 10 to Rs. 20.

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