Karnataka: land of nature’s beauty and bounty

Dr. C M Francis

Karnataka incorporates the erstwhile princely state of Mysore and the adjacent speaking regions. It is the eighth largest state in in terms of area and population.

Karnataka is the land of sandalwood and spices, coffee and cedar, ebony and elephant and gold. It is a land of mountains and beaches, ancient monuments, palaces and temples. It has an abundant and varied wildlife. It is a land with rich culture.

Karnataka has become an important industrial, economic and educational centre in modern India. The leisurely and graceful life of the former princely state of Mysore has been giving way to industrialization and urbanization, with the attendant problems of pollution, housing and water shortage and environmental degradation. Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It is anticipated that the Bangalore agglomeration will soon be one of the mega-cities ranking thirty second in the world in the matter of population.

1. POPULATION (1991 CENSUS) Total : 44,977,000 Males : 22,952,000 Females : 22,025,000 Sex ratio: 960, has shown an adverse decrease in the last decade.

1.1 URBANISATION

Percentage all India average Urban: 13,908,000 30.92% 25.71% Rural: 31,069,000 69.08% 74.29%

The degree of urbanization is greater than the all India average.

RATE OF GROWTH OF POPULATION (DECADE) 1951 : 1961 : 21.57% 1971 : 24.22% 1981 : 26.75% 1991 : 20.66%

There is noticeable reduction in the rate of growth, but it is still very large.

2. RIVERS

2.1 EAST FLOWING

Krishna river basin with bhima, Dudhganga, Tungabhadra, Hiranyakeshi, Ghataprabha and Malaprabha are the main tributaries.

Cauvery has the following major tributaries: Hemavati, Kabini, Harangi, Arkavati and Shimsha.

Pennai-Palan basin is relatively small. Manjira and karanja, tributaries of Godawari also flow through Karnataka.

2.2 WEST FLOWING (INTO THE ARABIAN SEA)

The Sharavathi, the kalindadi, the nethravathi, the Varahi, the Bedthi, the Aghanasini.

3. RAINFALL

Average in 1990-91: 1062 mm, more in the Western Ghats. 71 blocks have drought prone area programmes.

4. FORESTS

A major determinant of the economy of Karnataka is the forest. The forests of Malnad region are rich in teak, sandalwood and bamboo. Oil processed from sandalwood is a leading export. 38,000 sq.km (15%) are covered by forests; of this 21,000 sq.km are along the western Ghats.

There has been a large scale degradation of forests.

5. ACCESSIBILITY OF VILLAGES

There has been steady improvement in providing roads to villages. But there are some villages which are still not accessible by roads.

Villages not connected by any road. 1985-86 : 287 1987-88 : 224 1989-90 : 208 1991-92 : 199

Area : 1,91,797 sq.km.

Boundaries West : Arabian Sea, State of Goa, part of Maharashtra South : Kerala, Tamil Nadu East : Andhra Pradesh North : Maharashtra

6. LANGUAGE

Kannada is the mother tongue of 65.7 percent of the population. Tulu and Konkoni are the mother tongues of Dakshina Kannada. Konkoni is the mother tongue of 22% of the population of . Kodava is the mother tongue of 28% of the people of Kodagu. Telugu speaking people form 52% in the District of Kolar; there are considerable numbers of people speaking Telugu in Bangalore, Chitradurga, Tumkur and the districts bordering Andhra Pradesh. Marathi is spoken in Belgaum (21%), Bidar (19%) and Uttara Kannada. Malayalam is the mother tongue of 22.9% of the people in Kodagu and 12.9% of the people in Dakshina Kannada. Tamil speaking population is largely in Bangalore (16%), Kolar (9%) and Mysore (5%). Urdu speaking population constitutes about 10-14% distributed in all the districts. A mixture of Hindi and urdu is often used in business.

7. REGIONS

Karnataka is situated in the Western part of the Deccan Peninsula of India. It has four regions:

Coastal: Narrow coastal plain between the Western Ghat’s edge and the Arabian sea, stretching from Karwar to , about 32 km in width and 300 km in length. Malnad: This is the hilly region of the western Ghat, parallel to the sea coast. Northern plain: The North interior. Southern plain: The South interior.

There are many lofty hills and peaks ranging from 1300 metres to 1500 metres in height.

8. LITERACY RATE

While there has been improvement in the literacy rate, it is still far behind the desirable 1981 : 38% 1991 : 56% The rural-urban difference is very marked. Rural : 48% Urban : 74% The female literacy continues to be low. Female : 44% Males : 67% Literacy among the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes is very low. Scheduled Caste : 16 Scheduled Tribes : 4

9. PER CAPITA INCOME

At current prices (1992-1993), the per capita income is Rs. 5.555/- (all India average: 5529). At 1980-81 prices, it is Rs. 2,171.

Net state Domestic Product In crores of rupees At current prices : 22,435 At 1980-81 prices : 9,940

Percentage of population below poverty line (1987-88) Karnataka : 31.88 All India : 29.23

These estimates seem to be low as the All-India figure is now accepted as 40.9%

10. AGRICULTURE

80 percent of the population is engaged in agriculture. The coastal areas grow rice as a food crop. Next to rice are jowar and ragi. The main cash crop is sugarcane. Cashew, cardamom and grapes are the other cash crops. Coffee and tea plantations thrive in the Western Ghats. The black soil of the north west is suitable for the cultivation of cotton, oil seeds and peanuts.

Rubber, bananas and oranges are also grown.

The main seasons are the Kharif and Rabi seasons. There is also a summer season.

Area cropped (1997-1992) (in hectares) Food crops : 7,190,000 Oil seeds : 2,181,000 Cash crops : 924,000 Plantation : 339,000 Others : 1,759,000 Total : 12,393,000 Cereals : 5,431,000 Cereals + Pulses : 7,190,000

11. AREA UNDER TOBACCO CULTIVATION

In spite of our knowledge of the health hazards of tobacco whether smoked, chewed or used otherwise, the area under tobacco cultivation has increased.

BASIC DEMOGRAPHIC INDICATORS FOR KARNATAKA AND INDIA, 1981-1992 Index Karnataka India Population (1991) 44,977,201 846,302,688 Percent population increase (1981-91) 21.1 23.9 Density (population /Km2) (1991) 235 273 Percent (urban) (1991) 30.9 26.1 Sex ratio (1991) 960 927 Percent 0-14 years old (1981) 39.5 39.6 (1991) 35.5 36.3 Percent 65+ years old (1981) 3.9 3.8 (1991) 4.1 3.9 Percent Scheduled caste (1991) 16.4 16.7 Percent scheduled tribe (1991) 4.3 8.0 Percent Literate (1991) Male 67.3 64.1 Female 44.3 39.3 Total 56.0 52.2 Crude birth rate (1992)1 26.2 29.0 Crude death rate (1992)1 8.5 10.0 Exponential growth rate (1981-91) 1.92 2.14 Total fertility rate (1991) 3.1 3.6 Infant mortality rate (1992) 73 79 Life expectancy (1986-91) Male 62.1 58.1 Female 63.3 59.1

1 provisional Source: Office of the Registrar General (1992, 1993, 1994). Office of the Registrar General and Census commissioner (1987, 1992). Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (1991, 1992)

1991-92 : 53,000 HECTARES 1992-93 : 58,000 Hectares

The production of tobacco cultivation has also increased.

1991-92 : 44,000 1992-93 : 52,000

12. INDUSTRIES

Most of the industrial activity is clustered in and around Bangalore. Among the industries are the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (aircraft), Hindustan machine Tools Ltd. (sophisticated machine equipment) and Indian Telephone Industries (telephones). These are major government of India understakings.

Viswesvarya Iron and Steel Ltd., Bhadravati and The Kudremukh Iron Ore project are other major industries. Gold is mined from the region of the Kolar Gold Fields.

Karnataka produces chromite and magnetite.

A flourishing industry is sericulture. Mysore and Bangalore are well known for the silk industry.

Other industries include cotton milling, sugar processing and the manufacture of textiles.

13. REVENUE DIVISIONS

Number of revenue divisions : 4 Number of districts : 20 Number of subdivisions : 49 Number of taluks : 175 Number of towns and cities : 254

14. TOURIST CENTRES

Mysore the former seat f the Maharajahs, Srirangapatnam the capital of Tipu Sultan, Krishnaraja Sagar Dam and Brindavan Gardens are famous tourist centres.

Bandipur wild life sanctuary, 80 km south of Mysore, has abundant wild life.

Belur was the flourishing capital of the Hoysala Empire. Sravanabelagola with the 18 metre statue of Gomateswara is a Jain pilgrim centre.

Gerusoppa (Jog falls) is famous for its beauty

TABLE: 1 DISTRICTS: POPULATION POPULATION 1991 (‘000) Sl. No. District Males & Scheduled Scheduled Females Castes Tribes 1. BANGALORE 4839 712 54 2. BANGALORE (R) 1673 327 49 3. BELGAUM 3584 407 83 4. BELLARY 1890 385 167 5. BIDAR 1258 269 104 6. BIJAPUR 2928 510 40 7. CHICKMAGALUR 1017 196 27 8. CHITRADURGA 2180 433 318 9. DAKSHINA KANNADA 2694 176 106 10. DHARWAD 3503 410 105 11. GULBARGA 2582 611 107 12. HASSAN 1570 273 17 13. KODAGU 489 59 40 14. KOLAR 2217 570 153 15. MANDYA 1644 227 12 16. MYSORE 3165 598 102 17. RAICHUR 2310 398 180 18. SHIMOGA 1910 338 74 19. TUMKUR 2306 409 168 20. UTTARA KANNADA 1220 92 10 Total 44977 7371 1916

Source: Karnataka at a glance 1992-93, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Karnataka

DISTRICT: GROWTH RATE AND SEX RATIO Sl. No. District Growth Rate Sex Ratio 1991 (percentage) 1981- 1991 1. BANGALORE 38 903 2. BANGALORE (R) 15 945 3. BELGAUM 18 954 4. BELLARY 27 965 5. BIDAR 26 952 6. BIJAPUR 21 964 7. CHICKMAGALUR 12 977 8. CHITRADURGA 23 944 9. DAKSHINA KANNADA 13 1063 10. DHARWAD 19 944 11. GULBARGA 24 962 12. HASSAN 15 999 13. KODAGU 5 979 14. KOLAR 16 965 15. MANDYA 16 963 16. MYSORE 22 953 17. RAICHUR 29 979 18. SHIMOGA 15 960 19. TUMKUR 16 959 20. UTTARA KANNADA 13 966 Total 21 960

Source: Karnataka at a glance 1992-93, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Karnataka

TABLE 3 EDUCATION Literacy rate (%) 1991 Census (+) Sl. District Males Females Total No. 1. BANGALORE 82.94 68.81 76.27 2. BANGALORE (R) 61.51 38.15 50.17 3. BELGAUM 66.65 38.69 53.00 4. BELLARY 58.71 31.97 45.57 5. BIDAR 58.97 30.53 45.11 6. BIJAPUR 69.69 40.06 55.13 7. CHICKMAGALUR 70.56 51.31 61.05 8. CHITRADURGA 66.88 43.36 55.48 9. DAKSHINA KANNADA 84.40 67.96 75.86 10. DHARWAD 71.37 45.20 58.68 11. GULBARGA 52.08 24.49 38.54 12. HASSAN 68.87 44.90 56.85 13. KODAGU 75.35 61.22 68.35 14. KOLAR 62.69 37.75 50.45 15. MANDYA 59.18 36.70 48.15 16. MYSORE 56.23 37.95 47.32 17. RAICHUR 49.53 22.15 35.96 18. SHIMOGA 71.24 51.42 61.53 19. TUMKUR 66.49 41.93 54.48 20. UTTARA KANNADA 76.39 56.77 66.73 Total 67.26 44.34 56.04 (+) Excluding 0-6 Age Group Population Source: Karnataka at a glance 1992-93, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Karnataka

TABLE 4 DISTRICT: WORKERS Population 1991 (‘000) Workers Density (Per Sq. Km) Sl. No. District Main Marginal 1991 1. BANGALORE 1638 22 3181 2210 2. BANGALORE (R) 623 97 954 288 3. BELGAUM 1341 177 3066 267 4. BELLARY 810 43 1037 191 5. BIDAR 467 34 755 231 6. BIJAPUR 1110 109 1709 172 7. CHICKMAGALUR 412 45 560 141 8. CHITRADURGA 844 95 1242 201 9. DAKSHINA 1112 50 1531 319 KANNADA 10. DHARWAD 1350 126 2027 255 11. GULBARGA 1040 72 1470 159 12. HASSAN 590 105 875 230 13. KODAGU 220 10 258 119 14. KOLAR 882 81 1254 270 15. MANDYA 636 96 913 331 16. MYSORE 1183 89 1893 265 17. RAICHUR 971 55 1284 165 18. SHIMOGA 721 60 1129 181 19. TUMKUR 916 183 1206 218 20. UTTARA 429 44 747 119 KANNADA Total 17293 1593 26091 235 Source: Karnataka at a glance 1992-93, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Karnataka

TABLE: 5 DISTRICT: PER CAPITA INCOME Per Capita Income (Rs) 1990-1991 Sl. No. District At Current Prices At Constant Prices (1980-81) 1. BANGALORE 6832 3255 2. BANGALORE (R) 3. BELGAUM 4585 2131 4. BELLARY 4618 2024 5. BIDAR 3220 1595 6. BIJAPUR 3784 1632 7. CHICKMAGALUR 6768 2361 8. CHITRADURGA 4035 1795 9. DAKSHINA KANNADA 5350 2392 10. DHARWAD 3695 1609 11. GULBARGA 4223 1799 12. HASSAN 3842 1638 13. KODAGU 10583 3684 14. KOLAR 3276 1373 15. MANDYA 3865 1832 16. MYSORE 4240 1837 17. RAICHUR 3483 1524 18. SHIMOGA 4682 2185 19. TUMKUR 3648 1601 20. UTTARA KANNADA 4909 1974 Total 4631 2055

Source: Karnataka at a glance 1992-93, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Karnataka