Chapter - 2 District: A Profile This chapter deals with the profile of Dhar District, area of the present research. It incorporates the detailed description regarding topography, climate, flora, fauna, people, their culture, religion, social and economic aspects, infrastructure and various development interventions of the district. For a comprehensive understanding of the study area the data has been compared with the other districts of the region. These districts are -

Jhabua, and West (). The present chapter has been divided in two main part - 1. Physical features and 2. Socio-economic features.

2.1 PHYSICAL FEATURES

2.1.1 Location

Dhar district is situated in South - Western part of Madhya

Pradesh. It lies between the parallels of 22° 1' 14" and 23° 9' 49" North and meridians of 74° 28' 27" and 75° 42' 43" East. In shape it resembles

[44] an irregular pentagon. The district is bounded by Ratlam and districts in the North, in the South and by Khargone (West Nimar) in the South - East. lies to the East and North - East of the district and to the West. Map 2.1 shows the location of Dhar District in

Madhya Pradesh and Map 2.2 shows the Dhar District in general.

2.1.2 Topography

The district extends over three physiographic divisions. They are the plateau in the north, the Vindhyachal range in the central zone and the Narmada Valley along the southern boundary. However the valley is again closed up by the hills in the southwestern part. Map 2.3 shows the physical features of Dhar District.

2.1.3 The Vindhyachal Range

A part of the Vindhyas (range) extends in the District in a crescentic belt generally from southeast to northwest. The range is represented by a strip of hilly area five to ten kilometers in width. It is about five kilometer wide near village Dani near the southeastern boundary. Near Mogroba in the centre it is about ten kilometres further widening to twenty kilometres west of Tanda. To the west of Bagh and the range stands disconnected by the valleys of the Esai and Hatni.

|45] Map 2.1: Location of Dhar District in

Madhya Pradesh (District Map)

Rajasthan

Chhattisgarh

Map net to Scale

^^ State Boundary -^— District Boundaty ® State Capital • Distcict Headquarter

[46] Map 2.2: Dhar District in General

Dhar N (Madhya Pradesh) Vv - "^^'^ Ujjain I

KodO BafKiandalo O Bidwal V^ Da*, gaon \^-^ OKesul "' Rajgarh P^saiQ -Qardawad ^ mSardarpur ' Jhabua RargnodxJ ^ndhcn ^ ^

-AOBagii Behaid3' Q - J O "*^" ; Nimkhera Nalchap ndto Scale r—^ ?L BaKvari i r.'andiJ(? District Boundaiy River National Highway State Highway Singhana ">o-.^harmapuri Kha'ighat Road — Bakaro?"^ ,,^^ O f Railway Track Chika da —^' i'^ ^ West Tiekkmg Routes

[47] Map 2.3: Physical features of Dhar District

TTtEHS (Mf>

[48] It restarts along the Narmada in the southwest. The northern spur forms the boundary between the tehsil and .

Another spur extends towards Jhabua in the northwest. The great

Vindhyachai range extends generally from west to east and scraps at most of its length towards the south.

In Dhar also the southward escarps are well marked, the wall rising from 400 to 600 meters. However, in the western part their faces have been eroded back into long and deep rugged valleys of the tributaries of Narmada.

In fact the strong currents of the small streams on the steep southern side have cut back at their heads. As a result of this now the numerous streams of the Narmada valley find their sources on the Malwa plateau.

In the eastern and central parts of the Vindhyachai in Dhar the main hill range is continuous but in the west it is dissected by deep channels of the rivulets. The range slopes towards the north and gradually meets the

Malwa plateau. Numerous spurs also extend over the Malwa Plateau in the north. The highest peak of the district, Magraba (751.03 meters) lies in the central part. Nilkanth (702.26 meters) lies further east and the

Shikarpura hill rises up to 698.91 meters. The famous historical fort of

Mandogarh towers the flat topped hill above 600 meters, from the mean sea level.

149] 2.1.4 The Malwa Plateau

The northern half of the district lies on the Malwa Plateau. It covers the northern parts of Dhar, Sardarpur and tehsils. The average elevation of the plateau is 500 meters above the mean sea level. The land is undulating with a few scattered flat topped hills roughly aligned between the valleys from south to north. The general slope is towards the north.

The valleys are covered with the black cotton soil of varying thickness, mostly adopted for cultivation. The mounds may bear gravels or the underlain sandstone rocks may have been exposed. The plateau covers an area of about 466,196.83 hectares in the district.

2.1.5 The Narmada Valley

Below the Vindhyan Scarps lies the narrow valley of the Narmada. It occupies the southern part of the district in tehsil and the southeastern part of Kukshi tehsil. The width of the valley is 15 to 30 kms. The elevation varies from 275 meters in the northern part of Manawar tehsil to 150 meters in the low plain of Nisarpur in the southwest. To the east between and Bakaner the valley is undulating, wider, more open and fertile with the alluvial cover. Proceeding westwards the valley is studded with hills alternatively cut up by numerous streams which join the Narmada along the southern boundary of the District. The result is that there are few stretches and pockets of alluvium land along the streams.

[50] 2.1.6 The Rivers

The southern part of the district lies in the catchment area of the

Narmada which forms the southern boundary. The northeastern part is drained by the Chambal and its tributaries. It forms the catchment area of the Ganga. The northwestern part drains into the Mahi. The water dividing line between the Narmada and the Chambal is marked by the northern fringe of the Vindhyachal range. The waters of the Chambal and the Mahi are separated by the offshoot range which runs along the Sardarpur-Jhabua boundary. Chambal is the most important river of Malwa region which flows through . Initially it has a north westerly course and flows through Dhar District for 17 kilometer separating the Sagar projection in the east. The river then turns to the north and forms the eastern boundary for about 10 kilometres. The river further flows into

Ujjain, Ratlam, and districts of Madhya Pradesh while forming the northern boundary of Division. The river then turns into a tributary of Yamuna.

The Mahi river flows from the northern slopes of the Gomampur hills

in Sardarpur tehsils. It flows due north and forms the northwestern

boundary of Sardarpur tehsil. The river is joined by the Bageri Nala from the right before it leaves the District. Thence it takes a northwesterly course

in . After crossing the District of the

river takes an acute turn towards the southwest and enters into the Bay of

Khambhat. [51] The other rivers in the district are Karam, Man, Wagh and Uri. These rivers join the Narmada in their later stages.

2.1.7 Minerals

The limestones found usually in the district are nodular and coralline limestones. These are used for lime-burning. The slabs of gneisses are used in the construction of houses, lining of the wall, etc. The trap rock is best suited for road metal and is extensively used in the area. At places limestones, like the trap rock, are also used for the same purpose.

Occurrences of zeolites (mostly stibite type) and semi precious stones like agate, chalcedony, opal, amethyst, and other forms of silica are sporadic.

The zeolites find use in water-softening and petroleum refineries, etc.

The crypto-crystalline forms of sillica are mostly used in jewelry and interior decoration. Iron ore in the form of irregular masses of breccia, with matrix of brown haematite, are found at Bag and west of Indwan.

Ground water occurs mostly in the weathered mantle and very insignificantly along the rifts, grains, and the horizontal joints. Thicker the weathered mantle and coarser the underlying boundary horizon of sheared gneisses and granites, richer is the groundwater potential. The yield from an individual well is 1000 gallons generally but never exceeding

5000 gallons per day.

[52] 2.1.8 Climate

The average annual rainfall in the district is 897.4 mm. The southern and southeastern part of the district gets less rainfall than elsewhere but in the southern parts in the region of Mandu rainfall is very much higher. The rainfall varies from 696.2 mm. to 1217.8 mm. About 91 per cent of the annual rainfall in the district is received during the southwest monsoon season, July being the rainiest month. The variation in the annual rainfall from year to year in the district is large. In the 50 year period, 1901 to 1950, the highest annual rainfall amounting to 153 per cent of the normal occurred in 1919. The lowest annual rainfall which was only 39 per cent of the normal occurred in 1911. In these 50 years the annual rainfall in the district was less than 80 per cent of the normal in 14 years.

2.1.9 Temperature and Humidity

There is no meteorological observatory in the District. The description which follows is mainly based on the records of the observatories in the neighbouring districts where the climatic conditions are similar to those in the district.

After February there is steady increase in temperatures. May is the hottest month with the mean reaching daily maximum at about 40° C. The days are very hot during the summer with the maximum temperature which

[53] on individual days sometimes rises upto about 44° or 45° C. January is generally the coldest month with the mean daily maximum at about 27° C, and the mean daily minimum at about 10° C. Cold waves affect the district in the area of passing western disturbances across northern and the minimum temperature may drop down occasionally to about the freezing point of water.

The atmosphere is generally dry over the district. The driest part of the year is the summer season when relative humidity is often less than 20 per cent.

2.2 Flora

Apart from the village forests, there are 901.786 sq.kms. of reserved and 377.92 sq.km. of protected forest in the district. The reserved and protected forests are government forests under the state forest department, of which the former are well demarcated and better managed.

Concessions or public rights are denied in the reserved forests whereas

Nistar rights are allowed, with the permission of the Department, in the protected forests. The main characteristics of forest in Dhar District is that they are composed of a large number of moist species. It is usually predominated by the teak {Tectona grandis) except on the hills under limestones and quartz, or on hard lateritic and shallow soils, the condition for the predominance of salai^ and anjan, respectively. In most parts of the forests in Dhar District. There are three storeys of the tree canopy.

|54] The scrubs, herbs and grasses abound where the top canopy and the middle canopy are open due to adverse growing.

According to Sir Harry Champion's classification modified by V.K.

Seth the forests in Dhar district are southern Tropical Dry Deciduous forests. Ecologically these are subdivided into the following sub-types and edaphic sub-types :

1. Dry Teak Forests - a. Dry Teak Forests b. Very Dry Teak Forests 2. Dry Mixed Forests - a. General Mixed forests b. Salai forests c. Anjan forests d. Scrub forests.

2.2.1 Dry Teak Forests

Dry teak forests are classed with the proportion of teak being 20 per cent or above in the crop. These forests are found on the middle and lower slopes of the Vindhyan scarp on the mixed black and sandy granitic soil.

It occurs extensively on the eastern and northern slopes of Bagh, Sardarpur,

Dhamnod and Manawar ranges. They occupy about 331.85 sq.km. in the alluvial parts of valleys of the Kunj, the Man, Karam, Wagh and Keshwi.

This is the principal vegetation of the area stabilised by the reduction of the vagaries due to grazing and fires. Over the rich and deeper alluvial mantle and sandy loam with minimum biotic interference a more moist type is found in the shattered valleys of Kalghat, Kheri, Kua, Khirkiyan,

155] Ajnai and Parbatipura. In such areas the top canopy is usually filled up by teak as well with an increased number of other species.

2.2.2 Very Dry Teak Forests

Under very dry conditions, scanty cover of infertile and crystalline rock soils, a very poor quality of teak forests is found on the upper contours of the

Vindhyan scraps. The percentage of the teak decreases with the increase of dry deciduous species like, Salai, Dhava, Baja, Aonla, Reunjha, Moyan, etc.

An increase in the shrubs, herbs, grasses and climbers is clearly marked.

2.2.3 Mixed Forests

The mixed forests vary from the general type with the admixture of a large number of species to dry types like that of salai and the maltreated areas of scrubs and grasses. These occur over very undulating topography over Nimar sandstone and quartzites. They occupy the southwestern part of the District and stray hills south of the scarps Mostly in degraded conditions the over wood and underwood are hardly distinguishable.

Among the associates salai, anjun roham, dhaora, saj and chloroxylon swietenia are most widespread.

2.2.4 Salai Forests

The edaphic subtype of the dry deciduous Mixed Forest is found over the dry hills and ridges of Jamli, Neemkheda, Manasamal and mian panad forest blocks. Salai occurs to over 50 per cent of the crop on the limestone

[56] corralline limestone and quartz. It is seen some times over shales. The regeneration is plentiful by root-suckers but the trees are not very well grown.

They grow to about 10 meters in height and one meter in girth. At places it has very clearly come up as the residual form of vegetation after the general maltreatment by men and selective exploitation of other species. Repeated fires have added to this trend . The common associates in the edaphic sub­ type are salor moyan dhawa, khair, gadba and in standard form; teak.

2.2.5 Anjan Forests

Anjan forests are found in some of the maltreated areas of Dry Deciduous forests. They occupy the western portion of Vindhyan scarps and area between the Narmada and Bagh. The country is typified by poor soil on hard murram and laterite aeration and drainage. Anjan is seen in green leaves all the problematic regeneration has left it in to poor conditions. The forest is open with dimensions of trees 10 meter in height and one meter in girth.

2.2.6 Dry Deciduous Scrub Forests

The scrub forests are confined to the immediate slopes of Malwa plateau from Mander to Bamanpuri and Panara blocks. The denuded ground and dry and shallow soil under the stemmed and crooked stock of babul, pilu, chandar, bel, hingan, sindi, etc. indicate that these have been converted to the present stage from Dry Teak Forests. The soil is generally

lateritic invaded by thorny spices like ber, thuar, nagphani.

[57] 2.3 Fauna

The condition of wild life, as everywhere in the region, is in danger of extinction of several species. If during the state time wild animals were meant only to be haunted by the ruler or a privileged few after formation of the position completely reversed. This led to indiscriminate slaughter of these animals and in less than 10 years time, they were hounded over. At present except a few varieties of deer, blue bulls, panthers and few tigers wild life is a rarity. Among the primates the common are monkey (Macacus sinicus) and langur (Semnopithecus entellus). Langur, the red faced monkey is rare as the local Bhil people do not spare them with in the lust for meat. Among the carnivorous Tiger and Panthers are rarely found where as the occurrence of Jarak or hyanea

(Hyaena striatea), lomdi (Canis aurens), wolf (canis pallikes) and

Porcupines (Hystrix species) is spontaneous. Among the Herbivorous nilgei

(Boselaphus tragocamelus), wild pigs (sus cristatus) and Kala hiran or

Bhedki {cervus muntijak - barking dear) are common.

2.4 GENERAL FEATURES

According to the statistical booklet of Dhar, the district has a population of 17,40,577 in the year 2001. The district thus ranked twenty third in descending order of population. With 2.88 per cent of the population of Madhya Pradesh, the district registered a growth rate of 27.29 per cent during the decade 1991-01 which was 2.01 per cent less during the decade

[58] 1981-91. The area of the district is 8153 sq.km., comprising 8099.3 sq.km. of rural and 53.7 sq.km. of urban areas. The area of the district is 1.84 per cent of the states area. The district is predominantly tribal. The population of Scheduled Tribe is 53.5 per cent whereas the population of the

Scheduled Caste is only 6.9 per cent (1991 figures). The urban population is 16.55 per cent of the total population. It registered 3.45 percent increase from the previous decade. Dhar is one of the most tribal dominated districts of Madhya Pradesh. It comes in the fifth position after Jhabua, Bastar,

Mandla and Sarguja districts (Annexure 2B) but after the formation of

Chattisgarh State, Dhar has attained third position. The density of population per sq. km. has increased from 168 in 1991 to 213 in 2001. In the following table the population statistics of Dhar district is shown :

Table 2.1: Population Statistics of Dhar District

Year 1991 2001 Population 1367412 1740577 Share of M.P. population 2.07 % 2.88 %

Urban population 179130 (13.1 %) 288235 (16.55%) Population of SC 94351 (6.9%) — Population of ST 731565 (53.5%) — Decadal Growth Rate (81-91) 29.3 % (81-91) 27.29% (91-01) Density of Popn. (per Sq.Km.) 168 213 Source: The Madhya Pradesh Human Development Report, 1998, p. 122 and www.censusofindia.com, for 2001 data. The district is divided into seven tehsils and 13 development blocks

[59] (DB). The description of population, geographical area, inhabited villages and all three level of panchayats in all the 13 development blocks is depicted in the following table -

Table 2.2: General Information about the District, 2002

Tehsil / DB Population IV GP JP ZP GA* District Dhar 1367412 487 676 13 1 8153 1.Tehsil Dhar 312411 437 148 3 1 1926 DB Dhar 71573 97 42 1 579 Tirla 56163 140 38 1 534 Nalcha 113449 200 68 - 784 2.Tehsil Kukshi 293380 258 154 4 - 1716 DB Kukshi 58694 48 34 - 343 Bagh 69535 90 47 - 251 Dehi 77893 62 41 - 482 Nisarpur 60900 58 32 - 353 3.Tehsil Badnawar 154121 164 80 - 1041 DB Badnawar 138978 164 80 - 1038 4.Tehsil Manawar 205532 198 111 2 - 1049 DB Manawar 95953 95 60 - 555 Umarban 89256 103 51 - 479 5.Tehsil Sardarpur 184943 188 81 - 1285 DB Sardarpur 168050 188 81 - 1280 6.Tehsil Gandhwani 98568 144 62 - 736 DB Gandhwani 98568 144 62 - 736 7.Tehsil 118457 98 40 - 446 DB Dharampuri 88690 98 40 - 429 *1V-Inhabited Village, GP-Gram Panchayat, JP-Janpad Panchayat, ZP-Zanpad Panchayat, GA-Geographical Area Source: Office of District Central Cooperative Bank, Dhar, 2002

Total number of inhabited villages in 1991 is 1486 and the total habitations are 3152. The towns in the district as per class 1 to IV are 9.

The Human Development Index^ of Dhar is 0.537 and its rank in Madhya

[60] Pradesh is 16. The Gender Related Development Index^ (GDI) is 0.606 and its rank in Madhya Pradesh is 14. The human Development Index of

Dhar in comparison with other districts of Western Tribal areas is given in the following table :

Table 2.3: Status of HDI/GDI

Dhar Jhabua Ratlam West Nimar HDI 0.537 0.356 0.553 0.401 Rank in M.P. 16 45 11 44 GDI 0.606 0.521 0.601 0.587 Rank in M.P. 14 39 16 23

Source: The Madhya Pradesh Human Development Report, 1998, pp.122, 138, 160, 1!

2.4.1 Basic Amenities

In Dhar district the nature of houses occupied are mostly semi-pucca.

61.7 per cent houses are of this nature. 32.5 per cent avQ pucca and the rest 5.8 per cent houses are of kutchha nature. The rate of overcrowding'' is 52.9 per cent and none of the population resides in slums. There were

7.5 high schools per lakh population where as the number of middle schools were 23.7 per lakh population 1996. The population per post office was

7093 in 1993-94. There were 6.95 banks per lakh population in 1996 which was highest among all the districts of western tribal belt. 58.5 per cent villages were fully covered with drinking water facility whereas 41.5 per cent of villages were partially covered. The communication network in the form of telephones was found weak in the overall districts of western

[61] tribal belt leaving Ratlam which has slightly higher per cent than their neighbouring districts. The number of telephone connections in Dhar district given till 1993-94 were 687 per lakh population against the state average of 6180.

The condition of villages having electricity was found comparatively better in western tribal belt of M.P. 99.70 per cent of villages in Dhar district were electrified. This per cent was higher than the overall state per cent of 93.8. The length of metal roads per 100 sq.km was again comparatively better than the state per cent. It was 22.90 kms per 100 sq.km in the district against the average of 19 kms per 100 sq.km in the state. The number of primary health center per lakh population was 3.9 against the state average of 3 (Table 2.4).

Table 2.4 : Habitat / Infrastructure / Facilities

Habitat / Infrastructure / Facilities Dhar Jhabua Ratlam WN M.P. Per cent of Pucca houses occupied (91)* 32.50 30.00 28.40 23.20 41.61 Per cent of Semipucca houses occupied (91) 61.70 66.20 64.90 71.30 30.95 Per cent of Kutcha houses occupied (91) 5.80 3.80 6.80 5.50 27.44 Rate of overcrowding (91) 52.90 57.30 43.60 54.90 ~ Per cent of town Population residing in slums (91) - ~ 5.35 10.62 NA No. of Middle Schools per lakh population (96) 23.70 18.00 29.00 20.10 25.09 No. of High Schools per lakh population (96) 7.50 5.00 10.00 5.90 8.47 Per cent of Electrified Villages (95-96) 99.70 97.50 100.00 92.50 93.80 Pucca roads in kms per 100 sq.km. (94) 22.90 25.70 16.60 23.20 19.00 No. of banks per lakh population (96) 6.95 4.37 6.65 5.35 NA No. of FHCs per lakh rural population (96) 3.90 3.10 3.70 4.60 3 Fully covered Villages with drinking water facility (97) 58.50 58.50 75.40 44.50 65.2 Telephone per lakh population (93-94) 687 302 1268 549 6180 Population per post office (93-94) 7093 7380 5630 7110 7266 Population Serviced sub health centre (96) 4443 4292 4690 4179 NA * Figures in bracket indicate reference year. Source : The Madhya Pradesh Human Development Report, 1998, p. 123 and M.P. Govt. Diary, 2003. [62] 2.4.2 Land Use Pattern and Agriculture

The principal agricultural seasons in Dhar district are kharif the autumn or rain harvest and rabi, the spring or cold weather harvest. The more important among the crops of the district include jowar, makka or maize, bajra, rice, , thuar, mung and urad, tilli or sesamum, cotton and tobacco all grown in kharif, while wheat, gram, barley, lentil, linseed, mustard and sugarcane are all rabi crops.

The district is predominantly a kharif crop area although in Badnawar and Sardarpur tehsils the area under rabi is higher. Of the crops detailed above, gram, wheat and linseed are three principal rabi corps grown uniformly in the district while among kharif crops, cotton is comparatively more important in Sardarpur after which Manawar and Badnawar tehsil comes. Jowar is more important in Manawar followed by Kukshi and Dhar tehsils. Groundnut occupies proportionately larger area in Kukshi and

Manawar tehsils. In Kukshi and Manawar rainfall being scanty a second crop is rarely sown but whenever it rains sufficiently gram and peas are sown. In Sardarpur, Badnawar and Dhar tehsils after maize, and groundnut, peas and grams are sown.

Dhar district has 61.27 per cent of the net sown area, 16 per cent is forest, 12 per cent land is not available for cultivation, seven per cent is other uncultivated land, 2 per cent is cultivable waste land and one per cent is fallow land. The irrigated area is 147300 hectares whereas the unirrigated area is 353800 ha. The average land holding is 3.7 hectares

[63] and the fertiliser consumption per hectare is 53.4 kg. The cropping intensity in the district is 129 and the per capita forest area is 0.100 sq.km. The annual consumption of per capita cereals is 237.5 kg and the consumption of oil seeds per capita is 114.5kg.

Dhar has larger irrigated area in comparison with other districts of

Western Tribal Belt. The forest cover is also relatively high. These characteristics show Dhar as a tribal zone. At the same time the use of fertilizer in Dhar has shown tendencies of non-tribal areas (Table 2.5).

Table 2.5 : Land Use Pattern and Agriculture

Land Use Pattern and Agriculture Dhar Jhabua Ratlam W.N. M.P. Geographical area (000 ha.) 819.50 675.70 486.50 1348.50 44342.50 Total cropped (000 ha.) 649.30 505.60 474.90 711.20 23807.50 Net area sown (000 ha.) 502.10 360.70 319.50 643.90 19657.10 % of net area sown to geographical area 61.27 53.38 65.67 47.75 44.33 Area sown more than once 147.20 144.90 155.40 67.30 4265.30 % of area sown more than once to net area sown 29.32 40.17 48.64 10.45 21.70 Cropping intensity 129.32 140.17 148.64 110.45 121.12 Per Capita Forest area (in sq. km) 0.10 0.17 0.13 0.24 0.14 Irrigated (OOOha) 147.30 35.40 84.50 164.40 42.85 Unirrigated (OOOha) 353.80 323.00 232.40 464.20 18889.70 Av. land holding (ha) 3.70 2.60 3.00 3.70 2,60 Fertilizer Consumption per ha. (in kg) 53.40 19.50 59.80 54.30 34.00 Per Capita Food Production (in kg.) 275.26 251.33 281.72 207.58 320.10 Consumption of cereals per capita (in kg) 237.50 207.00 208.30 190,50 225.0 Consumption of oil seeds per capita (in kg) 114.50 21.10 83.50 19.90 48.10 Consumption of Pulses per Capita (in kg) 37.70 44.30 73.50 17.10 46.90 Forest 16% 19% 7% 33% 32.10 Land not available for cultivation 12% 17% 14% 9% 9.9% Other Uncultivated land 7% 6% 7% 7% 6.2% Cultivable Waste land 2% 3% 5% 2% 3.4% Fallow Land 1% 2% 1% 1% 3.7% Source: The Madhya Pradesh Human Development Report, 1998, Table No. EL 3, p. 242, EL 9, p. 254.

[641 2.4.3 Employment

The worker participation rate in Dhar district is 46.7 per cent. The share of primary sector is 84.1 per cent which shows the dominance of agriculture in the district. The total employment in farm sector is 84.1 per cent and in nonfarm sector the total employment is 9.4 per cent. Table 2.6 shows the employment data.

Table 2.6 : Employment Status Worker Participation Rate Dhar Jhabua Ratiam W.N. M.P. All 46.7 54.0 46.0 45.9 42.8 Rural 49.0 56.0 53.0 49.0 52.0 Urban 33.0 33.0 30.0 31.0 33.0 Share of primary sector 84.1 90.6 742 84.8 77.5 Share of secondary sector 5.9 2.7 9.1 4.8 8.4 Share of tertiary sector 10.0 6.7 16.7 10.4 14.1 Annua! Employment rate of growth (81-91) 2.51 2.92 2.98 2.65 - Total Employment in Farm sector 84.1 90.4 74.1 84.8 77.5 Total Employment in nonfarm sector 9.4 5.1 7.9 8.0 10.7 Agriculture labour 24.1 5.9 18.1 28.8 23.5 Precarious employment 25.9 12 23.5 31.1 - Cultivators 592 84.1 55.0 54.9 51.8 Children as main workers (5-14yrs) 8.7 152 8.3 9.8 6.0 Children as main and marginal workers (5-14yrs) 11.4 25.5 121 12.6 8.1 Source: The Madhya Pradesh Human Development Report, 1998, p. 123.

Among the districts of western tribal belt the employment in nonfarm sector is highest in Dhar. 59.2 per cent cultivators constitute the major portion of main workers. 24.1 per cent workers are agricultural labourers. 11.4 per cent of the children (5-14 years) work as main and marginal workers and 8.7 per cent of the children work as main workers. The significant non-agricultural operation in

[65] 1981 was manufacturing of food products but in 1991 these occupations were shifted to retail trade in food and food articles, unclassified services, educational services, public administration and defence services, land transport and construction. The occupations with significant growth rate were non-household manufacturing (230 %), construction (184 %), trade and commerce (52 %), transport, storage and communication (77 %) and other services (52 %). The distribution of share of main workers in the district is as follows:

Table 2.7 : Distribution of Share of Main Worker, 1998

Share of Main Workers Dhar District Cultivators 59.2* Agriculture Labour 24.1 Agriculture Allied 0.7 Mining 0.0 Household Manufacturing 1.0 Non-Household Manufacturing 3.8 Construction 1.1 Trade and commerce 3.6 Transportation etc. 1.2 Other Services 5.3 Total 100.0 *all figures are in percentage Source: The Madhya Pradesh Human Development Report, 1998, Table No. EL 1, pp. 236-7.

The primary sector employment in Dhar is as low indeed while it is relatively high in the adjoining areas of Jhabua and West Nimar. Similarly the share of Non - Farm sector in Dhar is twice as much when compared

[66] to Jhabua and is comparable to Madhya Pradesh average. These figures indirectly indicate the diversification of economy despite being predominantly tribal.

After describing the physical features of the district we conclude that such geo-physical features of the region have adversely affected the socio- economy of the people, predominant section of whom are the tribals. The topography of the region has determined the social-economic life, life-styles of the tribals. The region has remained far away from the forces of modernization for long with the result that there are no infrastructural facilities like roads, railways, power-stations. There no or little job opportunities with the result that with the exception of those who get some work for livelihood at the local places out migrate in search of means of livelihood. Thus poverty and its attendant evils are wide spread in the area.

It is only after independence that steps have been taken by the Central and

State Governments to improve the life conditions of these neglected people.

This aspect of the lives of the tribal people of Western belt of Madhya

Pradesh will be discussed in detail at the appropriate stage of the study.

2.5 SOCIO-ECONOMIC FEATURES

2.5.1 Educational Status of Dhar

Literacy denotes the most basic and essential criterion for depicting human development. Literacy rate and mean years of schooling is used by

[67] UNDP as one of its parameters to calculate human development. Recently it has changed the second indicator from mean years of schooling to school enrolment. Literacy rates for the population was calculated as percentage share of all literate in a district over the total population of people above six years of age in the district. Literacy has also been assessed by the

National Literacy Mission groups in districts.

The crude literacy rate of Dhar in 1991 was 34.5 %. The literacy per centage of Scheduled Caste population is 32.3 and the literacy per cent of

Scheduled Tribe population is only 16.2. The whole Dhar district has 100 per cent habitations with primary school. The crude male literacy rate in

1991 was 47.6 % and the crude female literacy rate in 1991 was 20.7 %.

The gap in male and female literacy rate was 2^.9 % and the ratio of male to female literacy was 2:3 ( Table 2.8). However, the provisional statistics of 2001 census show trends of improvement in the literacy levels (Table

2.9). 42.58 per cent of population have been considered literate. Among the literates 53.58 per cent were males and 31.25 per cent were females.

Rural literacy rates were much below than their urban counterpart. In rural area the total literates were 38.47 per cent against 63.25 per cent of urban literates. The rual male literacy is 49.60 per cent and the rural female literacy is 27.01 per cent. The male and female literacy in urban area was comparatively higher having 71.53 per cent male literates and 53.79 per cent female literates.

[68] V E "3 ^ B m ro r-i o O o 2

V & VO rn r- 00 •^ 1—1 "« ,^^ "*• (N •*• (N 1—1 (N (N fN (N (N OS b u ^5 oi 00 t-; in >n rn jj so ro Tt cs r-4 "« >> (N •—1 (N (^ m s (4 1 u a ^ OS 00 00 CN so D. < SO Tf Tf OS OS « (N *—H rs (N (N O

t3 OS r-; so SO rn 00 o 00 (N r-i

>/-i iri ^^ -* O Q. 2 »5 Pi ^ (N (N 1^-1 S uV^ o so •* m 1m til

S •^^ 00 2^ so r<-) O •* •^ ^ =< K so 00 00 00 •* (N •=t in m

r«-) TH p •^ O) 00 OS 0) OS Tf 00 r^ 00 s—• ir\ tn ir% o « -So W so m u o P5 Pi so 00 so OS t^ lo so t-^ OS 15 ^-H r OJ r~- •*•' o\ ro c5 o in Oi ' ' m r<-i m a 1 u — m O o tN (N = OS •"^ < ^ so •* I m '~' rn ^ rf S3

••-» 2 Pi o 5 1 O C/2

[69] Table 2.9: Literacy Rates of Dhar District, 2001

Population Male Female Total

Rural 737160 715182 1452342 Literates 365650 (49.60) 193204 (27.01) 558854 (38.47)

Urban 153693 134542 288235 Literates 109950 (71.53) 72378 (53.79) 182328 (63.25)

Total 890853 849724 1740577 Literates 475600 (53.58) 265582 (31.25) 741182 (42.58) * Figures in parentheses denote percentage of literacy. Source: Provisional Population Statistics, Madhya Pradesh Series 24, Rural-Urban Distribution, Paper-2 of 2001, Table 1, p. 52.

The share of persons attending school in age group 7-14 years in

Dhar district is 44.4 per cent with males exceeding at 53.9 per cent and females lagging at 34.4 per cent. The females in the rural areas constitute

29.6 per cent of school going age group whereas in urban area they exceed to 67.9 per cent. The retention in schools of Dhar district is 70.2 per cent among which 72.3 per cent is boys retention rate and 67.1 per cent is girls retention rate. The student-teacher ratio in primary standard of Dhar district is 41.5, in middle school it is 23.1 and in high school this ratio goes to as low as 12.6. In Dhar district there are 1.99 primary institutions per 10 square km., 0.45 middle institutions per 10 square km. and 0.14 high institutions per 10 square kms. Thus there are total 2.59 institutions per

10 square kms and 250 children (6 to 19 years) per institution.

[70] 2.5.2 Health Scenario and Gender

The infant mortality rate (IMR) of Dhar district was 123 per thousand in 1981. It was significantly reduced in 1991 and reached 84 per thousand.

The life expectancy of the district is 61.7 in 1991. The status of life expectancy was improved from the year 1981 when it remained at 53.2.

The Crude Birth Rate (CBR) in 1991 is 37.4 which then reduced from

39.4 in the year 1981. The CBR of Dhar is comparatively higher from

Madhya Pradesh which rests at 32.8.

In India female ratio per thousand of male reflects the existence of patriarchy. It can be argued that in a primitive society women have much more social and economic freedom. The gender ratio reflects this. With higher concentration of ST population there is significant improvement in the gender ratio. The Life Expectancy of females at birth is 60.8 and it is highest among all the districts of the western tribal belt. In Jhabua It is

48.4, in West Nimar it is 56.2, in Ratlam it is 59.2. The female life expectancy of Dhar is more than the average of Madhya Pradesh and India as well. The IMR for the girl child was found to be higher in all of the western tribal districts. Upto five years the IMR for girl child in Dhar was

127 against the state average of only 64. Despite the poor female health standards, the work participation rate in this belt was found almost at par with the state. The detailed gender status of Dhar in comparison with other districts of Western Tribal Belt of the state is depicted in Table 2.10.

l?}} Table 2.10 : Status of Gender

Category Year Dhar Jhabua W.N. Ratlam M.P. Female life expectancy at birth 1989-93 60.8 48.4 56.2 59.2 53.8 IMR for girl child (upto 1 year) 1991 102 96 124 132 106 IMR for girl child (upto 5 year) 1991 127 179 156 151 64 TFR Gender ratio 1991 5.0 5.7 5.1 4.7 4.6 All 1991 951 985 950 948 931 Rural 1991 960 983 956 956 943 Urban 1991 892 920 917 932 893 SC Gender Ratio 1991 940 954 941 941 915 ST Gender Ratio 1991 977 986 973 972 985 Work Participation Rate (%) 1991 40 52 39 37 32.68 Mean age of marriage 1992-93 17.2 18.4 17.4 16.2 17.4

% of women panchayat representatives as on march 1997 in Dhar

In gram panchayat 3 7.99 In panchayat samiti 32.11 In zilla parishad 33.44 % of women members of Parliament 10.70 Source: The Madhya Pradesh Human Development Report, 1998, p. 122.

2.5.3 Food

Together in 1991 the per capita food production was 275.26 kgs and the number of fair price shops in 1996 per lakh people was 29.52. The annual per capita foodgrain offtake in 1994-95 under PDS in Dhar district was 5.13 kg and in 1998, it increased to 8.02 kg^ The consumption of

PDS is relatively low when compared to other tribal districts of the region.

The total number of FPS in Dhar was 459 of which 43 were in urban area and the rest 416 in rural area. The population per ration card is 6.27 in rural area and 6.26 in urban area. These figures for Madhya Pradesh are

6.19 and 5.56 respectively.

172] The number of FPS in Western TribalBelt of Madhya Pradesh comprises 6.64 per cent of the total FPS of the state. In Madhya Pradesh total number of FPS are 23594. Out of these 20044 are in rural areas and

1358 in urban areas. In terms of percentage 84.95 per cent of FPS are in rural areas and 15.05 per cent are in the urban areas. In the same way the per cent of rural and urban FPS in the western tribal belt are 88.20 and

11.08. In Dhar district this percentage is 90.63 and 9.37 respectively. It clearly shows the concentration of FPS in the rural areas throughout the country. But since the habitation in rural areas is scattered the concentration of FPS per 100 sq. km. is much less than in urban area where the habitation is severely dense. In Madhya Pradesh 5.53 FPS exists in the rural area of

100 sq. km whereas in urban area this figure shoots up to 44.89. In Dhar district this ratio is 5.13 and 50.24. The details of Public Distribution

System in Madhya Pradesh is given in Table 2.11.

2.5.4 People

The preferred spoken language in the district, specially in Manawar and Kukshi tehsils is Nimadi, a variety of regional dialect. There are also considerable number of speakers in the district partially due to the decrease in use of Malwi, which is spoken in the plateau region of the

District. Bhilali was the most spoken dialect of Kukshi, followed by

Manawar tehsil where it was next only to Hindi. The main subsidiary languages are western Hindi, Rajasthani, Bhili, Gujarati, Marathi, Dunagri

[73] « c 00 £> -Q "C rn « o ^ in 1 ^ 1 5 in o 00 (N ^ ft

in ON O ON ;3 00 d NO (N in ON ON NO o ^ in NO ^ ON CsS ON ON o in in in in

o NO o NO ^ 00 rn in in NO m NO •^ -5 v;^ m ON NO 1 o 1 o B o « o in V3 H CI. ^ ?^

e X '••3 NO 3 ;i (N in in X) _Go in NO NO in in in « "p -a V5 c (N 5 (N D. NO m ON ON f2 O Qi 00 in Cu NO NO NO o NO s NO 00

ON o

'« fN NO in NO ON ON in -^ <*o• P^^ oS^ m ON ON fN en a: Q Z -2

in NO o D NO in ON m in I rn VC w ^ Cii NO o in 0. 00 o ti. 5 o «*> fN o d ON in rn Z < m NO 5- ON in o in t fN I !/3 £ 3 '6 •*—» a; o 3 5 Q >—> O

|74] and Pahari. A little more than 1/5"^ of the population in the District uses one or the other of the above languages and dialects along with the mother tongue for the transaction of day-to-day business.

2.5.5 Religion

Hinduism is the main religion of the people of the District. According to statistical booklet of 1999, the Hindus formed 93.68 per cent of the population of the District, 5.24 per cent were the Muslims and 0.84 per cent were the Jains. The Christians which form 0.08 per cent of the population have recorded a substantial growth percentage of 71.68 during

1981-91. The percentage of Sikh population was 0.07 and the Buddhists were negligible at 0.01. The following table shows the status of religion

in the District:

Table 2.12: Religion in the District

Population Population Total Religion growth rate Population 1981 1991 as per religion Percentage 1981-91 1. Hindu 993916 1281022 +28.87 93.68 2. Muslim 51781 71589 +38.25 5.24 3. Jain 10339 11474 + 10.98 0.84 4. Sikh 665 975 +46.62 0.07 5. Christian 684 1175 +71.78 0.08 6. Buddhists ... 107 0 0.01 7 Others 84 1070 + 1173.81 0.08 Total 1057469 1367412 +29.31 100.00 Source: District Statistical Booklet, Dhar, 1999, p. 8.

[75] 2.5.6 Scheduled Castes

The population of Scheduled Caste in Dhar District is 6.9 per cent.

Among the Scheduled Castes Bagri, Balai and Chamar are more common.

Balai is a functional caste of village servants and is mostly engaged as

"agricultural labourers" or in cultivation or employed in general services.

They were regarded as untouchable. A few of them are engaged in scavenging and another few in tanning and currying of hides. Bhangis are the traditional sweeper class and were regarded as unclean, hence suffered from the stigma of untouchability. They are now engaged in other services and as agricultural labourers mostly as sweepers. Chamars are the traditional workers in leather and hides, their caste name being derived from the Sanskrit word 'Charm' meaning leather and kar a worker, literally a worker in leather. Once the chamar was regarded.as untouchable in

Central India. They are now engaged mostly as "agricultural labourers", in the household industry," which consists of making and mending leather goods, and in cultivation.

2.5.7 Scheduled Tribes

They live mostly in rural areas. The main tribes in the District are

Bhil, Bhilala, including Barela, Patella and other sub-tribes. Their highest concentration is in Kukshi Tehsil where they constituted a little less than

SM"' of the total population of the tehsil (72.4% in 1997). Constituting

176] about 53.48 per cent of the total population of the District, their rural

(96.56%), urban (3.44%) composition greatly differs.

The word Bhil is derived from a Dravidian word for a bow (Tamil and Kanarese-bil), which is the characteristic weapon of this tribe. They are mostly found in the surrounding districts of Jhabua, West Nimar and

Ratlam also. Although they are found in 21 other districts too, their number, is not considerable in other districts. Cultivation is their main occupation.

Bhils are the most numerous of the primitive tribes in the District, constituting of Mankar, Nayak, Patella, Tadvi, etc., which are merely sections of the Bhil tribe; of these Tadavis have embraced Islam. The Bhils profess tribal or Hindu religion. They mostly reside in the rural tracts of

Gandhwani, Kukshi and Manawar tehsils. Among the Bhils, marriage by capture was common in the past. Bhagoria is an important festival for the

Bhils. The festivities of Bhagoria start one week before Holi, when people visit the places of weekly market. Sometimes marriages are settled in

Bhagoria by mutual consent of the boy and the girl. Widow marriage is traditionally permitted. A wife may be divorced for adultery without consulting the Panchayat. Polygamy is traditionally sanctioned. The bhil pantheon has many gods and goddesses, headed by Raja Pantha, their highest God. They also worship snake. The Bhilalas are of mixed descent from the alliance between immigrant Rajputs and Bhils of Madhya Bharat region. The census report in 1931 recorded that "The Bhilalas are closely

[11] related to the Bhils, Patelias and other tribes which inhabit the Vindhyas and Satpuras." They have a considerable admixture of Rajput blood in them. They claim Rajput descent and are considered to be of higher status than their neighbours. Apart from Dhar District, they are mostly found in

Jhabua, West Nimar, Sehore and Raisen districts of Madhya Pradesh. In the last two districts their number is very small. They are engaged mostly as cultivators and agricultural labourers. Divided into several exogamous subdivisions called kul or kuri, a men should marry not only outside his own kul but also outside his mothers, mother's mother and father's mother kul. Similarly marriage between first cousins is prohibited. The system of bride price is prevalent.

In brief, the Bhils are a colourful people. They often wear colourful garments with beautifully made embroidered designs. Tattooing is common among them. They worship common Hindu deities, along with the family's own guardian deity. They celebrate all Hindu festivals like, Holi, Diwali and Dashehara.

[78] SUMMARY

Chapter two deals with the complete profile of Dhar; the sample district for present study. This chapter incorporates mainly the geographical specifications, main components of society in terms of people, culture, religion, etc. and the structural characteristics of the district.

The district of Dhar is situated in the south-western part of Madhya

Pradesh along with the fertile Narmada valley on its southern boundary.

The Malwa plateau in the northern part provides black cotton soil of varying thickness, which is suitable for the cultivation. Chambal, Mahi and Narmada are main rivers flowing through the districts. The district has seen a substantiative variation in the annual rainfall from a meagre 39 per cent of the normal to the massive 153 per cent of the normal. The temperature is generally dry over the district. The flora of the district is comprised of a large number of moist species. The type of forest found in

Dhar district is of southern tropical dry deciduous forests. The common species found in these forests are teak (Tectona Grandis), salai and Arjun.

The district is predominantly tribal having 53.5 percent of scheduled tribes population. The district comes at 23'"'^ position in descending order of population with 2.07 per cent of population of Madhya Pradesh. The district is ranked fourth in terms of housing maximum number of tribals in the state. The district is divided into seven tehsils and 13 development

[791 blocks. The HDI of Dhar is 0.537 and GDI is 0.606. The status of basic amenities like electricity, drinking water and toilet facilities are poor as

40.8 per cent, 27 per cent and 8.6 per cent of the total population is devoid of above mentioned facilities respectively. More than 60 per cent are of

Kutchha nature.

The jiumber of middle schools are higher than the high school. 62 per cent of land comes under net sown area and 16 per cent is forest. The average land holding is 3.7 hectares. The share of primary sector in employment is 84.1 per cent and the worker participation rate is 46.7 per cent. The district has shown significant growth rate in manufacturing and construction activities.

The educational status is poor in Dhar district. The literacy percent of scheduled tribe population is 16.2 per cent against the total literacy of

34.5 of the district. The retention rate in schools is high although the student teacher ratio is not very satisfactory specifically in the primary standard. The district has shown impressive growth in life expectancy and substantial reduction in infant mortality rates, although the birth rate is comparatively higher from Madhya Pradesh. The average PDS offtake per capita in 94/95 was 5.13 kg although the per capita food production was

275.26 kg. The concentration of fair price shop is towards rural area forming 90.63 per cent of total shops. The preferred spoken languages are Nimadi, Malwi, Bhilali and Hindi. Bhilali is specifically spoken by

|80] the tribal people. The tribal population is mostly concentrated in Kukshi tehsil where they constitute 72.4 percent of their total population. Bhils profess Hindu religion. They are mostly cultivators and agricultural labours. The celebrations of Bhagoria, prior to Holi, is an important festival of Bhils.

[81] NOTES

1 Hindi and Botanical Names of Common Plants in Dhar District are given in annexure 2A.

2 The Human Development Index is a composite index comprising levels of human development in education, longevity or health, and in access to opportunities measured in per capita incomes, with the present status of districts in these parameters related with certain absolute achievement positions, or some desirable achievement positions. This index is a measure of how far a district has travelled, from a minimum level of achievement, and a path still to travel. The Madhya Pradesh Human Development Index was first calculated in 1995 for all 45 districts. Based on the UNDP Human Development Index, it attempts to show the relative status of Human development in districts.

The Index is calculated by the following formula:

Target - Value.. HDL. (Index) = , where Target. - Min. ^ J J

HDI. = Index of deprivation for the jth criterion.

Target = This is the maximum achievable target for the jth criterion (for example, it is 100 per cent for literacy)

Value. = This is the value of the ith district for the jth criterion.

Min = This is the minimum value for the jth criterion (it is 0% for literacy)

3 The Gender Related Development Index (GDI) uses the same variable as the HDI. The difference is that the GDI adjusts the average achievement of each district in life expectancy, education attainment and income in accordance with the degree of disparity in achievement between women and men. It is also based on the GDI developed by UNDP, used first in the Human Development Report in 1995.

4 The proportion of people residing per sq. km of land in comparison to other places.

5 Swaminathan, Madhura (2000), Weakening Welfare: The Public Distribution of Food in India, Leftword Publications, New Delhi, Table 4.4, p. 38.

182]