KRISHNAGIRI DISTRICT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DISTRICT HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT DISTRICT

Introduction  ‘Krishna’ refers to ‘black’ and ‘giri’ refers to ‘hill’. This district is gifted with black granite hillocks and named as “Krishnagiri”. has prehistoric importance.  Archeological sources confirm the presence of habitats of mankind during Paleolithic, Neolithic and Mesolithic Ages. Various rock paintings and rock carvings of Indus Valley civilization and Iron Age seen in this district support the historical significance of this district.  The heart of ‘Krishnagiri’, ‘’ and ‘’ were known as ‘Eyil Nadu’, ‘Murasu Nadu’ and ‘Kowoor Nadu’ respectively.  Krishnagiri District was bifurcated from the erstwhile District and Krishnagiri District came into existence from 9th February 2004, consisting of Hosur & Krishnagiri Divisions.  Krishnagiri is one of the districts of which with natural resources has 2,040 Sq. Kms of forest cover and it is its unique feature. The hill ranges of this district are called by the name ‘’.

1  The major types of forest seen here are tropical, deciduous forests, thorny shrubs and bamboo forest. Dense forest cover is there in region. The other region contains shrubs, hills and hillocks with bushes.  Krishnagiri District has 2 Municipalities, 10 Panchayat Unions, 7 Town Panchayats, 352 Village Panchayats and 636 Revenue Villages. Geography  Krishnagiri district is located approximately between 11’12N and 12’49N of the North Latitude and between 77’27E and 78’38E of east longitude.  The total geographical area of the district is 5143 Sq. Km.  Krishnagiri district is elevated from 300m to 1400m above the mean sea level.  The district is surrounded by and districts in the East, in the West, in the North, in the South. Topography  Krishnagiri district forms part of the upland plateau region with many hill ranges and undulating plains.  The western part of the district has hill ranges of Mysore plateau with a chain of undulating hills and deep valleys extending in NNE-SSW direction.

2  The plains of the district have an average elevation of 488 m MSL.  The plateau region along the western boundary and the northwestern part of the district has an average elevation of 914 m MSL.  The Guthrayan Durg with an elevation of 1395 m MSL is the highest peak in the district. Soil Condition

 Different types of the soil such as black or mixed loamy red ferocious and gravel are found in the district.  The Black of rigor loam is very fertile due to its moisture absorbing character. Red soils are seen in Hosur, , and Kelamangalam.  In general, the soil in the district is quite loose and fresh with its colors from red to dark brown. The soil has low nitrogen and phosphate content with marked variation between different taluks. Climate

 The climate condition of the district is hot and dry in summer i.e. from March to May. In winter it is very cold and misty i.e. from November to February.  The normal rainfall of the district is 850.7 mm. The actual rainfall of the district was 695.1 mm during the year 2012-13.

3 Status of Human Development  Human Development Index was calculated for 10 blocks in Krishnagiri district. The top three blocks in HDI in Krishnagiri district are Krishnagiri (0.873) Hosur (0.795) and (0.592).  The bottom three blocks in HDI are Veppanapalli (0.404), Thally (0.435) and Shoolagiri (0.442).  In Krishnagiri block, which is at the top, the standard of living index value is 0.90; access to toilet facilities is 100 percent and access to pucca houses is 100 percent. The IMR is 10.2, which is lower than the district value (17.6) and U5MR is 13.7, whereas the U5MR rate for the district is 20.8. The literacy rate in Krishnagiri block is 77.73. These are the factors which helped the block to achieve the top rank in the district.  Veppanapalli is at the bottom with HDI value of 0.404 because of poor basic facilities in education and health and lack employment.  The Gender Inequality Index (GII) is a negative index. A value of zero represents no inequality and a value of one represents the highest level of inequality in the society.  The three dimensions used for measuring GII are 1. Reproductive Health 2. Empowerment and 3. Labour Market. The GII constructed for all the 10 blocks vary from 0.043 to 0.101.  The top three blocks where there is less GII value are Hosur (0.043). Uthangarai (0.043) and Kaveripattinam (0.046).

4  Bargur (0.101) Mathur (0.084) and Veppanapalli (0.083) are the bottom three blocks with higher GII value.  has secured the first rank with best performance in reducing gender inequality. Its MMR is 39, its institutional deliveries are 99.20 percent. Its share of female child is 48.73 percent and its female work participation rate is 67.74 percent. All these indicators have helped Hosur block to have very low gender inequality.  The top three blocks in CDI value in the district are Krishnagiri (0.802), Hosur (0.666) and Bargur (0.635).  The bottom three blocks in CDI value in the district are Kelamangalam (0.227), Veppanapalli (0.245) and Thalli (0.288).  In general, blocks in urban development areas have performed well in child development because of the access of the children to proper healthcare and schools.  Blocks with rural features have not done well in child development because of the poor access to healthcare facilities and school.  Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is calculated on the basis of the dimensions of health, education, and standard of living. The top three blocks in the district with low MPI value are Hosur (0.249), Krishnagiri (0.309) and Bargur (0.530).  The bottom three blocks with high MPI value are Mathur (0.697), Uthangarai (0.674) and Veppanapalli (0.649).

5  With very low MPI value (0.249), Hosur block gets first rank with very low multidimensional poverty in the block. Access to toilet facilities is 72.88 percent. Access to pucca houses is 100 percent. The IMR is 15 and it is lower than the district average (17.6) and U5MR in the block is 15 against the district rate of 20.8. Employment, Income and Poverty

 The share of total workers in the district decreased from 48.22 percent in 2001 46.70 percent in 2011.  In the category of main workers, Krishnagiri district has recorded an increase of 17.79 percent over the period 2001 to 2011.  There is increase in the number of main, workers in almost all the blocks except two blocks, viz., Bargur and Mathur, where there is marginal decrease during 2001 and 2011.  The female work participation rate in the district during 2011 was 34.38.  There is need for enhancing the skill base of human resources to match the industrial needs of the district, especially in Hosur where a number of industries are located.  The sectoral composition of workers includes cultivators, agricultural labourers, household industry workers, ‘other workers’ and marginal workers.  The persons engaged in agricultural activities (both cultivators and agricultural labourers)

6 constituted 56.89 percent in 2011 and house hold industrial workers and marginal workers constituted 40.61 percent in the district.  Uthangarai block has the largest number of agricultural labourers and Hosur block had the lowest number of agricultural labourers in 2011.  Hosur block had the largest number of household industry workers and Thally block had the lowest number of industrial workers in 2011.  In 2011, 4.48 lakh persons registered with the Employment Exchange office but only 1129 persons got the placement.  The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) aims at guaranteeing the right to work and ensure livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.  During 2013-14, 3.39 lakh job cards were issued and 111.10 lakh mandays were created.  Child labour was found in the district and those children (702) were placed in 24 schools across the district. All these children are provided education in three different stages. At present, out of 702 children, (400 boys and 302 girls), 337 children have been mainstreamed to take up regular mode of education.

7  The per capita income of the district steadily grew from Rs. 46497 in 2008-09 to Rs. 69318 in 2011-12 at constant prices (2004-05).  Some of the important reasons for the increase in per capita income of the district over the years are it is highly endowed with agricultural and allied activities like horticulture and floriculture, localization of ancillary industries for well – known automotive companies and mango pulp industry.  Thousands of farmers are engaged in the cultivation of rose flowers, which is the main source of livelihood – especially for those who live in , Rose flowers are exported to Europe, United States, Australia.  During 2013, 32.44 percent of the families in the district were living below the poverty line.  Among the blocks, the highest number of BPL households (51.74 percent) is in Uthangarai, followed by Bargur block with 51.17 BPL households.  There is need for providing appropriate schemes programmers in Uttangarai and Bargur blocks, where more than half of the households come under BPL category.  The Public Distribution System (PDS) in Tamil Nadu aims at providing food security by supplying essential commodities like rice, wheat, sugar and oil at highly subsidized prices, especially to the poor.  During 2014, about 4.46 lakh Families possessed family cards.

8  had the largest number of family cards (1,47,104) followed by (1,24,434) had the lowest number of cards (45,965). Demography, Health and Nutrition

 The population of Krishnagiri district increased from 15.61 lakhs in 2001 to 18.80 lakhs in 2011.  The decadal growth rate of the population was 20.41 percent.  Hosur block has the largest population and Veppanapalli the lowest population in the district.  Hosur block had the high decadal growth rate of 46.18 percent, whereas Mathur block had the lowest growth rate of 4.22 percent during 2001 and 2011.  The Crude Birth Rate of the district in 2014 (15.3) is slightly lower than the CBR (15.9) of the State. Across the blocks, Mathur recorded the largest decline in CBR from 36.49 in 2007 to 16.80 in 2014. Hosur block recorded the lowest CBR (13.00).  The CBR of the district has fallen over the years as a result of effective steps taken by the district administration. During 2007 and 2014, the Crude Death Rate declined from 5.09 in 2007 to 4.10 in 2014.  While Hosur block has the lowest CDR (2.00), Mathur has the highest CDR (5.70) over the period 2007 to 2014.

9  Better nutrition, improvement in healthcare programme, and improved sanitation are the main factors responsible for decline in death rate in the district.  The sex ratio of Krishnagiri district (958) is lower than the sex ratio of the state (995) in 2011.  Krishnagiri block has the highest sex ratio (999), whereas Thally block has the lowest sex ratio.  It is distressing to note that sex ratio has declined over the period 2001 and 2011 in Thally, Kelamangalam, Shoolagiri and Veppanapalli blocks.  The child sex ratio increased from 905 in 2001 to 924 in 2011.  Kelamangalam, Shoolagiri, Veppanapalli, Krishnagiri, Bargur and Kaveripattinam blocks witnessed increase in child sex ratio over the period 2001 and 2011.  The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of the district decreased from 18.69 to 17.60 over the period 2007 and 2014.  Kaveripattinam, Uttangarai, Kelamangalam and Shoolagiri blocks have high IMR and there is need for effective action to reduce IMR.  The Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in Krishnagiri district during 2014 was 102. Veppanapalli block had the highest MMR

10 (181) followed by Shoolagiri (110) and Thally (102) blocks. There is need for focusing on Veppanapalli block, where the MMR is the highest across the blocks.  The lowest MMR was observed in Kelamangalam (36), followed by Hosur (39) and Uthangarai (42) blocks.  Nearly 100 percent (99.22 percent) of the deliveries are institutional deliveries in the district. Public Health centres, Government Hospitals and private hospitals accounted for 36.55 percent, 36.89 percent and 25.66 percent of deliveries respectively during 2013-14.  Home Deliveries is very meagre (0.78) and at Sub – Health centres accounted for a very small percent of deliveries respectively.  Still Birth Rate during 2014 in the district was 10.85. It declined from 13.15 in 2007. While the SBR declined in 2014 in comparison with the SBR in 2007 in most of the blocks in the district, it increased in Thally and Kelamangalam blocks from 4.40 and 10.86 in 2007 to 17.15 and 16.19 in 2014 respectively.  The rate of severely underweight and moderately underweight children stood at 23.13 in the district in 2014.  Veppanapalli had the highest percentage of malnourished children (33.28) and Kaveripattinam had the lowest percentage of malnourished children (11.84 percent).

11  As nutritional status is low in rural areas, the district health department may take steps to provide essential nutritional components to children in rural blocks. It may also conduct awareness about the healthy food habits (e.g. consumption of small millets by the household members).  During 2013-14, 86.59 percent of women, 17.52 percent of children and 85 percent of adolescent girls took IFA tablets in the district.  The highest percentage of women who took IFA during 2013-14 (92.80 percent) was recorded in Veppanapalli, followed by Uthangarai (91.73 percent).  Krishnagiri block recorded the lowest percentage of women (73.87 percent) who took IFA tablets.  Thally (7.29 percent) and Mathur (6.29 percent) blocks recorded the lowest number of children who took IFA tablets.  Access to safe drinking water reduces the exposure to pollution, disease and harmful contaminants thereby promoting health and well – being.  There is fairly good coverage of habitations (4382) with access to safe drinking water. In Thally, Hosur, Kelamangalam, Krishnagiri and Kaveripattinam there is 100 percent provision of safe drinking water.  Mathur (85 percent) Uthangarai (83 percent) and Bargur (80 percent) blocks there is need

12 for improving access to water supply. The local bodies can play an important role in this regard.  It is found that 90.85 percent of households in the district have toilet facilities within the household.  The district administration can take up more effective steps to provide liberal financial assistance from Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan Scheme for construction of toilets in households.  HIV Incidence in district among male and female population steadily decreased over the years 2006-07 and 2013-14.  The number of HIV Positive persons among male (466) and female (537) in 2006-07 declined to 309 among the male and 302 among the female population respectively in 2013-14. In terms of percentage, the decline is 33.69 percent for males and 43.76 for females.  In the district, between 2007 and 2011, there was marginal increase in the prevalence of TB and a little more increase in the case of leprosy incidence.  During 2011, in the district as a whole, 797 TB positive persons and 427 leprosy persons were recorded. Literacy and Education  The literacy rate of the district according to 2011 Census is 72.41. Among the blocks,

13 Hosur had the highest literacy rate (82.86) followed by Krishnagiri (77.73).  In 2011, the lowest literacy rate was observed in Thally block (61.93).  Intensive efforts are needed to improve the literacy rate in Thally, Shoolagiri, Kelamangalam and Veppanapalli.  Gender literacy gap in Krishnagiri district in 2011 was 14.80.  Lowest gender gap in literacy (9.54) was found in Hosur in 2011 whereas Kaveripattnam had the highest percentage (17.60).  Literacy of the district increased by 8.21 percent over the period 2001-2011.  It is disheartening to note that the percentage of literacy in Thally block remained the same during 2001 and 2011.  The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at primary level during 2013-14 in the district was 98.95.  There is not much gender disparity in the GER of boys and girls at the primary level. With a little more effort by the district administration, even the small difference in GER of boys and girls can be removed.  At the primary level of education, the completion rate of the district during 2013- 14 was 97.93. The completion rate in Kelamangalam (95.77) block was the lowest during 2013-14 at primary level of education.

14  The district administration has to strive hard to attain 100 percent completion rate at primary level in all the blocks.  The dropout rate in primary education in Krishnagiri district during 2013-14 was 1.00.  Though the dropout rate is minimal in all blocks, attention may be given to reduce it completely in all blocks by the district administration.  The enrolment rate at upper primary education level increased from 98.14 in 2011- 12 to 98.78 in 2013-14 in the district.  Though there is not much variation in enrolment rate across the blocks, it is found that in 2013-14, the enrolment rate in Kelamangalam was 96.62.  The transition rate from primary to upper primary level during 2013-14 was 98.73.  The transition rate from upper primary level to secondary level of education during 2013- 14 in the district was 98.56.  There is no significant variation in transition rate across the blocks in the district.  The completion rate at upper primary level increased from 91.07 in 2012-13 to 96.25 in 2013-14.  Kelamangalam block recorded the lowest completion rate (94.09) in 2013-14 at the upper primary level though it made significant improvement from its 2012-13 completion rate (88.91).

15  The dropout rate at upper primary level in the district decreased from 2.53 in 2012-13 to 1.50 in 2013-14.  There is not much variation in the dropout rate across the blocks during 2013-14.  The dropout rate in the district in 2013-14 at the upper primary level is slightly higher than the dropout rate at the primary level.  It is found that during 2014, for 2892 habitations, there were 1132 primary schools and 561 upper primary schools in the district. That means, there is one school for 2.5 habitations and one upper primary school for six habitations.  Thally block has the highest number of primary schools (181) in 2014.  Veppanapalli had the lowest number of primary schools (79) in 2014.  Bargur block had the highest number of upper primary schools (73).  Veppanapalli had only 35 upper primary schools, followed by Mathur with 36 upper primary schools.  The Pupil – Teacher Ratio (PTR) at primary school level and upper primary school level in the district in 2014 was 1:27 and 1:28 respectively.  Across the blocks, at primary level, Bargur block had low Pupil – Teacher Ratio of 23:1 whereas Kelamangalam block had high Pupil – Teacher Ratio (32:1).

16  With regard to pupil – school ratio, in 2014, the district had 152:1 at primary level and 181:1 at upper primary level.  At primary level, Mathur block had the lowest pupil - school ratio of 92:1, followed by Thally block with pupil School ratio of 1:99.  The highest pupil – school ratio in the district during 2014 was found in Hosur block at 379:1 and Mathur block had the lowest pupil – school ratio at 114:1.  The quality and quantity of education depends upon the optimum number of teachers in a school and its infrastructure such as classrooms, water and toilet facilities.  Availability of private schools, school bus facilities, provision of bi-cycles and modern infrastructure facilities, are the factors that contributed to more than 100 percent enrolment ratio at secondary level.  Thally and Kelamangalam blocks are heavily populated by linguistic minorities like and Telugu speaking people. The remoteness of the blocks and lesser number of Kannada and Telugu medium schools are the main reasons for lower enrolment in these blocks.  Basic infrastructure such as class rooms, tables and chairs, safe drinking water, separate toilets for girls play an important role in the enrolment of boys and girls.  In 2014, out of 1687 schools in the district, 1096 schools had only three class rooms and 591 schools had more than three classrooms.

17  1597 schools had toilet facilities for girls and 90 schools did not have separate toilets for girls.  Only three schools were without electricity.  402 schools had no compound walls.  During 2012-13, there were 53 government hostels in the district and 3268 students were residing in those hostels. Krishnagiri taluk had 18 hostels with an intake of 1068 students.  There are 11 Arts and Science colleges (3 Government and 8 private colleges) in the district.  There are 12 Engineering colleges, Polytechnics and Teacher Training institutions in the district during 2013.  In 2013, in 7 Arts and Science College in the district, 62 percent of students were girls and 38 percent were boys.  In other institutions (Engineering, Polytechnic and Teacher Training Institutions) 63 percent were boys and 37 percent were girls. Gender

 Gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential for meeting aspirations of inclusive growth and sustainable development.  Credit is the most crucial input in the process of development.

18  As on 31-3-2014, Krishnagiri district had 13899 SHGS with 1,96,056 members. They have accumulated a total saving of Rs. 197.40 crore and availed a credit of Rs. 411.226 crore.  Among the blocks in the district, Hosur block has more number of SHGs with 34864 members and a total saving of Rs. 41.83 crore and credit availed by the group is Rs. 97.84 crore.  On the whole, the performance of microfinance in the district is remarkable, in terms of accumulation of savings and credit disbursement to SHGs. But there is need for sustainable development of SHGs without dropout of members.  The participation of women, as agricultural labourers is high (39.10 percent) followed by cultivators (30.89 percent).  Women in ‘other workers’ constitute 26.67 percent and only 3.34 percent female labor force participation is there in household industries.  The participation of women in employment is lower in urban areas in the district than in rural areas.  The female Work Participation Rate (WPR) in the district is 34.38 percent.  Across the blocks, a very high level of female participation is observed in Mathur (45.33)

19 Uthangarai (44.29) and Thally (42.17). These blocks are rural in nature.  Interestingly, Hosur (21.12) and Krishnagiri (25.33) which are urban blocks have low participation of women in work.  In 2011, in the district 2388 males and 1197 females (33.38 percent) were elected to the local bodies. We find that in all the blocks, 33 percent reservation for women in local bodies has been fulfilled.  Female literacy rate can also be improved, especially in the backward blocks. Social Security  The population of people aged above 60 In Krishnagiri district in 2013 was 1.25 lakh. It constituted 8 percent of the population of the district.  Indira Gandhi National old Age Pension (IGNOAP), Destitute widow pension, Destitute Agricultural labour pension, social security scheme and Destitute deserted wives pension are some of important social security schemes in the district. Large number of beneficiaries are found in IGNOAP scheme.  Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension (IGNOAP) has more number of beneficiaries in the district. From 2010 – 11 to 2013 – 14 there were 48369 persons benefitted by IGNOAP. Destitute Agriculture Labour Pension (DALP) also has more number of

20 beneficiaries. About 15879 persons were benefitted by DALP. Social Security Scheme also has reached considerable number of beneficiaries in the district with 64498 beneficiaries.  In Krishnagiri district, a total of 8179 women received marriage assistance till 2013-14. The number of degree holders who received marriage assistance is 1953.The sum of marriage assistance given is Rs. 34.59 crores.  Under Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme, 49,051 women received financial assistance. During 2011-12 to 2012- 13 Rs. 19.62 crore were earmarked to cover the scheme. During 2013-14, 12814 women received maternity assistance under the scheme to the tune of Rs. 153.77 crore.  The number of cases of crimes against women in the district reported in 2013 is 104.The cases of kidnapping and abduction are the highest (38) in the district, followed by ‘cruelty by husband’ (32). ‘Molestation’ comes third with 19 cases.  There is need for curbing the crimes against women, especially kidnapping and abduction, ‘crimes by husband’ and mokstation. Infrastructure

 Infrastructure plays a vital role in the growth of economy at large and the district in particular.

21  In 2014, the total road length in the district (rural area) is 4321 kms.

 More than 50 percent (50.46) of the roads are covered by Bituminous road followed by 44.74 percent of mud roads.

 Cement roads cover a minimal distance (0.54 percent) and WBM road covers 4.25 percent of the total road length in the district.

 The district administration has to take appropriate measures to convert mud roads into cement roads or some other better roads, so that it would improve livelihood activities (e.g. employment, marketing activities and education) of those who reside in rural areas.

 Electrification is found to be good in almost all the blocks.

 Kelamangalam and Uthangarai blocks have the lowest number of street lights in the districts. There is need for more street lights in these blocks, especially in the remote villages and hamlets of the blocks.

 Cooperative and Commercial banks in the district are 249 co-operative societies with a membership of 3.92 lakh. There are 147 commercial banks with 4.38 lakh bank accounts.

 In 2014, Krishnagiri district had 63 Telephone Exchanges, 1278 PCOs, 23778 Landlines and 173 mobile towers.

22  It is interesting to observe that though Hosur telecom district has lesser number of telephone exchanges (28) than those in Krishnagiri telecom district (35), the landline connections in Hosur telephone district are nearly 35 percent more than in Krishnagiri telephone district.  In Krishnagiri district, there were five branches of L.I.C. in 2014 and they issued 44547 policies.  Krishnagiri district is the entry point of Tamil Nadu from Karanataka and Andhra pradesh as the district is situated on the border of these states.  The district is connected by Prime Minister’s project executed by National Highways Authority of .  The district has a network of national highways, State highways and district highways. It has good public transport system.  Bus transport in the district is excellent. More than 100 buses ply between Hosur and Krishnagiri to Bengaluru. Conclusion

 Krishnagiri district has developed good infrastructure but, as more than 44 percent of the roads are mud roads, there is need for converting these roads into cement roads or some other better type of roads.

23  Krishnagiri district has the potential for the development of primary sector because besides agriculture, its allied activities horticulture and floriculture provide livelihood for a large number of people in a prominent way.  The district has vast scope for strengthening ancillary industries in the district.  Health related awareness may be given to elected representatives in local Bodies, women in Self Help Groups and to students.  To reduce MMR and SBR, expecting mothers may be provided nutritional supplements on a regular basis both in antenatal and postnatal stage.  Mobile health units may be set up to avail timely health services.  Parent – Teacher Associations in schools may be strengthened.  The administration has to make sure that all schools in the district have separate toilets for girls and drinking water facilities.  There is need for more employment opportunities for women in the non – farm sector and self employment through SHGs.  Participatory approach should be adopted to improve the dimensions of development at all levels from identification of projects to implementation.

a

24