IMPACT OF CARPET INDUSTRY ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF ITS WORKERS: A CASE STUDY OF SANT RAVIDAS NAGAR (BHADOHI)DISTRICT (U.P.) THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF Doctor of Philosophy In Geography BY RAZIA BANO UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF PROF. SAYEED AHMAD KHAN DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH (INDIA) 2018 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I bow in adoration to Almighty Allah, the cherisher and strength giver. I meticulously organized this research work by bestowing before the Almighty, whose grace and mercy keeps the world alive. First of all, I would like to pay gratitude to my esteemed teacher and supervisor Prof. Sayeed Ahmad Khan, Department of Geography, Aligarh Muslim University, for his guidance and generous attitude during the completion of this research work. I am also grateful to Prof. Ateeque Ahmad, Chairman, Department of Geography, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh for his support and help during the research work. I am deeply indebted to Prof. Hifzur Rahman, ex-Chairman, Department of Geography, for his relentless guidance in the completion of work are estimable and thankworthy. I also express my gratitude to my teacher Dr. Fatima Mehar Sultana, Associate Professor at the Women’s Collage, Aligarh Muslim University for her motivational support which gave me strength and aspiration to continue the journey of learning. I also extend my thanks to Prof. Abdul Munir, ex-Dean, Faculty of Science, and Chairman, Department of Geography for his valuable suggestions which, I received occasionally from him during the completion of the research work. I would like to express my deep gratitudes to my beloved mother Mrs. Anwari Begum and father Haji Habibullah Ansari for their blissful and heartfelt support in during the completion of this research work. I am also thankful to my brothers Mr. Salman Ahmad and Dr. Meraj Ahmad, sister Mrs. Nazia Aftab, and niece Ms. Firdaus for their endless support till the end of this work. Many thanks are due my friend Ms. Faiza Nafees, Department of Political Science, Aligarh Muslim University for her constant support to overcome the stress of work. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all seniors in the Department of Geography, Dr. Zeba Nisar, Dr. Suman Lata, Dr. Kamal Asif, and Dr. Adnan Shakeel, Mujahid ul Islam and Umar Habib for their constant help and generous guidance during my stay in the department. I am highly thankful to all my friends Ms. Nazneen Akhtar, Nida Fatima, Sufia Azim, Swati Gupta, Mahtab Alam, Daud Khan, Sadhna Singh, Naushaba Naseem, Nitin Kumar, Shabina Hussain and Abida Khan for their affectionate behavior. (Razia Bano) i ABSTRACT Different ‘crafts’ have been an integral part of the Indian culture since the time immemorial. A wide range of handicrafts are produced almost in each state of the country. The crafts made in different states are well known for their unique quality i.e., silk sarees of Varanasi, brass made items of Moradabad, Chicken work of Lucknow, and carpets of Bhadohi. The handicrafts industry provides employment to thousands of artisans, including men, women, and children living in rural and urban areas Of different states of all crafts, carpet weaving is considered an important and more popular activity and has contributed immensely to country’s development. Rapid technological advancements in carpet weaving have introduced magical designs, unmatched colour combinations leading to products of aesthetic beauty coveted within the country and even in the world market. Carpet industry in India is a labour intensive handicraft and decentralized in nature as it spreads in rural and urban areas. Carpet weaving states in India are Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. These states specialize in carpet weaving with their own style and exhibits specialties. A labour intensive carpet weaving industry sustains thousands of artisans and contributes much to improve their life style and living conditions directly or indirectly, because it is a basic source of income and livelihood. In addition to high potential of employment generation, it is also a source of foreign exchange earnings. Carpet weaving has been unique and divergent work for carpet production on small and household levels to a mass level production in big units. A weaving unit can run at the personnel house of a artisan, but the supply of material will be met out by the entrepreneur himself or it has to be arranged by a middle-man outside. Workers involved in this industry can be divided on the basis of work performed into four categories. Their involvement ranges for a variety of works as for: i) weaving, ii) pre- weaving work, iii) finishing, and iv) non-making work. Carpet making work can involve number of workers from skilled to unskilled, full time to part time workers, house-based to outside workers, literates to illiterates, children to old aged persons, 1 and males to females. Carpet designing and finishing are very appropriate works for women. Carpet industry enables the illiterate women to earn money for their daily needs, and thus they can be capable to raise their socio-economic status in the society. Carpet weaving has different modes of carpet making such as, machines used and handmade; weaving styles, such as, knotted and tufted etc. Among the areas of carpet weaving in the country, the district of Sant Ravidas Nagar (formerly known as Bhadohi) is one of the major carpet producing area in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The Bhadohi-Mirzapur belt is well known as a carpet producing region. Carpet industry in SR Nagar provides a source of income and livelihood to thousands of persons, and even to a large number of migrants settled here, who have come from outside the district. Workers of carpet industry spread in the entire district, but a major part of weaving work is mainly confined to urban areas due to procurement of raw materials which come from outside, and accessibility to the market for the supply of finished products. Objectives of the Study The objectives of the present study are as follows: 1. To study the process of carpet making, its growth and development as a industry. 2. To study the contribution of carpet industry in the socio-economic life of the workers in the SR Nagar district. 3. To study the working conditions of workers in carpet industry in the SR Nagar district. 4. To analyse the impact of carpet industry on socio-economic life of workers in the SR Nagar district. Present study is empirical in nature but for achieving set of objectives, it needed both primary and secondary data. To obtain primary data, field surveys were conducted to know the socio-economic conditions of carpet weaving workers in the district. Intensive field work was carried out for obtaining information through surveys, and numbers of workers were selected based on ‘cluster sampling’ design. Information pertaining to weaving work in carpet units were obtained by way of 2 contacting workers and personnel interviews with them. Secondary data were obtained from the published and unpublished sources, official records of the district’s industries office. Census of India 2011, District Census Handbook, Sankhykiya Patrika (in Hindi) 2011, and District Statistical Bulletin 2011 of the district were of great help. Based on cluster sampling from a total of 995 industrial units, 100 units were selected in the district. These selected units are distributed all over in 6 blocks of the district. A proper care was done that, at least 10 units of carpet weaving should come in each cluster and from each unit at least 10 per cent of workers which constitutes 550 respondents were randomly selected for taking interview. Data pertaining to basic information about carpet weaving were collected by interview method with the workers, and personnel observations within the units. Through interview, it was attempted to obtain necessary information through personal interviews with the respondents. Discussions with the respondents were helpful in getting valuable insight, attitudes, aspirations and options of respondents on many relevant issues. Personnel observations within the carpet weaving units during the field work were helpful to concentrate on confined elements essential for in-depth understanding. A well structured questionnaire was prepared well before going for field work for the purpose of data collection and obtaining basic information. The questionnaire was structured in such a form that, it contained questions pertaining to the work of weavers. Many questions and responses of the workers were confined to demographic characteristics, socio-economic aspects, working conditions, health and other problems pertaining to weaving work. Primarily the questionnaire was prepared in English language, later it was translated into Hindi language for convenience for both the interviewer and interviewee. After the completion of field work, many information obtained in the form of data were processed by incorporating necessary checking and editions. With the processing of information, great attention was given to data accuracy and its completeness. Computation and tabulating work was carried out both manually and with the help of statistical package SPSS. For the process of computation and tabulation of data, certain statistical methods were also used to quantify the data. 3 Computed values thus helped to describe precisely the differences and relationships in the results. Finally, the computed values of results were used to describe in relevant chapters of the thesis. Data were used and analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. In analyzing the data, statistical techniques such as: simple percentages, Karl Pearson’s ‘Coefficient of Correlation’, ‘Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Test’, and ‘Five Point Likert Scale’, were applied to deduce certain associations within the variables to reach at conclusions. For showing a clear picture, the percentage values of all the relevant variables were presented and used to show on maps, and preparation of bar-diagrammes.