'CENSUS OF INDIA 1961 VOLUME IX MADRAS PART X-xi DISTRICT CENSUS HANDBOOK SALEM VOLUME I P. K. NAMBIAR OF THE INDIAN ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE, SUPERINTENDENT OF CENSUS OPERATIONS, MADRAS. PUBLISHED BY THE DIRECTOR OF STATIONFRY AND PRINTING. MADRAS AND PRINTFD AT THE K. M. S. PRESS, MADRAS-I7. 1966 Price: Rs. 12/- PREFACE It has been the policy of the Government of Madras to print and !,iublish-vil1age statistics. based on the information collected during each Cens.us. In 1951, the Government of India offered to hand over to the State Government' the Census Tables and abstracts prepared during Census and suggested that they might be printed and published along with any other useful information relating to each district. The form of the District Census Handbook wal\ thus conceived. The State Government accepted the idea and a publication was brought out at the cost of the State Government. Each District Census Handbook consisted of two parts - Part I containing three sections, viz., General Population Tables, Economic Tables, Tables I. II and III of Small Scale Industries, Summary figures of district and taluks, rural and urban statistics and Part II, containing C and D series, viz., Household and Age Tables and Social and Cultural Tables and District Occupational Abstract. A District Census Handbook was published for each district. It has been considered an important achievement of the last Census. Sri A. Mitra. Registrar General, India, decided not only to continue the series during 1961 but to improve definitely on its content, so that each District Ce nsus Handbook would contain basic economic data for the smallest administrative unit in the district and be a useful reference book for scholars, Central and State Governments, Local Bodies and private institutions. The proposal of widening the scope of the Census Hand­ book was accepted by the State Government in their G. O. Ms. No. 154 Public (Elections II) dated the 31st January, 1961. It was also decided to publish it at the cost of the State Government. The first District Census Handbook which we published was on Coimbatore. The present volume which is the eleventh in the series is on Salem, and is publiShed in two volumes. The first vol ume contains an introductory essay on all important aspects of tbe district, pbysical features, bi story, people and their social condition, agriculture, industries, public health, education, irrigation, electricity and other allied topics. It contains "A" Series Tables, "B" Series, "C" Series, SCT for each taluk, SC-J, ST-J and II and a list of fairs and festivals in the district. Seventy-two statements of administrative statistics classified under seven sections have been incl\lded in the second volume of this District Census Handbook, 1. Agriculture and Irrigation 2. Industry and Labour 3. Education 4. Public Health 5. Law and Order 6. Communications 7. Miscellaneous A new feature of the District Census Handbook is the Village Directory which repljlced the rural statistics included in the previous Census series. An abstract giving a complete list of all villages and towns in each taluk in the district along with the distribution of population by sel( and various categories of workers has been added. It also gives an account of the basic amenities available in each village such as educational, medical. irrigational, posts and tele­ graphs, comm\lnication and electrification. A village-wise list of industries claSsified according ii to the Indian Standard Industrial Classification Code and the total number of units in the diffe­ rent types of industry for each village, an alphabetical list of villages along with their corres­ ponqing Census location code number and a statement showing the type of soil and type of terrain, sources of irrigation, important wet and dry crops and value of such lands will also be found in the second volume. The second volume of this book contains maps of each taluk in the district and in addition the following intere~ting items:- I. Gazetteer of place names; 2. Calendar of outstanding occurrences that have influenced the district. It has been also my endeavour to include in this volume all items of information col­ lected by the Census Organisation in the course of special studies undertaken during 1961 Census. Though the publication will be issued by the Government of Madras, the views expressed in the volume are personal and do not hind the Government. This volume containing a variety of information relating to Salem district will. I hope, be useful to the General Publie. In keeping with the policy of the Government to make Tamil the language of adminis. tTatian, the Government of Madras have decided to issue an abridged edition of District Census Handbook in Tamil. This abridgement will be done by the State Government but th'ey have kindly agreed to show it to me for comments before publication. In preparing this volume, I have been assisted by a large number of my staff. SpeCial mention should be made of Sri T. B. Bharathi and Sri K. C. Narayana Kurup, my Deputy Superin­ tendents who have assisted me in compiling and test-checking the material pieced together in thill volume. I am also grateful to Sri Asok Mitra, I. C. S., Ce nsus Commissioner of India. for having made it possible to conceive of a volume like this for publication in connection with t.he 1961 Census. P. K. N A M B I A R. $uperint(!ndent 0/ Census Op.erations, Madras. CONTENTS PART I Pages Preface .... i - ii Chapter I INTRODUCTION 1 - 9 II CHARACTERISTICS OF POPULATION 10 - 19 III THE PEOPLE 20 - 23 IV HOUSING 24 - 32 V AGRICULTURE AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 33 - 36 VI IRRIGATION AND POWER 37 - 43 VII EDUCATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH 44 VIn INDUSTRIES 4' - 47 IX HANDLOOM INDUSTRY 48 - 54 X LOCAL ADMINISTRATION AND ELECTIONS 55 - 58 XI ACHIEVEMENTS UNDER FIVE YEAR PLANS 59 - 68 XII TEMPLES 69 - 70 PART II CENSUS TABLES A SERIES-GENERAL POPULATION TABLES AI Area, Houses and Population­ Fly leaf 75 - 76 Table 77 - 78 Appendix 1-1951 Territorial units constituting the present set up of Salem District 79 Sub-Appendix to Appendix I-Area for 1951 and 1961 for those municipal towns which have undergone changes in area since 1951 Census 79 Villages transferred from Salem District and transfers within the district 80 - 82 Appendix II-Number of villages with a population of 5,000 and over and towns with a population under 5,000 83 Appendix Ill-Houseless and Institutional Population 84 iv A II Variation in population during sixty years­ Fly leaf 85 Table 85 A III Villages classified by population- Fly leaf 86 - 87 Table 88 - 89 A IV Towns (and Town-groups) classified by po.,ulation with variation since 1941- Fly leaf 90 - 91 Table ... 92 - 94 B SERIES-GENERAL ECONOMIC (B I • B IX) AND HOUSEHOLD ECONOMIC (B X • B XVII) TABLES (i) GENERAL ECONOMIC TABLES Preliminary note on General Economic Tables 97 B I Workers and Non-workers classified by sex and broad age-groups- \ Fly leaf 98 Table 99 -100 B III Industrial classification of Workers and Non-workers by educa­ Parts A & B tional levels in Urban and Rural areas- Fly leaf 101 Table 102-117 B IV Industrial classification by sex and class of Worker at wQrk- Parts A, B & C Fly leaf Us Table Part A-At Household Industry 119-122 Table Part B-In Non-household Industry, Trade, BUsiness, Profes­ sion or Service 123-131 Table Part C-In Household Industry, Non-household Industry, Trade, Business, Profession or Service 132-153 Appendix (Standard Industrial classification) 154-163 B V Occupational classification by sex of persons at work other than cultivation- Fly leaf 164 Table 165-205 Appendix (National classification of occupations) 20f-212 B VI Occupational divisions of persons at work other than cultivation classified by sex, broad age-groups and educational levels in Urban areas only- Fly leaf 213 Table 214-221 B VII Part A - Persons working principally (i) as Cultivators Cii) as Agri­ Parts A & B cultural Labourers or (iii) at Household Industry classified by sex and secondary work (i) at Household Industry (ii) as Cultivator or (iii) as Agricultural Labourer- Part B· Industrial classification by sex of persons working in Non­ household Industry, Trade, Business, Profession or Service who are also engaged in Household Industry- Fly leaf 222 Table B VII Part A 223-224 Table B VII Part B 225-226 B VIII Persons unemployed aged 15 and above by sex, broad age-groups and Parts A & B educational ~evels in Urba n and Rural areas- Fly leaf 227 Table 228-230 B IX Persons not at work classified by sex, broad age-groups and type of ictivity- Fly leaf 231 Table 232-237 (ii) HOUSEHOLD ECONOMIC TABLES Notes on Household Economic Tables 241-247 Appendix-Selected local rights on land in Salem District 248-251 BX Sample Households (i) engaged neither in Cultivation nor House. hold Industry (ii) engaged either in Cultivation or Household Indus­ try but not in both and (iii) engaged both in Cultivation and House­ hold Industry for all areas- Fly leaf ~52 Table 2~3 B Xl Sample households engaged in Cultivation classified by interest in land and size of land cultivated in Rural and Urban areas separately­ Fly leaf 254 Table 255-256 13 xli Sample households engaged in Cultivation only classified by size of land cultivated and number of .family workers and hired workers in Rural and Urban areas separalely- Fly leaf 251 Table 258-211 VI B XIll Sample households engaged both in c'ultivation and Household Industry showing size of land cultivated classified by principal house.