Gujarat Social Infrastructure Development Society General Administration Department Planning, Government of Gujarat, Gandhinagar.

Transcription

1 Gujarat Social Infrastructure Development Society General Administration Department Planning, Government of Gujarat, Gandhinagar.

2 ii

3 iii

4 iv

5 MESSAGE Human Development is a development paradigm which is beyond mere rise or fall of national incomes. It is about creating an environment where people can develop their full potential and lead productive, creative lives in accordance with their needs and interests. People are the real wealth of nation. Development is thus about expanding the choices people have to lead lives that they value. The District Human Development Report is a Document which gives the present status of Human Development in different talukas of the District. Human Development requires focus on the basic as well as crucial indicators of Human Development. Thus this report has highlighted three important pillars which are: Education, Health and Livelihood. I commend the efforts put in by stakeholders in preparing this publication and hope that this will be useful to all the state & district level officials, policy makers and planners in working towards improving Human Development scenario of the District. (S. Aparna) Principal Secretary (Planning) and Chairperson, GSIDS v

6 vi

7 Preface The objective of all the interventions is to bring in human development. A district human development report has to basically address the issue of formulation of a strategy, which will accelerate the pace of human development. Therefore, the objective of the present exercise is to build up a developmental path, which will address human development in Sabarkantha. Normally a human development report covers three aspects related to human development standard of living, health and education. Broadly the same format has been maintained in this exercise. However, separate chapter has been kept for gender issues. When we talk of building of a strategy, all concerned who are expected to participate in its execution must be involved at the formulation stage. In other words, the whole exercise has to be participatory in nature. An attempt has been made to involve all the line departments in this exercise. At the same time other stakeholders have also been involved in identification of the bottlenecks and solutions. We have included several case studies to capture the essence of the district and success stories from the district itself that can be scaled up to accelerate the pace of human development. The formulation of Human Development Index (HDI) has not been attempted here. In the process of formulation of a strategy, intra-district scenario needs to be brought out. The quality of data varies from district to district and if the usual data available at the district level is used to formulate the HDI, the comparison across district may become erroneous. Since quality of data within a district is likely to be similar, a comparison within a district may provide us a relative picture of progress and a comparison of talukas over conveniently defined indicator will not be off the mark. In any case using the normal HDI formulae may not be able to capture the specific nuances and barriers to human development in different parts of a district. Since we need to build a strategy we should use a framework, which is flexible enough to capture the specific need of the district in terms of human development. HDI formulation is rather complicated and is difficult to comprehend, say, for panchayat level functionaries who are likely to participate in execution of schemes in the process of human development. Considering the above, the Human Development Radar has been attempted which may be helpful. It is easily understandable and the weak areas can be quickly identified. In addition, the indicators may be selected as per the district specific issues. vii

8 This exercise started with a district level workshop involving all the line departments, other government officials and academicians. A Core committee was formed at the district level consisting of government officials, Panchayat functionaries, representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGO) and representatives from academia. Based on the issues highlighted in the district level workshop weaker pockets under each sector in the district were identified. Identification of barriers to human development under each area in this district followed next. The process of documentation was initiated thereafter. Specific studies were also initiated and findings have been incorporated. The draft report was presented again before the Chief Secretary, Gujarat State before finalisation. I put on record my sincere thanks to all who have been involved in this exercise. I am grateful to the officers of the line departments including the departments of Land, Forest, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry Development, Fisheries, Agri-irrigation, WASMO, District Industries Centre, Education, Health, Social Welfare and Bureau of Economics and Statistics. I was assisted by a dedicated band of officers from the Sabarkantha Collectorate which included the DDO, DPO, etc. I express my deep gratitude to the representatives from academia who have helped us in preparing this exercise. Special mention may be made of Prof. S.P. Kashyap, Prof. Niti Mehta, Dr. Anita Arya, Dr. Shital Shukla from Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and Social Research and Dr. Neha Shah. Finally I express my sincere thanks to the GSIDS, General Administration Department (Planning), Government of Gujarat for their kind guidance and constant encouragement. March 2015 Sabarkantha (Himatnagar) Banchhanidhi Pani Collector Sabarkantha viii

9 FOREWORD The Human Development approach arose in part as a result of growing criticism to the leading development approach, which presumed a close link between national economic growth and the expansion of individual human choices. As of 1990, the human development concept was applied to a systematic study of global themes, as published in the yearly Global Human Development Reports under the auspice of the UNDP. The Human Development story of India is unique in its kind. India initiated Human Development issues during 8th Five Year Plan ( ). In order to integrate Human Development into state planning in India the preparation of reports at state level has been started. Now-a-days the Gujarat State is on the fast track of development. Planning Commission-Government of India and UNDP had partnered Strengthening State Plan for Human Development (SSPHD) Programme, under which the Government of Gujarat had initiated the process of integrating Human Development in planning and policy documents. Human Development is increasingly becoming an area of concern and priority is given to development a strategy which conceptually goes beyond per capita income as a measure of development. The preparation of DHDR (District Human Development Report) marks the beginning of the process whereby people are mobilized and actively participate in the developmental process. The DHDR is expected to be an important document for formulating the District Human Development Plan. The report has incorporated the status of Human Development in different talukas of Sabarkantha District. The report depicts the present status of the district with available information for various indicators of Education, Health, Nutrition and Livelihood. I hope this report will form a milestone in the overall planning and development of the district. DHDR will also be very useful to concerned District level Officials, policy makers, decision makers and NGOs. Nagrajan. M (DDO, Sabarkantha) ix

10 x

11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT In doing the study on District Human Development-Sabarkantha we have had the benefit of expertise and guidance from both official and academic fraternities. We take this opportunity to thank Mr. V N Maira, Additional Chief Secretary (Planning) Retired and Kum. S. Aparna, Principal Secretary (Planning) (I/C) who has supported us throughout in completing the project. The District Collector, Shri Banchhanidhi Pani gave all possible help and cooperation and guided the preparation of the report. We acknowledge the cooperation of all the governmental officials of GSIDS, Gandhinagar and also the officers concerned from Sabarkantha District especially the Collector s Office. Our special thanks to the UNDP representatives. The academicians at SPIESR have been of immense help to us, particularly Prof. Y.K. Alagh who always took keen interest and provided encouragement. We would like to thank Shri Dilip Parikh and Shri P.M. Patel whose involvement in conducting the special studies is noteworthy. The Accounts and the Administrative Staff of SPIESR deserve special acknowledgement especially Mr. Kirit Shah, Mr. Venugopal and Mr. Satheesan. Finally, our humble thanks to people of Sabarkantha for whom the study is conducted. Anita Arya (Project Coordinator) xi

12 xii

13 DISTRICT HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT - SABARKANTHA (GUJARAT) RESEARCH TEAM (SPIESR) Anita Arya (Project Coordinator) S P Kashyap (Senior Consultant) Niti Mehta (Faculty) Shital Lodhia (Faculty) Neha Shah (Consultant) RESEARCH TEAM (GSIDS) Sagar Patel (SPAC) Pinki Mishra (SPAC) Alap Patel (SPA) Vishal Shah (SPAC Sabarkantha) Hemant Solanki (SPA Sabarkantha) xiii

14 xiv

15 Contents Chapter Title Page Executive Summary xix 1 Introduction District Profile of Sabarkantha Education Profile Health Profile Economic Base and Livelihoods Gender Development Insights from Special Studies Status of Human Development Ways Ahead Abbreviations 84 References and Sources of Information Glimpses xv

16 List of Boxes Box 2.1 E-Governance 6 Box 2.2 Success Story under IAY 9 Box 2.3 Role of Bharat Nirman Volunteers in enhancing Social Accountability Field Experience from Sabarkantha District, GUJARAT 10 Box 3.1 Initiative for Female Enrollment 20 Box 4.1 Assessing Gujarat's 'Chiranjeevi' Scheme 34 Box 4.2 Janani Suraksha Yojana 35 Box 4.3 Mukhya Mantri Amrutum Yojana 37 Box 5.1 MGNREGS in Gujarat 44 Box 5.2 Kaushalya Vardhan Kendra 45 Box 5.3 ATVT Programme 47 Box 5.4 Changing Regional Patterns of Agriculture Growth in Gujarat 52 Box 5.5 Box 5.6 Harnessing Organic Wealth Gram Lakshmi Sammohik Vermicompost Unit Gram Laxmi under Mission Mangalam: A Government of Gujarat (GOG) livelihood and poverty alleviation programme Box 6.1 Nari Gaurav Niti 62 Box 7.1 Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana 70 xvi

17 List of Tables Table 2.1 Growth Rate and Density of Population 7 Table 2.2 Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Table 2.3 Urbanization 8 Table 2.4 Basic Facilities Available to Household, Table 2.5 Total Road Length, Table 3.1 Literacy Rate: Inter-Temporal Comparison 13 Table 3.2 Literacy Rate Urban Rural Comparison, 2001 and Table 3.3 Effective Literacy Rate 1991, 2001 and Table 3.4 Total Availability of Primary, Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools, 2010 Table 3.5 Availability of Primary Schools and Class Rooms, Table 3.6 Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools, Table 3.7 Availability and Progress of Private and Public School 19 Table 3.8 Students in Primary, Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools, to Table 3.9 (a) Year- wise Dropout Rate, Table 3.9 (b) Drop out Rate, to Table 3.10 Uttarbuniyadi Ashram Schools for Schedule Tribes, 2001 to Table 3.11 Aashram Schools for Developing Communities, 2001 to Table 3.12 Teacher-Student Ratio, Table 3.13 Institutions of Higher Education (Govt. and Private), Table 3.14 Physical Amenities in Schools 25 Table 4.1 Crude Birth Rate and Death Rate 28 Table 4.2 Level of Vaccination (% of Children Vaccinated), Table 4.3 Malnourishment of Children, Table 4.4 Primary Health Structure and Population Norms 32 Table 4.5 Villages Having Health Facilities, Table 4.6 Shortfall in Basic Health Care Facilities 33 Table 4.7 Institutional Deliveries 34 Table 4.8 Performance of ANC Registration 35 Table 4.9 Patient Treated for Different Diseases, Table 5.1a Changes in Workforce Composition across location, 1991 to Table 5.1b Worker Participation Rates, Table 5.2 Worker Participation Rates (Main and Marginal Workers) Table 5.3 Occupational Pattern in Sabarkantha, xvii

18 Table 5.4a Year wise Achievement of MGNREGA in Sabarkantha 45 Table 5.4b Distribution of Rural Works Completed in Sabarkantha unde MGNREGA, March 2011 Table 5.5a Physiography 46 Table 5.5b Agro-Ecological Zones 46 Table 5.6a Trend in Land use, Sabarkantha, to Table 5.6b Taluka wise Land use Pattern (% to Reporting area), Table 5.7a Taluka wise Irrigation Status, Table 5.7b Taluka Wise Ground Water Recharge, Draft, Level of Development and Average Water Level, Table 5.8 Structure of Land holdings, Table 5.9 Decadal Change in Cropping Pattern, Sabarkantha 51 Table 5.10 Average and Potential Yield of Important Crops, Table 5.11 Composition of Livestock Population (000) 52 Table 5.12 Dairy Cooperatives and Members, Table 5.13 Distribution of Fishermen and Population of Fishing Community, Table 5.14a Talukawise Small-scale Industrial Units (Functioning), 2006 to Table 5.14b Small-scale Industrial Clusters in Sabarkantha, Table 5.15 Taluka-wise Medium Size Industrial units, Table 5.16 Poverty Situation in Sabarkantha District, Table 6.1 Sex Ratio across Talukas, 1991 to Table 6.2 Worker Participation Rates, (Main and Marginal workers), 1991 to 2011 Table 6.3 Work Participation Rates, (Main and Marginal Workers), Table 6.4 Work Participation Rates, (Main and Marginal Workers), Table 6.5 Work Participation Rates, (Main and Marginal Workers), Table 6.6 Industrial Distribution of workers in Sabarkantha, 1991 to Table 6.7 Worker Classification by Taluka, Table 6.8 Worker Classification by Taluka, Table 6.9 Pattern of Migration 68 Table 6.10 Number of Offences against Women in the District, 1995, Table 8.1 Indicators of Human Development in the District and Talukas 75 Table 8.2 Range of Human Development across Talukas 75 Table 8.3 Action needed in the specific areas in each taluka of the district xviii

19 Executive Summary Human development depends on historical factors, macroeconomic policies of the government, and strategies of the state government, particularly with respect to livelihood, health, and education. Economic policies of the central government to a large extent determine outcomes at the state level. Trade liberalization is expected to improve exports which, in the case of high labour intensity, could generate substantial employment. Much, however, depends on whether the impact percolates to unskilled workers or stays with skilled workers and whether it radiates to rural India or is confined to urban areas. Employment has increased in the unorganized sector which does not necessarily point to an improvement in the quality of life or living standards. Financial liberalization in the post-reform period has led to a decline in credit to the farm sector and loans to small and marginal farmers and other weaker sections. On balance, it appears that the mix of macro policies has not promoted employment and human development in the post-reform period. This report focuses on human development indicators in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat. It assesses the base line situation by estimating human development radars at the taluka level, while stressing types of human vulnerability. Steps are suggested for raising the level of human development and reducing human vulnerability. Besides providing a profile of the district, important components of human development such as education, health, economic base and livelihood, and gender issues are discussed in separate chapters. A field-based study deals with behavioural aspects of tribal and other farming communities, particularly of Kutchi Patels. Methodology: In order to capture the large inter-taluka variations for most human development indicators, we divided the talukas in two categories: tribal and non-tribal talukas. Vijaynagar, Bhiloda, Meghraj, Khedbarahma are tribal talukas. The non-tribal talukas are Vadali, Dhansura, Bayad, Malpur, Talod, Idar, Prantij, Himatnagar, Modasa. Besides while clarifying the talukas we take into account level of urbanization and whether a taluka belong to tribal or non-tribal area. Modasa is the second most urbanized (30.39%), Vijaynagar is the least urbanized which is tribal. Dhansura has no urban population. Among the tribal talukas Khedbrahma is the most urban and Vijaynagar is the least urban taluka. District Profile: In Sabarkantha the level of urbanization is around percent (2011). Industrial base is promising but there is complete absence of large scale units. There is dominance of land based activities (farming and animal husbandry) as source of income and more so for employment generation. Nearly 71% households have tap water facilities, 58.0% have access to toilets and 95.05% of households have electricity supply. Vadali, Bayad and Prantij have good coverage as far drinking water facility is concerned. Himmatnagar, Modasa, Idar, Dhansura and Bayad have more than 60% coverage of households as far as sanitation is concerned. Sex ratio is a bright spot. It is the highest in the tribal taluka viz. Vijaynagar. However, it has declined from 965 in 1991 to 952 in 2011 in Sabarkantha district. Education: Education is key to expanding personal endowments and building individual capabilities so that physical and social barriers can be surmounted. Education is a basic tool of allround progress, a tool of liberating people from shackles of ignorance, illiteracy, and poverty. There are various demand factors, particularly in tribal areas that deter spread of education. Further, majority of women (90 per cent) are not interested in adult education because they are busy in economic activities (56 per cent), engaged in household work and related responsibilities (29 per cent), or have no interest. xix

20 Concentrated efforts by the State Government have helped in improving the literacy level in 2011 specially for females. The enrolment rate as well as retention level has improved. The availability of primary school is close to the norms and the student teacher rate is quite favourable. Foremost amongst the remedial steps would be to establish a link between education and livelihood. Effective implementation of MGNREGA and giving boost to building infrastructure would have positive outcomes on education attainment. Also, teachers need to be trained not only in imparting literacy but also sensitized with local economic constraints. Teachers knowing local dialect need to be given priority, as that will make task of communication easier. Innovative methods, whereby the children can relate with the education material, would be useful. Urgent steps are needed to ensure the basic amenities like water, sanitation and electricity. Health: Health has been declared as a fundamental human right by the Alma-Ata Conference (1978) and is an important factor for human development. Better health has multiple effects on the individual s well-being. It is a means as well as an end to attain better life. Good health reduces medical cost and loss of income for daily wage earners. High cost of health care often acts as a major reason for indebtedness in a poor family. This ignites the vicious circle of ill health, loss of income, hunger, poverty, and malnutrition. In Sabarkantha, CBR has fallen to in from in 2006 and CDR has reduced to 5.0 in from in Child mortality is a barometer of the effect of economic and social condition on child health as it measures an outcome of development. Female CMR is better than male counterparts except in Bhiloda and Meghraj. Health issues are not only merely a function of availability of health facilities. Issues like undernourishment and child mortality rate are more a reflection of the socio-economic condition of the area. Government needs to adopt more comprehensive approach in improving health status by promoting inclusive growth of the entire region. To begin with MGNREGA should be implemented more effectively. Better employment will help in improving incomes of the poor, particularly the bottom poor. This can push up their food intake and nutrition levels. Ensuring 100 per cent vaccine coverage should receive top most priority. Quantity and quality of infrastructure needs to be improved radically. Improved data keeping system is urgently required. It is important that grass root workers midwives, Aganwadi and other health workers are sensitized about need for quality data. Concentrated efforts for capacity building are required at grassroot level. Economic Base and Livelihoods: Agriculture contributes the largest share of total income generated in the district. Though the tertiary sector is dominant, production-related services within the tertiary sector contribute very little to overall income. Share of the agricultural labourer has increased in the past decade and it comprises a third of the work force. Employment in the household sector is under developed while share of other workers declined marginally in the 2000 decade. Additions to the workforce in Sabarkantha have been more pronounced in the category of marginal workers than main workers. Concentration of women workers is largely as marginal workers. Overall, WPR has increased though the rise is lower than the state average. Tribal talukas have high WPRs and, along with non-tribal less developed regions, these talukas have also recorded the largest rise in WPRs. Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for 63 per cent of the workforce. Employment in the household sector is low, while the share of other workers (nonhousehold manufacturing, repairs, tertiary activities) has increased sharply. xx

21 The district is drought prone. This has serious implications for the agricultural sector, which is the main source of livelihood. Groundwater exploitation has peaked, even though 57 per cent of the sown area is irrigated. This further threatens the sustainability of agriculture, especially that practiced by small and marginal farmers, thereby enhancing the vulnerability of people dependent on the tiny parcels of land. Sources of surface irrigation constitute 43% of Gross Irrigated Area. This when juxtaposed with feudal landholding pattern, with 71 percent of small and marginal farmers cultivating only 35 per cent of the cultivated area, has serious implication for human development. Agriculture is getting diversified and share of cotton is nearly 42% of the total cropped area. Industrial development is not vibrant as there are no large industries. In some talukas, small enterprises based industrial clusters are emerging: knitted synthetic fibre, cotton rope, and non-ceramic bricks in Idar; wooden boxes and barrels, printing and publishing, sanitaryware, tiles and ceramics, and chinaware and fabricated metal products in Himatnagar; processed stone and marble in Bayad, and leather footwear in Meghraj. Co-operative dairying is a major allied activity contributing to supplementary income in the district but it is threatened by inadequate fodder availability and pressure of animals on land. Given the fragile economic base, poverty levels are high in the tribal regions and non-tribal talukas. Non-availability of non-farm avenues of employment also contributes to the poverty level in the district. All this is enhancing vulnerability and poverty proneness of a vast sections of population. However, MNREGA has helped villagers to increase work days and improve income. Overcoming the state of underdevelopment calls for special interventions for education and skill development to improve individual capacities. This should be supplemented by creation of better infrastructure and efforts to improve the productivity of primary sector activities in Sabarkantha. Every effort should be made to encourage non-farm sector. In this context it is necessary to activate and develop industrial clusters around rural areas which promote diversification away from agriculture but also reduce marginalization and attendant informalization in urban centres. Further, labour training and technical assistance will crucially stimulate rural entrepreneurship by encouraging micro enterprises. Besides a policy focus on agrarian reforms, promoting organizing efforts aimed at poor workers, can also serve as powerful vehicle to resist social, political and economic oppression. Gender Issues: There is need to have a growth pattern that is poverty alleviating and inclusive over space and people. At the same time ignoring gender inequalities could endanger human development. The demographic indicators in the district show relatively better status of women. Poor health of women is also a major concern for women empowerment. Although the state government has made valiant efforts to improve the health status of women, it needs to adopt a systematic approach. Marginalization of women workers needs corrective action. MGNREGA, so far, has not been able to provide significant benefits to women workers. It is heartening to note that increasing number of women are seeking police protection against domestic violence. This only strengthens the need for giving vigor to women s movements and pro-women legislation. Regretfully the information for issues relating to women, such as, health status, violence, involvement of women as unpaid workers, as marginal workers in petty jobs under unsafe working environment is inadequate. Data base for such vital concerns for human development requires urgent attention. xxi

22 Special Studies: Special studies through social mapping give useful insights. Migrants cover short and long distances and have beneficial impact at origin and at destination. This is particularly true of tribal areas. Ex-servicemen, who have come back to their place of origin, play an important role in the development of rural and urban areas. They occupy important positions in local bodies and act as change agents. There is a need to tap their talents to strengthen the social capital base in tribal areas. At the same time revenge related crime incidence is very high in tribal areas. There is quite a contrast between Kutchi Patels and others. Local Patels allocate land for animal husbandry and therefore crop productivity is not as high as in the case of Kutchi Patels, who also have more knowledge of advanced techniques. In contrast, Kutchi Patels have adopted advanced agricultural practices, use micro irrigation, and grow high value cash crops. Unfortunately Kutchi Patels live isolated in Kampas outside the village. There is a need for building bridges between Kutchi Patels and local farmers so that exchange of ideas on various economic activities is facilitated. Status of Human Development: The paragraphs above provide clues about human development in Sabarkantha. They, however, fail to be of much assistance in devising policies unless crystallized in a meaningful measurement. Point estimates of human development, as used for inter-country comparisons, are not suitable to capture rich human and material diversity at lower order spatial units (talukas). Instead of point estimate, we therefore estimated radar for each taluka. This is done by taking the number of indicators that directly or indirectly capture aspects relating to livelihood, education, and health across genders. It is seen that the multi-dimensional pictures (radars) provide a much clearer view of human development in Sabarkantha. Radars capture the inter-taluka disparities. Tribal talukas are able to achieve better status in basic amenities because the state has special programmes for tribal development. Such programmes have also helped tribal talukas to improve their human development status. Similarly better developed non-tribal talukas have shown better human development status in terms of education, and economic livelihood. However, some of these talukas lack in aspects relating to health and delivery of basic amenities. The developed tribal talukas and developing non-tribal talukas have shown poor status of human development in almost all aspects. These talukas need special attention in development planning. In short, spatially differentiated strategies are required to push talukas of Sabarkantha on a path of human development. xxii

23 Chapter 1 Introduction It needs to be stressed that human development has several determining forces, such as, historical factors, macroeconomic policies of the central government, and strategies of the state government, particularly with respect to livelihood, health, and education. Macroeconomic policies of the central government (fiscal, monetary, trade, financial liberalization, privatization and sectoral policies) influence the outcomes at the state level. The low growth in public investment could be one of the reasons for the low growth in employment in the post-reform period. Trade liberalization is expected to improve exports which can generate employment. However this depends on whether the impact percolates to unskilled workers or stays with skilled workers and remains confined to urban areas. Human Development Aspects According to the recent Human Development Report of UNDP, India has moved from the category of low human development to that of medium human development and its present rank is 126. Nevertheless India s performance in the social sector is far from satisfactory. In rural areas, the levels of education and health are much lower than those in urban areas. Employment has increased in the unorganized sector which does not necessarily point to an improvement in the quality of employment or living standards. Financial liberalization in the post-reform period has led to a decline in credit to the agriculture sector, small and medium farmers, and other weaker sections. Thus, on balance the mix of macro policies has not promoted employment and human development in the postreform period. This study focuses on the human development indicators (HDI) pertaining to health, education, livelihood (employment, poverty) and other issues in Sabarkantha district. Objectives and Methodology We primarily aim at: Assessing the baseline situation; Estimating human development radars at taluka level, stressing various types of human vulnerability. Suggesting steps for raising HDI and reducing human vulnerability. These steps emerged from several meetings of the planning board, various line departments at district level, and voluntary organizations. The tenor of meetings was participatory and interactive. The field strategy and methodological steps that evolved sequentially implied: Field visits across talukas to get a feel of the area. Identification of the data set required for the different chapters. Meeting of the Core Committee at the District Head Quarters to communicate the data requirement. The Core Committee consisted of the District Collector, DDO, District Planning Officer, District Statistical Officer, Tribal Administrator, and Members of prominent Voluntary Organizations, Superintending Engineer and our research team. 1

24 Meeting with head of the line departments to sensitize them on preparation of human development aspects and collection of related data. Compilation of information and preparation of the report. The relevant information was ascertained from secondary sources and field agencies such as District Statistical Officer, Taluka Panchayats, NSS, DES etc. Secondary sources such as District Statistical Outline, publications related to ICDS, SSA, other publications of Bureau of Economics and Statistics, Census of India were the main data sources. In addition field studies were also orgasnised to get distinct flavours of living patterns in Sabarkantha. In order to capture the large inter talukas variations for most human development indicators, we divided the talukas in two categories, tribal and non-tribal talukas, Vijaynagar, Bhiloda, Meghraj and Khedbrahma are tribal talukas. The rest are non-tribnal viz. Vadali, Dhansura, Bayad, Malpur, Talod, Idar, Prantij, Himatnagar and Modasa. Besides, while classifying the talukas we take into account level of urbanization and whether a taluka belongs to tribal or non-tribal area. As far as possible a disaggregated analysis is attempted taking taluka as a unit of analysis. Chapter Scheme Chapter 2 on District profile gives the history, geographical location, and various socioeconomic and physical infrastructure aspects. The chapter looks at demographic details in relation to human welfare, including livelihood patterns as well as constraints and difficulties encountered. Chapter 3 deals with the education profile. What is the type of education infrastructure prevailing in terms of primary, middle, higher secondary as well as higher education? These aspects are assessed across space, gender and social structure. The chapter on health profile (4) assesses the access to health related facilities, especially focusing on women and children. Various health issues are examined covering vital statistics such as crude birth and death rates, child mortality rate, fertility rate, maternal mortality rate, issues in delivery of vaccines. We also examine, to the extent possible, the performance and issues relating to demographic transition and health and nutritional status. The focus of chapter on economic base and livelihoods (Chapter 5) is on employment and activity base. Agriculture, being the dominant activity, covers structure of land holding, crop pattern and land use. Drought pattern (disaster proneness) and ground water position are ascertained. Performance of agriculture and the policy issues relating to agriculture, dairying and livestock rearing and fishery are examined. These aspects are examined taking taluka as basic unit of analysis. While the above chapters look at the issues across gender and space, the chapter on the Gender Development (6) crystallizes issues related to gender and examines gender development and empowerment indices. A unique feature of the study is insights from field visits in the form of special studies (Chapter 7). Although we eschew rigorous statistical analysis, yet the district comes alive through various special studies. Chapter 8 discusses the status of Human Development. Diversities in human development aspects are depicted at lower order spatial units (talukas). Various facets of human development for each taluka are captured through radars. The last chapter highlights the findings and suggests pathways for sustainable livelihoods and overall development. 2

25 Chapter 2 District Profile of Sabarkantha A brief historical profile of Sabarkantha Sabarkantha district is situated in the northern part of the Gujarat state. It lies at E longitude and N latitude. It is bounded on the east and north-east by Rajasthan State, on the west by the Banaskantha district and Mahesana district, on the south by Gandhinagar, Kheda and Panchmahals districts. The western side of this district is bounded by the river Sabarmati, whereas the Aravalli hills form a natural boundary on the northern and eastern sides. The area covered by this district is 7,390 sq. km. The particular reference for the history of Sabarkantha is not available up to Kshatrapa period (Circa AD). Shamlaji has yielded some fine specimens of the Gupta art dating 467 AD. The Chinese pilgrim Huen Tsiang (640 AD) mentions a region named Atali, the headquarters of which is probably represented by Vadali near Idar. Soon after the fall of Valabi, the Rashtrakutas in South Gujarat extended their sway over the district. The district had been under the power of Parmar dynasty of Malwa. After the death of King Bhoja Parmar of Malwa, the district was under the power of Chalukyas of Anhilwad Patan ( AD). Idar is said to have been refounded by Parihar Rajputs who, subject to Chitor, ruled there for several generations. Towards the close of the twelfth century, the Idar chief took part with Prithviraj, King of Delhi in the battle against the musalman invaders of India, and was kitted in the battle of Thanesar (1193). Idar was subsequently ruled by the dynasty of Raos for several generations. The town of Idar is picturesquely situated at the foot of Idargadh, a rocky hill, about 500 high towering over the town. The strength of the fort on the hill is proverbial. To take Idargadh is to achieve the impossible. Vijaynagar is predominately forested and surrounded by hills. About 8 miles away from Vijaynagar, near Abhapur are the scattered ruins of a number of old temple of Sarneshwar Mahadev constructed in the year 1100 AD that was devastated by Alaf Khan, the brother of Allaudin Khilji at the time of his invasion on Patan. It has beautiful sculptures carved all round. The temple is conserved by the State Archaeological Department. Himatnagar, the headquarters of the district was originally founded in 1426 A.D. by Sultan Ahmed-I to keep the Raos of Idar in check. The Sultan founded this place and named it Ahmednagar. Subsequently in 1848, it was reverted to the State of Idar and took its present name Himatnagar after Maharaja Himatsinhji of Idar. The district previously belonged to Mahi Kantha Agency. In 1948, it was named as Mahakantha district that was later changed to Sabarkantha. The district came into existence in August 1949 on account of the merger of 29 princely States and Estates and Prantij taluka and Modasa Mahal of the former Ahmedabad district in the then Bombay State. In November 1956, the States were reorganized and the bigger bilingual State of Bombay was formed with Vidarbha, Marathawada, Saurashtra and Kachchh regions and Sabarkantha district became a part of the bigger bilingual State. 3

26 Drainage, Climate and Soils The district at present is traversed by seven perennial rivers, viz. Sabarmati, Hathmati, Meshvo, Mazum, Vatrak, Harnav and Khari. The Sabarmati river flows from north to south along the western border of the district and other rivers flow from north-east to south-west. The river Sabarmati originates from the Mewad hills of Aravallis in Rajasthan state. It flows in four talukas of the district viz. Khedbrahma, Idar, Himatnagar and Prantij. It is the largest and most important river of the district. It receives the following tributaries during its flow in the district. The river Sai joins Sabarmati near village Gholwada, the river Harmad joins it near village Morvada and the river Pamni joins it near village Kalakhetra. The river Hathmati rises in the Mewad hills of Rajasthan. It passes south-west for about 56 km through the district, falling into the Sabarmati near Bayad. The river passes through three talukas of the district, viz. Bhiloda, Himatnagar and Prantij. The Meshvo river originated in the Mewad hills of Rajasthan. It runs parallel to the river Khari and after a course of about km joins the river Vatrak near Kheda. In Sabarkantha district it passes through three talukas viz. Bhiloda, Modasa and Prantij. The river Mazum rises in the hills of the Dungarpur district of Rajasthan. After traversing about km south-west through Modasa and Vadgam joins the river Vatrak near village Ambaliyara of Bayad taluka. Its bed is rocky in many places. The river passes through three: talukas of the district viz. Meghraj, Modasa and Bayad. The river Vatrak originates in the hills of Dungarpur of Rajasthan and enters the district near village Moydi of Meghraj taluka and runs in the south-west direction of the district. It is joined by the river Mazum and other stream. After a course of 243 km it falls into the Sabarmati near Dholka. It passes through two talukas of the district, viz. Meghraj and Bayad talukas. The river Harnav rises in the Malwa hills of Rajasthan. It enters the district near the village Khokhra in the Vijaynagar taluka. It passes through rocky and forest areas after a course of 61 km. It meets the river Sabarmati near the village Marvada. The river passes through three talukas of the district; namely, Vijaynagar, Khedbrahma and Idar. In addition to the perennial rivers mentioned above there are number of small other rivers in the district such as Indrasi, Sai, Guhai, Vakal, Vekri, Debhoi, Bhekai, Sakri, Budheli, Kosambi and Varansi. The climate of this district is characterized by general dryness except in the south-west monsoon season and a hot summer. The year may be divided into four seasons. The cold season from December to February is followed by the hot season which last upto about the middle of June. The south-west monsoon season is from the middle of June to about the end of September. October and November constitute the post monsoon or retreating monsoon season. Sandy, goradu and medium black are the three main types of soils found in almost all the talukas. However, the sandy soil is chiefly found in Modasa, Meghraj, Malpur, Himatnagar, Bhiloda and ldar. The goradu land is found in Modasa, Prantij, Himatnagar, Bhiloda and Malpur and the medium black soil is found in Khedbrahma, Vijaynagar, Bay ad, Bhiloda and Idar. Places of Religious, Historical or Archaeological Importance Shamlaji: Shamlaji is a famous Hindu pilgrim centre on the bank of the river Meshwo about 20 km from Bhiloda. It is situated amidst picturesque natural surroundings on the eastern border of Gujarat in a beautiful valley shut in by well wooded hills through which place is connected by the State Transport bus routes from Ahmedabad to Udaipur. Shamlaji is chiefly a Vaishnavite place and is known in the Puranas as Gadadhar Kshetra. The chief temple is dedicated to Krishna and is a beautiful piece of Hindu architecture, built in the 10 th or 11 th century and repaired over 400 years ago. 4

27 Khedbrahma: Khedbrahma is one of the important places of pilgrimage. It derives sanctity from the shrine of Brahma temple of Amba Mataji. There is also the shrine of Bhrigu Rishi in Bhrigu Ashram at a little distance. Fairs are held every year in the month of Kartik, Chaitra and Bhadrava (November, April and September). The place is called Khedbrahma or Brahmani Khed, as Brahma is said to have first ploughed some land here. The shrine of Brahma, one of the very few that exists in India and indeed the only one in Gujarat is situated here. It is a place of pilgrimage of the Hindu on the confluence of three rivers, viz. the Harnav, the Kosambi and the Bhimakshi near the temples of Koteshwar Pankheshwar or Pakshendranath Mahadev. Bhiloda: Bhiloda is the taluka headquarters situated on the river Hathmati about 29 km from Idar. It has derived its name from the Bhil, a backward tribe inhabiting the areas. About 24 km on the south-east, there is an ancient temple of Shri Chandraprabhuji, 70 feet long, 45 feet broad and 30 feet high. The Kirti Stambh (Tower of Victory) though smaller in size and built a little later is similar in structure to the famous Kirti Stambh of Maha Rana Kumbh at Chitor. The carving on the outside contains the images of Hindu Gods, the Digpals (Lord of Quarter) etc., and a number of incidents from the daily life of the people. In the centre of village there is an ancient temple of Laxminarayan. Idar: The town is picturesquely situated on the foot of Idargadh, a rocky hill about 800 feet high. It is a spur of the Aravalli Hills. There is a fine Swaminarayan temple built by Maharaja Jawansinhji. At the foot of the fort is a rock cave temple of Khokhanath Mahadev, believed to be nearly 500 years old. The beautiful temple of Swaminarayan in the town is a centre of attraction for visitors and devotees. The Rani Talav outside the town and on the way to Vadali is also worth seeing. Abhapur: Abhapur is a small village situated among picturesque hilly surroundings on the river Harnav about 13 km away from Vijaynagar. The temple of Sarneshwar Mahadev constructed in the year 1100 A. D. is situated on the outskirts of the village. It was devastated in the year 1240 A.D. by Alaf Khan. A sun temple said to have been constructed in the 15 th century is also situated nearby. Close to this temple there is another one dedicated to Lord Shiv. Both the temples are protected monuments looked after by the Archaeological Department. Devni Mori: Devni Mori is a village at a distance of less than 2 km from Shamalaji and 20 km from Bhiloda. The valley had a number of mounds having archaeological remains on the left bank of the river Meshwo. Of these a mound known as Bhoj-Rajano Tekra was the most prominent. The excavations carried out lend further evidence of the past glory of this ancient place. The remains of a Stupa and a Vihara have been unearthed. The Stupa is 85 feet both in height and in circumference. The most significant feature of the Stupa is the excellent carving in terracotta and the high degree of technological skill evinced in the manufacture of large-sized idols in meditative postures. The sculptures reflect the influence of the Gandhar art of which the Kshatrapa kings were votaries. Found in the inscribed caskets were small bottles, some ancient silver coins, gold leaves, materials of worship and some relics of Lord Buddha. The tribes of Sabarkantha differ from the other tribal communities of the state in many ways. Most of these tribes live in the mountains of Aravalli. The tribes in the district wear bright colours and a belt, sword, a knife and a bow-arrow are their weapons. They organize fairs and festivals to satisfy their urge for social contacts and interaction among themselves. The Kartik Purnima fair at Shamlaji lasts for about three weeks. It commences on Devuthi Agiarash-Kartika Sud 11. Especially important on the occasion is a bath in the river Meshvo, especially in the pool Nagdharo near Vighram Ghat. 5

28 This chapter gives brief statistical information on the district s historical, geographical, demographic, socio-economic, agricultural, and industrial aspects and infrastructural facilities. The analysis compares the district with state level averages and assesses inter-taluka variations of various indicators. Temporal analysis was carried out to the extent that time series information was available. Box 2.1 E-Governance Taking technology to the villages, the successful egram program which provides connectivity to 13,685 Gram Panchayats through VSAT technology is proposed to be upgraded with higher network capability and extended to non-panchayat revenue villages in order to create strong electronic highway network covering the entire rural area of Gujarat. Strong technology framework has also been utilized for more transparent and citizen-centric delivery of services through ATVT, with 162 services being earmarked for electronic delivery. It is matter of pride that the Gujarat State has received 12 Awards in the field of egovernance in the year Map of Sabarkantha district Sabarkantha district has area of 7,390 sq. km. and population of 2,428,589. It is located in north-east Gujarat. It has 3.8 per cent of the state s area, accommodates 4.1 per cent of the state s population. The district has 13 talukas with 8 urban centres. Himatnagar is the administrative headquarter. The district is surrounded by Rajasthan in the north-east, Banaskantha and Mehsana districts in the west, Gandhinagar and Kheda districts in the south and Panchmahal district in the east. Demographic Profile The decadal population growth rate between 1991 and 2001 was around 18.3 per cent and between 2001 and 2011 was around per cent which is more than that of the state average. The population density is, however, higher than that of the state. 6

29 Table 2.1: Growth Rate and Density of Population Population Density per sq.km. Growth Rate (%) Taluka Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Gujarat Sources: Census of India, 1991, 2001, In 2011, Himatnagar has the highest density of population, while Vijaynagar has the lowest. As far as growth rate of population is concerned, it is highest for Khedbrahma (31.16 per cent) which is much more than the state s average growth rate. This is followed by Himatnagar (26.84 per cent). While Idar is at the bottom with growth rate of 9.28 per cent. (Table 2.1) Overall, the district has 7.73 per cent of scheduled caste and per cent scheduled tribe population. Vijaynagar, Khedbrahma, Bhiloda and Meghraj can be designated as tribal talukas. The main adivasi groups are the Bhils, Bhil Garasias and Dungri Garasias who are concentrated in four talukas of the district: Khedbrahma, Vijaynagar, Bhiloda, and Meghraj. (Table 2.2) Table 2.2: Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, 2011 Scheduled Caste % to total Scheduled Tribe % to total Taluka Population Population Population Population Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Gujarat Sources: Census of India,

30 Table 2.3: Urbanization Taluka Urbanization Urban Population (%) Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Gujarat Source: Census of India, 1991, 2001, In 2011 the level of urbanization is per cent. However, there are large variations among talukas. The 1991 and 2001 data clearly shows that in Vijaynagar, Bhiloda, Vadali, Dhansura, Bayad there was no urbanization. Some of the talukas reported better level of urbanization in Those talukas are Himatnagar (31.08 per cent) and Modasa (30.38 per cent). Urbanization is considered an important indicator of level of development. Population density has high correlation with urbanization of the area. A highly urbanized area has a higher population density than a less urbanized region (Table 2.3). The literacy rate of the district was per cent in 1991 which increased to per cent in 2001 and it is per cent in However, it is below the state average. The male literacy rate has increased from per cent to per cent during the decade, it has increased from per cent to per cent in decade. The female literacy rate also increased from per cent to per cent and further to per cent in In 2011, Khedbrahma s literacy rate is only per cent which is the lowest among all other talukas of the district. This is followed by Meghraj with per cent and Malpur with per cent literacy rates. Female literacy rates of these three talukas are also low (Table 3.3, chapter on Education). With regard to the poverty situation in Sabarkantha, Khedbrahma, Meghraj and Vijaynagar have the highest percentages of BPL families (Table 5.16, chapter on Economic Base). Work participation rate in the district is higher than the state average (44.7 per cent and 41 per cent respectively). Similarly, the rate in rural areas is 46.6 per cent which is also higher than the state average. Malpur, Vadali and Meghraj have high overall rates. In fact, it is worth noting that the work participation rate in rural areas of Himatnagar is higher than that of the urban areas (Table 5.2, chapter on Economic Base). There are large variations in the demographic characteristics of the talukas. Some talukas have better demographic features than others. Overall Himatnagar has better socio-economic characteristics in the district. 8

31 Basic and Physical Infrastructure Let us look at the status of basic housing facilities and other primary amenities in the district. Of the total number of households in the district in 2011, 94 per cent are owned house & 4.61 per cent are rented. However in rural Sabarkantha 96 per cent are owned and 2.47 per cent are rented whereas in urban Sabarkantha 81 per cent owned and per cent rented. (See Box 2.2 for success met under IAY). Box 2.2 SUCCESS STORY under IAY In 2010, Smt. Savitaben was given the benefit of the IAY scheme and was able to construct a Pakka-House with a room, a kitchen, a verandah, and a sanitary latrine. The total sum of assistance given to Savitaben was R s. 42,000. The IAY dwelling was dovetailed with good sanitary facility received from the TSC (Total Sanitation Scheme) and was built in a geographically suitable area where they are protected from natural calamities. The house was registered in Saviatben s name and today she feels economically benefited with an enhanced social status. This house has brought about a profound social change in her existence endowing her with an identity, thus integrating her with her immediate social milieu. The family feels safe, secure, and have privacy. They are staying in the main habitation and cluster of the village which has a safe and healthy environment. As they have a sanitary latrine and a drinking water facility in the house, the family s health and sanitary conditions have improved. Savitaben has received the benefits of electricity through Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojna (RGGVY) being implemented by the Ministry of Power and this has ensured a free electricity connection. Since the dwelling in now in the main village cluster it is well connected to the main Bazaar and there are tree plantations around to ensure good environment. Savitaben feels proud, satisfied, self confident and happy after receiving the benefits for constructing a Pakka house under the IAY scheme. The scheme is being implemented by the DRDA Sabarkantha. Her success story is also a very good example of convergence with other schemes like Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC), Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidhyutikaran Yojna (RGGVY), Water Supply Scheme, Road & Building Dept., Forest Schemes and Women Empowerment. *Smt Savitaben Mathuji Chauhan, Raslod Village, Prantij Taluka, Sabarkantha Source: Let us examine the basic amenities. We consider three basic facilities: electricity, drinking water, and sanitation. Table 2.4: Basic Facilities Available to Household, 2011 Total House Taluka Electricity Holds 9 Toilet Household With Tap Water No % No % No % Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbhrama Vadali Dhasura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himat nagar Modasa SabarKantha Gujarat Source: Sabarkantha District Water & Sanitation Committee, Himatnagar

32 It is seen that basic facilities available to the households are encouraging. (See Box 2.2 for state initiatives). About per cent of households have access to electricity. About 72 per cent of households have access to tap water. However, there is lot of variation among talukas with regards to drinking water availability. The lowest accessibility to drinking water facility is observed in Vijaynagar taluka as only per cent of households have access to tap facility. This is followed by Meghraj with 38.0 per cent households and Khedbrahma with around 43.0 per cent. Prantij, Bayad, Vadali and Dhansura have good coverage as far as drinking water facility is concerned. Nearly 58.8 per cent households have access to sanitation facility. Bhiloda, Meghraj and Talod talukas are at the bottom. Idar, Dhansura, Vijaynagar, Himatnagar and Bayad talukas have more than 60 percent coverage of households as far as sanitation facility is concerned. Figiure: 2.1 Talukawise Basic Facilities Available to Household Box 2.3 Role of Bharat Nirman Volunteers in enhancing Social Accountability Field Experience from Sabarkantha District, GUJARAT Bharat Nirman Volunteers (BNVs) are proved to be a very important face with the rural households in better planning and quality implementation of programmes with transparency and accountability. Mr. Pravinbhai Khemabhai Solanki resident of Majra village, Ta-Prantij had interfered in underline drainage work, where he found poor quality of pipes and he get stopped the work with the help of Sarpanch & gave instruction to use good quality pipeline. He also facilitated to get Antyoday Cards to 3 widows of same village and helped them in enhancing the quality of life. He has also done counseling with the parents & school teachers to reduce dropout and increase in presence of school going children. Thus he helped to built healthy working relationships between the elected representatives and BNVs. Mr. Alusinh Sankalsinh Zala resident of Punadra, Ta: Prantij has facilitated in getting sewing Training to 15 BPL women, then he has also helped them to get sewing tool kits from Manav Garima Yozna and thus helped them in making self-employed. He has identified total 36 widows and proceed this list for widow pension scheme. He has also extent his hands to poor school children to get benefit of scholarship under Aam-Aadmi Vima Yozna. Group of five BNVs had actively participated in road side encroachment removal drive in Moyad village. They cleaned the roadside and done plantation of 100 plants. This group of BNVs has virtually forced the Moyad Gram Panchayat functionaries to remove encroachments. 10

33 Table 2.5: Total Road Length, 2011 Region/Taluka Total Area (in sq.kms.) Total population 11 Road length (in kms.) Per 100 sq.kms. of Area Per one lakh Population Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: Road and Housing Dept., Himatnagar Road length in the district is about 8156 sq. km (Table 2.5). The district has km of road per lakh population. In fact road length per 100 sq. km. of area is It is worth mentioning here the road length per sq. km. of area and per lakh population is high in almost all the talukas of the district, except Vadali & Vijaynagar. The state government is focusing on above issues. It pioneered the concept of RURBAN: to provide urban-like amenities in larger villages, while still retaining the rural soul in these places. The Swarnim Jayanti Mukhyamantri Shaheri Vikas Yojana has been continued in the 12th Five Year Plan with a total outlay of 15,000 crore. In , an outlay of 6,650 crore has been made for the urban sector. The focus will be on augmenting urban infrastructure relating to road network, drinking water supply, sewage systems, solid waste management, civic facilities in urban areas, special projects to enhance city life. Industries Sabarkantha has 1028 small scale registered units with an investment of Rs lakhs and these units provided employment to 9785 persons. Most of the small scale units are located in Himatnagar taluka. Dhansura, and Idar, Malpur have the lowest number of registered SSI (6) units. In terms of employment and investment industrial units are clustered around Himatnagar, Dhansura, and Prantij (Table 5.14a, chapter on Economic Base). From Table 5.15 (chapter on Economic Base), it is seen that as far as large and medium enterprises are concerned, there are only 10 units working mainly in Prantij, Himatnagar. Idar, Talod and Modasa with an investment of Rs lakh providing employment to 718 persons respectively. Agricultural Development Looking at the land use pattern of the district, one can say that the land utilization pattern is quite good. The district has 17.3 per cent of area under forests which adds richness to environment. The district has 65.8 per cent of land under net sown area. It is interesting to note here that land under barren and uncultivable areas is just 10.9 per cent which is very low. Further, the district has 1.0 per cent fallow land showing the richness of the soil and land. Culturable wasteland is also 1.0 per cent (Table 5.6a, chapter on Economic Base).

34 Sabarkantha is a largely rural district with around 90 per cent of its population residing in rural areas. The economy of Sabarkantha is dominated by agriculture. A large part of the land is owned by influential cultivating castes such as Patels, Kolis, and Rajputs. Looking at the agricultural scenario, we find that Bayad has the highest net area sown which is about 85 per cent. This is followed by Himatnagar 81 per cent and Dhansura with 80 per cent. On the other hand, Vijaynagar, Khedbrahma, and Bhiloda have less net cropped area mainly because of unsuitable cropping conditions in these regions. Irrigation intensity is also quite high in Talod, Prantij, Idar, and Himatnagar talukas of Sabarkantha (Tables 5.6 and 5.7, chapter on Economic Base). The average size of holding is 1.63 ha of the district and 2.03 ha as state as per Agri. Census As far as land-holding pattern is concerned, Modasa is better placed having an average 2.49 hectares of farm land holdings. Vijaynagar has the least (1.38 hectares) size of average land holdings ( ). However, 44 per cent of the cropped area was under food crop and 56 per cent in non-food crop in The important crops grown in Sabarkantha are paddy, wheat, bajra, maize, groundnut, castor, mustard, cotton, and fennel. In a nutshell, the chapter highlights profile of the district as reflected through urbanization, industrial base and dominance of land based activities. There are some bright spots; for example above state average urban growth, relatively high social status of women particularly in tribal areas and high density of road length. The ensuing chapters detail various socio-economic features in relation to human development. 12

35 Chapter3 Education Profile The concept of human development focuses on extending the concept of development beyond the economic peripheries of development that improves the people s future choices and opportunities. Proliferation of education is key to expanding personal endowments and building individual capability, so that the physical and social barriers that currently obstruct development can be surmounted. Hence it is a way towards inclusive growth. The achievement of the district in providing education can be measured by standard achievement attributes like literacy levels, enrolment rates, and accessibility of education as well as other enabling factors such as the state of educational infrastructure, staffing, and amenities. The literacy rate in Gujarat is higher than that of the country. Literacy rate in the state was estimated to be 69.9 per cent in 2001 census, that has improved to per cent in There are, however, major inter-district variations. Ahmedabad achieved almost 87 per cent literacy rate on the upper end. While Dahod is struggling with only 60 per cent. Sabarkantha ranks 15 th with 76.6 per cent of literacy in Though the district ranks low in comparison to other districts, literacy rate in Sabarkantha has perceptibly improved from per cent in 1991 to per cent in 2001 and 76.6 per cent in 2011 (Table 3.1). The gap between the district literacy rate and the state average that had enlarged in the last decade has again narrowed down. This shows that the rate of growth of literacy in the district is faster than that in the state. The male literacy rate, that used to be above the state average in 1991, lowered in 2001, in 2011 it is again marginally higher than state. The female literacy continues to lag behind the state, though there is remarkable growth of 24.8 percent in female literacy rate in the last decade. The gap between the district and the state in female literacy level has narrowed from -6.3 to The literacy rate in rural Sabarkantha is well above the state where as in urban areas it is marginally behind the state (Table 3.2). Table 3.1: Literacy Rate: Inter-Temporal Comparison, 1991 to Period Literacy Rate (%) Male Female Total Gujarat Sabarkantha Gap Gujarat (10.1) (20.6) (14.0) Sabarkantha (7.9) (21.4) (12.8) Gap Gujarat (8.4) (20.7) (13.5) Sabarkantha (8.8) (24.8) (15.0) Gap Source: Census 1991, 2001, 2011, * Figures in bracket show decadal growth rate. 13

36 Table 3.2: Literacy Rate: Urban Rural Comparison, 2001 and 2011 Literacy Rate (%) Rural Urban Total Gujarat Sabarkantha Gap Source: Census Table 3.3 takes a look at taluka-wise male and female literacy rates. There is remarkable improvement in literacy rate for male as well as female in all talukas. It has increased from percent in 1991 to percent in 2001 and further increased to 76.6 per cent. For males it has increased from percent in 1991 to percent in Despite acceleration in the last decade female literacy continues to lag behind the state. Across the district female literacy, as in state, is much lower than male. There are a lot of inter-taluka variations. Literacy scene in tribal talukas is lower than other talukas, especially in Khedbrahma which reports the lowest literacy rate for male and female. It is followed by Meghraj. The heartening aspect is that in both these talukas literacy rate has considerably improved during the last decade. Literacy rate among few non-tribal talukas is relatively high, although much lower than the state average. Figure 3.1- Talukawise Effective Literacy Rate 14

37 Table 3.3: Effective Literacy Rate: 1991, 2001 and 2011 Effective Literacy Rate Taluka Person Male Female Person Male Female Person Male Female Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Gujarat

38 Spread of Literacy: Dynamics of Demand and Supply The level of literacy depends on demand as well as supply side factors. The Dhebar Commission way back in 1961 recognised that the opportunity cost of education for tribals is high; it entails dislocation in the traditional pattern of labour. A study by Hirway and Thakar (2002) shows that the opportunity cost still remains the major cause for not enrolling in school and high level of dropout in Hirway and Thaker study shows that tribals do not perceive education as an important need. Though there is a general appreciation about the utility of education, tribals do not perceive high returns from education. The level of education that can generate high returns for them is seen as a too distant a goal. Improvement in general environment at home and in school would be conducive in promoting education. Majority of women (90 per cent) find it difficult to take advantage of adult education because they are busy in their economic work (56 per cent), busy with household work and responsibilities (29 per cent) and lack of interest (Hirway and Thakar, 2002). Some people have suggested that education be given in local dialects. However, the suggestion is not viable as it may make it more difficult to mainstream the marginalized communities. Instead, teachers knowing the local dialect should be recruited so as to make education accessible to the tribals. There are many positive efforts being made to improve the pedagogy in order to improve acceptability of education. Under DPEP and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Sabarkantha has been immensely successful in revising the pedagogy in consultation with teachers, professionals from universities, colleges and NGOs. They have been empowered to identify the training requirements at district level and, also, plan and implement training programmes accordingly with help of DIET. Creation of resource centers at the Block and Cluster levels has replaced the earlier administrative type of inspection system in Gujarat. In this context, concrete steps have been taken in terms of development of new textbooks, curriculum review, orientation of teachers towards new pedagogy, which can be broadly defined as child - centered, activity based and joyful teaching/learning. The State Resource Group (SRG) for pedagogy has been playing an important role in the pedagogical renewal process. Block and Cluster Resource centres have been operationalised. The TLM grant and school grants are made available to all schools in the state under either DPEP or SSA. Education Facilities: Table 3.4: Total Availability Schools in SabarKantha, 2014 Sr.No. School Category Govt. Private Total 1 Primary Upper Primary Primary with Upper Primary Pr. Up Pr. and Secondary Pr. with Up.Pr. sec. and H.Sec Upper Pr. and Secondary Up. Pr. Secondary and Higher Sec TOTAL Source - SSA 16

39 Table 3.4 depicts the avaliabilty of schools in sabarkantha district, including private schools. Total number of schools in the district is 2934 among which 2618 are government schools. Table also shows that the total number of primary schools are 2866, among which only primary schools are 1066, primary with Upper Primary schools are 1672, Schools with Primary,Upper Primary & Secondary are 41 and the number of primary schools with Upper Primary, Secondary & higher secondary are 66. Apart from this, number of single upper primary schools are 21 and schools with upper primary & secondary are 13 only. Taluka Table 3.5: Availability of Primary Schools and Class Rooms, 2011 Total No Of Villages Total Population (2011) No. of Villages having School 17 Total No. of Schools Existence of Class Room Deficit of Class Rooms % of Villages having Primary School Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: Sabarkantha district Education Committee, Himatnagar, Prathmik Vibhag The district has progressed in providing primary schools in all villages. All talukas have progressively moved close to 100 per cent coverage of all villages since 2008 (Table 3.5). In Sabarkantha there are 1374 villages having primary schools. Dhansura, Idar, Prantij and Himatnagar have 100 per cent village having primary schools. Khedbrahma, a tribal taluka has highest number of schools in the District. Table 3.6: Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools, Taluka Total No. of Villages 2011 Secondary Schools No. of Villages Having Secondary Schools-2010 %of Villages Having Secondary Schools Higher Secondary Schools %of Villages No of villages Having with Higher Higher Secondary Secondary Schools-2010 Schools Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura

40 Taluka Total No. of Villages 2011 Secondary Schools No. of Villages Having Secondary Schools-2010 %of Villages Having Secondary Schools Higher Secondary Schools %of Villages No of villages Having with Higher Higher Secondary Secondary Schools-2010 Schools Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: Sabarkantha district Education Committee, Himatnagar, Prathmik Vibhag Table 3.6 shows that 25 per cent of villages in Sabarkantha have secondary schools and 15 per cent of villages have higher secondary schools. Vadali has highest percentage of secondary and higher secondary schools. Private and Public Education Facilities: India is a country with one of the highest level of privatized education. According to the National Council of Applied Economic Research (1995), since the early 1990s the percentage of 6 to 14 year-olds attending private schools has jumped from less than a tenth to roughly a quarter of the total. Education is seen as a form of investment which can ensure good jobs. Private education is associated with better quality. Lack of proper infrastructure and absenteeism among teachers in public funded schools is an important reason for this common perception. 18

41 Table 3.7: Availability and Progress of Private and Public School, Source : Sabarkantha district Education Committee, Himatnagar, Prathmik Vibhag Note : The second row under each taluka shows the percentage (of the total number of schools) figures. 19

42 In Sabarkantha the recent trend shows a very rapid rise in the private schools. Proportion of the private schools in three years (2010 to 2012) has increased from 15.4 percent to 25.6 percent and the enrollment to the private schools is sluggish increased 20.6 in 2010 to percent in Interestingly, and expectedly private schools are located more in relatively developed regions, with Himatnagar having the largest number of private schools (33.3 per cent) and absorbing the highest proportion of students (39 per cent) in the private schools (Table 3.7). Close in the league are Prantij, Idar and Modasa. In the tribal talukas, the proportion of private schools and enrollment is relatively low, although they have grown rapidly. Setting up of private schools is related to the returns on investment, which unless subsidized, depends on the cost bearing capacity of the parents. It is already discussed that tribals did not attach much utility to education. The situation seems to be altering as quite a few private schools are now operating in tribal areas. The process of privatization of services is rapidly influencing the education sector as well. It is raising several concerns. One, the cost of education in private schools is higher. Two, the growing preference for private education is a reflection of difference in quality of education in public and private schools. The trend is discriminatory against the weaker section of the society that continues to depend on the public education facilities. Trends in Enrolment: Net enrolment refers to the proportion of children of a particular age group attending grades specified for that age group while gross enrolment refers to children enrolling in school in any grade irrespective of age. Enrolment is the first step towards attaining education. The education policy in India usually focuses on quantitative achievement in terms of gross enrolment as well as dropout rates. Enrolment is a function of social demand as well as physical availability of education. Table 3.8 shows the number of students enrolled in primary, secondary and higher secondary school from to It also shows rising enrolment across the district in all talukas. In the last decade and a half the district has witnessed growth in enrolment at all levels of school education. The enrolment growth for boys as well as girls in higher secondary school is ommendable. The girls students are lesser in all schools - primary, secondary and higher secondary though they are more than 40 per cent which is encouraging. Box: 3.1 Initiative for Female Enrolment There are systematic efforts in improving enrolment rate especially of girl child by the government of Gujarat. The district administration also joined the drive. During the state-wide enrolment drive, Kanya Kelavani Rath Yatras were organized in two phases in Gujarat. In the first phase, the enrolment drive was organized in rural areas, while in the second phase, it was organized in urban areas. In both the phases, all villages were visited. During the drive, 100 per cent children in the age group of 5 + years were enrolled in Standard 1. Elaborate preparations were made to ensure that the Enrolment Drive could be a huge success. A total of 8 TV Spots of 30 seconds were telecast on prime time, to generate awareness about the importance of universal enrolment of children in schools. The processions of Kanya Kelavani Rath Yatra, led by all the cabinet ministers, Chief Secretary and all senior officers from IAS, IPS, IFS and Secretariat cadres and Education Department, were taken out in villages with low female literacy. As per the strategy adopted, every minister and officer visited at least three such villages everyday, so that during the threeday drive, each one of them had visited at least 15 villages requiring rigorous efforts to improve the female literacy by making efforts for 100 per cent enrolment of girls. Efforts were made to make them feel that a school is a place for fun and enjoyment so as to attract them towards school. Donors presented the newly enrolled children with school bags, slates, pens, pencils, textbooks, notebooks, uniform etc. Under Vidya Laxmi Yojana, in villages with low female literacy, the girls enrolled in Standard 1 were given Narmada Bonds worth Rs.1000/-, which were also collected through local donations. A large number of people participated in the cultural programmes organized in all schools across the state. 20

43 Table 3.8: Students in Primary, Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools, to Source: Sabarkantha district Education Committee, Himatnagar, Prathmik Vibhag 21

44 Dropout Rate Table 3.9 (a): Year- wise Dropout Rate, Boys Girls Taluka Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: Sabarkantha district Education Committee, Himatnagar, Prathmik Vibhag Table 3.9 (b): Year- wise Dropout Rate, to Dropout Rates Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Sabarkantha Source: SSA, Gujarat Council of Elimentery Education, Gandhinagar Enrolment of students is easier than retaining them. Reducing dropout rate is a sign of improving retention in the system. Various efforts by the government have played a positive role in bringing the dropout rate under control. Table 3.9 (a&b) shows that, though there are fluctuations, there is a clear long term trend of reducing dropout rate of the distric for both, boys & girls. There was a sharp decline in dropout for girls during After 2010, difference in the dropout rate of boys and girls has also narrowed down substantially (Figure 3.2). At taluka level Khedbrahma is the only taluka with high level of dropout, followed by Vadali. Rest of the talukas have achieved commendable control in dropout. Figure. 3.2 Yearwise Drop out Rates Yearwise Drop out Rates for Boys & Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls

45 Tribal Education Table 3.10: Uttarbuniyadi Ashram Schools for Schedule Castes and Tribes, 2001 to 2011 Uttar Buniyadi Ashram Schools Ashram Schools for SC Year No. of Total No. Of Total Boys Girls Boys Girls Schools Students Schools Students Decadal Growth Source: Sabarkantha district Education Committee, Himatnagar, Prathmik Vibhag Two more uttarbuniyadi ashram shalas have been started in the district in the last decade. Number of students enrolled in these schools is also steadily increasing, including boys as well as girls. The decadal growth in enrollment of students is 41.4 percent. There are no financial data available to verify the funds spent on tribal education specifically. However, rising numbers can be treated as an important indicator to judge the priority for tribal education. The positive outcome is raising the literacy rate among tribals. Similarly, enrollment of SC students in Ashram Shalas has also increased by 11.3 percent. Enrollment for girls though low has increased by 32.2 percent. This indicates the scheme of Ashram Shala is generating positive outcome in education for weaker communities. (Table 3.10) Table 3.11: Ashram Schools for Developing Communities, 2001 to 2012 Year Ashram Schools Boys Girls Students Decadal Growth Source: Sabarkantha district Education Committee, Himatnagar, Prathmik Vibhag In case of other Ashram Shalas, enrolment has increased steadily for boys as well as for girls. The decadal growth is 14 per cent, that of boys and girls is 15.8 percent and 10.4 percent respectively. (Table 3.11) 23

46 Teacher-Student Ratio Teacher-student ratio is an important indicator of imparting quality education. Let us have a look at the teacher-student ratio in different levels of education in this district. The overall student-teacher ratio is for primary education, against the national norm of 40 students per teacher. In all talukas the ratio is favourable, including all tribal talukas. There is not much variation among the talukas. In the case of the secondary and high school education too, intra-taluka discrepancies are observed. Against the district average of for the secondary education, the student-teacher ratio is in Vadali, which is very high compared to the district average. Vijaynagar on the other hand is having students-ratio at The district requires to ensure more judicious distribution of government teachers. (Table 3.12). Steps are required to reduce the inter-taluka variations. Table 3.12: Teacher-Student Ratio, 2010 Taluka Primary Secondary High school Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: Sabarkantha district Education Committee, Himatnagar, Prathmik Vibhag Table 3.13: Institutions of Higher Education, (Government and Private) 2010 Stream Co-Education Only Women Total Science Arts and Commerce B.Ed I.T.I Pharmacy Law Polytechnic Engineering Total Source: Sabarkantha district Education Committee, Himatnagar, Prathmik Vibhag Higher education is important for skill enhancement. There are 56 institutions of higher education providing education in different disciplines. The district has highest number of colleges, for teachers training followed by arts and commerce colleges (Tables 3.13). This is good sign as demand of trained teachers is likely to grow with the development process. In fact, the district is a leader in exporting trained teachers all over Gujarat. There are six ITI institutes to provide technical skills to enhance productivity of workers engaged in various types of income generating activities. 24

47 Physical Amenities: Table: 3.14 Physical Amenities at primary Schools, as of December, 2014 Taluka Electricity Computer Lab Compoundwall Play Ground Drinking Separete Girls (%) (%) (%) (%) Water (%) Toilet (%) Bayad Bhiloda Dhansura Himmatnagar Idar Khedbrahma Malpur Meghraj Modasa Prantij Talod Vadali Vijaynagar Total Source: SSA, Gujarat Council of Elimentery Education, Gandhinagar Physical amenities available in schools may provide an idea on the quality of education. Basic amenities of the school play a very important role in improving the enrolment rate, retention rate and quality education. Sanitation is a minimum facility expected in schools. In the absence of proper toilets and water facilities, students are forced to use open spaces. It is not only unhygienic but is also a matter of concern for girls. Proper sanitation facility, therefore, has high impact on the children s health as well as enrolment of girls. It is also a matter of concern for women teachers to continue in the system in the absence of toilet facilities. In Sabarkantha district, providing sanitation facility has been a top priority. Due to enrollment drive and other access promotion measures, enrollment in primary schools was found to have increased substantially. A sharp rise in enrolment led to overcrowding and put strain on the limited existing schooling infrastructure. To deal with such a situation, construction of new schools, additional classrooms, separate toilets and urinals for girls, provision of drinking water, etc. were taken up in Sabarkantha through GCPE under SSA. In addition, repair works were undertaken in schools. As a result, 100 per cent of schools now have sanitation facilities. Around 86 per cent schools are now having electricity connection. 100 percent of schools have drinking water facility. Other facilities like playground & compound walls are also showing good pictures i.e 82 percent & 86 percent respectively. All these interventions have significantly improved the overall pedagogical environment in the schools of the project districts. In addition Computer Aided Learning Program (CALP) is introduced. It creates an environment, where learning and assessment is fun and the opportunities to learn is equitable among the rural and urban children. The CALP is primarily introduced in rural government elementary schools covering the classes 1 to 7 to attract and retain children and also in the process, enhance the quality of learning by making Learning Play, Assessment Fun and Equal knowledge for all. This program will improve the IT literacy in the rural areas particularly and will go a long way in removing the digital divide in the state. As per latest data around 52 percent of schools are having computer lab facilities within the premices of the schools. IT based learning is said to have effect on improving learning process. It is expected to improve the interest of students in school studies and thus increase school attendance and better performance in examinations 25

48 In order to give greater impetus to skill development, which is a thrust area for Gujarat in the 12th Plan period, state is creating a separate corpus fund for skill up-gradation and certification of trained youth under Modular Employable Skill Programme. A dedicated Skill Development University is being set up to cater to the emerging needs in this sector. Industrial Training Institutes, the traditional centres for skilling the youth, will also be strengthened with additions of 20 new ITI buildings, 100 workshops, 100 class rooms and 5,000 seats under various courses. Conclusion There has been a substantial improvement in literacy level in 2011 compared to 1991, especially female literacy. Despite the progress over the last decade the literacy rate in the district is lower than the state average. Scenario in the tribal talukas is especially a major concern, where the rural-urban gap is still high. High gender gap across the district is another major concern. However, it is heartening to observe that concentrated efforts of the state have helped in improving the enrolment rate as well as retention rate. Availability of primary schools is very close to the norms and the student-teacher ratio is very favourable. The dropout rate is declining steadily for boys as well as for girls. A large gap that once existed between girl s and boy s dropout rate has considerably narrowed down. Private schools are on rise in recent years especially in relatively developed regions. Enrollment is also rising in private schools showing a clear preference for private schools. The district is able to attain 99 percent enrollment for boys as well as girls. The district schools are now well equipped with sanitation, electricity and drinking water facilities. Government of Gujarat has already initiated aggressive measures to improve status of education. Sabarkantha is responding to such measures. SWOT Analysis for Education Sector in Sabarkantha Strengths Weaknesses Literacy Rate has perceptibly increased from 67% to 77% with gap between state and district narrowing down. Remarkable growth in female literacy rate in last decade, growing faster than state. Growth in enrolment ratio at all levels of school education especially higher secondary. High decadal growth (41%) in enrolment in tribal ashram shalas and (11%) in SC ashram schools. Higher level of primary school facilities per lakh of population. Highest number of primary school in (Meghraj, Malpur) tribal talukas. 100% of schools have sanitation facilities, 100% have electricity, 97% have drinking water facility. Facilities like TV and playground are steadily improving. Concerted efforts by government have enhanced literacy and spread of schools in all the villages. Wide gap between male and female literacy as well as rural and urban literacy. Wide intra-taluka variations in literacy level persist. Tribal talukas (Khedbhrma, Megraj) report low literacy for male and females. Most of the private schools are concentrated in urbanized areas (Himatnagar, Prantij, Idar, Modasa). Inter-taluka disparities in availability of primary school. In tribal talukas, proportion of private schools and enrollment is low. Khedbrahma-taluka has high level of dropout also Vadali. Khedbrahma lags behind in amenities in school. 26

49 SWOT Analysis for Education Sector in Sabarkantha Opportunities Tendency for enrolments to rise successively in the higher classes, especially for girls. Despite higher fluctuating dropout rate of students, rate is successively declining and can be further reduced. Teacher Student Ratio in Sabarkantha is lower than national norms and can be improved further. Positive efforts to improve pedagogy are enhancing acceptability of education in tribal location. Judicious recruitment of full time (not contractual) teachers in priority talukas facing teachers retention problem. Increase the coverage of School health checkups, linking with the performance of school and students. DPEP, SSA, SRG helped in identifying training requirements and complement them with DIET. Highest number of colleges for teachers training followed by arts and commerce. Six ITIs are existing. Threats Improvement in the overall literacy rate in the district which is below state average. High gender gap in literacy levels. Opportunity cost of education for tribals is high as it entails dislocation of traditional pattern of labour. Decline in number of students during transition leads to shrinkage in enrolment. Major challenge to achieve student-teacher ratio for all levels of school education as per Model school criteria. Major challenge to retain the teachers employed on contract basis as such teachers are in search of full time jobs. 27

50 Chapter 4 Health Profile Since the Alma Ata Conference in 1978 declared health as a fundamental human right, health and nutrition have been accepted as important national concerns in developing countries. Health is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely absence of disease or infirmity." This declaration gave the call of 'Health for All by 2000 AD' and accepted that the primary health care was a key to attaining this goal. The purpose of this definition was to bring the positive concept of general wellbeing into focus rather than a negative definition of absence of disease. Health has multiple effects on the individual s wellbeing. It is a means as well as an end to attain better life. It helps reduce medical cost and reduce the loss of income for daily wage earners. A healthy worker works more than increases the household income as well as national income. Ill health may cause loss of working days consequently loss of income for the daily wage earners. Such loss of income accompanied by high cost of health care is often the major reason for indebtedness in poor families. Ill health thus ignites the vicious circle of loss of income, hunger, poverty and malnutrition. Good health in that sense is a basic need of any living species on the earth. Better health of the population depends on a number of interdependent macro and micro factors. Level of economic development, poverty, food security, availability of potable water, pollution, environmental degradation, reproductive and maternal health, availability of public health care services, and cost of health care are some of the important macro factors. Per capita family income, physical access to the health care facilities, and occupational hazards are some of the micro factors determining health status. Health status of the population in Sabarkantha has to be understood in the backdrop of these interlinked factors, although assessing the status of all these factors is not within the scope of this chapter. Vital Statistics Knowing the size of a country s population, its growth rate, and its age distribution is important for evaluating the welfare of its citizens, assessing the productive capacity of its economy, and estimating the quantity of goods and services that will be needed to meet future needs. Birth rate, death rate, population growth rate as well fertility rate are also indicators of the level of socio-economic development. Table 4.1: Crude Birth Rate and Death Rate, 2013 District/State CBR CDR Sabarkantha Gujarat Source: Health Statistics

51 Above table shows the CBR & CDR of Sabarkantha district & the State as a whole for the year CBR of the distric is higher than the CBR of the State. While CDR is lower than the Stae average. Immunization Delivering effective and safe vaccines through an efficient delivery system is one of the most cost effective public health interventions. Immunization programmes aim to reduce mortality and morbidity from vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs), hence has a great impact on controlling CMR. India s immunization programme is one of the largest in the world in terms of quantities of vaccines used, numbers of beneficiaries, and numbers of immunization sessions organized, geographical spread, and diversity of areas. The immunization programme in the country dates back to It continued in a modified form in terms of its coverage of vaccines and targeted geographical area there on. The Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) was launched in 1985 that targeted selected districts to begin with and incorporated all infants in districts from 1990 onwards. Under the immunization programme, six vaccines are used to protect children and pregnant mothers against tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, polio, measles, and tetanus. UIP envisages achieving and DLHS provide inter district comparison. The last available DLHS are for As per these data Sabarkantha ranked 8th among all districts in BCG coverage. The district ranked 19th in achieving full immunization, where only 49.1 percent of children were fully immunized. It ranked 5th in case of children that were not given any type of vaccine with only 1.9 percent of children. That means children are given some vaccine, if not all. sustaining universal immunization coverage in infants with three doses of DPT and OPV and one dose each of measles vaccine and BCG, and, in pregnant women, with two primary doses or one booster dose of TT. UIP is now an important component of the Reproductive and Child Health Programme (RCHP). Another important immunization programme is the Polio Eradication Programme that was initiated with the assistance of the National Polio Surveillance Project. BCG vaccination is an important component of (UIP) to control the incidence of tuberculosis. It is to be given to all children as part of UIP schedule. It is administered at birth. The programme in India is in operation since the 1950s, and with UIP implemented in 1985, it aims at universalization of BCG. Data for latest year shows that good coverage of BCG in Sabarkantha district, however full coverage is not yet achieved. Other than BCG, DTP & Polio s coverage is also good. Although, data shows that the district performance is lower than the state performance for all vaccination. It is also necessary to mention here that the last three years trend line (Figure 4.1) is showing a decreasing trend in terms of coverage of vaccination for the district whereas for State its shows the increasing trend. 29

52 Table 4.2: Percentage of Children Vaccinated against total live birth Year Sabarkantha DTP BCG Measles Polio Fully Immunized Year Gujarat DTP BCG Measles Polio Fully Immunized Source: Commissionerate of Health, Medical Services, Medical Education and Research, Gandhinagar Figure 4.1: Trend line of Sabarkantha for Vaccinated against total live birth Table 4.3: Malnourishment of Children, 2013 Taluka Total Children Weighed 30 % of Malnourished Children % of Severely Malnourished Children Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: ICDS, Government of Gujarat, 2013

53 Immunization only protects children from the fatal diseases but it does not ensure nutrition level. Nutrition is linked to the economy of the district and cannot be overcome just by providing better health services. It is a problem related to poverty. Low-income families fail to provide adequate nutritious food to mother and children resulting in malnutrition. Malnutrition affects the physical and mental growth of children. Information from ICDS on weight of children shows that percent of children were under weight across the district. It is highest in Modasa at percent (Table 4.3). After Modasa, Vijaynagar & Vadali are having highest malnourished children i.e percent & prercent respectively. While, in case of Severely Malnourished Children Bhiloda has the highest percentage i.e 2.36 percent, followed by Meghraj with 2.05 percent. On an average 1.38 percent of children are severely malnourished across the district. The Public Distribution System is a significant factor in addressing the issue of nutrition. To ensure increased transparency and efficiency in this system, the PDS supply has been automated. Gujarat has put in place a Call Centre with Toll Free Number to register consumer complaints and ensure online monitoring of redressal of grievances relating to PDS. In a major initiative, Gujarat has introduced the scheme of bar-coded ration cards. The state has issued lakh bar-coded Ration Cards to enable issue of Food coupons through egram centres after biometric authentication of the card holder. There is a need to develop, at the national level, a comprehensive and ulti-pronged Strategy to deal with the issue of malnutrition. In Gujarat, undernourishment and low level of awareness about nutrition are identified as thrust areas in the ongoing campaign to improve nutrition levels among children and women. In , an outlay of crore is proposed to increase the awareness of better nutrition and food practices among the general community. To involve the community at large, a campaign to organize Cookery Shows, Annaprashan Day, Vatsalya Day etc. is being taken up. Assistance to 6,000 workers and supervisors under ICDS is provided to improve the capabilities to enable them to undergo Food and Nutrition Certificate Course. Gujarat has also initiated a dedicated program to integrate the efforts of Health department and ICDS under the Mission balam Sukham. It has also taken up initiatives for tackling malnutrition through supplementary nutrition programme for children in the age group of 6 months to 3 years, take home rations for children in 3 to 6 age group, while Bhalbhog, morning breakfast, afternoon hot meal are provided at Anganwadi. Additional nutrition in the form of nutri-candy, fruits and milk are being provided in areas requiring more intensive interventions. Gujarat has adopted a holistic approach for nutrition of women and children through Nand Ghar / Anganwadi Centres functioning under ICDS. An amount of 645 crore is being spent in and for construction of Anganwadi Centres and upgrading of existing centres with sanitation facilities and child friendly atmosphere. Institutional Structure of Health Care Service Following the World Health Summit at Alma Ata and declaration of the goal of Health For All (HFA) 2000 AD the concept of a three tier health care system was framed. It was rolled out in India in 1978 by abandoning the two tier system adopted earlier in This system was based on the concept of primary health care, defined as "essential Health Care made universally accessible to individuals and acceptable to them, through their full participation and at a cost the community and country can afford. The three tier system in India comprises sub-centre, primary health center, and community health centre. The system is based on the population norms in order to ensure equity in access to health care across all regions and all communities. 31

54 Table 4.4: Primary Health Structure and Population Norms Centre Population Norms Plain Area Hilly/Tribal/Difficult Area Each village Each village One Village Health Guide For each village per 1000 Population For each village per 1000 Population Sub-Centre Primary Health Centre 30,000 20,000 Community Health Centre 1,20,000 80,000 Source: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Rural Health Statistics, The norms for the number of PHCs and SCs are based on population. For tribal talukas norms are different in order to cater to the scattered population (Table 4.4). Despite having more number of health centres per 1000 population than the plain areas, often these centres are not accessible to people living in the interior areas. Geographical distance should be the criterion than population in order to provide health services to the larger population. The total Government Health infrastructures of the district comprise of one district hospital (DH), no medical colleges (MC), 21 Community Health Centres ( CHCs), 63 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and 413 Sub Centers (SCs). Besides there are one Ayurvedic Hospitals (AHs), 43 Ayurvadic dispensaries (ADs) and 11 Homeopathic dispensaries (HD) in the Government health care domain (Table-4.5). Apart from these, a total of 3344 Anganwadi Centres (ACs) also there in Sabarkantha District. Taluka wise infrastructural distribution is also given at Table-4.5. It shows that among all talukas Himmatnagar taluka is in advantageous position, being the district head quarter, & Talod taluka is in most disadvantageous position in terms of maximum numbers of medical institutions. Table 4.5: Health Facilities in the District, 2013 In Nos. SCs PHCs CHCs DH AH AD HD AC Sabarkantha Khedbrahma Vijaynagar Vadali Idar Bhiloda Megharaj Himatnagar Prantij Talod Modasa Dhansura Malpur Bayad Source: Compiled from the data of CDHO, Commissionerate of Health, Medical Services, Medical Education and Research, Gandhinagar 32

55 The sub-centre (SC) is the first contact point for the primary health care system. It is expected to perform the tasks related to components of primary health care. Centres are provided with basic drugs to deal with minor ailments. In case of sub-centres, no taluka in Sabarkantha meets the defined population criterion. The shortfall for the tribal block is very high where the criterion is to have one SC per 3000 population. All SCs are overloaded. None of the tribal taluka is close to the norm (Tables 4.6). If the actual number of services is not close to the population criterion, it would not be wrong to assume that the geographical distance is also high for a large population in the tribal talukas. The gap for non-tribal talukas is very narrow, meaning that basic primary health is by and large being taken care of, Himatnagar and Modasa being exceptions. Table 4.6: Shortfall in Basic Health Care Facilities as of 2013 Taluka Population per PHC PHCs required Shortfall of PHCs SCs Required Shortfall in SCs Midwife Required Shortfall of Midwife FHW Sanction Post FHW Shortfall Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: CDHO Sabarkantha District PHCs are the first contact point between the population and the medical officer. As per the population criterion one PHC is required per 20,000 population in Tribal talukas. Table 4.6 shows that there is shortage of PHCs across the district in all talukas, except Modasa. Prantij and Himatnagar are lacking in PHCs, but this does not mean that these talukas lack health care infrastructure. These two talukas being the most urbanized talukas, must be having availability of and dependence on private health care system that are not reflected in the above table. Shortage of PHC is high among tribal talukas except Vijayanagar. Maternal Care: In recent years, the state government is paying attention on safe mother hood and institutional deliveries through schemes notably, Chiranjeevi and Janani Suraksha schemes (see Box 4.1 and 4.2). Trained midwives are very important intervention to ensure safe delivery. As per the guidelines, each village has to have a trained midwife. Table 4.6 shows that the norms are not met in any taluka irrespective of the category, except vadali. However, the level of institutional deliveries has improved significantly across the district (Table 4.7) except Khedbrahma During the latest Year ( ) the level of institutional delivery is in the range of 80 percent for Khedbrahma, while for rest of the talukas it is more than 95 percent. 33

56 Figure: 4.2 Institutional Deleivery This is a positive sign in the direction of reducing the risk of maternal death. Data on maternal mortality rate for the district are not available so it is not possible to observe the actual outcome of the institutional deliveries, however, the Chiranjeevi Scheme has reported considerable success in the state (Box 4.1) Table 4.7: Taluka wise Institutional Delivery (%) Taluka Khedbrahma Vijaynagar Vadali Idar Bhiloda Megharaj Himatnagar Prantij Talod Modasa Dhansura Malpur Bayad District Average *State Avg Source: CDHO Sabarkantha District. *Health Statistics, Commissionerate of Health, Medical Services, Medical Education and Research, Gandhinagar Box 4.1 Assessing Gujarat's 'Chiranjeevi' Scheme The Maternal mortality rate (MMR), considered a good indicator of women's status in general and of healthcare facilities for pregnant women in particular, is 54 for Gujarat, which is above Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Gujarat government decided to enlist the support of the private sector in reducing maternal mortality. The Chiranjeevi (long life) Yojana (CY) is a scheme based on the public-private partnership (PPP) model in which a poor woman can go to empanelled private nursing homes for delivery, the cost to be borne by the state government. Moreover, eligible women are also entitled to receive Rs 200 towards transport cost and Rs 50 for the accompanying person. Thus, CY aims to remove financial barriers for the poor in accessing qualified private providers. These empanelled private providers (EPPS) have to agree perform free delivery for women designated below the poverty line (BPL). EPPS are paid Rs 1,79,500 (about $4,000) for every 100 deliveries including caesarean sections and complicated deliveries. 34

57 Chiranjeevi Yojana was launched in five poor districts of the state on a pilot basis in December 2005, and from January 2007 it has been extended to the entire state. The Chiranjeevi Yojana is considered to be received a prestigious Asian Innovations Award given by the Wall Street Journal. It is a flagship scheme of the Gujarat state ministry of health and family welfare and is being recommended for scaling up at the national level. It has been claimed by the government that maternal as well as neonatal deaths have been substantially reduced under the scheme. The reported maternal deaths within the scheme have been compared with the expected maternal death's based on Gujarat's maternal mortality rate and are found to be more than 20 times lower. In Sabarkantha district in 2011 there were 49 number of doctors enrolled and beneficiaries under the Chiranjeevi Scheme*. Source: Acharya, A. (2009), Assessing Gujarat s Chiranjeevi Scheme, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XLV, No.48 *Family Welfare MIS 2010 Box 4.2 Janani Suraksha Yojana Janani Suraksha Yojana is a conditional cash programme launched on 12 th April 2005 by the Hon'ble Prime Minister to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5(BMC Public Health). It is a 100% centrally sponsored scheme along with the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). This scheme was implemented to reduce maternal mortality and neo natal deaths by promoting institutional deliveries among BPL, SC and ST class. The scheme needs to be remodeled, 50% of the incentive money should be given at least three months before delivery to the BPL families so that ante natal care can be taken. In Sabarkantha district in there are beneficiaries out of which 2794 belong to SC, 6074 belong to ST and are others*. Source: Ashish Bose (2007), Speeding up reduction in maternal mortality, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. - XLII No. 03, January 20. *CDHO Sabarkantha District Ante natal care (ANC) : Factor that acts as determinants of safe motherhood are the antenatal and post-natal medical cares. Ante natal care (ANC) is the care of the woman during pregnancy, aim of which is to achieve at the end of a pregnancy a healthy mother and a healthy baby. Minimum ante-natal care includes at least three antenatal checkups, at least one tetanus toxoid injection (TT), and supplementary iron in the form of IFA 1 tablets daily for 100 days. District Total State Total ANC-3 to Total ANC Table 4.8 : Performance of ANC Registration (in %) TT Doses to ANC-3 to TT Doses to ANC-3 to Total ANC Total ANC Total ANC Total ANC TT Doses to Total ANC Source: Report of RCH Programme. D & E Cell, Comm. of Health, Medical Services, Medical Education and Research, GoG 1 Nutritional deficiencies among women are often exacerbated during pregnancy because of the additional nutrient requirements of foetal growth; therefore a pregnant woman needs six times more iron than a non-pregnant woman. So receiving iron folic acid tablets/syrup during pregnancy is important. 35

58 Table 4.8 shows that the percentage of ANC-3 to the total Register ANC for district as well as State. District performance is better in terms of percentage of 3 ANC to total register ANC. Similerly Sabarkantha district is performing better than the State in respect to percentage of having TT doses to the total register ANC. Morbidity It is difficult to measure morbidity level because morbidity data are not adequate. The data include only reported illness. In India many illnesses go unreported. Systematic available data only reflects the reported diseases, often only getting treated at government hospitals. Patients going to the privately practising doctors as well as the not taking treatment from any qualified doctor remain unreported. Table 4.9: Patient Treated for Different Diseases, Sr.No Diseases/Syndromes OPD Indoor Total Death 1 Acute Diarrhoeal Disease (Including acute Gastroenteritis) Bacillary Dysentery Viral Hepatitis Enteric Fever Malaria Dengue/DHF/DSS Chikungunya Acute Encephalities Syndrome Meningitis Measles Diptheria Pertusis Chicken Pox Fever of Unknown Origin (PUO) Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI)/Influenza Like Illness(ILL) Pneumonia Leptospirosis Acute Flaccid Paralysis <15 yrs of Age Dog Bite Snake Bite Total Number of patients treated for important diseases in hospitals is on rise. That means more diseases are reported and being treated at modern medical facilities. However, in absence of appropriate time series it is not possible to comment on the trend. Data of the year (Table 4.9) show that most out patients are treated forfever of Unknown Origin, Acute Diarrhea and Respiratory diseases. Most indoor treatment is also provided for Acute Diarrhoea and Acute Respiratory infection. Increase in number of patients does not necessarily reflect deteriorating health situation. 36

59 Box 4.3 Mukhya Mantri Amrutum Yojana Government of Gujarat has launched a medical care scheme called Mukhyamantri Amrutum (MA) Yojana. The objective of the scheme is to improve access of BPL families to quality medical and surgical care for the treatment of identified diseases involving hospitalization, surgeries and therapies through an empanelled network of health care providers. 'MA' provides quality medical and surgical care for the catastrophic illnesses such as, Cardiovascular Surgeries, Neurosurgeries, Burns, Poly Trauma Cancer (Malignancies) Renal (Kidney) and Neo-Natal(diseases) involving hospitalization, surgeries and therapies through an empanelled network of hospitals to the BPL families. The Scheme benefits Below Poverty Line (BPL) Families of all the 33 districts of Gujarat which is expected to be (required) approximately 39 lakh BPL families (as per Rural Development and Urban Development Department). The total sum assured for the BPL family is of Rs.2,00,000/- per family per annum on family floater basis. To implement the scheme State Government has established a "State Nodal Cell (SNC)" at the State, which administers the Mukhyamantri Amrutum (MA) Yojana. Source: Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Gujarat. Conclusion Health facilities in the district are improving fast. Health status of people is also responding to improved facilities, but not by the same magnitude. The health infrastructure has improved in recent years, although there continues to be shortfall of basic health infrastructure across the district. Similarly, immunization coverage has also improved. A wide intra-taluka disparity in health outcome is evident in the district. There is no clear link between level of development and achievements in basic indicators of health as it is evident in higher death rates observed in relatively developed talukas in the entire district. CMR is better among otherwise weak talukas like Khedbrahma, and Malpur. So, it indicates that the health status does not have any relation with the availability of health services. Health issues are not only merely a function of availability of health facilities. Better health depends on a number of macro and micro factors. Issues like undernourishment and child mortality rate are more a reflection of the socio-economic condition of the area. SWOT Analysis for Health, Nutrition and Sanitation in Sabarkantha Strengths Existence of 413 Sub Centers, 68 PHCs, 89 Government hospitals, 6 clinics. There are 360 private hospitals. The trend has shifted from home delivery to institutional deliveries. (95%) CMR is better than state average. Performance of Dhanusara, Malpura and Talod is good. 8% of Households have individual household sanitation facilities and 58% have tap as water source. Nearly total electrification. All talukas show good coverage of vaccination programme. Availability of beds and nurses is fair, showing efforts to ensure infrastructure for health outcomes. Health status is responding to improved facilities. Weaknesses In Bhiloda and Meghraj nearly 2% of children are severely malnourished. Meghraj, Vadali, Talod, Malpur and Idar have comparatively low coverage of children vaccinated. No Taluka meets defined population criteria for health Sub-centre. Shortfall in tribal blocks very high; specially Khedbrahma and Bhiloda. Shortage of primary health centre across all talukas. Shortfall in basic health infrastructure across the district. 37

60 SWOT Analysis for Health, Nutrition and Sanitation in Sabarkantha Opportunities Chiranjvi Yojana, Janani Suraksha Yojana has played vital role in women and child health care and can be strengthened further to shower its benefits in deprived areas. Vaccination and Immunization schemes can be more effective provided there are regular follow ups. To counter under-nourishment all Aaganwadies need to be covered by schemes. Women and Child health care services in Tribal areas to be strengthened for better results in such areas. Prantij and Himmatnagar have availability of private health-care infrastructure. Dhanusara, Bayad and Malpur favorably placed in terms of tap water availability. Health facilities in district are improving fast. Creation of employment opportunities will help in improving incomes of the poorwhich can push their food intake and nutrition levels. Threats Undernourishment is a major threat. Spreading health care awareness in remote areas with scattered population and low literacy is a major challenge. Lack of basic health care services in backward areas due to non availability of staff. BPL families are very scattered, so it is tough to provide service. Migration ratio is high from tribal areas and to evaluate the progress poses a challenge of activity. To increase the vaccination and immunization in scattered and tribal areas. Toilets facilities are severely lacking in Meghraj, Vadali, Talod and Modasa. Only 6 talukas have above district average coverage. Tap water availability is quite low in tribal talukas. 38

61 Chapter5 Economic Base and Livelihoods The present chapter deals with the income and employment aspects in relation to natural resources base in the district. The discussion includes structure of employment, land and water resources, and income and employment from primary, secondary and tertiary activities. Sectoral Income Shares The primary sector (agriculture, forestry, fishery, dairying activities, mining and quarrying) contributed around 30 per cent of output of the district ( ), and of this agriculture formed the largest segment (28.2 per cent). As we shall see later, agriculture is the main source of livelihood of the people of the district. Forestry contributed just 1 per cent and mining and quarrying around 0.9 per cent of the district s income. Sabarkantha is thus mainly an agriculture based economy. In forestry, the district is in a better position in relation to the state average. Around 20.8 per cent of the output was derived from the secondary sector, mainly from unregistered manufacturing and construction activities. In 2001 around 4.4 per cent of the district s main workers were engaged in manufacturing activities. However, this sector contributed only 10.3 per cent of the NDP in the district. The district stands much behind the state average of 30 per cent in this respect. The tertiary sector overall contributed to nearly half (49 per cent) of the output. Interestingly the state average was 43.6 per cent in However, only 11.6 per cent of the income within this sector is attributable to productive activities such as trade, transport, storage, and communications. Public administration and other services contribute around a quarter of the district s domestic product, whereas contribution to the state average is around one-tenth. It has been argued that per capita consumption expenditure is a better indicator of an individual s command over resources and economic wellbeing. While reliable data on household consumption expenditure are available through the NSSO at sub-regional level (NSS regions), they are non-existent at the block level. Hence we cannot assess per capita consumption and thus the living standard of the people. We examine next the structure of employment. Employment Pattern According to the 2011 Census, workforce in Sabarkantha constitutes nearly 4.4 per cent of the total work force of Gujarat a decline from share of 5.7 per cent in Tables 5.1a and 1b capture changes in the workforce composition and worker participation rates (WPR) by regions and sex from 1991 to

62 Table 5.1a: Changes in Workforce Composition across location, 1991 to 2011 Category Rural Urban Total Main Workers (000) % to total (70.2) (65.3) (58.3) (29.8) (34.1) (41.7) (100) (100) (100) Marginal Workers (000) % to total (96.1) (91.8) (83.8) (3.9) (8.2) (16.1) (100) (100) (100) Total Workers (000) % to total (74.1) (70.6) (62.8) (25.9) (29.4) (37.1) (100) (100) (100) Source: Census of India, 1991, 2001, 2011 Note: Figure in brackets refers to percentage for the State. Census defines work as any productive economic activity that is market related and for which remuneration is paid. A main worker is one who has worked for more than 180 days in any economic activity. However since the census does not take into account unpaid work carried out mainly by women, it is often considered as under-estimating the participation of women in economic activity. Besides women participation rates also show erratic movements. Employment data generated by the various rounds of NSSO are relatively free from these difficulties. However owing to the unavailability of data at sub-state levels, we rely on census data for examining worker participation ratios (i.e., proportion of workers to population). Between 1991 and 2001, the percentage of rural main workers fell marginally (from 91.5 to 90 per cent), and the decline was much steeper in 2011 to 86.7 per cent. Though the fall in total share of rural workers was by 0.6 percentage points between 1991 to 2001, by 2011 the change was by 3.7 percentage points contributed equally by fall in the shares of marginal and main workers (by 3.7 percentage point each). In case of Gujarat the decline in percentage of rural main workers between 2001 and 2011 is even more noticeable from 65 per cent to 58 per cent indicating pronounced urban ward shift of workers. Despite the falling share of rural workers in overall economy around workers were added in rural areas, against only in urban areas in the district in the 2000s decade. Also, the additions in the absolute numbers of rural workforce have been more pronounced in the category of main workers (91,000) than that of marginal workers in the district, a clear reversal of trend over the last decade that points to significant improvement in the creation of full time employment for workers in rural areas. The trends in worker participation rates (WPR) reflect the following. During 1991 to 2001 WPRs for rural main (male) workers had fallen steeply from 51.7 to 46.4 per cent, but increased to 48.3 per cent in There was a sharp rise in WPR of rural male marginal workers (0.5 to 6.3 per cent) in the 90 s decade, the increase was slower in 2000 s decade to 7 per cent. WPR of rural marginal workers (total) declined between 2001 and 2011 from 14.6 to 13.2 per cent. Another notable feature in the district was the rise in female participation rates in nearly all categories: rural, urban, main, and marginal between 1991 and However in 2000s decade female participation rate increased only for urban main and marginal categories. Increasing WPR has been recorded for main male workers (total and rural), while for female main workers marginal increase (in total rural and urban) WPRs is recorded. As it is the female marginal worker participation is more than female main WPR in rural areas and also for the total. Thus concentration of women workers is largely in the capacity of marginal workers in the district. On this count situation has remained unchanged in the 2000s over the 1990s. 40

63 During 2011, the share of total workers (main plus marginal) in total population was 44.7 per cent, which was higher than the state average of 41 per cent. The district had experienced an increase in the WPR of total workers by 1.23 percentage points in 90 s decade (Table 5.1b). This increase was somewhat lower when seen in the context of an increase by 1.77 percentage point for the state between 1991 and In 2000s decade the WPR of total worker fell marginally by 0.4 percentage points While the overall magnitude of workers in the district rose in the inter-censual years an examination of employment situation of categories of main and marginal workers, by area (rural, urban) and groups (male, female) shows enhanced marginalization of workforce and for both males and females. To summarize workers are moving out from the overburdened primary sector to urban areas in search of livelihood opportunities, both as part time or full time workers. Table 5.1b: Worker Participation Rates, Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Population (000) Rural Urban Total Main Worker (000) Rural Urban Total Marginal Worker (000) Rural Urban Total Worker Participation Rates (%) Main Worker Rural Urban Total Marginal Worker Rural Urban Total Total Worker Rural Urban Total Source: Census of India, 1991, 2001and We now look at inter-taluka variations in WPR of main and marginal workers (Table 5.2). The highest work force participation rates (around per cent) were observed in tribal taluka of Meghraj. They were also high in the talukas of Vadali, Bhiloda, Khedbrahma, Dhansura, Malpur, Bayad. Talukas that recorded highest increase in rural WPR between 2001 and 2011 were Bhiloda and Vadali. The rural WPR fell between 2001 and 2011 in talukas of Khedbrahma, Dhansura, Bayad, Talod, Prantij, Himatnagar and Modasa, in the last three talukas the decline was quite significant. In the urban areas, the WPR increased quite noticeably for Khedbrahma, Idar and Modasa. These areas are possibly attracting migrants from rural areas from within and surrounding areas in search of livelihoods. 41

64 Table 5.2: Worker Participation Rates (Main and Marginal Workers), Taluka Rural Urban Total Rural Urban Total Rural Urban Total Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Gujarat Source: Census of India, 1991, 2001 and Occupational Pattern in the Sabarkantha We now look at the occupational pattern as revealed by the Census. This is shown in Table 5.3. Cultivators and Agricultural Labourers Agriculture continues to be the main source of livelihood for about 65 per cent of the workforce according to 2011 census. Cultivators in Sabarkantha constitute 6.5 per cent of the total number of cultivators in Gujarat. Compared to other districts, Sabarkantha has a substantial share of cultivators in main workers (40.3 per cent). Cultivators comprise 34 per cent of the main and marginal workers taken together- a decline from 36 per cent in Sabarkantha is a largely rural district and the economy is dominated by agriculture. A large part of the land is owned by influential cultivating castes such as Patels, Kolis and Rajputs, that are a politically powerful group. Sabarkantha is known to be a stronghold of the farmers lobby in Gujarat. However, the decade 2001 to 2011 observed a negative growth in cultivators in the region. The reason behind this decline may be attributable to increasing population pressure on cultivable land owing to fragmentation of holdings (we shall look at this later). Deterioration in land quality making agriculture an unprofitable venture could also be forcing small and marginal cultivators to turn to alternate sources of livelihood. That the district is characterized by increasing marginalization also suggests that displacement of workers from self-cultivation to other activities is common. As per 2011 census, within the district, proportion of cultivators among total workers was the highest in tribal dominated talukas of Meghraj and Malpur (more than 50 per cent). The share was per cent in Khedbrahma and Bayad talukas. Overall the category of cultivators saw a decline in 2011 from 36 to 33.8 per cent and except Talod all talukas saw decline in share over Agricultural labourers constituted around 27 per cent of the work force in While the proportion of cultivators declined, the district observed a significant increase in the share of agricultural labourers to around 31 per cent in This is the only occupation in the district that has recorded increase in share in the 2000s. Nearly a third of workers in the district are now agricultural labourers. As per 2001 data, agricultural labourers were dominant in tribal talukas (33-35 per cent) and Vadali which belong to the non-tribal but less developed region. Vadali 42

65 taluka in fact had the highest (36 per cent) share of agricultural labourers in total workers. Tribal talukas like Vijaynagar and Meghraj had observed the highest growth rate in agricultural labourers in the 90s. These labourers formed 11.8 per cent of the work force in Vijaynagar taluka which increased to 32.5 per cent in In Meghraj taluka, the share increased from 8.4 per cent in 1991 to 23.3 per cent in In Meghraj and Khedbrahma, worker participation rates in urban areas have increased much more than in rural areas, perhaps indicating the push of workers towards urban areas in search of livelihoods. The evidence from 2011 census shows continued dominance of agricultural labourers in the total workforce in Vijaynagar, Bhiloda and Khebhrahma (40 to 45 per cent). The largest increase in the share of this group of workers during 2011 was observed in Bhiloda, Bayad, Idar, Vijaynagar and Khedbrahma. Except Malpur, Prantij and Himatnagar, share of agricultural labourers has swelled in all other talukas. Unavailability of job opportunities in other non-farm economic activities is causing the ranks of agricultural labourers to swell across the talukas significantly in the district and this process continued in the 2000 s decade Workers in Manufacturing, Processing, Servicing and Repairs in Household Industry Sabarkantha is one of those few districts in Gujarat where household industries are underdeveloped. The district contributes approximately 2.5 per cent of workers in household industries in Gujarat. As per the 2011 census the household sector contributed 1 per cent of total workers in the district, a decline from 1.6 per cent in 2001, which is below the state average (1.4 per cent). Idar, Vadali, Himatnagar and Bhiloda talukas have the highest share of workers in household industry (1.2 to 1.6 per cent) while Bayad and Malpur talukas have the lowest share (0.4 per cent) according to 2011 census. Secondary sector is underdeveloped in the district and absorbs only a miniscule share of workers. Table 5.3: Occupational Pattern in Sabarkantha, (% of Total Workers) Taluka Cultivators Agricultural Labour House-hold Industry Workers Other Workers Cultivators Agricultural Labour House-hold Industry Workers Other Workers Cultivators Agricultural Labour House-hold Industry Workers Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Other Workers Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Gujarat Source: Census of India, 1991, 2001 and

66 Other Workers Workers involved in other activities in Sabarkantha constitute 34.4 per cent of the workforce in 2011, the share however decreased from 35.6 per cent in This is the largest sector engaging more than a third of the entire workforce. Clearly workers displaced from selfcultivation and house-hold industries are finding employment either as agricultural labourers or are being absorbed in the allied agricultural activities or in the tertiary activities. As per 1991 census, among primary activities, 4.2 per cent of workers were engaged in animal husbandry and fisheries etc., and 0.3 per cent were engaged in mining and quarrying. In secondary activities, 2.8 per cent of the workers were involved in manufacturing and processing industries (other than household industry), while within tertiary activities, 1.3 per cent of workers were engaged in construction related activities; 5.9 per cent were in trade and commerce; 2.8 per cent in transportation-storage-communication, and 8.8 per cent were engaged in other services. Since the 2001 or 2011 census data does not give further break-up by industry, it is not possible to trace the current status of workers in allied-agricultural activities, mining, manufacturing and processing industry (other than household industry), construction, trade, transportation, and in other services separately. Across the talukas the share of other workers in 2011 was the largest in Himatnagar (57 per cent), followed by, Modasa, Prantij, Idar, and Talod (between 40 and 45 per cent), that are relatively more urbanized talukas. Bayad and Dhansura belonging to the non-tribal but developing region also reported around per cent of other workers. To ascertain the changes in sectoral pattern of employment in 2000 decade we resort to information available from the Economic Census (EC) and compare changes in 2005 over Allied activities despite their falling shares in employment continue to be prominent in Sabarkantha. Secondary employment is declining in rural Sabarkantha and in 2005 comprised minuscule share of 6.7 per cent of workers. Allied activities mainly livestock rearing and dairying, also engage large segment of rural workers in Sabarkantha (Mehta, 2013). Distribution of a specific category of workers varies across the regions according to differentiation created by the prevailing economic activities. For example, Prantij, Modasa and Himatnagar region has lower proportion of cultivators, agriculture labourers, and household workers, owing to presence of other economic activities. In tribal regions, one finds the highest proportion of other activities followed by agricultural labourers and cultivators in that order. Box 5.1 MGNREGS in Gujarat A survey of four districts implementing NREGS in Gujarat, including Sabarkantha revealed:..the average number of days under NREGS were found to be higher among OBC households (as against SC and ST); and also among the landless and those within lower income groups. It may be noted that the OBCs have relatively lower income as compared to SC and ST.This confirms the relatively better targeting in terms of workers obtaining work under NREGS.. (p.65) Further,. As large as 92 per cent of the beneficiary households reported that NREGS holds significance for the present level of living. What is more important is that 87 per cent of the beneficiary households reported that NREGS is important because it gives work at the doorstep. However, 11 per cent of the respondents indicated that NREGS is important because it provides better wages. (p.67) Source: Shah et.al. (2009), A Report on Management of National Rural Employment Guarantee Schemes: Issues and Challenges, Gujarat, Ahmedabad: GIDR. 44

67 Table 5.4a: Year wise Achievement of MGNREGA in Sabarkantha Year No. of Rural Households in MNGREGA Man days generated (Lakh) Total Expenditure (Rs. Lakh) No. of completed works * * * * * Source: * District Rural Development Agency, Himatnagar + Ministry of Rural Development, GoI ( Accessed in July Gujarat stands out in terms of most of the parameters favouring better implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) as compared to most of the major states in the country (see Box 5.1). Areas selected for implementation in the initial phases of MGNREGS had a built in bias towards relatively more backward regions. MGNREGS had a very slow start in terms of implementation in Gujarat and was initially confined to only six districts. However, recession affecting lakhs of workers in the state, may have provided special fillip to the scheme (Shah et.al., 2009). Nearly 2.5 lakh households have been issued job cards in rural Sabarkantha under the MGNREGS although participation rate by households was at 45 per cent. As of March 2011, 96 per cent of the NREGA funds available were utilized, quite high compared to 63 per cent for Gujarat. Of the total cumulative expenditure, that on wages was around 64 per cent. Of the works completed up to March 2011, 83 per cent belonged to the category of land development and 9 per cent pertained to water conservation and harvesting (see Tables 5.4a and b). Box 5.2 Kaushalya Vardhan Kendra In order to cater to the up-gradation of skills with low barrier to entry, Gujarat pioneered an innovative approach that is the Kaushalya Vardhan Kendra. In the last two and half years, almost 8 lakh trainees have benefited, of which 59% are women. The government has also trained 3.32 lakh persons in a short time under empower scheme in computer and information technology at the taluka level. A further 2 lakh persons under this programme are planned to be trained. Table 5.4b: Distribution of Rural Works Completed in Sabarkantha under MGNREGA, March 2011 Item Numbers Expenditure (Rs. Lakh) Rural Connectivity Flood control and Protection Water Conservation & Small irrigation Drought Proofing 72 6 Land Development Other Activities Total Completed Total Ongoing Number of Rural Households in NREGS Employment demanded by HHs Employment Provided by HHs Participation Rate (%) Source: Accessed in December

68 Agriculture and Livelihoods Sabarkantha is a disadvantaged district on account of its natural location, climate and ecology. In Gujarat, droughts are estimated to occur every three years on an average. In 1999 a large part of Gujarat suffered from the worst drought experienced in 50 years. Sabarkantha is one of the hardest hit districts in this respect with frequent droughts grinding down any interim livelihood gains. The region receives low to moderate rainfall and has arid to semi-arid climatic conditions. Rainfall is highly erratic. The mean annual rainfall varies from 700 mm to 1000 mm with the northern, north-western, and the eastern talukas receiving more rainfall compared to the southern parts. The average number of rainy days across talukas range from 20 to 25 days to a high of 30 to 35 days. Groundwater is the major source of water in the district. Table 5.5a: Physiography Physiography Dissected Hilly Terrain Piedmont Slope Valley Plain Alluvial Plain Source: District Planning Office, Himatnagar. Regions of the District Isolated hills situated in north, north-east, parts of Himatnagar taluka. East and northern part of Bhiloda, major part of Vijaynagar, Khedbrahma, locally called Poshina patti, few portions of Meghraj. North east of Vijaynagar, north east and south of Malpur and central part of Khedbrahma. Northern parts of Himatnagar, south west part of Idar, eastern part of Malpur and few portions in Khedbrahma and Meghraj. Isolated parts of north and south portion of Khedbrahma and isolated parts of Malpur. These areas are covered in Khedbrahma, Dantral and Navavas series of the district. Entire Prantij taluka, most of Himatnagar (ex.north east), areas surrounding Mazum and Meshwo rivers in Modasa, river beds of Sabarmati, south Idar and south east and middle parts of Bayad taluka. The eastern belt extending from Khedbrahma and Bhiloda to Meghraj is characterized by high slope, shallow to medium soil and severe to very severe levels of soil erosion. About onefourth of the soils in the district are afflicted with erosion. No normal agriculture can be practiced on these lands. These variations arise due to wide differences in physiographic features ranging from dissected hilly terrain to alluvial plains (see Table 5.5a and b). Despite arid to semi-arid agro-climatic conditions and limited development of irrigation infrastructure, the district s development in agriculture and other related primary sectors has faced relatively moderate growth in last several decades. The situation is aggravated by repetitive failure of monsoon, leading to severe drought situation in many talukas of Sabarkantha. For want of livelihood and survival, this has compelled local population to migrate from Sabarkantha. Table 5.5b: Agro-Ecological Zones Rainfall LGP Slope Soil Depth AWC Taluka (cm) (days) (%) (cm) (mm) Modasa, Bayad, Talod, > Malpur Meghraj, Malpur Khedbrahma, Bhiloda, Vijaynagar, Idar Himatnagar, Prantij Note : LGP- Length of growing period; AWC- available water content Source : District Planning Office, Himatnagar. 46

69 Even though agro-climatic conditions are not very favourable for agriculture and related activities development, still these are the main activities in the district, which is reflected from the fact that out of the total working population in Sabarkantha, 33.8 per cent are farmers and 30.8 per cent are farm labourers (2011) who depend on agriculture and related activities for their livelihood. Since this segment forms the major portion of working population it assumes the top most importance in any human development plan for the district. Land Use and Irrigation Status in Sabarkantha Changes in land use statistics in the district are given in Table 5.6a and taluka wise pattern is given in Table 5.6b. Box 5.3 ATVT Programme The Land Administration system is still seen as the backbone of rural India. As part of the modernization of the land records, an integrated online land revenue information system is being developed covering all the districts. Decentralization for more effective delivery of services and need-based planning has been strengthened with the launch of the Aapno Taluko Vibrant Taluko or ATVT program. Janaseva Kendras set up under ATVT will be further strengthened to enable more effective delivery of public services. Table 5.6a: Trend in Land use, Sabarkantha, to Reporting % to Reporting Area GCA Years Area Forests Non-Agri Pasture/ Culturable Fallow Net (000ha) (000ha) & Barren Grazing Waste lands Sown land land Area Source: Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Gujarat. During the last forty years the reporting area has remained constant in the district. Forested area which was 17.3 per cent in the 60s has remained largely unchanged, indicating that forest area is well preserved and adds richness to the environment. However it also shows that activities aimed at increasing forest area, such as social forestry, etc. have not made much headway. The chief forest products are bamboo, mahuda flowers, doli, timru leaves, wood bark, rayan fruits, sitafal, kadaya and other gums. The district has 65.8 per cent of land under cultivation, as against the average of 52 per cent for the state. It is interesting to note that barren and uncultivable land is just 4.9 per cent, quite low compared to the state average of around 14 per cent. The soil being rich therefore land left fallow comprises a small percentage. Culturable wasteland is around 1 per cent (as against 10.5 per cent for Gujarat), an indication of low levels of urbanization. Table 5.6b: Taluka wise Land use Pattern (% to Reporting area), 2012 Taluka Forest Area Unsuitable for Agriculture Area Under Non- Agricult ure Use Barren & Unculturable Land Permanent Pasture & Other Grazing Land Land Under Misc. Trees & Crops Cultivab le Wastela nd Other Fallow & Current Fallow Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Net Area Sown 47

70 Taluka Forest Area Unsuitable for Agriculture Area Under Non- Agricult ure Use Barren & Unculturable Land 48 Permanent Pasture & Other Grazing Land Land Under Misc. Trees & Crops Cultivab le Wastela nd Other Fallow & Current Fallow Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: District Agriculture Officer, Sabarkantha District Panchayat, Himatnagar. Among the talukas Vijaynagar, Khedbrahma, Bhiloda, Meghraj, and Malpur have more forest area. Non-agricultural and barren land in the district had shown some reduction. This occurred largely in tribal areas of Khedbrahma, Meghraj, and Modasa. Pastures and grazing lands have increased, probably diverted from barren lands or culturable wastes. Overall the net sown area remained more or less stagnant up to indicating no increase or decrease in other classes of land across the talukas. After the net sown area in the district has recorded marginal increase (as of ). Inter-taluka analysis of land under cultivation shows wide variations. (Table 5.6b). Bayad taluka has 85 per cent area under cultivation and Vijaynagar taluka has only 12 per cent area under cultivation. The gross cropped area for the district has increased substantially from to (by nearly 127,000 ha), showing significant strides in irrigation development permitting double cropping of land (Table 5.6a). There is only limited scope for increasing sown area in degraded grasslands and culturable wastelands. A way forward would be to preserve forest lands and develop small scale/household based industries. Table 5.7a: Taluka wise Irrigation Status, 2012 Taluka NSA NIA GIA Irrigation Surface Ground % tora 000 ha Dev. water % % to GIA Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: Irrigation Project Circle and District Agriculture Officer, Himatnagar. About 15.6 per cent of area under cultivation was under more than one crop ( ). There has been an increase by nearly 127,000 ha in gross cropped area between and , coming largely from developments in irrigation. Groundwater development has reached 79 per cent of the potential. Net irrigated area has increased to 2.5 lakh ha by 2012, representing 56.7 per cent of net sown area (Table 5.7a). Irrigation development has taken considerable strides and contributed to increase in irrigation intensity to 150 per cent in Surface irrigation has expanded, increasing to 43 per cent of the net sown area in Net Area Sown

71 It can be observed from Table 5.7a that across all the talukas groundwater was the predominant irrigation source. The contribution from surface sources (including check dams and canal water) was less than 30 per cent in Talod and Dhansura talukas. It should also be mentioned that the district is slowly coming under the over-exploited category of groundwater development as 79 per cent of the groundwater has been developed, more than the state average of 75 per cent (Table 5.7b). As per CGWB (2011), Prantij taluka falls in semi critical category. Vadali and Idar have been categorized as critical. None of the talukas fall in the over exploited category. Tubewell intensity is lower than the state average (0.20 per cent). But open well intensity is maximum in the district with a figure of 11.4 per cent, which is almost three times the state average. Table 5.7b: Taluka Wise Ground Water Recharge, Draft, Level of Development and Average Water Level, Taluka Total Ground Water Recharge (mcm/year) Available Ground Water Recharge (mcm/year) Total Ground Water Draft Stage of Ground Water Development (%) Average Water Level in m. (Un Confined Aquifer) Year 2008 Pre- Monsoon Post- Monsoon Vijaynagar Bhiloda Khedbrahma Meghraj Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Himatnagar Prantij Modasa Sabarkantha (bcm/year) Source: For talukas, GWRDC, Gandhinagar; for district, CGWB, Agrarian Structure The land holding structure in Sabarkantha is somewhat skewed (Table 5.8). According to the Agricultural Census , there were 2.3 lakh landholdings in the district, out of which 1.6 lakh (71 per cent) holdings belonged to small and marginal farmers having less than two hectares of land. These small and marginal holdings controlled only 1.48 lakh ha of land, or around 34.7 per cent of total area under cultivation. Just 29 per cent of medium and large holdings controlled the major chunk of area (65.3 per cent). Naturally small land holdings are not conducive to scientific cultivation. A major section of the population survives on subsistence agricultural production. Inter-taluka analysis reveals some variations in the land holding pattern (Table 5.8). In tribal dominated taluka of Vijaynagar nearly 80 per cent of small and marginal cultivators work on 52 per cent of land. Around 20 per cent of larger landholders cultivate 48 per cent of total holdings. On the other hand, in Dhansura, a relatively underdeveloped area, 60 per cent of small and marginal farmers cultivated only 23 per cent of land under cultivation. Here the large landholders cultivate nearly 77 per cent of total land. 49

72 Table 5.8 (a): Structure of Land holdings, (% to total) Small & Marginal Medium & Large Average size of Taluka (upto 2 Ha) (more than 2 Ha) Landholding (ha) Holdings Area Holdings Area Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Gujarat Source: Agricultural Census of India, Thus, share of small and marginal land holdings too varies from 60 per cent in Dhansura to 80 per cent in Vijaynagar. Medium to large holdings predominate in Dhansura (40 per cent), Modasa (34 per cent) and Meghraj (34 per cent), and cultivate between 48 to 76 per cent of the land under cultivation. As far as landholding pattern is concerned, Modasa is better placed having an average of 2.49 ha of farm land holding. Vijaynagar has the smallest (1.38 ha) size of average land holding. Table 5.8(b) : Structure of Land holdings, Small & Marginal Medium & Large Average size Holdings Area Holdings Area of landholding Sabarkanthaa Gujarat Source : Agriculture Census, Table 5.8b shows that total number of Marginal & Small farmers has increasd in Sabarkantha district as well as in the State during It shows about 74 percent small & marginal cultivators (as against about 71 per cent during ) are holding aound 38 percent o total land. As obvious, number of Medium & Large cultivators has decreased in the district in which is around per cent as against per cent during The latest census also depicts that the average size of landholding has decreased for district as well as for the State. The cropping pattern (Table 5.9) indicates that about 44 per cent of the cropped area was under foodgrains (34 per cent cereals and 10 per cent pulses) in Amongst foodgrains, wheat was cultivated over a large area while land under rice is negligible. Sabarkantha is a major wheat producing region. There had been an increase in share of cereals after 1983, and it peaked at nearly 50 per cent in 1993, subsequently cereals share has declined considerably in the district s cropping pattern. Pulses in the cropped area has also recorded decline in recent years. Estimates for indicate that share of cereals and pulses has dwindled considerably and foodgrains currently occupy only 44 per cent of the GCA. The backward talukas of Meghraj, Malpur and Vijaynagar have more than 90 per cent of the area under food crops, while Idar, Vadali and Talod have substantial area under nonfood crops. Prantij, Talod and Bayad have substantial area under horticultural crops.

73 Table 5.9: Decadal Change in Cropping Pattern, Sabarkantha (% to GCA) Crop/ Crop Group 1974 TE 1983 TE 1993 TE 2004 TE 2013 Total Cereals Total Pulses Total Food grains Total Oilseeds Cotton Other Crops Total Non-food grains Gross Cropped Area 000ha Net Sown Area 000ha Net Irrigated Area 000ha Source: District Planning Office, Sabarkantha and Directorate of Agriculture, Gandhinagar. Apart from food crops, area under other crops accounts for about 23 per cent of the GCA. These are high value crops such as spices, horticultural crops, isabgul, and fodder crops. The share of this category of crops increased steeply from 8 per cent in In absolute terms it increased from 0.75 lakh ha in 1974 to 1.82 lakh ha in Oilseeds and cotton account for 14 per cent and 19 per cent of the cropped area respectively. Cotton occupied ha (22.5 per cent) in However it had all but vanished and was cultivated on only ha (3.8 per cent) in Area under cotton has increased substantially in the last decade and now accounts for nearly a fifth of the cropped area in the district. On the whole foodgrains are losing their dominance, occupying 44 per cent of the cropped area in Diversification in the cropping pattern is taking place in favour of non-foodgrains, chiefly other crops and cotton replacing foodgrains which is a positive trend and requires development of post-harvest and processing facilities. Total area under horticultural crops in Sabarkantha was nearly 10 per cent of the cropped area. Among fruits, mango, citrus (lemon, amla), and chiku were important and potato was the main vegetable. Fennel also finds favour with the farmers and accounts for more than half of the area under spices. Future additions of GCA would largely take place in spices, fruits, vegetables, and fodder crops. A major change is expected in the case of cotton where a large area under this crop would be brought under irrigation. These developments are in tune with changing regional pattern of crop production (see Box 5.2). Table 5.10: Average and Potential Yield of Important Crops, 2012 Crop Yield (q/ha) Potential yield (q/ha) Paddy Wheat Bajra Maize Groundnut Castor Mustard Cotton Fennel Source: District Agriculture officer. District Panchayat Himatnagar 51

74 Box 5.4 Changing Regional Patterns of Agriculture Growth in Gujarat Data about regional patterns of agricultural growth in Gujarat suggest that the arid and the semi-arid districts of Saurashtra, Kutch, and North Gujarat have forged ahead of Central and South Gujarat in agrarian performance post Nearly 28 per cent of area covered under micro-irrigation (check dams, boribunds, farm ponds) constructed under Sardar Patel Participatory Water Conservation Project that is public-private partnership was in North Gujarat, with the top four districts in terms of area covered under micro-irrigation being Junagadh, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha and Rajkot ( ). In these regions, the Bt cotton and wheat revolution are not likely to have been possible but for the investments made by the government and the communities in check dams, percolation ponds, farm ponds and such other groundwater recharge structures. Further,. decentralized mass movement for water harvesting on a large scale is not only augmenting the productivity of rainfed farming but also contributing substantially to groundwater recharge. (p.52). Source: Gulati et.al. (2009) Secret of Gujarat s Agrarian Miracle after 2000, Economic and Political Weekly, XLIV(52). According to the Department of Agriculture, cereal production in the district peaked at 5.17 lakh metric tonnes in which was the highest in the state. Sabarkantha is also the largest producer of ber (Indian jujube) and pomegranate. It also contributes over 10 per cent to potatoes produced in the state. Brinjal, cabbage, tomato, and cauliflower are other major vegetable crops. However, there is considerable untapped potential for increasing yield for all the major crops (Table 5.10). Livestock and Dairying The livestock population in Sabarkantha was lakh in The composition is given in Table Between 1977 and 1997, it increased by 39.4 per cent and between 1997 to 2007 it further increased by 32 per cent. In view of the expanding dairying industry in the cooperative sector in the district, farming population is more inclined towards rearing of buffaloes. Because of large tracts of undulating plateau land, grazing land is available aplenty which is conducive for the upkeep of large bovine population. However the increase in animal population has led to livestock pressure on land. High animal pressure (more than 2000 heads per 1000ha) is common in Meghraj and Malpur talukas. In the plains where bovine population has increased, dairying has expanded, as in Himatnagar, Bayad, and Modasa talukas. Population of small animals is more in hilly talukas like Idar, Khedbrahma, Vijaynagar, and Meghraj. Only around 5 per cent of the cultivated land is allocated for cultivation of fodder crops. This restricts production of green fodder for livestock and, coupled with high pressure on grazing lands, leads to shortage of fodder. Fodder supply needs to be augmented to meet the requirements of the increasing bovine population. Table 5.11: Composition of Livestock Population (000) Year Cattle Buffalo Sheep Goats Others Total Source: Directorate of Animal Husbandry, District Panchayat, Himatnagar. The cooperative dairies are very active in Sabarkantha. Gujarat is the one of the largest producers of milk in the country. Sabarkantha is one of the largest milk producing districts in Gujarat after Mehsana and Banaskantha. After agriculture, dairy farming is the next major economic activity in the district and Sabar Dairy is an important federation of milk cooperatives in the district. Nearly 5 per cent of the working population is engaged in this activity. 52

75 In , according to the Directorate of Animal Husbandry, 1779 dairy cooperatives were registered in Sabarkantha with 3.2 lakh members (Table 5.12). In milk collection was 402 million litres. Table 5.12: Dairy Cooperatives and Members, Taluka Dairy Cooperatives Total Members Total Milk Collection (In million liters) Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: Directorate of Animal Husbandry, District Panchayat, Himatnagar Idar, Himatnagar, and Prantij have the highest number of members per cooperative society. This may be owing to the location of the Sabar Dairy. Bayad has the highest number of cooperative societies but average members per society is only 206 which is far below the figures of Idar, Prantij, and Himatnagar. Gujarat is known for its strong dairy sector, with the highest milk procurement ( lakh liters per day) in the country. Gujarat has institutionalized the innovations towards animal health care and breed improvement. The Gauseva-Gauchar Vikas board (Animal Husbandry and pasture Development board) has been tasked with an aim to integrate fodder production with animal husbandry activities at village level and optimize the fodder production from underutilized village pastures. With the introduction of Pashu Arogya Mela campaign, the vaccination coverage has gone up from 157 lakh in to lakh in This and other disease control services have brought the incidences of disease outbreak down from 161 in to 36 in All these measures will give a further impetus to the dairying sector in Sabarkantha. Fisheries Fishing is not an important activity in the Sabarkantha district. There are only 1227 fulltime and 1631 part-time fishermen; less than half a percent of the population depends on fishing and fishery related activities. Table 5.13 below shows that fishing and fishery-related activities are mostly concentrated in Vijaynagar, Bhiloda, Meghraj, Khedbrahma, Malpur, and Modasa talukas. The district lacks modern facilities and equipments for fishing and fishery related activities. In terms of taluka-wise distribution none of the taluka has power boats. 53

76 Table 5.13: Distribution of Fishermen and Population of Fishing Community, No of Fishermen Taluka Population of Full Time Part Time Fishing Community Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: Commissioner of Fisheries, Gandhinagar. Industries and Livelihood In Sabarkantha industrial development is at a nascent stage. Production of large quantities of clay, silica sand and bauxite has opened up new avenues for production of glass, tiles, fine bricks and crockery. According to the District Industries Centre, registered small-scale units numbered 1028 in Only 2.7 per cent of state s small-scale units are located in the district. As of 2011, these units provided employment to 9785 persons (Table 5.14a). A large proportion nearly 62 per cent of these small scale units are concentrated in Himatnagar, Dhansura, Modasa and Idar talukas. According to the Census of Industries, in 2011 there were six small industrial clusters in Sabarkantha, one in Idar and four in Himatnagar. Bayad also had one cluster (Table 5.14b). The clusters vary considerably in terms of employment generation. Cotton ginning cluster in Idar, Sanitary ware and chinaware cluster in Himatnagar and processed stone and marble etc. in Bayad create employment for around , whereas other clusters each create for less than 50 persons employment. Table 5.14a: Talukawise Small-scale Industrial Units (Functioning), 2006 to 2011 Registered Functioning SSI Taluka MSME (Units) Investment (Rs. lakh) Employment Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: District Industries Centre, Himatnagar. 54

77 Table 5.14b: Small-scale Industrial Clusters in Sabarkantha, Industry Taluka SSI Units Employment Cotton Ropes, Ginning & pressing Idar Wooden Boxes, Barrels, etc Himatnagar 4 31 Printing and Publishing of Books, Journals etc Himatnagar 4 43 Sanitaryware, Chinaware, Tiles Himatnagar Fabricated Metal Products Himatnagar Processed Stone, Marble, etc Bayad Source: District Industries Centre, Himatnagar. Sabarkantha district does not have any big industries. There are only ten medium size industrial units which come under the factory sector. Investment in these units is Rs lakh and these units provide employment to 718 persons. Data on taluka-wise number of medium size industrial units and total employment in these units are given in Table These units are located chiefly in non-tribal dominated talukas. Table 5.15: Taluka-wise Medium Size Industrial units, Taluka Industrial Units Total Investment (Rs. lakhs) Employment Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: District Industries Centre, Himatnagar. In order to boost industrialization, the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) has set up six industrial estates in Sabarkantha, one each in Malpur, Idar, Bhiloda, Modasa, Himatnagar, and Talod. Poverty Sabarkantha is a predominantly agricultural district. Table 5.16 shows that percentage of BPL population was the lowest in Dhansura taluka (13 per cent) and highest in Khedbrahma taluka (63.6 per cent) with average figure for the district being 34.4 per cent in We have not gone into the details of poverty situation because at smaller spatial unit (taluka) the poverty estimates are usually quite error prone. The field impression suggests that there seems to be an indication of rising prosperity in talukas (Vadali, Dhansura, Talod,). For other talukas based on the field visit one could say that there are indications of there being relatively better off in near future because of various welfare schemes successfully launched by the government. 55

78 Table 5.16: Poverty Situation in Sabarkantha District, 2011 Taluka % * Agriculture % of BPL Families % of new BPL Workers 2003** families *** Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Gujarat NA Source: *Census of India, 2011 ** (Score of 0-20) ses guj.nic.in. ***BPL Add on list, , ses guj.nic.in. Box 5.5 Harnessing Organic Wealth Gram Lakshmi Sammohik Vermicompost Unit With funds through convergence of various schemes like, SGSY, NREGA, TSC these units were set up around two years ago under the first phase of Mission Mangalam, members of erstwhile SHGs because a part of this project. Though initially reluctant, once the women saw organic fertilizer s efficiency and the high returns, they agreed. The women s farmer husbands also encouraged them. Consequently, there are 42 such functional units in Sabarkantha alone. Talking on the marketing aspect, Mr. Joseph Fernandes, District Level livelihood manager, Mission Mangalam elaborates, The main roles of Mission Mangalam are to stimulate community involvement and to create market linkages. For the Vermicompost units, an internal market was already present within the network of Sakhi Mandals working in the Agriculture sector. To further expand the markets, the Mission Mangalam team planned to publish an advertisement in a popular regional daily. The inflated prices of Urea and DAP in the last quarter were a great boon. A demand for 15 lakh kilos from this unit alone is what followed. Gujarati farmers have now realized that not only is this product more efficient, but also way cheaper. This constant source of livelihood has unleashed a new wave of self-confidence in the rural women. So much so, that they smartly handled a troublesome bank official creating problems for years over minor transactions related to their Sakhi Mandal account. We told him we would have to take legal action. Soon enough the man mended his ways, chuckles Jassi Ben with a sense of achievement. Discussing what the future holds, the women dreamily say, We want our market to expand and we plan to grow into an autonomous producer company shortly. Source: Originally published in The Gujarat Magazine Box 5.6 Gram Laxmi under Mission Mangalam: A Government of Gujarat (GOG) livelihood and poverty alleviation programme The one- time cost of setting up a Gram Laxmi unit is around Rs.4.75 lakh, which is financed through convergence of different centrally sponsored rural development schemes like the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC), MGNREGA, National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY), Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF), Nirmal Gram etc and through a one-time public contribution. Gram Laxmi was launched as a pilot project in 2011 when a Gram Laxmi vermicomposting unit each was setup across 25 villages of Sabarkantha. Today, the initiative has been up scaled to 96 villages of the district. Mission Mangalam seeks 'to organize rural women in the state into collectives like Self help Groups (SHG's) also known as Sakhi Mandals, Producer Groups (PGs) and Service Groups; nurture them with skills; assist them with microfinance and eventually empower them through sustainable livelihoods'.2 Gujarat Livelihoods Promotion Company (GLPC) is the implementing agency for Mission Mangalam. Rural women from 96 villages in Sabarkantha are being empowered through the Gram Laxmi initiative of DRDA. Now with the Gram Laxmi units, these women earn about Rs 5000 in a month by selling vermicompost. Source: oneworld.net, One World Foundation India, September

79 Conclusion Discussion of the employment pattern and economic livelihood opportunities in Sabarkantha reveals that: - Unlike the state, agriculture contributes the largest share of the income generated in the district. Though the tertiary sector is dominant in income generated, production related sectors within the tertiary sector contribute only 11.6 per cent of the income, as of beginning of the last decade. - In 2000s decade unlike the preceding decade, additions to the workforce in Sabarkantha have been more pronounced in the category of main workers than marginal workers. Concentration of women workers is largely as marginal workers. Overall, WPR had increased in 90 s decade though the rise was lower than the state average. In the 2000s decade overall WPR remains unchanged (around 45 per cent). Tribal talukas reflect higher WPRs, along with nontribal less developed regions and have recorded the largest rise in WPRs. - Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for 65 per cent of the workforce. Share of agricultural labourers has increased in the past decade and now comprises a third of the workforce. Employment in the household sector is under-developed, while the share of other workers (non-household manufacturing, repairs, tertiary activities) that had increased sharply in 90 s has also seen a marginal decline. - The district is ecologically disadvantaged and drought prone, making agricultural livelihoods vulnerable. Irrigation development has taken considerable strides and currently around 57 per cent of the net sown area is irrigated. Groundwater exploitation has peaked. The stage of ground water development in the district has reached 79 per cent. This however threatens the sustainability of agriculture, especially that practiced by the dominant category of small and marginal farmers, and the livelihood of the agricultural labourers dependent on it. Surface irrigation sources constitute 43 per cent of gross irrigated area, requiring further policy focus on this front. - Landholding pattern is skewed with 71 per cent of small and marginal farmers cultivating only 35 per cent of the total area. Thus subsistence mode of agricultural production is mainstay in Sabarkantha. Cropping pattern was dominated by foodgrains and other crops that are often of high value (spices, horticulture, fodder crops) up to mid-2000s decade. Agriculture is getting diversified and cotton along with high value other crops presently share nearly 42 per cent of the cropped area. Cereals are losing their dominance in the district s cropping pattern. - In the district, despite agricultural diversification towards remunerative non-food crops, there are little opportunities for employment generation in the modern sectors. Share of cultivators has recorded a large decline in the recent past, indicating increasing marginalization in agriculture. Allied activities do offer opportunities for supplementing rural incomes here. Dairying is a major allied activity and supplementary income source in the district. Cooperative dairying is the main organizational form, but this activity is also threatened because of increasing pressure of animal population on land and inadequate fodder availability. Industrial development in Sabarkantha is rudimentary; household based units are recording a decline, there are no large size industrial units and very few medium sized firms exist in clusters in the more developed talukas. 57

80 - The MGNREGA programme in the district is supplementing the levels of livings significantly as reported in studies. Village study for the district has shown that the MNREGA scheme has helped villagers to increase the work days and improve the family incomes. The scheme also has substantial potential in reducing out-migration, particularly if full 100 days or more of employment were available. - All this calls for special interventions for education and skill development to improve individual capabilities and also creation of better infrastructure and efforts to improve the productivity of primary sector activities in Sabarkantha. - In this context it is necessary to activate and develop industrial clusters around rural areas which promote diversification away from agriculture but also reduce marginalisation and attendant informalization in urban centres. Further, labour training and technical assistance will crucially stimulate rural entrepreneurship by encouraging micro enterprises. SWOT Analysis for Economic Base and Livelihoods (Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Industry) in Sabarkantha Strengths Work participation rate (45%) is higher than state (41%). Nearly 66% of the reported area is under cultivation due to richness of soil. About 57% of cultivable land is irrigated leading to increase in GCA. Almost 8 out of 13 talukas shares greater proportion of net cropped area as compared to district average. Forested area at 17% has remained unchanged adding richness to environment. Area under cultivation of non food crops has increased to high value non food crop (cotton, fruits, vegetable). More than 69% of people are engaged in agriculture for their livelihoods (40% of cultivators are in main worker category). Nearly 5% of working population engaged in dairying sector. Barren and uncultivated land is just 5%-low compared to state average. Has reduced in few tribal talukas. Higher worker participation rates in tribal talukas, though decline has been observed. Weaknesses Forest coverage in Dhansura, Bayad, Talod is low and Prantij is nil. About 43% of cultivable land is irrigated. Declining area under cultivation of food crops places the challenge for food security if the similar trend continues. Illiterate sections of people are reluctant towards adopting techniques to enhance primary sector activities. The landholding pattern is skewed with 71% of small and marginal landholders operating 35% of land. In Vijaynagar 80% of small and marginal landholders operate 50% of land. In Dhansura and Modasa more than third of medium and large landholder operate ¾ of land. Increasing fragmentation of landholding may be forcing small and marginal categories of cultivators to alternate sources of livelihood. 58

81 SWOT Analysis for Economic Base and Livelihoods (Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Industry) in Sabarkantha Opportunities Threats One third of land is not under cultivation, which can be utilized for cultivation. More and more area can be covered under micro irrigation system and surface sources can be expanded in Talod, Dhansura, Prantij, Idar and Vadali. Despite natural resource constraints, agriculture and related activities faced moderate growth. Major wheat producing region of Gujarat. Prantij, Talod and Bayad have substantial area under horticultural crops-can emerge as processing hubs. 23% of GCA under high value crops (spices, horticulture, isabgul) amendable to processing-fifth of GCA under cotton. 10% of states potato production. Cooperative dairying is fostering livelihood options for people. One of the largest milk producing districts. If the essential agriculture and animal husbandry infrastructure, technology and knowhow related gaps are filled, the district can progress to the desired level of development. Activities aimed at increasing forest area, such as social forestry can be encouraged. 83% of MGNREGA projects completed belong to category of land development and 9% to water conservation scheme has increased work days, family income and has potential to reduce out migration. Skill development opportunities exist for female workforce especially residing in tribal areas. In some talukas small enterprise based industrial clusters are emerging. Develop industrial clusters around rural areas to promote occupational diversification of workforce. Micro-enterprises need to be encouraged. Low and erratic rains hampering the sustainable development of agriculture and making agricultural livelihoods vulnerable. Frequent droughts grounding down livelihoods gains. Due to fragile economic base, poverty levels are high in tribal and less developed talukas. One fourth of soils in district afflicted with erosion. Ground water prominent source of irrigation but 79% of groundwater is already developed. Yields of all important crops (wheat, bajra, fennel) below potential yields. Volatile cultivation pattern impose risk of returns to farmers. Meghraj, Malpur and Vijaynagar have more than 90% of area under food crops. High animal pressure (>2000 head/1000 ha) on land especially in Meghraj, Malpur. Fodder shortage as 5% of cultivated land allocated for fodder. A large tribal population does not have proper land records and entitlements to their rightful land deeds and due to this problem the tribal farmers fail to put their land parcels as collateral for bank loans. Nascent manufacturing sector so agriculture as main source of childhood is overburdened. Share of other workers (non household manufacturing repairs, tertiary activities) has also declined marginally. 59

82 Gender Development Chapter 6 UNDP s Human Development Report for 1995 stated that if human development is not engendered it is endangered. Achieving human development has to address the issues of gender inequality. Therefore, it is important that achieving human development incorporate the efforts to reduce the gender gap. On the other hand, gender inequalities hinder development and can reduce economic growth. Ignoring gender disparities may affect the wellbeing of people and the sustainable development of society in an adverse manner. Gender inequality can also deter the efforts to reduce poverty. This chapter discusses both aspects of gender inequality; intrinsic problems and effects on development goals. Intrinsic problems are those which reduce the capabilities of women for achieving aggregate wellbeing. For instance, longevity and education in women are important capability elements of wellbeing. Further, we need to look into the effects of gender bias. For instance, gender inequality in education and access to resources may inhibit expansion of education and arrest decline in mortality of children. Specifically the chapter examines the issue of inequality prevailing in Sabarkantha district. As the district has both tribal and non-tribal population, it is important to look into the status of gender inequality in tribal and non-tribal societies. There is general belief that tribal women enjoy better status and have more freedom than higher castes. However, geographical remoteness, social backwardness, and environmental degradation put enormous pressure to tribal women to maintain their livelihood. Table 6.1: Sex Ratio across Talukas, 1991 to 2011 Child Sex Ratio Sex Ratio Talukas (in the age group 0-6 years) Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Gujarat Source: Census of India, 1991, 2001,

83 Sex ratio connotes the ratio between males and females. In the Indian context, sex ratio is defined as the number of females per thousand males. It is an important social indicator for measuring the extent of equality between males and females in a society at a given point of time. The status of sex ratio in a way reflects roles played by both sexes in achieving human development of any region. The favourable or adverse trend in sex ratio may not be only because of various trends in demographic factors such as fertility, mortality, and migration but also be a result of human development factors such as health, livelihood, education, housing, etc. Therefore, it is important to understand the sex composition of any region. The district has higher sex ratio compared to other developed districts and the state average. Sex ratio declined from 965 in 1991 to 947 in 2001 (Table 6.1). It then increased to 952 in 2011 but could not achieve the 1991 level. Migration plays a vital role in determining the sex ratio. Intra-district migration is highly significant in the district. Therefore, there is a variation in sex ratio among different talukas. Moreover, out-migration of male members is also quite significant in tribal regions. Some of the tribal families have the tradition of sending at least one person to join the army. It is usually believed that in an ideal situation, there will be marginally higher number of women than men. Sex ratio of more than 1000 indicates better status of women. According to the 1991 census, sex ratio Vijaynagar and Bhiloda remained more than 1000 indicating better status of women in these two talukas. It is important to note here that both talukas reported decline in the census of 2001 and also in Also, Prantij, Himatnagar, and Modasa reported sex ratio unfavorable to females. Child sex ratio in these three talukas also showed steep decline during and was extremely low during This is despite the fact that access to modern technology in developed talukas might have contributed to abortion of girl child. It may be noted that according to 2011 census vis-à-vis 2001census some lost ground is recovered. It may further be noted that in most talukas in 2011, there is improvement in overall sex ratio and in child sex ratio. The adverse sex ratio in all the talukas could be because of any of these interrelated factors: low life expectancy for females because female health is not taken seriously higher mortality rate in females particularly for infants and also during reproductive period malnourishment in girl child resulting in high CMR for girls preference for male child In order to eliminate the impact of male migration, usually child sex ratio is preferred to understand the status of women. Child sex ratio is the sex ratio calculated for the age group of 0-6 population. Over the decade of , child sex ratio of the district declined from 933 to 879. Further, the rate of fall is quite alarming in some of the talukas like Prantij, Idar, Talod, Bayad, and Dhansura. In short, the sex ratio as well as child sex ratio declined sharply in and became unfavourable to females. The last decade ( ) as noted earlier, showed a relative improvement in sex ratio Census data shows overall decline in sex ratio in tribal and non-developed talukas. However, other talukas have shown marginal increase in sex ratio. This indicated that tribal males are migrating towards non-tribal region in search of employment and livelihood opportunities. All other talukas have reported increase in sex ratio by establishing an indication of healthy society. Further most of the talukas reported improvement in child sex ratio. 61

84 Status of Education among Women Education is crucial for acquiring a range of learning skills and serves as a stimulant for further learning. It plays an important role in poverty reduction and is the foundation of human development. Further, the role of education for women is vital for promoting gender equality and empowering women. Education can enhance women s welfare by providing them voice in household decisions and more autonomy in shaping their lives. It also widens the opportunities for women in the labour market. In short, education is widely recognized as the gateway to economic security and opportunity, particularly for women. In this way, it can help in achieving gender balanced human development. In order to reduce gender gaps in education, the state government has initiated several programmes for motivating girls education in the district. Such programmes include exposure visits, project work, Ramta-Ramta, sakhi, kshitij, kishori mela, summer camps, exhibitions, etc. Such programmes are organized to bring women of different villages together and for gender sensitization of the entire community of the district. Table 3.3 gives the data on status of education among men and women in Sabarkantha district. The literacy rate of the district was per cent in 1991 which increased to per cent in 2001 and further increased to per cent in Despite rapid progress literacy rate is somewhat lower when compared to the state figure. The literacy rate in males increased from per cent to per cent during the decade. It is important to note that male literacy rates in Sabarkantha district have remained at par with state male literacy rates for 1991 and This is also true for the decade On the contrary literacy rate for females has remained lower for both years when compared to the Gujarat figure. In fact the rate of increase in literacy rate among females from 1991 to 2001 remained lower than that in the state. The female literacy rate in the district increased from per cent to per cent from 1991 to 2001, yet it is six points less than the state average. In 2011, there is slight improvement in female literacy rate in the district as the gap between state and district reduced by one point percentage. In short, 2011 census data reflects improvement in literacy levels, both for male and female. The achievement in education for tribal girls is mainly due to various state government efforts such as introduction of Vidya Deep Insurance, Vidya Laxmi Bond, and distribution of cost free text books as well as education promotional programme such as Kanya Kelavani Mahotsav and Gunotsav. Box 6.1 Nari Gaurav Niti Gujarat adopted "Nari Gaurav Niti" in 2006 to promote gender equity. Participation of women in governance has increased with 38% members of 18,147 Pani Samitis being women. 2,415 Milk Cooperatives are run with membership of 6.37 lakh women. 362 Mahila Samras Panchayats have been formed in Gujarat. In , the government also plans to set up 50 additional "Nari Adalats" for resolution of issues relating to women, in view of the positive response to the existing 42 Nari Adalats. Looking into the taluka-wise scenario, 2011 census reveals that female literacy rates in. Khedbrhma (46.64 per cent) was at the bottom of all talukas. Meghraj with per cent female literacy rate is the second from the bottom. Both are tribal talukas but well developed. A third taluka where female literacy is extremely low is Malpur (57.29 per cent). Malpur is a moderately developed non-tribal taluka. It is heartening to note that all these talukas in 2011 report rapid strides in female literacy rate vis-à-vis 2001 census. Non-tribal talukas other than Malpur have reported better female literacy rates. In fact a highly developed taluka like Himatnagar has reported per cent female literacy rate which is considerably higher than the state female literacy rate. Idar and Prantij are also very close to that of state as a whole. It is possible that the development process beyond a certain point acts as strong stimulant for female literacy. 62

85 Let us look at the dropout rates for boys and girls in the district (Table 3.12, Chapter on Education). Even in the short run, that is in one year Bhiloda, Vijaynagar, Vadali and Bayad talukas have shown remarkable progress in reducing the dropout rates for both boys and girls. These talukas may have better access to educational facilities and awareness about education. The reduced dropout rates in most tribal talukas is a reflection of government and non government institutional efforts. Provision of foodgrains to parents of girl child in tribal regions has reduced the dropout rates of girl child even in the tribal talukas. Under this scheme, about 60 kg of foodgrains are given to parents of tribal girl students having 70 per cent attendance in the primary school. This scheme is implemented by the mid-day meal department. Its main objective is to reduce the dropout rates of girls in primary schools. It seems that the scheme has achieved remarkably in meeting its primary objective. The scheme, however, is implemented in tribal areas alone. Let us look at the higher education status in girls in the district (Table 3.10, Chapter on Education). The proportion of girls studying in secondary and higher secondary schools during remained 40 per cent. This is because there are very few secondary and higher secondary schools exclusively for girls in the district. Further, the proportion of lady teachers to total teachers in secondary and higher secondary schools were 11 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. There is a need to provide supporting environment in the district for girls studying in secondary and higher secondary schools Status of Health among Women The health status of women is explained in detail in the chapter on Health. Therefore, this section just highlights general issues. It is observed that there is no significanct difference in IMR (Infant Mortality Rate) for girls and boys (Tables 4.2 and 4.3, Chapter on Health). This has its reflection in the poor sex ratio. As far as CMR (Child Mortality Rate) is concerned, there is a large variation in the talukas. This may be a result of poor data base at taluka level or variation in the status of health indicators. Dhansura, Malpur and Talod have reported low child mortality rates aomong all the talukas of the district. On the other hand, Vadali and Idar have reported very high (though lower than males) child mortality rates for girls. The case of child mortality rates in boys is very similar to that of the girls. On an average district has shown high CMR for boys. However, some tribal taluks such as Bhiloda and Megharaj have reported high CMR for girls when compared to that of boys. Healthy and well nourished mother can give birth to healthy child who can survive and lead a healthy life forever. Therefore, it is also important to look into the health of women in district. The evaluation of the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) project (Centre for Operational Research and Training, 2003) very clearly stated that every pregnant woman involved in the representative sample of the district suffered from anemia. About 58 per cent women were moderately anemic and 42 per cent were mildly anemic. Although there was no case of severe anemia amongst pregnant women, the report strongly recommended to make people aware of the ill effects of anemia and to prevent it by improving nutritional intake. Another important finding of the survey was prevalence of severe anemia among poor, backward and less educated girls who had married recently. Further, the report also indicated that awareness level regarding various infectious diseases was low among women vis-à-vis men. 63

86 Gender Status of Employment It is important to generate adequate productive employment opportunities for women for achieving gender balanced human development. Employment plays a vital role in improving women s quality of life. Table 6.2: Worker Participation Rates (Main and Marginal workers), 1991 to 2011 Talukas Worker Participation Rates among Male and Female Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Modasa Himatnagar Sabarkantha Gujarat Source: Census of India, 1991, 2001, 2011 In order to assess the status of women in employment at an aggregate level, it is important to examine the work participation rate or WPR (defined as the proportion of working persons to total population). Let us look into the economic participation of women in the district (Table 6.2). Census defines work as any productive work for which remuneration is paid and is market related. If a man or woman has worked for more than 183 days then he or she is considered as main worker. As far as gender inequality is considered, Census data are highly criticized because it does not include unpaid work which is carried out mainly by women. It is also believed that census data are not adequate to give any real picture of women s economic participation. However, in absence of relevant data on economic participation at taluka level, we mainly depend on census data. Female WPR in Sabarkantha is remarkably higher than the state level. It is believed that tribal regions have higher female participation in economic activities. Though it is the gender gap in labour force is low, it cannot be stated that gender equality has been achieved. This is because poor women cannot survive without work and they have to engage themselves in any low paid job. Moreover, women are often burdened by household tasks, which tend to reduce their full participation in economic activities. This is clearly reflected in the statistics of female WPR for main or marginal workers (Tables 6.3 to 6.5). The proportion of marginal female workers in the district is reported 21.2 per cent which is high when compared to that of the state which is 13.3 per cent in 2001 (see Table 6.4). The extent of marginalization in the district declines in 2011 (27.5 per cent) but still quite higher than the state (10.3 per cent). As is true in most tribal areas female work participation is higher vis-à-vis other talukas. This one could take as an advantage by strengthening training programme that could enhance productivity of female workforce and also enhance entrepreneurial skills among female labour force. 64

87 Table 6.3: Work Participation Rates (Main and Marginal Workers), 1991 Talukas Main workers Marginal workers Male Female Total Male Female Total Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Talod Bayad Malpur Idar Prantij Modasa Himatnagar Sabarkantha Gujarat Source: Census of India, 1991 Table 6.4: Work Participation Rates (Main and Marginal Workers), 2001 Talukas Main workers Marginal workers Male Female Total Male Female Total Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Modasa Himatnagar Sabarkantha Gujarat Source: Census of India, 2001 Table 6.5: Work Participation Rates (Main and Marginal Workers), 2011 Talukas Main workers Marginal workers Male Female Total Male Female Total Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Modasa Himatnagar Sabarkantha Gujarat Source: Census of India,

88 Looking into the worker participation rates over a period of time, the increase in participation rate is observed only in the case of marginal workers. The percentage of main workers which was 35 in 1991 went down to 32 per cent in 2001 but increased somewhat to 33 per cent in As far as female workers are concerned, there is no increase in the category of main workers. The increase in female work force has been observed in the case of marginal workers between 1991 and 2001 but there is decline in There has been 2 per cent of increase in female marginal workers in Sabarkantha district and this is seen in talukas like Vijaynagar, Bhiloda, Khedbrahma, and Bayad. On the other hand, slower increase is observed in developed talukas such as Himatnagar, Prantij, and Modasa. There is an evidence at all India level that the proportion of marginal workers has risen in 2011 census in comparison to 2001 census. This is particularly true of female workforce. Sabarkantha district to some extent shares the all India level trait. This process could also indicate that because of relatively high growth rate particulaly in Gujarat female work force is able to enjoy higher degree of leisure and improved skill base. There is a need to study the process in depth. In order to know the status of women, let us examine workforce distribution. (Table 6.6) It is seen that women s involvement is mainly as agricultural labourers, economically not a very remunerative occupation. About 42 per cent of female workers in 2011 were engaged as agricultural labourers in the district, followed by the category of other workers. In most tribal talukas, more than 50 per cent of female workers are engaged as agricultural labourers. It must be noted that the economic base of tribal taluka is mainly agriculture. It is not surprising that female participation in agriculture is quite high. This could be overcome by developing rural and non-farm activities suited to the actual or potential skill base of female work force In 2011, Vijaynagar (66 per cent) has the highest proportion of women engaged in agricultural labour activities, Bhiloda, Khedbrahma, and Vadali follow, having more than 50 per cent of female worker participation in agricultural activities (Table 6.8). It is usually believed that economic growth promotes gender equity in employment opportunities, nature of work, earnings, and better work conditions. However, in less developed regions men and women have high work participation rates because here they cannot afford to stay without work. As a result women participation rate is high even if it is in less paid jobs. Female work participation as other workers has strong correlation with level of development (urbanization). In tribal talukas about 13 to 27 per cent female workers are engaged in other industries. In highly developed talukas, it is 48 to 65 per cent. However, since we do not have detailed classification, we are not sure that what kind of involvement women have as other workers (Table 6.8). Women empowerment or lack of it has three major aspects. The first is invisible work carried out by women which does not have any market value and therefore not reported anywhere in the formal data systems. The second is the involvement of women in petty jobs which are lowly paid. The third is the safety and security of the working environment. Owing to data constraints these issues could not be explored. Further studies are required to understand the engagement of women in the human development process of the district. Some of the important inferences from 2011 data on work participation rates are as follows; (1) Change in WPR over 2001 to 2011 shows that the gap between men and women employment has widened. Overall, there is a slight (2 per cent) decline in WPR except in Bhiloda and Vadali. The WPR for male has increased by 2 to 4 per cent among all the talukas of Sabarkantha. 66

89 (2) There are two observations which are important as far as gender gap in employment status is concerned. Overall there is decline in female marginal workers in most of the talukas. Khedbrahma showed the highest increase (by 10 per cent) in female main workers. The same is compensated by decline in marginal female workers. The industrial classification of workers shows that there is increase in agricultural labour for both male and females during 2001 to This is also the case of whole Gujarat. This increase is possibly due to good monsoon in the last decade increasing demand for labour in agricultural operations. It also points towards lack of non-farm job opportunities. Female agricultural labours are high in proportion in tribal talukas namely Vijaynagar, Bhiloda, Khedbrahma and Vadali. Some of the important observations over the last decade are, There is drastic decline in female cultivators particularly in tribal talukas such as Vijaynagar and Bhiloda. Similarly, There is an increase in agricultural labour in most of the talukas, except Meghraj, Malpur and Prantij. These three talukas are dominated by males in the agriculture sector Table 6.6: Industrial Distribution of Workers in Sabarkantha, 1991 to Cultivators Agricultural labourers Household industry Other workers Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Sabarkantha Gujarat Sabarkantha Gujarat Sabarkantha Gujarat Source: Census of India, 1991, 2001, 2011 Table 6.7: Worker Classification by Taluka, 2001 Talukas Cultivators Agri labours Household industry Other workers Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: Census of India,

90 Table 6.8: Worker Classification by Taluka, 2011 Cultivators Agri labours Household industry Other workers Talukas Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Source: Census of India, 2011 It is important to note here that intra-district migration in Sabarkantha is very high. Intradistrict migration was 62.8 per cent for males and 75.5 per cent females in 1992, which increased in 2001 to 83.2 per cent and 87.4 per cent respectively. Gujarat has reported comparatively lower percentages for both males and females. Although, marriage is the dominant factor for women to migrate, there is also seasonal migration from tribal areas mainly because of push factors. Table 6.9: Pattern of Migration Sabarkantha Gujarat In Migration Male Female Male Female Within district Outside district but within state From other states From other countries Total Migrants Source: District Census Handbook, 2001 Violence against Women Domestic violence is the worst form of gender discrimination. The issue unfortunately is not treated as seriously as it deserves. Ila Pathak, the founder of Ahmedabad Women Action Group (AWAG) laments (1999, p.1): Domestic Violence against woman has become such a recurring phenomenon the world over that often the victim accepts it as inevitable, a way of life,... the issue is not seen as a human rights problem of magnitude, but trivialized as a family problem. Consequently, many domestic violence cases are either unreported or underreported. It is therefore difficult to have a precise estimate of violence against women. A brave effort nevertheless is made in Table 6.10 to give number of offences against women at two points of time distanced by fifteen years (1995, 2010) for Sabarkantha. Over a decade and a half there is about forty per cent rise in offences against women. To some extent this increase is accounted by suicides (48 from 37) and accidental deaths (99 from 64). This somewhat modest increase could be attributed to usual economic forces - population growth, rise in transport intensity, etc. It is almost four fold increase in the physical and mental injury (235 from 64) that needs to be probed. In case of Gujarat also these offences, which are covered under Sec. 498-A (IPC), show similar increase between 1988 (479) and 1995 (1950) (Pathak, 1999, pp.17-70). It is 68

91 possible that pro-women legislation, women rights movements championed by AWAG and other NGOs, social awareness generated by media and education have all contributed to make women assert against violence. It is quite likely that despite all these changes the official data reveal only the tip of the iceberg. Much more vigorous efforts are required to curb crimes against women. Table 6.10: Number of Offences against Women in the District, 1995 and 2010 Types of Offences Number of Offences Murder 14 7 Attempt to Murder 5 1 Grievous Injury 12 1 Injury 36 5 Rape Eve-teasing Kidnapping Abatment to Suicide Misbehaving 5 2 Child Marriage 6 2 Physical and Mental Injury Dowry Death 1 0 Attempt to Commit Suicide 3 0 Suicide Accidental death Miscellaneous Total Source: Ila Pathak (1999) for 1995, Police Dept. Sabarkantha for Conclusion Demographic indicators show a relatively better status for women in the district. However time trend in demographic indicators shows somewhat declining status of women in terms of sex ratio after 1991 in the district. During the decade 2000 there is perceptible improvement in the status of women. Formal education among women has also shown a remarkable achievement. However, health related issues could be a hurdle in women empowerment. Although the state government has made efforts to improve the health status of women, it needs to adopt a more systematic and targeted approach. The poor quality of health data also shows up loopholes in the implementation of health related programmes. Target oriented health programmes have not actually worked at ground level. Therefore it is important to have in-depth evaluation of such programmes. Evaluating health related programmes may be helpful in making them more effective and efficient. Evaluation should not merely focus on targets or achievement but rather measure the output and outcome (result) of the implemented programmes. This is also relevant in the case of employment programmes. It needs to be reiterated that in view of high female work participation the female skill development needs to be enhanced and gradually they should be shifted away from agriculture to rural non-farm activities. This also raises the issues of skill development for women workers so that they can be more productive members of the workforce. 69

92 Insights from Special Studies * Chapter7 It became evident at the outset of project initiation that mere analysis of published information would be inadequate for a proper assessment of issues relating to human development. Purposive field visits would be required to highlight the special features of Sabarkantha district. The district has four talukas Bhiloda, Vijaynagar, Khedbrahma, and Meghraj that have a large tribal population. Obviously, field visits to tribal talukas became necesssary. Out of four tribal talukas, Bhiloda and Vijaynagar have a larger number of people engaged in government jobs, army etc. Overall level of development is better here than in Khedbrahma and Meghraj. We aimed at further understanding of the situation in these two talukas. Flow of physical and human resources, particularly migration amongst the tribals, was ascertained. Besides, differences in farming practices adopted by Kutchi Patel farmers and native farmers and communication channels across the communities regarding agricultural practices were also focused in the field visits. Instead of large scale sample surveys (which in any case are best left to official agencies), field visit in a case study mode relied on discussion meetings with carriers of knowledge across selected villages. Tribals As Migrants: The adivasis are found in the eastern part of Sabarkantha bordering Rajasthan. Most of the tribals own agricultural land. Owing to hilly topography, agricultural output per unit of land is lower than in plains. Migration is very common among tribals. They are brave and healthy and thus are able to face the hardships of migration. Quite a few join the army and border security forces and often occupy class I government jobs. The tribals, as already noted, are concentrated mainly in Bhiloda, Vijaynagar, Khedbrahma, and Meghraj talukas. Their houses are generally scattered. They do not reside in groups or clusters. Box 7.1 Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana Under the convergence approach, the State has launched the Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana as a flagship programme for the overall development and empowerment of the tribal communities. Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana was allocated 17,000 crore in the 11th Plan, and it is proposed to allocate 40,000 crore in 12th Five Year Plan. In , with a total outlay of 7,103 crore, the Yojana will provide better access to quality education, technical education, individual housing, health facilities, household drinking water supply and livelihood opportunities to members of tribal communities. A special provision is also made to augment basic facilities for the tribal communities living in 401 villages along the State borders. Meghraj taluka was selected for studying migration among the tribals. Our researchers visited two villages, namely Panchal and Pahadia. Ten migrant and ten non-migrant families were interviewed. * The survey was conducted in the year

93 Panchal village has nearly 250 houses and they are scattered in 6-7 sq. km. area. The village is inhabited by nearly 2500 people and has access to amenities like electricity, good roads, a high school, an agricultural cooperative society, fair price shop, etc. In this village 95% are tribals and the Rajasthan border is just 4 km. away. People are engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. Land is not very fertile and rain-fed, maize, cotton, tuver, etc. are the main crops. In Pahadia village also, houses are scattered. There are about 80 houses in 3-4 sq. km. area. The village is equipped with basic amenities. The area is hilly and land is not fertile. Drinking water availability is inadequate. The non-migrants own 1-2 acres of land and practice traditional agriculture. They also keep bullocks, buffaloes and sheep. They all stay in huts. The inhabitants go to work on nearby farms in Kasna and Vadthali villages on daily wages. They are employed for nearly 60 days a year and get Rs * a day. Some of them go for masonry work and get Rs.80* a day. They do not migrate mainly because there is nobody to look after land in their absence. They buy clothes and necessities from roadside hawkers. Migrant families are of three types: working for 30 to less than 60 days in a year; 60 days and more but less than 180 days in a year; and working for more than 180 days in a year. Let us call them A. B. and C types of migrants. Type A families are mostly engaged in road construction or agricultural activities during harvest time. Type B families get employment in construction, tile factories, fibre factories, etc. Type C families migrate to Gandhinagar, Mehsana, and other talukas in Sabarkantha and work on farms either on crop share basis or on contract basis. All of them have 1-2 acres of land and normally move to known areas and known owners. When they migrate to work in factories, owners provide them residential facilities. The migrants are more adaptive and save to have better houses back home. In Government Jobs: Tribals of Bhiloda, Vijaynagar and Khedbrahma taluka were visited by our team to study the activities of government servants who have chosen to come back after they have retired. Villages like Padra, Kanthacha, Ode, Kundal, Chotimala, Chithoda, Kodiawada, Baleta Sarsav, Nalseri, and Vokda, were visited and jawans were interviewed. The main occupation in these villages is agricultural activities and collection of forest produce like flowers of Mahuda tree, leaves of Timbru, white Musali (Ayurved medicine), honey, etc. But the tribals were not happy with what they were doing. Government servants and army men are relatively better off. Vijaynagar has sent more number of jawans in the army and hence the taluka is called a mine of soldiers. The terrain is hilly and houses are scattered. The area is full of dense forests and the inhabitants are physically strong and brave, fearless, and daring by nature. Our research team interacted with retired government officers, teachers and ex-army men. Most of them engage themselves in farming activities. Some of them own a tea stall, cutlery shop, flour mill, etc. The tribals have houses in rural as well as urban areas. A few family members have migrated to the United States, Kuwait, and Dubai. Some are quite active politically. They are alert and give importance to education and social service and promote bhakti mandals which help the cause of prohibition. Some returned jawans have served as security personnel in factories. The jawans of Sabarkantha are dedicated and work for wellbeing of the tribal community. Most of them prefer their children to take up government jobs. The tribals are proud of their origin and have no complaints or grudges. * Based on the field work carried out in

94 Patels of Sabarkantha: There are categories among the patels - Anjana Patel, Kadva Patel, and Leva Patel. The Anjana and Kadva Patels are found in all the talukas of Sabarkantha district and their number is higher than the Leva Patel. Kutchi Patels are mostly Kadva Patels; because of scanty rainfall, they migrated from Kutch abut 100 years ago. They have settled as agricultural labourers and work on farms belonging to local Patels or Rajput/Jamindars. Some of them have also purchased land. Kutchi Patels are hard workers, so much so that they even cleaned jungles and started agricultural activities and paid revenue to the British government or local Raja. Eventually they became landlords. Kutchi Patels adopted new techniques of cultivation and, as a result, the productivity of their land has increased. They are better off than the local Patels. The versatile nature of Kutchi Patel leads them to migrate and explore new areas. Some have sold their land and moved to Maharashtra and started their own construction business. One finds quite a few migrating to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. Kutchi Patels have also ventured into grocery, automobile repair, etc. Many local Patels have migrated to US, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and other countries. Kampas of Modasa In Modasa taluka, Vaniyad Kokapur village is 18 km from the headquarters. The village is inhabited by 5000 people. Anjana Patels, Kadva Patels, Panchals, Harijans, Valad, and Thakrda people are engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry, and dairy activities. The village is equipped with two primary schools, a high school, agricultural cooperative society, two dairies, panchayat house, veterinary dispensary and private medical facility, and a community hall. Kampa is a confined area where there are houses on each side surrounded by farms. There is a Hanuman temple, water tank, and primary school, Exhibit 1 shows the layout of a Kampa. There are several Kampas in Modasa taluka. One of them is Nehru Kampa which was selected for the case study. Nehru Kampa is a revenue area in Vaniyad Kokapur village. These are 23 households inhabited by 200 people and all are Kadva Patels. All these households migrated from Kutch (Anandsar village in Nakhatrana and Ladva from Mandvi taluka). They have been here for more than 45 years. Some 9-10 Kutchi Patels in the age group of were informally interviewed to understand their socio-economic status. They were all literates. They each have 3-35 acres land and grow cotton, maize, groundnut, wheat, maize, castor seed, soyabean, variyali, etc. Kutchi Patels use hybrid seeds, fertilizers, irrigation, pesticides, tractors, electric pumps, drip irrigation, and electric pumps. One of them visited an agricultural shibir at Modasa and got the idea of drip irrigation and adopted it on his farm. Their income is between Rs. 80,000 and Rs. 3.5 lakh per annum. However most of them are in debt ranging from Rs 5 to 10 lakhs. Loans were taken mostly for productive purposes. Kutchi Patels sometimes employ hired labour from nearby villages like Mulaj and Mudarsha. In Dhansura, Ramos village was studied. This also has Kutchi and local Patels. Ramos is about 20 km from Dhansura headquarter and there are 300 households with 2500 inhabitants. In this village there are Anjana Patels, Leva Patels, Harijans, Jain Banias, Thakardas, Prajapatis (Kumbhars), Goswamis, Barots, etc. The villagers are agriculturists and are also in dairying. There is primary school, high school, panchayat house, agricultural cooperative society, private medical dispensary, and community hall. Some people have migrated to US, Canada, South Africa, etc. 72

95 Ramos Kampa: In Ramos Kampa there are 16 households sheltering 150 people. They are Kadva Patels from Kutch and have been here for more than 60 years. These Kutchi Patels migrated from Magawara village (Jiyapar) and Vithon village of Nakhatrana taluka. Ramos has basic amenities like primary school, water works, and cooperative society, and is well connected by road. Five each of Kutchi Patels (Kadva Patels) and local Patels (Anjana Patels) were interviewed. The Kutchi Patels that we interviewed are literates and some of them are qualified engineers. They are well versed with the new agricultural technology and have applied improved seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, and drip irrigation. They grow groundnut and potatoes. They own 4 to 13 acres of land and some of them depend totally on drip irrigation. The gross income is Rs. 2-8 lakh. The Kutchi Patels hire labour from Vadvasa and Lalpur. Most of the Anjana Patels are free from debts and some have adopted the new technology on their farms. Family members such as sons and wives serve as primary school teachers. They grow groundnut, cotton, castor, and wheat. Their income ranges from Rs. 2 to 2.5 lakh annually. They own 9-10 acres of irrigated farm. There are some peculiar features of local Patels. Most have small plots of land and some have incurred debt in small amounts. They have supplementary income from teaching in primary schools. They do not migrate easily. They grow cash crops as well as food crops. Unlike local Patels, Kutchi Patels have large size farms with 70 per cent drip irrigation and grow cash crops with modern technology and equipment. Most of them are indebted for productive purposes. Conclusion The special studies, through social mapping, give us useful insights. Migrants cover short and long distances and have beneficial impact at origin and destination. This is particularly true of tribal areas. Ex-servicemen, who have come back play an important role in development of rural as well as urban areas. They occupy important positions in local bodies and act as change agents. There is need to further tap their talents to strengthen the social capital base in the tribal areas. There is quite a contrast between Kutchi Patels and other local Patels. Kutchi Patels have adopted advanced agricultural practices and grow cash crops like spices. They take loans but only to buy productive assets. Local Patels allocate land for animal husbandry and therefore the crop productivity is not as high as that of Kutchi Patels. They do not have much knowledge of advanced techniques. Unfortunately Kutchi Patels live isolated in Kampas outside the village. There is a need for building bridges between Kutchi Patels and local Patels, so that exchange of ideas is facilitated. 73

96 Chapter 8 Status of Human Development Human development aspects at the district level fail to capture human and material diversities at lower order spatial units. In order to show various facets of human development for each taluka, we have used radar diagrams. As the radar is a multidimensional picture, it provides a magnificent view of human development aspects at taluka level. Since it reveals multifarious characteristics of human development, it has great policy relevance. We have prepared radars for each taluka as well as radar of the district depicting levels of human development. In a comprehensive framework, radar facilitates comparability Indicators Indicators as such represent various dimensions of human development across hierarchy of space for different aspects of human development. The first indicator is the proportion of families above the poverty level as ascertained by the BPL survey. As income related information was not available, we selected the proportion of families that lay above the poverty line to capture in a way the economic and livelihood status. We selected another representative indicator of development and economic infrastructure. This is the proportion of irrigated area as agriculture is the dominant livelihood activity and irrigation is the leading input on which all land and yield augmenting technologies depend. In terms of availability of basic amenities that make a significant dent on the quality of life and wellbeing, we selected two indicators, one is the percentage of households with access to tap water and those having toilets. As for improvements in the field of education, we have selected two indicators namely, overall literacy rate of the population and retention rates of girls in schools. This indicates status of basic education in the district and also whether it is engendered. As for health, we have selected child (0-6 years) sex ratio, which is an important outcome indicator for human development and reflects status of girl child and condition of health facilities for women and children. The other selected indicator to capture achievement in health services is the level of child immunization (As overall vaccination was not available we take children immunized by BCG vaccine). All the indicators are normalized to the scale of zero to hundred in order to have the same scale in the radar diagram. Table 8.1 shows the normalized values (percentages) of various indicators across the talukas and Sabarkantha. Colour coding in the table also depicts the vulnerability of each taluka in terms of achievement under the indicator. 74

97 Table 8.1: Indicators of Human Development in the District and Talukas Talukas % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development % (2012) % of Households with tap water (2011) % of Households with toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) Child sex ratio (2011) Literacy rate % (2011) Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himatnagar Modasa Sabarkantha Low Mediumm High Human Development across Talukas Table 8.2 shows extreme values of each indicator. It shows that there are large regional variations across the talukas in terms of human development indicators. Further it can be seen that, except for health status and amenities, in terms of other aspects of human development Idar, Prantij, Himatnagar and Modasa are ahead of the rest of the talukas. Reverse is true for Vijaynagar, Bhiloda and Meghraj. Table 8.2 Range of Human Development across Talukas Human Development Indicators a). % of families above the poverty line b). % Irrigation Development c). % of Households with tap water d). % of Households with toilets e). % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine f). Child sex ratio % g). Total literacy rate % h). Girl retention rate in schools % Note: Ceteris Paribus, higher the index higher the value in terms of human development. Extreme Values for Talukas Highest Lowest Dhansura Khedbrahma (87.03) (36.35) Talod Malpur (73.0) (43.4) Vadali Vijaynagar (88.41) (29.84) Himatnagar Meghraj (79.04) (28.51) Himatnagar Talod (113.2) (81.7) Khedbrahma Himatnagar (94.7) (85.6) Himatnagar Khedbrahma (84.73) (57.01) Bhiloda Khedbrahma (98.47) (90.5) 75

98 Table 8.3 provides a summary on the status of various aspects of human development across talukas. From taluka radars, we are able to identify indices at taluka level that require priority attention. It is seen that tribal talukas (Khedbrahma, Vijaynagar, Bhiloda) show gaps in provision of basic amenities and irrigation development and perform poorly in poverty amelioration. Khedbrahma, Bayad and Malpur have high incidence of poverty. Vadali shows deficiency in nearly all the categories of indices- irrigation, toilets, health, education and gender equality. Most of the non-tribal talukas except Malpur show gaps in the child sex ratio that requires urgent attention. More developed talukas (Talod, Idar, Prantij) have better status of human development but at the same time they require urgent attention to overcome deficiencies in child health and gender concerns. Himatnagar also requires attention in this sector. These talukas would also gain from irrigation expansion. Dhansura, Bayad and Malpur despite doing relatively better in terms of access to amenities, require sincere efforts to step up irrigation potential as these are largely rainfed talukas, and greater efforts on education front. The talukas are making significant progress in terms of social sectors. However, there is need to step up efforts for provision of basic amenities particularly toilets and tapped water supply. For agriculture development which is the main source of livelihoods in the district, irrigation expansion is required, mainly through expansion of surface irrigation like canals, tanks etc. and priority to water harvesting structures to tide over drought incidence. Ground water irrigation has all but peaked. Water use efficiency can be improved through greater adoption of micro-irrigation structures. This would facilitate crop diversification towards high value crops and provide year round employment opportunities in agriculture. Table 8.3: Action Needed in the Specific Areas in each Taluka of the District Talukas Vijaynagar Bhiloda Meghraj Khedbrahma Vadali Dhansura Bayad Malpur Talod Idar Prantij Himmatnagar Modasa Measures required in sectors Poverty, child health, irrigation, amenities (tap water) Irrigation, amenities (toilets), health Literacy, irrigation, amenities (toilets, tap water), child health Poverty, irrigation, education, amenities (tap water) Child health, amenities (toilets), irrigation, health Irrigation, gender equality, health, education Irrigation, health, education, gender equality Poverty, irrigation, amenities (toilets) Child health, education, amenities (toilets) Child health, gender equality Child health, amenities (toilets), gender equality Child health, gender equality Irrigation, amenities (toilets), health Despite persistence of strong regional disparities, gaps in terms of human development indicators have evened out over time. Tribal talukas are able to achieve better status of education and to a large extent health because the state has special programmes for tribal development. Such programmes have also helped tribal talukas to improve their human development status. Similarly, developed non tribal talukas have also shown better human development status in terms of education, basic infrastructure, and economic livelihood. However, some aspects relating to health and gender equality can be improved across all talukas. In short, spatially differentiated strategies are required to push talukas of Sabarkantha on path of human development. 76

99 Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Literary rate (2011) Sabarkantha % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development (2012) % of Household with tap water (2011) Child sex ratio (2011) % of Household with toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) Vijaynagar Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Literary rate (2011) % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development (2012) % of Household w ith tap w a (2011) Child sex ratio (2011) % of Household w ith toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) Bhiloda Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Literary rate (2011) % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development (2012) % of Household with tap water (2011) Child sex ratio (2011) % of Household with toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) 77

100 Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Literary rate (2011) Meghraj % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development (2012) % of Household with water (2011) Child sex ratio (2011) % of Household with toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) Khedbrahma Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Literary rate (2011) % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development (2012) % of Household with t water (2011) Child sex ratio (2011) % of Household with toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Literary rate (2011) Vadali % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development (2012) % of Household with tap water (2011) Child sex ratio (2011) % of Household with toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) 78

101 Dhansura Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Literary rate (2011) % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development (2012) % of Household with tap water (2011) Child sex ratio (2011) % of Household with toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) Bayad Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Literary rate (2011) % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development (2012) % of Household with tap water (2011) Child sex ratio (2011) % of Household with toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Literary rate (2011) Malpur % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development (2012) % of Household with tap water (2011) Child sex ratio (2011) % of Household with toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) 79

102 Talod Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Literary rate (2011) % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development (2012) % of Household with tap water (2011) Child sex ratio (2011) % of Household with toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) Idar Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Literary rate (2011) % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development (2012) % of Household with tap water (2011) Child sex ratio (2011) % of Household with toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) Prantij Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Literary rate (2011) % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development (2012) % of Household with tap water (2011) Child sex ratio (2011) % of Household with toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) 80

103 Himmatnagar Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Literary rate (2011) % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development (2012) % of Household with tap water (2011) Child sex ratio (2011) % of Household with toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) Girl retention rate in schools (2010) Literary rate (2011) Modasa % APL families (2003) Irrigation Development (2012) % of Household with tap water (2011) Child sex ratio (2011) % of Household with toilets (2011) % Children immunized by BGG Vaccine ( ) 81

104 Chapter9 Ways Ahead Agriculture in the district, though mainly rain dependent, is the dominant activity in providing livelihood to bulk of the population. This is more so in the tribal belt. There is need to further strengthen irrigation infrastructure and also use technologies that maximize returns on per unit of water (drip irrigation). The lead given by Kutchi Patels needs to be emulated on a much wider and larger scale. In order to maximize returns per unit of land there is need to go for high value crops. It would be unfortunate if such a development should bypass the overwhelming number of small and marginal farmers. There is crying need to develop suitable (small- farm oriented) technologies and designing appropriate extension systems not only for Sabarkantha but for the entire state. The district should also safeguard against over- exploitation of ground water to arrest the deteriorating water quality and fall in water table. Poverty and Employment: Poverty is an area of concern. Poverty is some what high in Khedbrahma and Bayad. Volatility in the farm sector has important bearing on poverty. In fact agricultural growth, employment generation, nutrition, and poverty should be viewed as an interdependent phenomenon. Poverty is no longer exclusively or even mainly dependent on agricultural growth. Rural occupational diversification has emerged as an equally important determinant. It may be noticed that almost three-fourth of workforce is dependent on farm sector. In this respect the nascent industrial complexes in some talukas (Idar, Himatnagar, Bayad and Meghraj) should be nurtured for income and employment generation. Education and Employment: Overall literacy in the district has improved considerably. In tribal belts there are factors, real or perceived, that hinder demand for education. Students who flock for mid-day-meals are usually indifferent to learning. Poor state and/or lack of amenities in schools toilets, drinking water, electricity further discourage young knowledge seekers. Indeed a policy perspective on education is required for the groups left out, such as, small and marginal farmers and labourers in agriculture, other unskilled labourers, and tribals so that they could enter the mainstream job market. This would require skill formation through vocationalization of the education system. For such groups learning, to a large extent, has to be for earning. Gender Equality: In depth analysis is required that would probe into women s income and consumption, means of livelihood, and their contribution to unpaid work. Progress towards human development would be accelerated in case steps are taken for strengthening the gender equality. Steps that curb violence against women, such as, strengthening women s movements and enhancing scope of pro-women legislations are urgently needed. Regionally differentiated Strategy: Steps outlined above, though important, need not be spatially mapped with equal urgency. This is because the district has strong regional disparities. Tribal talukas are able to achieve better status in basic amenities because the state has special programmes for tribal development. Such programmes have also helped tribal talukas to improve their human development status. Similarly, better developed non-tribal talukas have shown better 82

105 human development status in terms of education, basic infrastructure, and economic livelihood. The tribal talukas and undeveloped or less developed non-tribal talukas need special attention in development planning. In short, spatially differentiated strategies are required to push talukas of Sabarkantha on path of human development. In order to make human development participative, we organized several meetings. The feedback of local officers was incorporated in the study at every stage in the report. The attainment of human development is an ongoing process. During the process of preparing this report, data were updated several times. However, data collection and provision is an ongoing process. The efforts to analyse such aspects is ongoing. 83

106 APL AWAG BPL CBR CDHO CDR CMR DDO DDP DES DIET DPO DPEP EC GCA GIA GIDC GWRDC HFA ICDS IMR MGNREGS NGOs NCA NIA NSA NSSO PHC RCHP SC SC SRG SSA ST TE TLM UIP UNDP VPD WPR Abbreviations Above Poverty Line Ahmedabad Women s Action Group Below Poverty Line Crude Birth Rate Chief District Health Officer Crude Death Rate Child Mortality Rate District Development Officer District Domestic Product Directorate of Economics and Statistics District Information in Education and Training District Planning Office District Primary Education Programme Economic Census Gross Cropped Area Gross Irrigated Area Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation Ground Water Resource Development Corporation Health for All Integrated Child Development Scheme Infant Mortality Rate Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme Non-Government Organizations Net Cropped Area Net Irrigated Area Net Sown Area National Sample Survey Office Primary Health Centre Reproductive and Child Health Project Sub Centre (Health facilities) Schedule Caste State Resource Group Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Schedule Tribe Triennium Ending Teaching Learning Material Universal Immunization Programme United National Development Programme Vaccine Preventable Diseases Worker Participation Rate 84

107 References Central Ground Water Board (2011): Dynamic Groundwater Resources of India (as on 31 st March 2009) Faridabad, Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India Centre for Operation Research and Training (2003): District Level Household Survey 2002, District Sabarkantha, Reproductive and Child Health Project, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India. Central Ground Water Board (2011). Dynamic Groundwater Resources of India (as on 31 March 2009), Faridabad, Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India. Director of Census Operation (2011): Census of India 2011, Provisional Population Totals, Paper 2, Vol.1 of 2011, Gujarat Series 25, Gujarat. Directorate of Census Operations (2001): Census of India, 2001, Provisional Population Totals, Gujarat, Workers and their characteristics, Paper-3 of 2001, Gujarat. Directorate of Census Operations (2001): Census of India, 2001, Provisional Population Totals, Gujarat, Rural-Urban distribution, Paper-2 of 2001, Gujarat. Directorate of Census Operations (2001): District Census Handbook of Sabarkantha, 2001, Gandhinagar. Directorate of Economics and Statistics (1996): Social Statistics, Gujarat. Government of Gujarat, Gandhinagar Directorate of Economics and Statistics (1996): Socio-economic Review of Gujarat State Government of Gujarat, Gandhinagar. Directorate of Economics and Statistics (1998): Socio-economic Review of Gujarat State Government of Gujarat, Gandhinagar. Directorate of Economics and Statistics (1999): Socio-economic Review Government of Gujarat, Gandhinagar. Directorate of Economics and Statistics (2002): Socio-economic Review of Gujarat State Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Gujarat, Gandhinagar. Directorate of Economics and Statistics (2002): Socio-economic Review of Gujarat State Directorate of Economic and Statistics, Government of Gujarat, Gandhinagar. Directorate of Economics and Statistics (2002): Statistical Abstract of Gujarat State, Government of Gujarat, Gandhinagar Directorate of Primary Education (2001): Annual Report. Government of Gujarat. Gandhinagar. Government of India (2002): National Human Development Report Planning Commission. Government of India. GoWB (2007): District Human Development Report Bankura, Development and Planning Department, Govt of West Bengal. GoWB (2007): District Human Development Report Malda, Development and Planning Department, Govt of West Bengal. Gulati Ashok, G Shreedhar, P Hemant, RC Jain and T Shah (2009) Secret of Gujarat s Agrarian Miracle after 2000, Economic and Political Weekly, XLIV(52). Gulati Ashok, G. Shreedhar, P. Hemant, R.C. Jain and T. shah (2009): Secret of Gujarat s Agrarian Miracle after 2000, Economic and Political Weekly, XLIV (52) 85

108 Hirway, Indira and P H Thakar (2002): Rural Female Literacy in Tribal Gujarat, Study Sponsored by Dept. of Tribal development, Govt. of Gujarat, Centre for Development Alternative, Ahmedabad. Hirway, Indira (2006): Where is Gender in Eleventh Plan Approach Paper?, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol.41, No.32, August 12. Hirway, Indira and Darshini Mahadevia (1996c): Preparing Human Development Report for Indian States, a paper presented at UNDP/Madhya Pradesh Government Workshop on State HDRs, held at Bhopal, November 30-December 1. Hirway, Indira and Darshini Mahadevia (2004): Gujarat Human Development Report, Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute, Ahmedabad. Kumar, Hemanshu (2012): Social Empowerment through Wage Employment: A Case of MGNREGA, Sabarkantha District, Gujarat, CEPT University, Ahmedabad Kumar, Lemanshu (2012). Social Empowerment through Wage Employment: A Case of MGNREGA: Sabarkantha District, Gujarat. Unpublished Dissertation. Faculty of Planning & Public Policy: CEPT University, Ahmedabad. Mehta, Niti (2013): Employability of Rural Labour in the Neo-liberal Era: A Study of Gujarat, Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 56(2), April-June. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Rural Health Statistics 2007 National Council for Applied Economic Research (1994): Non-Enrolment, Dropout and Private Expenditure in Elementary Education A Comparison across States and Population Groups. NCAER. New Delhi. National Council of Applied Economic Research (1992): Household Survey of Medical Care. NCAER. New Delhi. National Council of Educational Research and Training (1997): Sixth All India Educational Survey, Volume I, Educational Facilities in Rural and Urban Areas. NCERT. New Delhi. National Council of Educational Research and Training (1997): Sixth All India Educational Survey: Educational facilities in Rural and Urban Areas, National Tables Volume I. NCERT. New Delhi. National Council of Educational Research and Training (1998): Sixth All India Educational Survey, Volume VI, Age-wise Enrolment, Repeaters, Incentive Schemes, etc. in Schools. NCERT. New Delhi. National Council of Educational Research and Training (1998): Sixth All India Educational Survey: Educational Inputs and Facilities in Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools, National Tables Volume V. NCERT. New Delhi. National Institute of Design (2000): Gujarat Jal-Disha 2010: A vision of healthy and equitable future with drinking water, hygiene and sanitation for all, A report by a Working Group constituted by Gujarat State Drinking Water Infrastructure Co. Ltd. through National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. National Sample Survey Office (1989): Report No Department of Statistics. GOI. New Delhi. Paltasingh, Tattwamasi (2007): Monitoring Report on SSA for Gujarat State for the period 1st April 2006 to 30th Sept for Sabarkantha, Kheda and Anand, Sardar Patel Institute of Economic & Social Research, Ahmedabad. (unpublished) 86

109 Patel, Niranjana (2005): Education to the Tribal Children under the Balwadi Scheme in the State, Tribal Research and Training Centre, Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmedabad Pathak, Ila (1999): Aftermath of Domestic Violence Against Women, Ahmedabad Women s Action Group, Ahmedabad. Registrar General of India (1991, 2001): Census of India, 1991, 2001, Series 1- India, Part IV A-C Series, Socio-cultural: Tables, Vol.2. Government of India. New Delhi. Registrar General of India (1991, 2001): Census of India, 1991, 2001, Series 7- Gujarat, Part IV A-C Series, Socio-cultural Tables, Government of India. New Delhi. Registrar General of India (2013): Primary Census Abstract, 2011 Gujarat, Govt. of India, New Delhi. Shah, Amita supported by Hasmukh Joshi, Bharat Adhyaru, Dipak Nandani, Dilip Bhatt, Mayank Patel and Sunny Jose (2009):A Report on Management of National Rural Employment Guarantee Schemes: Issues and Challenges, Gujarat, Ahmedabad: Gujarat. Gujarat Institute of Development Research. Shah, Tushaar, Ashok Gulati, Hemant P, Ganga Shreedhar and R C Jain (2009): Secret of Gujarat s Agrarian Miracle after 2000, Economic and Political Weekly, December 26, XLIV, 52. Singhal, Rajrishi (2009): ProActive Farm Policy Needed, Economic Times, Ahmedabad edition, August 28. Statistical Outline of Sabarkantha (2007): Sabarkantha District Education Committee, Himatnagar District, Human Development Report, Prathmic Vibhag. United Nations Development Programme (1997): India: Road to Human Development. A report to India Development forum, Paris, June UNDP, New Delhi. United Nations Development Programme (2002): Human Development Report, Oxford University Press, Oxford. UNNATI (2000): Status of Panchayati Raj Institutions in Gujarat ( ): A Report. UNNATI, Ahmedabad. 87

110 88

111 89

112 Government Central Press, Gandhinagar. 90