Chapter - III

Area of Study and Respondents - A Brief Profile

• Introduction

• A Brief Profile of Davangere District

01. Geographical Area 02. Population 03. Agricultural Land Holdings 04. Education 05. Health Care Facility

• A Brief Profile of Taluks selected for the Study

01. Davangere Urban Area 02. Davangere Rural Area 03. Harihar Taluk 04. Harapanahalli Taluk 05. Channagiri Taluk 06. Honnali Taluk

• A Brief Profile of Respondents

01. Composition of Respondents 02. Taluk-wise Distribution of Beedi Workers 03. Composition of Sample Size - Rural Vs Urban 04. Taluk Wise Distribution of Respondents 05. Size of the Family 06. Number of Child Workers Engaged in Beedi Rolling

Activities 07. Level of Education of Respondent Workers 08. Monthly Income of Respondent-workers from Beedi

Rolling 09. Indebtedness and Bondage 10. Reasons for Borrowing Loan 11. Mother tongue (and Religion) of Respondent-workers

• Conclusion

Introduction

Beedi Industry plays an important role in the economic growth of the country. It

has provided employment opportunity to laklis of people and it is earning foreign

exchange by exporting its products to foreign countries. Beedi is exported to gulf

countries and UAE. It contributes to the state exchequer substantially in the form

of excise duty. Beedi workers in India account for the third largest component

of the work-force in Indian economy next only after agriculture and textile

industry. However, beedi workers live and work in conditions of poverty and

exploitation. The Industry is perhaps the only industry that possesses a unique

feature (which is of course inherent to its nature) of workers sitting and working

at home on part time and fiill time basis.

Beedi rolling as an industry has undergone considerable organizational changes

during the last the century from factory system to contract and household

systems. Till 1948, beedi rolling was undertaken in the premises (factories) of

manufacturers. But v/hen the Factories Act, 1948 was passed, and the term

factory was defined as any premises or precincts thereof wherein a

manufacturing process is being carried on with the aid of power and

employing more than 10 persons or where the manufacturing process is

carried on without the aid of power by employing more than 20 persons, the

beedi manufacturers stopped engaging the workers on their premises to avoid the

enforcement of the Provisions of Factories Act as well other Legislations. They

started contracting out beedi manufacturing to their agents, sub-agents, and to

69

some of their trusted and loyal employees, relatives, etc on commission basis.

They also invented the household system of beedi manufacturing under which ?.

beedi roller was supplied with the rav/ materials by the manufacturer and v/as

required to deliver the rolled beedies to the manufacturer before collecting fresh

quantities of raw materials.

This new system enabled the manufacturers not only to be free from all statutory

obligations towards the workers but also to exploit the workers to the maximum

exient. The exploitation of beedi workers is stretched too far by the contractors,

sub-contractors, agents and sub-agents. These middlemen are acting like a

double edged sword getting handsome commission from the principal

marmfacturers and paying low rates of wages to the beedi workers. The plight of

beedi workers forced the Government of India ((JOI) to enact the Beedi and

Cigar Workers' Act in 1966 giving statutory protection to the workers by

bringing them within the scope of the term "employee". Because, the term

employee is defined in the Act to include any labourer who is given raw

materials by an employer or a contractor for being made into beedi at

home, and termed such a person as a home-worker. And the beedi

manufacturers challenged this Act and got stayed the implementation of the Act

on the ground that an out-worker is not a workman and they are not obliged to

provide benefits to out-workers. But to their ill-luck, the Supreme Court of India

upheld the Act and gave the verdict stating that an out-worker is also a

workman. Even after this decision of the Supreme Court, the beedi

70

manufacturers have continued the contract and household systems of

manufacturing as these systems have proved to be more advantageous to them.

It is important to note that the majority of the workers are out-workers. A CSIR

Survey conducted way back in 1973 revealed that out of 36 lakh beedi workers,

only 1.8 lakh were employed in the factory sector while 28 lakli were in the non-

factory sector (the remaining 6.2 lakh, worker were engaged in the collection of

tendu leaves).

Beedi Industry, by and large, has remained in the unorganized sector providing

employment to a large number of persons. Beedi Industry has several

advantages over agriculture - the most significant among them being that

employment in beedi manufacturing need not be on full lime basis. It gainfully

contributes to individual and family income by providing supplementar>' work to

the entire family of the beedi workers. More importantly, women from

traditional muslim families (who do not go to work outside the four walls of

their homes due to their social customs), the old and the infirm, the unmarried

and the married women, and the disabled can all take to beedi rolling to cam

either a supplementary income or a livelihood. Beedi rolling is also taken up as

a part-time job by agricultural labourers during off-seasons. It is the only

industry where no machinery, major equipment, power, other infrastructural

facilities, and foreign exchanges are required. What is needed is tobacco and

kendu leaves, cotton thread, a scissor, a tin plate, a needle and a basket/tray for

each worker. While tobacco and leaves are supplied by the manufacturer-

71

employers, the tools are purchased and/or owned by the workers themselves.

This is a peculiar feature of employment in this industry.

In this industry, more than 4.5 million workers are employed all over the

countr>'. But the industry is heavily concentrated in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,

Gujarat, Kamataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal.

Tamil Nadu ib one of the major beedi manufacturing states though the raw

materials are, by and large, obtained from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and

Kamataka. During the last 25 to 30 years, there has been a considerable increase

in the number of beedi manufacturing units and beedi workers since the beedi

manufactures from Kerala shifted their business activities to this state due to

unionization of the workers and stringent statutory regulations.

After 1990s, Beedi Industr>' itself has been under pressure due to economic

liberalization policies - entr)' of tobacco multinationals and changing consumer

preferences towards non-beedi tobacco products. Beedi manufactures also claim

that changes in the taxation policy have led to competition between machine-

made-mini-cigarettes and labour intensive beedies. Kamataka is one of the

states in India wherein the beedi activities are predominant. According to an

estimate, there are 6 to 7 lakh beedi workers in the state.

In the light of above, a brief profile of the geographical area of the study and that

of the respondents is presented in this chapter. As already stated, the area

72

selected for the present study comprises of five taluks of Davangere district viz.,

Channageri, Davangere, Harihar, Harapanahalli and Honnali taluks.

A Brief Profile of Davangere District

There are six taluks in Davangere district. Out of these six, respondents are

selected from five taluks and one taluk viz., Jagalur taluk is excluded as the

beedi workers are very few in this taluk. The five taluks selected for the study

are Channageri, Davangere, Harihar, Harapanahalli and Hoimali. Many beedi

workers are residing in these taluks. Therefore, a brief profile of Davangere

district with an emphasis on its labour force is presented in the following

paragraphs.

Davangere, which is at the centre of Kamataka State, has the history of over

1,200 years. This was the capital city of the Chalukya's according to the

inscriptions of 1121 AD. The historical evidences show that this was ruled by

the great Hoysala's. Till late 1997, it was one of the taluk headquarters of

Chitradurga district. It became a district headquarters on December 2, 1997.

The distance from this district headquarters to Bangalore is about 270 kms. The

major railway line and NH 4 connecting Bangalore and Pune (Maharashtra) pass

through this city. Davangere is known for its trade and commerce, and other

taluks are depending mainly on agriculture. The district consists of 57.99 square

kilometers of geographical area.

73

01. Geographical Area

The district has a geographical area of 5,97,597 hectares of which 89,918

hectares are forest area and 93,286 hectares of land is not available for

cultivation. Because, it consists of 38,936 hectares of non-agricultural land,

20,533 hectares of barren land, and 33,817 hectares of non-cultivable land. That

means, out of 5,97,597 hectares of land in the district, only 4,14,393 hectares of

land (69.34%) is suitable for cultivation.

Out of 4,14,393 hectares of cultivable land, only 1,24,672 hectares of land is

irrigated (30.09%) with different sources of water such as bore wells (44,799

hectares, 35.93% of irrigated land), wells (2,101 hectares, 1.69%), lift irrigation

(7,669 hectares, 6.15%), tanks (917 hectares, 0.74%), canks (68,542 hectares,

54.97%) and other sources (644 hectares, 0.52%). As only little less than one-

third of the cultivable land is irrigated, the district is predominantly a dry area

depending on the monsoon. The major crops grown in the district are paddy,

jo war, ragi and maize.

02. Population

Population of the district, as per 2001 census, is 17,90,952 and it is

predominantly rural in nature with an average annual rainfall of 659 mm

(normal) and the district has experienced drought frequently.

74

Table-3.1: Taluk-wise Population of Davangerc District

SI. No

Taluk Population as per ...

Increase (%)

SI. No

Taluk 1991 Census

2001 Census

Increase (%)

01 Chaniiagiri 2,57,300 2,92,507 13.68

02 Davangere 5,14,100 6,02,523 17.20

03 Harapanahalli 2,32,000 2.68,793 15.86

04 Harihar 2,16,700 2,45,6.54 13.36

05 Honnali 2.00,000 2,22,592 11.30

06 Jagalur 1,36,700 1,58,883 16.23

Total 15,56,800 17,90,952 15.04

Source: Census of India, 1991 and 2001

It is obvious from the above that Davangere taluk is the highest populated taluk

in the district with 6,02,523 population. This taluk has also registered the

highest growth rate in the population with 17.2% which works out an annual

increase of 1.72% (simple). This growth rate is higher than even the average

growth rate for the whole district of 15.04% (annually, 1.504%). And the less

populated taluk is Jagalur taluk with a population of 1,58,883. However, the rate

of population growth is lowest in Honnali taluk with 11.3% (annual increase,

1.13%).

03. Agricultural Land Holdings

Though Davangere city is known for trading activities in the state, in Davangere

district agriculture is the primary occupation. However, majority of the families

in the district possess less agricultural land each. This becomes evident from the

following table.

75

Table - 3.2: Agriculture Land Holdings and Area

Category of Agricultural Families Number of

Family

Total Land Area Ov/ned

(hectare)

Marginal Fanners (below 1 hectare) 1,06,864 55,928

Small Farmers ( 1 - 2 hectares) 73,211 1.03.406

Semi medium Farmers ( 2 - 4 hectares) 44,353 1,18,965

Medium Farmers ( 4 - 1 0 hectares) 17,267 97,718

Large Farmers (more than 10 hectares) 2,057 28,157

Total 2,43,747 4,04,175

Source: District Statistical Office, Government of Kamataka, Davangere District At a Glance, 2004-05, p. 21

It is obvious from the above that the total agricultural land is 4,04,175 hectares,

and the total number of land holders is 2,43,747 out of which the marginal land

holders (below one hectare each) is 1,06,864 (43.84%) and small land holders (1

- 2 hectares each) is 72,2111 (30.04%), and the semi-medium land holders (2-4

hectares each) is 44,353 (18.20?/o). W^at is more important is majority (43.84%)

of the farmers are marginal farmers who are owning, on an a\'erage, 0.52 hectare

of land each. This 43.84% of marginal farmers are owning just 13.84% of the

total agricultural land. On the other hand, 0.84% of large farmers own 6.72% of

total agricultural land.

76

04. Education

Davangere district achieved 58.38% literacy as per 2001 census. Literacy rate

among males is 66% and it is 51% in the case of females. One of the reasons for

this reasonable rate of success is the higher number of educational institutions

established and functioning in the district. The following statistics give an idea

about the number of educational institutions, number of students, etc.

Table <• 3.3: Educational Institutions, Students, < Davangere District

JtC,

SI. No

Schools/Colleges Number of Institutions

Number of

Students

01 Primary Schools 1,762 2,81,245

02 High Schools 417 74,664

03 Pre-university Colleges 96 26,802

04 General Colleges (Graduate Studies)

28 10,450

05 Polytechnic Colleges 03 1,835

06 Engineering 03 1,215

07 Medical 01 11,000

08 Dental 01 1,673

09 Ayurvedic 01 175

Total 2,312 3,99,627

Source: District Statistical Office, Government of Kamataka, Davangere District At a Glance, 2004-05, pp. 43-5

77

It can be seen from the table that the district has almost all types of educational

institutions starting from Primary to Higher Educational Institutions. Further, the

number of students is very impressive. As a result, the District has achieved

58.38% literacy. Still it is not satisfactory. Because, another 41.62% of the

population of the district are illiterates. In addition to these educational

institutions, the district has 1,300 Anganawadi centers.

05. Health Care Facility

A few details pertaining to the health care facility available in the district are

presented below.

Table - 3.4: Health Care Facility

Kind of Hospitals Number of Hospitals

Number of Beds for Patients

State Government Hospitals 078 1,200

Private Hospitals (including Nursing Homes)

196 1,834

Primary Health Centers 66 396

Allopathy Hospitals 07 1,194

Communit>' Health Centers 04 NA

Dispensaries 30 NA

Total 381 4,624

Note: NA = Details are not available/not applicable

Source: District Statistical Office, Government of Kamataka, Davangere District at a Glance, 2004-05, pp. 46-9

78

It can be seen from the above that the district is having both the government

hospitals and private nursing homes catering to the medical requirements of the

people.

A Brief Profile of Taluks Selected for the Study

A few details pertaining to the taluks selected for the present study are presented

below .̂

01. Davangere Urban Area

The geographical area of Davangere urban part is 994.10 square-kilometers (sq-

kms). The total urban population is 3,64,523 of which literates are 2,50,342

(male 1,38,505 and female 111837). Hence, there are 1,14,181 illiterates (male

49,481 and female 64,700) in Davangere urban area. A total of 1,24,000

workers (comprising of 98,945 male and 25,055 female) are working in urban

parts of Davangere taluk. Of the total, 1,14,480 are main workers and 9,520 are

marginal workers. The number of non-v/orkers having no regular income is

2,40,523. The main industrial units are bakeries, agarbatti, carpentry, hotels and

restaurants, shops and establishments, etc. The literacy rate is, as per 2001

census, 69%. This area provides employment to about 6,000 beedi workers.

02. Davangere Rural Area

Davangere rural area has 2,38,000 population of which 1,01,205 are illiterates

(male 41,730 and female 59,475) and the remaining 1,36,795 (male 79,925 and

79

female 56,867) are literates. The total number of workers are 1,08,890 (male

71,181 and female 37,709) of which the main workers are 89,536 (male 64,168

and female 25,368) and marginal workers 19,354 (male 7,013 and female

12,341). The total number of non-workers are 1,29,110 (male 50,474 and

female 78,636). The literacy rate is 57% (male 66% and female 49%) as per

2001 census. The main profession of workers is cultivation and agriculture.

03. Harihar Taluk

Harihar is situated on the river bank of Tunga-Bhadra in Davangere district.

This taluk has 498.66 sq-kms of geographical area, population of about 2,45,654

(male 1,26,128 and female 1,19,526) and it is predominantly rural in nature with

an average aimual rainfall of 566 mm and the taluk has experienced frequent

drought. The literacy rate, as per 2001 census, is 60% (male 67% and female

53%). The total number of workers is 98,438 (male 70,610 and female 27,828).

Harihar is at a distance of 14 kms from Davangere towards Pune-Mumbai on the

National Highway (NH 4). Harihar has a railway junction connecting Bangalore

and Pune-Mumbai. There are a few major industries in Harihar and they include

Harihar Polyfibres, Gwalioi Rayon, etc and the infrastructural facilities are

suitable for large and medium scale industries. The town attracts entrepreneurs

and outside investors. There are 34 industrial units providing employment to

950 employees. Main industrial units are in the area of poundry, workshops,

hotels and restaurants, shops and establishments, etc. Barring the Harihar town.

80

the remaining areas of the taluk are depending on the agricultural activities and

petty business.

04. Harapanahalli Taiuk

Harapanaballi is another taluk of Davangere district. It is 45 kms away from

Davangere city towards Hospet. This taluk is predominantly a rural taluk

depending mainly on agriculture. It has 1,430.24 sq-ms of geographical area, and

population of about 2,68,793 (male 1,37,608 and female 1,31,185). The literacy

rate, as per 2001 census, is 48% (male 57% and female 38%). Among the other

taluks in Davangere district, this is the most backward area. This taluk has an

average annual rainfall of 657 mm and has been experiencing drought regularly.

Cultivation is foujid to be the main profession as the number of cultivators and

agricultural labourers are more.

05. Channagiri Taluk

Channageri is another taluk of Da>'angere district. It is 55 kms away from

Davangere city. This is totally a rural area and agriculture is the main

occupation. This taluk has 1,209.76 sq-kms of geographical area with population

of 2,92,507 (male 1,49,796 and female 1,42,711). The average annual rainfall is

808 mm and the literacy rate is 58% (male 65% and female 50%)). As there are

no industrial activities in this taluk, the main source of income is from

cultivation and agricultural activities. A small group of Muslim population in

rural area is involved in household works like beedi rolling and fishing.

81

06. Honnali TaHuk

Honnali is another taluk of Davangere district and it is at a distance of 50 Icms

from Davangere city towards Shivamogga. This taluk has 887.94 sq-kms of

geographical area with population of 2,22,592 (male 1,13,577 and female

1,09,015). Tlie average annual rainfall is 620 mm. The literacy rate is 58%

(male 67% and female 49%). This taluk has no railway facility and the major

occupation of this area is cultivation and agriculture. A small group of

population is depending on household production including beedi rolling.

From the above analysis, it can be inferred that Davangere city is the central

place for other taluks of Davangere district. It is one of the flourishing trade and

commerce places of the district. Harihar, Harapanahalli, Channageri and Honnali

act as satellite centers having connection with Davangere.

Besides Davangere district, beedi manufacturing activities are undertaken in a

few more taluks in the state. The details are presented below.

82

Table - 3.5: Districts having Highest Concentration of Beedi Workers in Karnataka

SI. No

District Taluks

01 Dakshina Kamataka Ol.Mangalore

02 Nippani 01. Nippani

03 Tumkur 01. Tumkur

02. Sira

03. Kunigal

04. Gubbi

04 Dharwad 01. Dharwad

05 Haveri 01. Haveri

02.Ranebennur

03.Hirekerur

06 Davangere 01. Davangere

02. Harihar

03. Harapanahalli

04. Channagiri

05.Honnali

It can be seen from the above that the beedi v/orkers are found only in six

districts out of 29 districts in the State. Further, within these six districts, beedi

activities can be found only in one or few taluks. But in Davangere district, it is

spread over five taluks. This is one of the reasons for concentrating on

Davangere district for the present study.

83

A Brief Profile of Respondents

With the above details about the geographical area selected for the present study,

a brief profile of the beedi workers selected for the study is presented below.

01. Composition of Respondents

For the purpose of the present study, a sample of 200 beedi workers has been

selected. These 200 beedi workers are selected from five taluks of Davangere

distnct. The respondents are selected giving representation to both urban and

rural area, both male and female, both adults and children, both Hindus,

Muslims, etc. Based on the concentration of beedi workers, the areas in different

taluks of Davangere district have been selected. And the beedi workers have

been selected by a Random Sampling Method.

02. Taluk-wise Distribution of Beedi Workers

An estimation made on the basis of the data gathered from different sources

(both government and other sources) revealed that there about 18,000 beedi

workers in the district spread over five of its six taluks. The details are presented

below.

84

Table - 3.6: Number of Beedi Workers in Davangere District

SI.

No Taluk

Number of SI.

No Taluk Beedi

Contractors Beedi

Workers 01 Channagiri 02 600

02 Davangere 30 11,000

03 Harapanahalli 08 2,000

04 Harihar 16 4,000

05 Honnali 02 400

Total 58 18,000

Source: Beedi Contractors' Association and others

It can be seen from the above table that majority of beedi workers in the district

are in Davangere taluk (11,000 beedi workers out of 18,000 working out to

61.11%). Another important taluk wherein one can find more persons engaged in

beedi rolling is Harihar taluk with 4,000 beedi workers (22.22%) followed by

Harapanahalli taluk with 2,000 beedi workers (11.11%). In each of the

remaining two taluks (viz., Channagiri and Honnali), only a few hundreds of

beedi workers can be found.

03. Composition of Sample Size - Rural vs Urban

The analysis made and presented above brings the point to fore that the beedi

workers are more in urban area (e.g., Davangere and Harihar) than in the rural

area (e.g., Honnali and Channagiri). Hence, more representation is given to

urban area. The relevant data are presented below.

85

Table - 3.7: Distribution of Respondent-workers - Rural and Urban

SI. No

Area Number of

Respondenl-Beedi Workers

%age

01 Rural 80 40

02 Uiban 120 60

Total 200 100

Source: Survey Data

That means, out of 200 respondent-beedi workers selected for the present study,

120 (accounting for 60% of total number of respondent-beedi \vorkers) are from

urban area and the remaining 80 (accounting for 40%) arc from rural area.

Distribution of Respondent-Beedi Workers - Rural vs Urban

D Rural • Urban

Rural Urban

Figure -3.1

86

04. Taluk-wise Distribution of Respondents

Number of beedi workers selected for the present study from different taluks and

the nature of the place are presented below.

Table - 3.8: Number of Respondent-workers and their Area

SI. No

Taluk Place Urban or Rural

Number of Workers Selected

%age

01 Davangere Davangere Urban 100 50 01 Davangere

Davangere Rural 10 05

02 Harihar Harihar Urban 20 10 02 Harihar

Malebennur Rural 20 10

03 Charmageri Channageri Rural 10 05

04 Harapanahalli Harapanahalli Rural 30 15

05 Honnali Honnali Rural 10 05

Total •

200 100

Source: Survey Data

Considering the difference in the number of beedi workers in different taluks of

Davangere district, respondents are selected from each area/taluk. It can be seen

from the above that 100 workers are selected from Davangere urban area since

there is greater concentration of beedi workers in this area. It can also be seen

from the table that 20 workers are selected from Harihar urban area. The

remaining 80 workers are from the rural areas of Harihar, Charmagiri,

Harapanahalli, Honnali and Davangere taluks.

87

It can be noted at this stage that the beedi rolling activity is highly female

dominated. However, the engagement of male workers is also found in certain

areas. Out of 200 respondents, 186 (93%) are female workers and the remaining

14 (7%) are male workers.

05. Size of the Family

Family environment exerts tremendous influence in shaping the personalit>' of

the individual. Because, it is the family wherein an individual spends most of

his/her time and wherein his socialization, early education and training take

place. Family size, number of dependents in families, kind of family

envirormient, family discipline and control, etc play a significant role in

moulding the personality. If the size of the family is small, needs of the family

members are likely to be satisfied in a more effective manner than in a family

with more number of members. If the number of earning members in a family is

more, the needs of the family members are likely to be fulfilled in a better

manner than in a family in which there is a lone earning member having more

number of dependents to support. If the environment in a family is free from

diseases and is healthy, it proves to be conducive from the standpoint of

inculcation of good habits. Conversely, if it is immoral and unhealthy, it is

likely to give rise to varied kinds of deviant behaviour among the members of

the family. If the atmosphere in the family is democratic, it is helpful for the

development of democratic values and creative abilities. If it is autocratic,

family members are not able to express their views freely and even their genuine

needs are likely to be remained unfulfilled. The absence of discipline in the

family is likely to lead to the emergence of different kinds of deviations. If the

family disciplined, it may be instrumental in generating a tendency among

family members to adhere to behavioral norms.

With the above details about the size of the family, he details pertaining to the

size of the families of beedi workers (i.e., number of members in the family) are

presented below It may be noted here that for the purpose of the present study,

the families with four or less-than four members each are considered as small

families. And the families with five or more members each are reckoned as

large families.

Table - 3.9: Size o Fthe Family of Respondent-workers 1

Number of Members in the

Family

Number of Respondents

"/'oage

1 -2 04 02

3 - 4 62 31

5 - 6 76 38

7 - 8 48 24

9 and above 10 05

Total 200 100

Source: Survey Data

It is obvious fi-om the above that 33% of respondent-workers have small families

with 1 - 4 members each. A sizeable portion of respondent-workers (76

89

respondents, 38% of the total number of respondent-workers) have families with

5 to 6 members each. Another 24% of the respondent-workers have 7 lo 8

members each. The rem.aining 5% of the workers belong to a very large family

of 9 members and above each.

06. Number of Child Workers Engaged in Beedi Rolling Activities

Due to a number of reasons sach as economic backwardness of the family, the

children (i.e., children in the age group of upto 15 years) are also forced by the

family to work to support the family. However, it may be noted here that the

psychological and environmental influence of the family on the child is so deep

and takes place so rapidly that the child acquires all the traits of his/her

personality and character of his adulthood before the child attains the age of 15

years and in some cases, even earlier. In this background, the survey reveals that

only a very few children are engaged in beedi rolling activity which is evident

from the following.

Table-3.10: Number of Children in ieedi Rolling

Area Number of Children

Percentage

Urban Area 04 02

Rural Area 02 01

Source: Survey Data

It is obvious from the table that in Davangere district, there are only 6 children

engaged is beedi rolling activity which is a satisfactory one.

90

07. Level of Education of Respondent-workers

Education is a good index of human resource development. Investment on

education is a more powerful instrument for the socio-economic development

and cultural transformation of the people. Illiteracy causes ignorance which is

responsible for the narrow socio-economic attitude of the people. Narrowness of

socio-economic atdtude of the people hampers their productive capacity and

keeps them away from the formal organized sector. In this background, the

details about educational qualifications of the respondent-workers are collected

and presented below.

Table - 3.11: Level of Education of Respondent-workers

Level of Education Number of Workers Percentage

Illiterates 110 55

Primary School Education 78 39

Middle School Education 12 06

Matriculation and abo '̂e - -

Total 200 100

Source: Survey Data

It is obvious from the above that 55% of the respondent-workers are illiterates.

They were not admitted to any school. As many as 90 (45%) respondent-

workers had some school education out of which 39% had primary school

education and a meager 6% had middle school education. One of the reasons for

91

this illiteracy and lower level of education is the economic backwardness of the

families forcing the members to take beedi rolling instead of education.

08. Monthly Income of Respondeni-workers from Beedi Rolling

ITie details about the monthly earnings of the respondent-workers from beedi

rolling are presented below.

Table - 3.12: Monthly Income of Respondent-workers from Beedi Rolling

Monthly Earnings

(Rs)

Number of Respondent-

workers Percentage

Upto 300 18 09

301-500 114 57

501-700 28 14

701-900 20 10

901-1,100 08 04

1,101 - 1,300 04 02

1,301 - 1„500 04 02

1,501-2,000 02 01

2,001 and above 02 01

Total 200 100

Source: Survey Data

It is evident from the above that the beedi workers are earning very trivial

amount from beedi rolling. It may be noted at this stage that most of the families

of beedi workers are suffering from economic poverty. And the beedi workers

are paid on piece rate basis. Hence, there is no guarantee of minimum income.

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Since the poverty is rampant, the families are compelling even the children to

take up beedi rolling activity.

The monthly income from beedi rolling is, as evident from the table, very low.

Majority of the respondent-workers (114 out of 200 accounting for 57%) are

earning a monthly income ranging from Rs.301 - Rs.500 each. Another 48

workers (24%) are ean.ing a monthly inco.ne of Rs.501 to Rs.900 each. In the

case 18 workers (9%), it is Rs.300 or less each. The remaining 10% of the

respondent-workers are earning slightly higher income of Rs.901 or above each.

09. Indebtedness and Bondage

Economic hardship and poverty are the common features associated with the

problems of beedi workers. During the survey, it was observed that respondent-

workers have borrowed from all available sources like Banks, Private Moriev

Lenders and Businessmen. Many a number of respondent-workers received

advances from their employers and in some cases, they had surrendered their

children as security.

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Table - 3.13: Amount of Loan Borrowed by the Respondent-workers from the Employers

Amount of Loan (Rs)

Number of Respondent-

workers Percentage

50 25

Upto 500 40 20

501-1,000 30 15

1,001-2,000 40 20

2,001-5,000 30 15

5,001-10,000 10 05

Total 200 100

Source: Survey Data

It can be seen from the table that only 50 respondent-workers (accounting for

25% of the total number of respondents) have not borrowed loan from their

employers. All other 150 respondents (75%) have borrowed loan upto Rs.

10,000 each. 40 of the respondents (20%) have borrowed a loan upto Rs. 500

each from their employers. 10 respondents (5%) have borrowed loan ranging

from Rs. 5,001 to Rs. 10,000 each. Others (100 workers, 50%) have borrowed

loans from Rs.501 to Rs. 5,000 each. What is important is their repaying

capacity. With their negligible monthly income, they find it very difficult to pay

the interest and a part of principal amount after meeting their household

expenses. Hence, they are in debt trap.

10. Reasons for Borrowing Loan

The details pertaining to the important reasons as to why the beedi workers are

borrowing loans are presented below.

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'able - 3.14: Indebtedness and Reasons for Borrowing Loans

Reasons for Borrowing Loans

Number of Respondent-

workers Percentage

Daily Expenses 20 10

Marriage 80 40

Sickness 44 22

Maternity 16 08

Festivals 16 08

Purchasing Site/Plots 04 02

Education of Children 20 10

Total 200 100 1

Source: Survey Data

As income of these families is veiy low, they are compelled to borrow loans.

The loans are used mainly to meet their daily expenses, expense relating to

marriage, sickness, death and community festival, etc. The loans are returned by

the workers in the form of deduction in their wages every month/week. Some

times, the problem of repaying the loans and the interest thereon becomes more

difficult as the major portion of their earnings is spent on daily expenditure.

11. Mother Tongue (and Religion) of Respondent-workers

The respondents were also selected by giving weightage to their mother tongue

(and religion). The details are presented below.

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Table - 3.1S: Mother Tonijue of Respondents Workers

Mother Tongue Number of Workers Percentage

Kannada 60 30

Urdu 110 55

Tamil 14 07

Telugu 06 04

Others 08 04

Total 200 100

Source: Survey Data

It is very obvious fiom the above that majority of the workers are Urdu speaking

persons. This also shows that majority of the respondent-workers (numbering

110 accounting for 55% of the respondent-workers) belong to Muslim religion.

In the case of another 60 respondents, Kannada is their mother tongue.

Conclusion

There are six taluks in Davangere district. Out of these six, respondents are

selected from five taluks and one taluk i.e., .fagalur taluk is excluded as the beedi

workers are very few in this taluk. For the purpose of the present study, 200

beedi workers are selected from five taluks. The respondents are selected giving

representation to urban and rural areas, male and fem.ale, adults and children, etc.

The data revealed that beedi workers are more in urban area (i.e., Davangere and

Harihar) than in rural area (Honnali and Channageri). Out of these 200

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respondent beedi workers selected for the present study, 60% are from urban

area and the remaining 40% are from the rural area.

The beedi rolling activity is highly female dominated. Out of 200 respondents,

93% are female and the remaining 7% are male workers. 33% of the

respondent-workers have small families with 1 - 4 members each and 38% have

families with 5 - 6 members each, another 24% have 5 to 8 members each and

the remaining 5% belong to large families with 9 members in each family. In

Davangere district, there are only 6 children engaged in beedi rolling activity.

It is noticed that 55% of the respondent-workers are illiterates, 39% had school

education upto primary education and 6% had middle school education. The

monthly earnings axe very lov/. Hence, the families are compelling even their

children to take up beedi rolling activity. It is observed that 75% of the

respondent-workers have borrowed loan due to inadequate earnings from beedi

rolling. Further, it is observed that the majority of beedi workers are belong to

Muslim religion.

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