The important findings of the survey conducted at Ahmedabad
centre are given below:
- The total number of working class families covered during the survey was
648.
- The estimated total number of working class families as defined for the
purpose of the survey was about 1.27 lakhs.
- The estimated total number of employees in these families was about 1.61
lakhs.
- The average monthly income per employee from paid employment worked out as
Rs. 3383.04.
- Spinning, weaving and finishing of textiles industry dominated in terms of
employment.
- About 88 per cent of the total employees were employed on a regular basis,
5.78 per cent were on casual basis and the remaining 6.13 per cent on
contractual basis.
- The average size of a working class family worked out to be 4.41 persons
of which 1.11 were earners, 0.22 earning dependants and 3.08 non-earning
dependants consisting of 1.63 men, 1.38 women and 1.40 children.
- The modal family size was with four and five members.
- The estimated total number of family members was 5.63 lakhs. Out of which,
53.47 per cent were males. Of the total family members, 48.89 per cent were
married, 2.63 per cent were widowed, divorced or separated and the remaining
48.48 per cent were un-married.
- The dependency ratio was 532/1000.
- Around 14 percent of the family members (5 years of age and above) were
illiterate and 3 per cent were graduate and above.
- Around 32 per cent of the family members (5 years of age and above) were
employees and about 66 per cent were not in labour force.
- Of all the families, 89.64 per cent of the families had one earner, 9.27
per cent had two earners while the remaining 1.09 per cent had three or more
earners.
- The average monthly income per family worked out to be Rs. 4985.14 and the
per capita income as Rs. 1130.22.
- As much as 86.03 per cent of the total average monthly income came from
paid employment.
- Within the paid employment, basic wages and allowances contributed about
84 per cent of the total income.
- The average expenditure per family worked out to be Rs. 3967.02. Out of
which, Rs. 3755.35 was on consumption expenditure and Rs. 211.67 was on
non-consumption expenditure.
- Within consumption expenditure, the share of food items was 48.72 per
cent.
- Around 80 per cent of the families had spent less than 45 percent of their
total expenditure on food.
- Almost all the families (i.e. 98.99 per cent) reported expenditure on
savings and investments.
- There was a significant decline in the percentage of families reporting
expenditure on Pan, Supari, Tobacco & Tobacco Products and
Alcoholic Beverages as compared to 1981-82 survey.
- The percentage of families reporting expenditure on Education &
Reading, Personal Care and Transport & Communication
during 1999-2000 increased substantially as compared to 1981-82 survey with
the maximum jump for Education and Reading.
- The average monthly quantity of Cereals and Cereal Products
consumed per family worked out to be 34.66 Kgs, of which major share was
accounted for by wheat (25.31 Kgs) and rice (7.88 Kgs). The
per capita consumption of Cereals and Cereal Products was 7.86 Kgs.
- The average monthly consumption of milk per family works out to be 22.01
litres as against 20.40 litres in 1981-82 survey.
- About 89 per cent of families recorded an average surplus income of Rs.
1018.12 over per family expenditure.
- The incidence of indebtedness worked out to be 24.77 per cent during
1999-2000 as compared to 58.02 per cent in 1981-82 survey.
- Maximum proportion of families (i.e. 20.46 per cent) was in the loan
amount class of less than Rs. 500.
- The average amount of outstanding debt per indebted family worked out to
be Rs. 11966.01.
- Friends and Relatives were the main source of loans.
- There was a significant decline in the proportion of families availing
loan from money lenders and Shopkeepers as against in 1981-82 survey
- About 36 per cent of the families were residing in chawl- bustees; around
15 per cent were using flats as their residence and about 44 per cent had
independent houses.
- Of all the families, 84.52 per cent had made their own arrangements for
accommodation, 15.08 per cent were provided dwellings by the employers and
the remaining 0.40 per cent were residing in the dwellings provided by
friends and relatives etc.
- The percentage of families enjoying basic amenities like kitchen,
bathroom, latrine and electricity was 66.67 per cent, 84.52 per cent, 91.26
per cent and 97.22 per cent respectively.
*****
NOTE
: Detailed report is available with Controller
of Publications, Civil Line, New Delhi.