The Changing Occupational Structure and Economic Profile of Textile Industry of Banaras, Uttar Pradesh

The Changing Occupational Structure and Economic Profile of Textile Industry of Banaras, Uttar Pradesh

Ajeet Jaiswal

Department of Anthropology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
Mobile: 09791201427, 08122594335; E-mail: rpgajeet@gmail.com

KEYWORDS Ordinary Weaver. Master Weaver. Kothidar/Gaddidar. Powerloom

ABSTRACT

In recent years, debates on modern economic development have become a central issue, not only in politics but also in the academic field. Bookstores all over the globe count numerous works on this theme, new ones appearing regularly, and newspapers are filled with articles and discussions on the subject. Within academia, not only economists but also historians have become increasingly involved in debates on the origination of the divide between richer and poorer countries. One of the central questions is what lies at the basis of a country’s economic success. A ‘modern’ structure of the labour market, with a relatively low share of the population in the primary sector, a high degree of specialization and high levels of wage labour, is
often considered to be one of the driving forces behind economic achievement. This paper attempts to investigate the changing occupational structure and economic profile of the Textile Industry of Banaras, Uttar Pradesh. A total number of 300 adult workers working in different sectors in seventeen different factories and 300 Non Textile Workers were interviewed. The analysis of the present study suggests that the, the industry started with the independent weaver as the nodal point, gradually changed into family based corporate business enterprise, and also the rise of intermediaries (Ordinary Weaver, Master Weaver
and Kothidar/Gaddidar) within the occupation are the most important phenomena, thus reflecting the changing occupational structure and economic profile of Textile workers of Uttar Pradesh.

Health and Nutritional Status of a Primitive Tribe of Madhya Pradesh: Bhumia

Health and Nutritional Status of a Primitive Tribe of Madhya Pradesh: Bhumia
By Ajeet Jaiswal
Pondicherry University, India

Abstract-

Health and nutritional status of an individual depends on the food he eats. Man needs a wide
range of nutrients to lead a healthy and active life and these are derived through the diet they consume
daily. Good nutrition is a basic component of health. This paper deals with the utility of various
anthropometric cut-off points in the evaluation of nutritional & Health status.

Total 616 subjects studied from 201 household of the five villages of Baigachak area.
Anthropometric measurements taken were height and weight. Dietary data was collected using 24hr recall
method. The extent of malnutrition for preschool children was assessed by SD classification and the
nutritional status of adults was assessed by BMI classification.


Keywords: bhumia tribe, nutritional status, nutrient intake.

Ethnographic Profile of the Textile Workers of Uttar Pradesh

Ethnographic Profile of the Textile Workers of Uttar Pradesh

Ajeet Jaiswal
Department of Anthropology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
Phone: 09791201427, 08122594335, E-mail: rpgajeet@gmail.com

KEYWORDS Religious Rites. Rituals. Workers. Hindu. Muslim

ABSTRACT

With the changing industrial landscape of the country, new working class areas have come into being and old
ones are expanding. In the new areas, adaptability to this culture depends on the extent and strength of the workers’ link with rural areas. The characteristics of the Textile Workers revolve around Social Composition, Sex Composition, Emergence of Tribal Labour, Low Level of Literacy, Heterogeneity of Working Class, High Rate of Absenteeism, Labour Turnover and Migratory Character. An anthropological attempt has been made in the present study to analyse the ethnographic profile of the textile workers of Uttar Pradesh. A total number of 463 adult workers working in different sectors in seventeen different factories were interviewed, The religious and ritualistic analysis of the observance of actions or procedures in a set and
ceremonial way of the Hindu and Muslim textile workers of Uttar Pradesh, reflects that the religious rites and rituals of Hindu workers were more complex than Muslim workers and they believe in the concept of

Effect of Domestic Cooking Fuel on the Health of Nonsmoking Women of Uttar Pradesh, India

Effect of Domestic Cooking Fuel on the Health of Nonsmoking Women of Uttar Pradesh, India

Ajeet Jaiswal
Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry

ABSTRACT

Air pollution is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. In developing countries, air pollution
tends to be highest indoors, where biomass fuels, such as wood, animal dung, crop residues, and
rasses, are burned by many households for cooking and space heating (Smith KR 1996). Here, we
analyse the effect of Domestic Cooking Fuel on the health of Non-Smoking women of Uttar Pradesh
and compare the pulmonary functions in healthy non- smoking women who used either biomass or
liquified petroleum gas (LPG) as their sole cooking fuel using data on 275 healthy non-smoking
women included 159 cooked solely with biomass and 116 cooked with LPG. A standardised
respiratory symptoms questionnaire was administered to all the subjects and spirometry was carried
out. The effects of passive smoking, ventilation, overcrowding and cooking index were also taken
into account.
Passive smoking showed no significant difference between the two groups. No statistically significant
differences was found in lung functions (FVC , FEV1, FER) in the two groups except for the PEFR,
which was significantly lower (P<0.01) in women using biomass. No correlation was observed between
different variables and pulmonary functions. The step-wise multivariate linear regression analysis
showed no correlation between cooking fuel and the pulmonary functions.
The absence of the expected adverse effects of biomass on pulmonary functions was possibly due to
better ventilation in the kitchens of subjects in the biomass group compared to previous studies. The
results strongly suggest that smoke exposure from the use of biomass fuels for cooking substantially
increases the risk of respiratory and lungs problems.

Keywords: Non- smoking Women, Health, Respiratory symptoms, Biomass, Liquefied petroleum gas 

Child Labor and Indian Carpet Industry

Child Labor and Indian Carpet Industry

Ajeet Jaiswal1, Sapna Jaiswal2

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
2 MBA, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi, India


Abstract

The use of child labor in the production of hand knotted carpets in India has been widely reported and documented. An important development which has a bearing on the incidence of child labor in the carpet industry in India is that in recent years there has been an overall decline in the production and exports of hand knotted carpets in India, particularly in core carpet belt. The principal aim of the present study is to understand the current situation of the child labor problem in India‟s carpet industry. A total of 60 loom enterprises with 137 active looms were selected from December, 2006 to February 2007, from the Badhohi, Mirzapur and Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh. As the issue of child labor is one of a very sensitive nature, the researcher had to cope with several obstacles during the fieldwork in the areas covered by the study. Out of the total 528 weavers working on 60 loom enterprises studied there are 17 „definitely children‟ of whom 76.47% are boys and 23.53% are girls. The figures for „probably children‟ working on the looms are 46. The analysis of the workforce composition and working conditions of weavers found that children continue to be involved in significant numbers in the production of handmade carpets. Children account for 7.57% of the total workforce. Most of the children working on looms are boys (82%). Among the children working on the looms, the majority (58%) of them belong to the family labor category. The proportion of child labor to the total workforce is higher in the Persian variety of carpets than in the other varieties. Analysis of distribution of child labor in different sizes of enterprises shows that employment of child labor is greater in the larger enterprises. Findings of the present study clearly indicate that compared to the 1990s there has been a decline in the magnitude of child labor in the carpet industry; however, this decline is not to the extent of claims made by the government and