The profile of the area and people under study for the two sample districts of Himachal Pradesh selected for this study, namely Una and Kangra is discussed in this chapter.
Una
The present Una district until 1st November,1966 was one of the tehsil of the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab. Consequent upon reorganization of Punjab all the hill areas including Una tehsil was transferred to Himachal Pradesh. Ever since, until September, 1972 it continued to remain as tehsil of the then Kangra district. On the 1st September, 1972 the Himachal Pradesh Govt. reorganised the then Kangra district into three districts namely Una, Hamirpur and Kangra. Una district consists of two Sub-Divisions(Una and Amb), three Tehsils (Bangana, Amb and Una) and two Sub-Tehsils (Haroli and Bharwain) and is having five Development Blocks (Una, Bangana, Gagret, Amb and Haroli).
Situated in the east of outer Shivaliks, Una is in the south-western part of Himachal Pradesh. Bounded by Kangra, Hamirpur and Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh in the North, East and South respectively and by Hoshiarpur district of Punjab in the West, Una lies within North latitude 31017'52" and 31052'0" and East longitude 75058'2" and 76028'25".
Una district covers an area of 1549 sq. kms. in Himalayan foothill zone bounded by plains of Punjab in the west and Solah Singhi Dhar in the east. In the western part also there is a hill range whose maximum height is about 600 mtrs. The ranges tread in a general North West-South East direction and the area between these is a longitudinal valley of the Swan river. The altitudes vary from more than 350 mtrs. to over 1200 mtrs. on the Solah Singhi Dhar. The highest point Bharwain in the first range of hills is 2018 feet. The elevation of the town of Una in the Jaswan Dun, is 1404 feet above the sea level, and may be taken as the mean level of the valley. The breadth of Jaswan Dun Valley ranges from 7 Kms. to 14 Kms. The fort of Solah Singhi which stands on one of the highest points of the west range (3821 feet), is 3896 feet high.
Population
The total Population of District Una is around 4.5 lakhs as depicted in the following table:
General Parameters | |
---|---|
Population (As per 2001 Census) | 4,47,967 |
Male | 2,24,299 |
Female | 2,23,668 |
Rural | 4,08,545 |
Urban | 39,422 |
Sex Ratio | 997/1000 Female/Male |
Density of Population | 291 Persons/Sq. Kilometers |
People
Una has a mix of Pahari people with Hindu and Sikh being the major religions. The greater part of the District is inhabited by Brahmins, Rajputs, Jats, Sainis and Bahtis. The Brahmins and Rajputs namely dwell on landed property. The majority of Khatris in the district are engaged in money lending and trade but for the residential houses very few have landed property e.g.; agricultural land. There are Sikh Khatris as well as the Hindu Khatris in the district. The sprinkling of other castes in the district are Ghiraths, Chhangs, Lobanas and Muhammadons etc.
People & Culture | |
---|---|
Major Religions | Hindu & Sikh |
Languages Spoken | Pahari(Unnabi), Panjabi, Hindi |
Culture | Mixed(Panjabi & Pahari) |
Traditions | Mixed(Panjabi & Pahari) |
Economy | Agriculture based |
Literacy is quiet high as compared to the average Indian literacy rate.
Literacy Rate | 81.09% |
Male Literacy | 88.49% |
Female Literacy | 73.85% |
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Geographical Area (As per 1999-00 Report) | 1549 Sq.Kms |
Forest Area | 185 Sq.Kms. |
Cultivated Area | 430 Sq.Kms. |
Barren & Un cultivable Lands | 226.7 Sq.Kms. |
Land put to Non-Agri. Uses | 294 Sq.Kms. |
Permanent Pastures & Other Grass Lands | 129.4 Sq.Kms. |
Land Under Misc. Tree, Crops and Groves | 55.4 Sq.Kms. |
Irrigated Area | 78.4 Sq.Kms. |
Altitude | 350 meters to 1200 meters |
Longitude | 75058'2" - 76028'25"(East) |
Latitude | 31017'52" - 31052'0"(North) |
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Sources of Water & Irrigation (As per 1999-00 Report) | |
---|---|
Tubewells | 1131 |
Wells used for Irrigation | 185 |
Well used for Domestic Purposes | 1062 |
Kuhls in Use | 129 |
Lift Irrigation Schemes | 29 |
Major Rivers (A seasonal river) | Swan River |
Crops As per 1999-00 Report, Area (Sq.Kms)
Food Crops | 651.6 |
1. Rice | 26.8 |
2. Maize | 295.2 |
3. Wheat | 321 |
4. Gram | 2 |
5. Green Gram(Moong) | 0.05 |
6. Black Gram or Urd(Mash) | 6.20 |
7. Peas | 0.03 |
8. Horse Gram(Kulth) | 0.25 |
9. Masur | 0.11 |
Sugarcane | 6.02 |
Vegetables | 9.77 |
1. Potatoes | 6.13 |
2. Peas | 0.23 |
3. Onion | 0.70 |
4. Tomatoes | 0.07 |
5. Cabbage & Cauli Flower | 0.74 |
6. Turnip | 0.03 |
7. Radish | 0.06 |
8. Carrot | 0.04 |
9. Brinjal | 0.21 |
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Condiments & Spices | 0.51 |
1. Chillies | 0.09 |
2. Ginger | 0.13 |
3. Turmeric | 0.07 |
4. Garlic | 0.16 |
Non-Food Crops | 40.51 |
Fibre | 0.17 |
1. Hemp | 0.17 |
Oil Seeds | 21.92 |
1. Groundnut | 0.10 |
2. Taramira | 4.66 |
3. Sesamum | 7.09 |
4. Rape(Toriya) Seeds | 0.06 |
5. Mustard | 10.01 |
Fodder Crops | 18.42 |
1. Barseem & Lucrene | 5.42 |
2. Chari | 10.98 |
3. Bazra | 2.02 |
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Climate | Winter | Summer | Rainy | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Period | Oct.-Mid March | Mid March-June | July-Sept. | |
Weather | Cool | Hot | Humid | |
Humidity | 84% | 55% | 98% | |
Temperature | Max. | 33.0c | 45.5c | 35.0c |
Min. | -3.5c | 8.0c | 14.0c | |
Rainfall | Max. | 82.0mm | 69.0mm | 175.0mm |
Min. | 1.0mm | 1.0mm | 1.0mm |
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Distances | From State Capital Shimla | - |
---|---|---|
Nearest Railway Station | Una | 240 Kms |
Nearest Airport | Chandigarh | 120 Kms |
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Administrative Setup | - |
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No. of Sub-Divisions | 2 [Una & Amb] |
No. of Tehsils | 3 [Una, Amb & Bangana] |
No. of Sub-Tehsils | 2 [Haroli & Bharwain] |
Development Blocks | 5 [Una, Amb, Gagret, Dhundla(Bangana) & Haroli] |
Panchayats | 219 |
Backward Panchayats | 3 [Ambehra Dheeraj,Plahata,Sihana]-All under Bangana Block |
Villages | 866 |
Panchayat Samiti | 5 [Una, Amb, Gagret Dhundla(Bangana) & Haroli] |
Zila Parishad | 1 |
Local Urban Bodies | 5 [Municipal Committee Una, Nagar Panchyat(NP) Mehatpur, NP Santoshgarh, NP Daultpur Chowk] |
Assembly Segments | 5 [Una, Santoshgarh, Gagret, Kutlehar, Chintpurni] |
Parliamentary Constituency | 1 [Hamirpur] |
BPL Families | 15,429 |
Statistical Profile of District Una
Sr.No. | INDICATOR (Census –2001) | NUMBER |
---|---|---|
1 | Area ( In Sq.Kms.) | 1540 |
2 | Population | |
Total | 447967 | |
Males | 224299 | |
Females | 223668 | |
Rural | 408545 | |
Urban | 39422 | |
3 | % Age of Rural Population | 91.20 |
4 | %Age of Urban Population | 8.80 |
5 | % Age of State Population | 7.38 |
6 | Decennial Growth Rate | + 18.43 |
7 | Sex – Ratio ( Females per 1000 Males) | 997 |
8 | Density of Population | 291 |
9 | Literacy Rate ( %age) | |
Combined | 81.09 | |
Males | 88.49 | |
Females | 73.85 | |
10 | Number of Towns | 5 |
11 | Number of Constituencies | 5 |
12 | Number of CD Blocks | 5 |
13 | Number of Inhabited villages | 552 |
14 | Number of Gram Panchayats | 219 |
15 | Number of Tehsils | 3 |
16 | Number of Sub-Tehsils | 2 |
17 | Number of Sub- Divisions | 2 |
18 | Couple Protection Rate as on 31-3-2003 | 41.68 |
19 | Number of Medical Institutions as on 31-3-2003 | |
General Hospitals | 2 | |
Community Health Centers Total | 4 | |
Community Health Centres Grade –I | 2 | |
Community Health Centres Grade -II | 2 | |
Primary Health Centres Total | 20 | |
Primary Health Centres Grade- I | 14 | |
Primary Health Centres Grade- II | 6 | |
Civil Dispensaries /ESI Disp. | 1 | |
Sub- Centres | 131 | |
Number of Beds Sanctioned | 369 | |
20 | Mid –Year Estimated Population as on30-6-2003 | 487238 |
Mid –Year Estimated Population as on30-6-2004 | 475497 | |
Mid –Year Estimated Population as on30-6-2005 | 483756 |
Kangra
Altitude | Between 1,250 and 1,982 meters. |
Temperature | Maximum 38 degree Celsius in June; minimum 0 degree C. in January. |
Annual Rainfall | Varies between 290 and 380cm. Monsoon season is July to September. |
Kangra valley is the most beautiful valley of Himachal Pradesh with varying climate, flora and fauna. District Kangra is located on the southwestern end of the State and its area extends from low foothills to high wet temperate region through midhills subhumid zone. Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh is situated in Western Himalayas between 310 2 to 320 5 N and 750 to 770 45 E. The district has a geographical area of 5,739 km2 which constitutes 10.31 per cent of geographical area of the State and supports 11,74,072 human beings, 9,18,468 animals and varying species of flora and fauna. The population has increased to the tune of 18.50 to 23.70 per cent. Kangra district constitutes more than 22 per cent of total population of the State and is having 14 blocks. About 95 per cent of total population is rural and subsistent. An undue pressure on land beyond its carrying capacity is an issue of major concern.
Kangra valley located in the Northern part of Himachal Pradesh under the shadow of mighty Dhauladhar range of mountains, Dharamshala town over looks the Kangra valley. It is, located at Latitude 320 15' 42" North and Longitude 760 22' 46" of the Himalayan ranges. Geographically, the Dhauladhar range separates Kullu & Mandi Districts of the state at one end and Chamba and Kangra District at the other.
Dharamshala is one of the biggest towns as well as district headquarters of Kangra valley. Lying 526-km northwest of New Delhi, Dharamshala is the headquarters of the Kangra District in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1855, Dharamshala had only two major areas where civilians settled in : McLeod Ganj, named after Lieutenant Governor of Punjab "David McLeod", and Forsyth Ganj, named after a Divisional Commissioner.
Viewed from Dhauladhar top, the hills below look like ripples on the surface of the sea. One sees an uninterrupted chain of mountains with Kangra Valley spread out at its base. Seen from the Kangra town, the Dhauladhar rises abruptly from the valley reaching 4800 mts. above the sea level. This makes ascending and descending on both sides of the mountain range extremely tough and cumbersome. While the top of the Dhauladhar Mountain is barren, its flanks after a certain height, have many villages, inhabited by the Gaddis, who rear and trade in sheep, besides engaging themselves in farming.
In 1959, the government of India decided to grant political asylum to the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatsho,. In 1960, he was allowed to make McLeod Ganj his headquarters. After his arrival, trade, commerce and tourism picked up afresh. This is because with the Dalai Lama came thousands of Tibetan refugees, who gradually settled in Mcleod Ganj.
During the last three decades, The Tibetans have built many religious, educational and cultural institutions in and around McLeod Ganj, which has helped in preservation of their culture. This has been a keen area of interest for the people around the world and as a result they flock at Dharamshala at various times.
From administrative point of view the district Kangra has been divided into eight sub-Divisions viz., Dharamsala, Palampur, Baijnath, Kangra, Nurpur, Jawali, Dehra and Jaisinghpur; and from development point of view the district stands divided in fourteen developmental blocks, viz. Baijnath, Bhawarna, Lambagaon, Panchrukhi, Kangra, Nagrota Bagwan, Rait, Dehra, Pragpur, Nagrota Surian, Nurpur, Indora, Fatehpur and Sulah at Bhedoo Mahadev. The district with respect to revenue control has been divided into fifteen Tehsils and three sub-Tehsils. There are 708 Gram Panchayats, 3869 villages and eight towns, viz. Kangra, Nagrota Bagwan, Nurpur, Dharamsala, Palampur, Dehragopipur, Jawalamukhi and Yol.
The district has varying altitude ranging from 427 to 6401m above mean sea level, with some plain areas touching Gurdaspur district of Punjab in the West and Una district of H.P. in the South. In the East it touches Mandi district, in North with Kullu and Chamba. The district has considerable diversity in its soils, physiography, land use pattern and cropping system. On the basis of these, the district has further been divided into five-sub -situations i.e. Pir Panjal, Dhauladhar, Kangra Shiwalik, Kangra Valley and Bias Basin. The agro-ecological situation varies from sub-tropical to wet / dry temperate regions. The monsoon rains are heavy and well distributed and 70 per cent of the total annual rainfall is received from July- September. The high hills of Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal receive heavy snow in winter. Summers are hot in low hill valley areas but mild in other hilly areas. More than 90 per cent of total population directly or indirectly depends upon agriculture for their livelihood.
Physiography
Kangra district comprises of four distinct regions viz. High hills Wet sub temperate region, Valley region, Chanital region and Shiwalik foot-hill region, based on topography, precipitation, irrigation facilities, soil and temperature etc. Bara Bhangal and Chhota Bhangal area in Pir Panjal ranges constitute the wet sub-temperate hilly region which initiates from the inter district boundaries of Kullu, Chamba and Mandi on the northern most end of the district. Valley region of Kangra district comprises of three-valley areas viz. Palam, Kangra and Nurpur. Palam valley includes areas enclosed within the boundary starting from Ghatta- Baijnath-Chobu-Chobin-Agojar-Maniara-Parha-Dheera-Ghanetta-Gujrehar-Darang-Jia-Bandla-Kandwari-Uttrala-Deol and Ghatta. Kangra valley includes area surrounded by Malan-Barsar-Dahd-Yol. Cantt-Khanyara-Ghro-Rehlu-Bhanala-Draman-Dobh-Tiara-Samirpur-Kangra- Sadarpur-Massal-Malan village boundaries. Nurpur valley located in the southwestern foothills touches Punjab. The area abounds Bodh-Nagawari-Hagwal-Kandrori-Thakurdwara-Ray-Sathana-Jakhara-Jawali-Luv-Jonta-Bodh. Changar region of the district comprises of the areas falling between these valleys extending upto Bias Basin. Kangra Shiwalik foothill region includes area of Pragpur block starting from Dhaliara and passing through Sansarpur Terrace-Kaswa Kotla-Bharwain-Chalali-Pirsaluhi-Chamukha-Kuhna- Sunehet-Dadaseeba-Sansarpur Terrace.
Agro-ecological Zones
Sub-mountain and low-hills sub-tropical zone
The area in this zone lies below 650m altitudes above mean sea level. The soils of this zone are shallow, light-textured and low in fertility. These are neutral in reaction with pH ranging from 6.5 to7.5. The soils are quite productive. The average rainfall is 1110 mm, of which 80 per cent is received during the rainy season i.e. July to September. Rainfed farming is mostly practiced in this zone. The important crops grown are wheat, maize, paddy, pulses and oilseeds. Citrus, mango and litchi constitute important fruit crops in this zone. The zone is characterized by three types of vegetation, viz., (i) northern dry mixed deciduous forests, (ii) dry deciduous shrubs and (iii) Shiwalik chir pine forests. Soil and water conservation are important problems of the zone. Cows and buffaloes are the main domestic animals.
Statistical Profile of Kangra District
Sl.No. | INDICATORS (Census –2001) | NUMBER |
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1 | Area ( In Sq.Kms.) | 5739 |
2 | Population | |
Total | 1338536 | |
Males | 660224 | |
Females | 678312 | |
Rural | 1266362 | |
Urban | 72174 | |
3 | % Age of Rural Population | 94.61 |
4 | %Age of Urban Population | 5.39 |
5 | % Age of State Population | 22.05 |
6 | Decennial Growth Rate | + 14.01 |
7 | Sex – Ratio ( Females per 1000 Males) | 1027 |
8 | Density of Population | 233 |
9 | Literacy Rate ( %age) | |
Combined | 80.68 | |
Males | 88.19 | |
Females | 73.57 | |
10 | Number of Towns | 9 |
11 | Number of Constituencies | 16 |
12 | Number of CD Blocks | 14 |
13 | Number of Inhabited villages | 3620 |
14 | Number of Gram Panchayats | 732 |
15 | Number of Tahsils | 14 |
16 | Number of Sub-Tahsils | 5 |
17 | Number of Sub- Divisions | 8 |
18 | Couple Protection Rate | 42.55 |
19 | Number of Medical Institutions as on 31-3-2003 | |
General Hospitals | 8 | |
Community Health Centres Total | 13 | |
Community Health Centres Grade –I | 5 | |
Community Health Centres Grade -II | 8 | |
Primary Health Centres Total | 78 | |
Primary Health Centres Grade- I | 66 | |
Primary Health Centres Grade- II | 12 | |
Civil Dispensaries / ESI Disp. | 2 | |
Sub- Centres | 434 | |
Number of Beds Sanctioned | 1537 | |
20 | Mid –Year Estimated Population as on 30-6-2003 | 1382371 |
Mid –Year Estimated Population as on 30-6-2004 | 1401157 | |
Mid –Year Estimated Population as on 30-6-2005 | 1419943 |