Question

Describe the infrastructural development in Palampur

Answer 1

Palampur is a village with fairly well-developed system of roads, transport, electricity, irrigation, schools and health centre. Most of the houses have electric connections. Electricity provides power to all the tube wells in the fields and is used in various types of small business. To educate the children primary as well as high schools have been built by the government.

There is one primary health centre run by government and one private dispensary where the sick are treated. Different types of production activities such as farming, small scale manufacturing, transport, shop-keeping, etc. are carried out by the people of that village.

Farming is the main production activity in Palampur. $75$ per cent of the people are dependent on farming for their livelihood. During the rainy season (kharif) farmers grow jowar and bajra. These plants are used as cattle feed. It is followed by cultivation of potato between October and December. In the winter season (rabi), fields are sown with wheat. The wheat produced is used for farmer's family and to sell the surplus wheat at the market at Raiganj.

Sugar cane is harvested once every year. Sugar cane, in its raw form, or as jaggery, is sold to traders in Shahpur. Farmers are able to grow three different crops in a year in Palampur due to the well-developed system of irrigation and electricity facility.

Many people are also engaged in on-farming activities such as diary farming, manufacturing etc. Farmers can take up these kinds of occupations when they do not have much work to do in farms or if they are jobless. This will help to improve their economic conditions.