Highlight the salient features of India's pre-independence occupational structure.
Highlight the salient features of India's pre-independence occupational structure.
The following are the salient feature of India's pre-independence occupational structure:
(i) Predominance of Agriculture: Under the colonial rule, India was basically an agrarian economy, with nearly 70-75% of its workforce engaged directly or indirectly in agriculture. Due to massive poverty and widespread illiteracy during the colonial rule, a large proportion of the population was engaged in farming and related activities to earn their living.
(ii) Lack of Opportunities in Industry: Only a small proportion of the population was employed in the manufacturing sector. Only 10% of the total workforce was engaged in manufacturing and industrial sector.
(iii) Unequal Distribution among Sectors: There was an unequal distribution of occupational structure amongst the primary (agriculture), secondary (manufacturing) and tertiary (service) sectors.
(iv) Regional Imbalance: There was regional variation in the occupational structure of India. On the one hand, the Madras Presidency, Bombay and Bengal experienced a fall in the agricultural workforce and increase in occupational share of manufacturing and services. But on the other hand Orissa, Rajasthan and Punjab registered an increase in the dependence of the workforce on agriculture sector.
The following are the salient feature of India's pre-independence occupational structure:
(i) Predominance of Agriculture: Under the colonial rule, India was basically an agrarian economy, with nearly 70-75% of its workforce engaged directly or indirectly in agriculture. Due to massive poverty and widespread illiteracy during the colonial rule, a large proportion of the population was engaged in farming and related activities to earn their living.
(ii) Lack of Opportunities in Industry: Only a small proportion of the population was employed in the manufacturing sector. Only 10% of the total workforce was engaged in manufacturing and industrial sector.
(iii) Unequal Distribution among Sectors: There was an unequal distribution of occupational structure amongst the primary (agriculture), secondary (manufacturing) and tertiary (service) sectors.
(iv) Regional Imbalance: There was regional variation in the occupational structure of India. On the one hand, the Madras Presidency, Bombay and Bengal experienced a fall in the agricultural workforce and increase in occupational share of manufacturing and services. But on the other hand Orissa, Rajasthan and Punjab registered an increase in the dependence of the workforce on agriculture sector.
