(Marchang Reimeingam)
The entirely rural
area district of Tamenglong, is the third largest district, covering
4,391 km2 i.e. 19.67 percent in the total Manipur’s geographical area of 22327 km2. Its
population size was 111,859 of which 58,042 and 53,817 were males and females
respectively with population density of 25 persons per km2 in the
year 2001. Its share is only 4.68 % of the total state’s population in the same
year (Appendix–A). The district is dominated by the Nagas which is classified
as scheduled tribes consisting of 96.58% of the total district population in
1991. The economy of the district is predominant by agriculture as about 80%
(2001) of the workers engaged as cultivators and agricultural labourers.
Slightly less than 47% of the total population were participating in various economic
activities. There was a low prevalence of unemployment rate. About 2 persons
were seeking work/unemployed[i]
per 1,000 labour forces in 1991.
The employment (main
and marginal workers[ii])
and unemployment situation prevailing in the district will be highlighted in
the present analysis. As many as 52,033 persons were employed in the district in
2001 (Appendix–A). This contributes 4.86% in the total employment of the state.
The WPR of the district was 46.52% against 44.79% of the state in 2001, which
have marginally increased from 1991. It was higher for the district than the state
for both males and females and true for all the age groups in both 1991 and
2001, except for the males of all-ages in 2001 and for the age group of 15-29 in
1991. The higher WPR in the district reveals that the income, either in kind or
cash, is lower which induces the higher economic participation particularly in
agriculture to supplement the household income. Further, in the district, it
was higher for females than males in all the age groups, except for 60+ in
1991, however it was lower (all ages) for females in 2001. But larger
proportion of the females employment were cultivators, 86.37% in 2001 (Table
2). This situation, also, pertains to the low income of the household income
where females have to extend their hand to supplement their earning. One of the
reasons for low income could be the district’s employment is mostly confine in
the agricultural activities as 79.63%, against 57.37% in the state, in 2001.
The nature of their agricultural income is subsistence where surplus products
are hardly produced which requires extra hands to meet basic needs other than
agricultural products.
|
Table1: Population, Workers, WPR of Tamenglong
district (Manipur), 1991 and 2001.
|
||||||||||||||
|
State/Dist.
|
Year
|
Age group
|
WPR1 (%)
|
Unemployment Rates2 (%)
|
Percentage share to total workers
|
|||||||||
|
Main Workers
|
Marginal Workers
|
|||||||||||||
|
P
|
M
|
F
|
P
|
M
|
F
|
P
|
M
|
F
|
P
|
M
|
F
|
|||
|
Manipur
|
2001
|
All Ages
|
44.79
|
48.91
|
40.51
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
70.73
|
81.43
|
57.33
|
29.27
|
18.57
|
42.67
|
|
1991
|
All Ages
|
42.18
|
45.27
|
38.96
|
2.03
|
1.84
|
2.26
|
91.40
|
97.66
|
83.82
|
8.60
|
2.34
|
16.18
|
|
|
1991
|
5-14
|
3.72
|
3.12
|
4.34
|
25.29
|
29.29
|
22.04
|
81.72
|
85.09
|
79.24
|
18.28
|
14.91
|
20.76
|
|
|
1991
|
15-29
|
48.71
|
48.43
|
48.99
|
2.02
|
1.98
|
2.07
|
89.33
|
95.84
|
82.90
|
10.67
|
4.16
|
17.10
|
|
|
1991
|
15-59
|
65.43
|
69.45
|
61.22
|
1.29
|
1.13
|
1.48
|
91.57
|
97.92
|
84.05
|
8.43
|
2.08
|
15.95
|
|
|
1991
|
60+
|
58.47
|
70.21
|
44.92
|
1.82
|
1.56
|
2.29
|
92.06
|
97.38
|
82.45
|
7.94
|
2.62
|
17.55
|
|
|
Tamenglong
|
2001
|
All Ages
|
46.52
|
47.35
|
45.62
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
85.85
|
88.51
|
82.88
|
14.15
|
11.49
|
17.12
|
|
1991
|
All Ages
|
46.02
|
45.60
|
46.47
|
0.18
|
0.21
|
0.15
|
98.76
|
99.49
|
97.99
|
1.24
|
0.51
|
2.01
|
|
|
1991
|
5-14
|
5.09
|
4.32
|
5.90
|
3.07
|
4.14
|
2.23
|
95.72
|
96.47
|
95.13
|
4.28
|
3.53
|
4.87
|
|
|
1991
|
15-29
|
53.67
|
48.35
|
59.11
|
0.22
|
0.27
|
0.19
|
98.14
|
98.94
|
97.47
|
1.86
|
1.06
|
2.53
|
|
|
1991
|
15-59
|
72.59
|
71.15
|
74.12
|
0.09
|
0.10
|
0.09
|
98.77
|
99.52
|
98.01
|
1.23
|
0.48
|
1.99
|
|
|
1991
|
60+
|
70.60
|
79.02
|
60.37
|
0.06
|
0.10
|
0.00
|
99.67
|
99.95
|
99.22
|
0.33
|
0.05
|
0.78
|
|
Note:
All Ages includes ANS and 0-4 ages group of population, Workers/Seeking
work excludes 0-4 ages group. P-Persons, M-Males and F-Females. 1Work Force Participation Rates = (Main+Marginal
Workers)/Population*100. 2Labour Force = Main Workers+Marginal
Workers+Seeking/Available for work; Unemployment Rates=(Seeking/Available for
work)/Labour Force*100
The proportion of
cultivators was considerably higher for the district than the state, and vice
versa of agricultural labourers (Table 2). The variation of agricultural
density as well as the size of agricultural land ownership might partially
explain the proportional differences. In case of the state, the WPR was higher
for females only in the age group of 5-14 and 15-29 in 1991. More importantly,
the trend shows a marginal increase in the district by 0.5 percentage points as
compared to a significant increment of the state by 2.61 percentage points during
the period 1991-2001. The increasing trend was valid for both the sexes in both
the district and the state, except for females of the district – which shows a
slight declining trend. The decline of females WPR could partially be
attributed by a higher increase of educational enrolment. The district’s
literacy rates increases by 9.43 percentage points, from 39.68% in 1991 to
49.11% in 2001 for females which was higher than the increase by 7.12
percentage points, from 59.92% to 67.04% in the same period for males. An
increased of females child population as parents gives equal preferences
between genders raises the sex ratio of population also attributed to the
decline in WPR. However, the district’s sex ratio has declined from 935 in 1991
to 922 in 2001 due to the higher population growth rates of males (2.64%p.a.)
than the females (2.55%p.a.) during 1991-2001.The growth of population, more
importantly, did not commensurate with the growth of employment opportunities
resulting to the decline in economic participation rate.
|
Table 2: Percentage share to total workers (main+marginal), 2001
|
|||
|
Industrial Category
|
|
Manipur
|
Tamenglong
|
|
Cultivators (I)
|
P
|
46.06
|
77.94
|
|
M
|
46.68
|
70.41
|
|
|
F
|
45.29
|
86.37
|
|
|
Agricultural
Labourers (II)
|
P
|
11.31
|
1.69
|
|
M
|
8.95
|
1.41
|
|
|
F
|
14.27
|
2.01
|
|
|
Household
Industries (Va)
|
P
|
9.16
|
1.45
|
|
M
|
3.30
|
0.92
|
|
|
F
|
16.50
|
2.05
|
|
|
Other
Workers3
|
P
|
33.47
|
18.91
|
|
M
|
41.07
|
27.26
|
|
|
F
|
23.94
|
9.57
|
|
Source: Computed by the author based on data from Census of India, 2001.
|
Table 3: Annual Growth
Rates (%) during 1991-01
|
||||||
|
State/District
|
Population
|
Main+Marginal Workers
|
||||
|
P
|
M
|
F
|
P
|
M
|
F
|
|
|
Manipur
|
2.62
|
2.59
|
2.66
|
3.22
|
3.36
|
3.05
|
|
Tamenglong
|
2.60
|
2.64
|
2.55
|
2.70
|
3.01
|
2.37
|
Source: Computed by the author based on data from Census of India, 1991 and 2001.
The proportion of main workers in the total
workers (main plus marginal) was about 86% in 2001 which has declined from
about 99% in 1991 for the district, as against about 71% in 2001 and 91% in
1991 for the state. While, the proportions of marginal workers have increased
by more than 11 times in the district and 3 times in the state from 1991 to
2001 (Table 1). The increase or decrease of marginal or main workers could
largely explain by the unavailability of employment opportunities for full time
and due to the deterioration of earning avenues, apart from the definitional
changes during the two different census year counts. The proportion of main to
total workers was higher for males than for females; and higher for the
district than the state in both the years (also valid for all the age groups in
1991). The proportion of marginal workers will be in the reverse situation as
it is the proportion to the total of main and marginal workers. If this trend
continues in the future then employment will further deteriorate not in terms
of participation rate but in terms of “underemployment”. The economic condition
prevailing in the area determines the nature of employment. The improvement of
economic condition, therefore, is a necessary condition to raise employment
opportunities. Interestingly, the growth rates of employment were higher than
the growth rates of population in both the district and the state for both
sexes, except for females of the district where employment growth rate was
lower than the population growth rates (Table 3) therein WPR decline during
1991 and 2001. This is partially due to the definitional change of work of the
census that has resulted to an increased among the marginal workers. Further
the employment growth rates were significantly higher for the state than the
district for both the sexes. It is due to the migration of rural people as
employment shrinks in their areas towards urban areas which have wider
opportunities.
Unemployment analysis highlights the economic
dependency and the inadequacy of employment opportunities. According to 1991
census data on unemployment i.e., seeking/available for work, about 0.50% of
the state’s unemployed (16,053 persons) was in the district. The district’s
unemployment rate was as low as 0.18% against a high prevalence of 2.03% for
the state. The problem of unemployment was the greater as the rate was higher for
males than females in the district in all the age groups. But in case of the
state the females’ unemployment rates were higher than males, except in the age
group of 5-14. The rates were considerably high in the 5-14 age groups as
compared to the other age groups particularly the youth age group of 15-29. Entering
in the job market begins at the very young ages (5-14), as the unemployment
rate was highest. It indicates that population in the 5-14 age group dropped
out from the school to supplement their family income. Youth
unemployment rate was lower possibly due to a higher educational enrolment.
Furthermore, lower unemployment rate in 15-59 age groups is due to the
inability to afford the leisure of unemployed and the responsibility to cater
economic needs to the family as their age increases.
Appendix – A
|
State/Dist.
|
Year
|
Age group
|
Total Population (No.)
|
Main + Marginal Workers (No.)
|
Seeking/Available for work (No.)
|
||||||
|
P
|
M
|
F
|
P
|
M
|
F
|
P
|
M
|
F
|
|||
|
Manipur
|
2001
|
All Ages
|
2388068
|
1215664
|
1172404
|
1069578
|
594642
|
474936
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
|
1991
|
All Ages
|
1837149
|
938359
|
898790
|
774904
|
424770
|
350134
|
16053
|
7971
|
8082
|
|
|
5-14
|
443212
|
223973
|
219239
|
16493
|
6983
|
9510
|
5582
|
2893
|
2689
|
||
|
15-29
|
545625
|
272661
|
272964
|
265788
|
132050
|
133738
|
5490
|
2665
|
2825
|
||
|
15-59
|
1059083
|
540977
|
518106
|
692914
|
375715
|
317199
|
9053
|
4295
|
4758
|
||
|
60+
|
111105
|
59539
|
51566
|
64965
|
41800
|
23165
|
1207
|
663
|
544
|
||
|
Tamenglong
|
2001
|
All ages
|
111859
(4.68)
|
58042
(4.77)
|
53817
(4.59)
|
52033
(4.86)
|
27480
(4.62)
|
24553
(5.17)
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
|
1991
|
All Ages
|
86278
|
44593
|
41685
|
39704
|
20333
|
19371
|
72
|
42
|
30
|
|
|
5-14
|
22944
|
11809
|
11135
|
1167
|
510
|
657
|
37
|
22
|
15
|
||
|
15-29
|
25812
|
13041
|
12771
|
13854
|
6305
|
7549
|
31
|
17
|
14
|
||
|
15-59
|
48405
|
24944
|
23461
|
35136
|
17747
|
17389
|
32
|
17
|
15
|
||
|
60+
|
4715
|
2588
|
2127
|
3329
|
2045
|
1284
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
||
Source: Census of India, 1991 and 2001.
Note: Figures in the parentheses are the
percentage share to Manipur.
[i] The unemployed are the non-workers seeking work in
each of the seven categories of non-workers in 1991 census.
[ii] The population was divided into three mutually exclusive groups of
“main workers”, “marginal workers” and “non-workers”. Main workers are those who
had worked in some economic activities for the major part of the year i.e., for
a period of Six Months (183 Days) or more. Marginal workers are those who had
worked for some time during the last year, but not for the major part of the
year. A worker was defined as a person whose main activity was participation in
economically productive work by his or her physical or mental activity
including unpaid work on farm or in family enterprise, in the Census of 1991.
The unpaid workers are those workers who does not receive wages in cash or in
kind but produce or make goods not for domestic consumption but for sale.
Further, in 2001, the concept of workers was modified by including persons
engaged in cultivation solely for domestic consumption; persons engaged in
production of milk for domestic consumption and/or for sale; and convicts in
jails or long term inmates (for six months or more) of penal or charitable or
mental institutions etc., engaged in economic activities and were paid for the
work.
