Means of livelihood of city populations: a livelihood classification of the cities in India

Indian censuses provide useful data on livelihood. These data give a picture of the distribution of population deriving their living from different economic activities. According to the 1951 census, 73 cities in the country had a population over 1 lakh. These cities were, more or less, evenly distributed in the different States of the Union. Of the populations in these cities combined, nearly 40% derived its livelihood from the services and miscellaneous sources, approximately 1/4 from production other than cultivation, 1/4 from commerce, and the remaining few from transport and agriculture. These averages were fairly similar for large and small cities. Of the 32 largest cities which showed predominance of their population in 1 or more livelihood, there were about 10 in industrial-manufacturing, 6 in commerce, 9 in transport, and 10 in services. 2 of the 3 port cities, Bombay and Madras, were broad-based in employment while Calcutta was predominant in commerce. There was little uniformity in the livelihood patterns of capital cities.     

Levels of fertility and reproduction and differential fertility in Sholapur City

This paper presents the main findings of a survey conducted in 1955 regarding the fertility of women in the city of Sholapur. 1203 families (3535 males and 3289 females) comprised the sample. 1337 women were of childbearing age and the total number of children born to women the year before the inquiry was 321. The overall total marital fertility rate for Sholapur women was 7106.01 children/1000 women or about 7 children/woman. Proportion of female births to total births in the sample was 0.4829. Gross reproduction was 2.9 per woman. Paternal and maternal net reproduction rates of 1.8 and 1.5 represented a rate of increase in the male and female populations per 33 and 27 years respectively. None of the biological and social factors considered was found to have any differential effect on marital fertility of the women. This result was expected, as evidence suggest that the various social, religious, educational, and economic classes in Sholapur are quite similar with regards to marriage and contraceptive behavior. Tables on values of chi-square are also appended.     

Congestion and over-crowding in cities and towns: a scrutiny of some popular beliefs

Examination of data relating to housing conditions of 21 cities and towns in West Bengal, derived from a Statistical Bureau inquiry in 1953 and the 1951 census. Using 4 indices (density, persons per occupied house, number of rooms per family, and floor space per family), the author concludes that there is no basis for the commonly held belief that degree of congestion increases with population size. Congestion was also not found to have any correlation with the structure of the cities or the predominant type of employment pattern. Similarly, the amount of rent paid and the amenities available (electricity and water supply) were unaffected by population size or employment pattern in the city. The author concludes that great care is necessary in allocating housing resources in order to avoid exacerbating existing disparities between rural and urban areas.