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                                                                CHAPTER - 5                      

                                                                 INDUSTRIES

                The district has a sound agricultural  base but the industrial potential is low. The lack of enterprise and technical training and insight among the people has been the major constraint in the industrial growth of the district. For lack of information it is not possible to trace the development of industries and the level of excellence achieved in them in the past, but it is certain that in the ancie4nt times and also in the Mughal period many villages of this region constituted self sufficient economic units producing their own cloth, crude agricultural implements and other necessities of life. It is, however, likely that during the peaceful reigns of the first five Mughal emperors, some handicrafts prospered and received considerable encouragement from them.

                The old time manufactures of the district are few but  significant. A considerable amount of crude glass was manufactured in the district  and was exported to other parts of the country. A certain amount of the glass was worked up into bangles at Jasrana and Urmara Kirar near Shikohabad in particular. The glass was prepared from the reh, or saline efflorescence.found plentifully on the usar plains, especially in the neighborhood of canals. Glass-making was net confined to any particular caste, but was chiefly practised by Muslims, and the manufacturer was always an independent man, employing hired labour, As far as the making of glass bangles was concerned, the glass was once more melted and mixed with the coluring matter. The bangle makers were invariably  Muslims, and the furnaces generally belonged to one joint family, who shared expenses and profits equally. Boys were Employed at the furnaces and outnumbered  men while women and girls were employed to tie up and pack the bangles. The  average daily earnings were less than 12 paise per head, and it was only by making use of small children .  who were not big enough for other work, that the manufacturer was made to pay. Mainpuri has also been noted for its beautiful wood-work inlaid with brass wire, known as tarkashi (wire-drawing). Artisans use the best dark shisham wood for the manufacture of clogs, penholders, small boxes of various shapes, plates and photograph frames of different kinds. They are carpenters, who are generally identical with lohars in this district. They buy chips or scraps of sheet brass and cut out a thin ribbon-like strips to form the wire. Stars were made of loops of this ribbon. The carpenter dose all the work himself. For the inlaying of a new or intricate design, the pattern is copied by a stencil from the original design. The chief draw back of this industry is that it is time-consuming and the articles are costly. With the modern trend towards mass manufacture, the prospects for these specialized handicraft do not appear to be very bright. The district produced ginned cotton about the end of the last century six power ginning mills were functioning. The district was also famous for the production of saltpeter, sometimes by a solar evaporative process which became obsolete . Nitre earth was common all over the district and in 1909, there were 295 factories at Mainpuri, Bewar, Bhongaon and dihuli, which were kept running from the month of November unit June and each factory produced from 50 to 100 maunds of crude saltpetre. The whole production of crude nitre was exported to the saltpeter refineries at Farrukhabad. For running a factory only three to four persons were required and the process of manufacture was simple. About the turn of the last century impure sulphate of soda (khari) was made at Nasirpur in 20 factories and a quantity of about 3,000 maunds of the material was exported to Kanpur leather factories.

                Rassi, Crude carbonate of soda also used to be made in the district. All these industries have almost ceased to be in vogue in the district now.

                Power :- Electric power is available in the district from the U.P. Grid. The per capita consumption of power was 35 K.H.W. in the district in 1969-70  while in the state it was 37 K.H.W. in that year.

                The consumption of power in various sectors of the economy in the district in 1974 was as follows. :

 

Sector Total consumption of power (in units) Number of  connection

Industries

1,09,41,655 632
Agriculture 1,40,95,144 4,151
Domestic 17,57,085 12,228

                Rural Electrification :- In 1969-70 villages were electrified, their number increased to 343 in 1970-71 , and to 394 till November 1975 , the U.P. State Electricity7 Board intends to electrify every village having a population of 500 , by the end of the fifth Five year Plan.

                Large Scale Industries :- There are two large scale units producing electric lamps, shells for glass lamps, glass tubing and strawboard.

                Electric Lamps and Allied Articles :-  Established in 1952 the  Hindi Lamps limited, Shikohabad, specializes in the manufacture of electric lamps, shells for lamps and glass tubing In 1974 it had a net investment of Rs. 292.33 laks and a total turnover of Rs. 634.2 lakhs and employed 1,714 people. The raw materials used for the manufacture of these items are filament, lead wire, molybdenum wire, phosphate powder, aluminum strip, brass strip, sode ash and silica sand and their consumption in this unit in 1974 was valued at Rs. 255 lakhs.

                Strawboard :- Shri Mahavir Strawboard Mills (Private) Limited, established in 1965 at Mainpuri is engaged in the manufacture of strawboard. The raw  materials used are bagasse and paddy straw. In 1974 the raw materials used are bagasse and paddy straw. In 1974, The capital outlay of the factory amounted to Rs. 21 lakhs, and it employed 104 person, producing goods worth Rs. 16,30.000 and consuming raw materials valued at Rs. 2,40,000.

                Small Scale Industries :- Oils, wheatflour, dal rice, engineering goods. chemicals furniture, footwear, electric bulbs, bricks, and articles of glass, etc. are produced in a large number of small scale industrial units, which are mainly located in the urban centres.

                The following statement gives comparative figures of progress of small scale industries in the district in 1956 and 1974.

  1956 1974
Total number of units 316 361
Total number of person employed 3,663 3,710
Total investment  (in Rs.) 45,73,740 1,99,36,234
Total production  (in Rs.) 1,38,98,500 1,33,44,000

                The Investments in the small scale industries sector have gone up by more then twice since 1950 It is, therefore obvious that the small scale industries have tended to markedly capital intensive.

                The local small scale industries may be mainly classified as those processing agricultural products, manufacturing agricultural implements, chemicals, wooden furniture, electrical goods, leather goods. and glass articles.

                Agro-based Industries :- Oil from oil-seeds, dal from arhar, and rice from paddy are produced in 36 units which are located at Mainpuri, Shikohabad, Sirsaganj and Ghiror. The units are operated by electric or diesel power.

                Agricultural Implements and Allied Articles :- Ploughs, crushers, buckets and motor parts are produced in 123  units located at Mainpuri, Shikohabad, Sirsaganj, Bewar and Kushamara. The units are operated by electricity and use iron and coal as raw materials. Chemicals sodium silicate, soap, cadmium sulphide, bone meals and ink are manufactured in 32 units which are located at Mainpuri, Shikohabad and Bhongaon. Soda ash, silica slate, yellow cadmium, folic acid and spirit are used as raw materials.

                Furniture Making :- Wooden furniture and allied articles are produced in 72 units, which are mainly located at Mainpuri, Shikohabad Sirsaganj, Karhal, Jasrana, Bhongaon, Kushmara and Bewar.

                Electrical Goods Manufacturing :- Manufacture of electric lamps, and assembling radios and batteries are undertaken in 11 units, located at Mainpuri and Shikohabad.

                Footwear :- Shoes and chappals are manufactured in 52 units, located at Mainpuri, Shikohabad, Sirsaganj, Bewar, Kushmara and Kuraoli.

                Glass Industry :-  A variety of glass wares is manufactured in a units located at Shikohabad and  and Makhanpur. This  Industry was started in 1922 in the district . The raw materials is imported from Calcutta, Shankergarh, Katni, Amritsar and Ferozabad.

                Other Industries :- Bricks, dairy products, hosiery and printing work is done in 30 units which are located at Mainpuri, Jasrana and Shikohabad.

                The following statements gives the total investment, value of goods produced and number of persons employed in the small scale industries of the district in 1974.

Industries Total Investment (in Rs.) Total production (in Rs.) Cost of raw materials  consumed (in Rs.) Number of persons employed
Agro-based 1,04,58,974   6,20,000 5,80,00,000 335
Agricultural implements 35,02,152 72,00,000 50,00,000 304
Chemicals 19,96,673 11,00,000 10,00,000 170
Electrical goods 8,21,211 75,000 55,000 91
Furniture making 4,66,550 3,54,000 2,10,000 249
Footwear 8,34,757 3,20,000 2,00,000 210
Glass Not available 2,75,000 1,40,000 1,250
Others 18,38,917 34,00,000 20,00,000 601

Village and Cottage Industries :-

                The village and cottage industries include handicrafts handed down from generation to generation. Telghani (oil presses) carpentry, footwear, moonj products, soap-making, palm fur, pottery, basket-making, handloom cloth and combs are goods falling under these group of industries, which are manned and owned by particular sections of the village community.

                A survey of the village and cottage industries in 1956 revealed  the following salient information related to them :

Total number of units 34,661
Total number of person employed  98,124
Total investment (in Rs.) 5,43,000
Total cost of raw-materials used (in Rs.) 80,07,890
Total value of goods produced (in Rs.) 1,16,80,010

                Telghani :- There are 3 registered oil expellers in the district. located at Karhal, Bamtapur and Signi, manned by 14 persons Ginerally the machines are driven by bullocks. About 103 quintals of oil valued Rs. 61,853.50 was produced in 1974. Mustard seed worth Rs, 51,174 was used as raw material and the total investment of these unit was Rs. 21,277.80.

                Footwear :- Shoe-making and the manufacture of other leather goods are the age-old industries, dependent mostly on traditional skill and workmanship. The shoes made conform mostly to indigenous designs and utilize locally tanned leather.                

                Though the industry is scattered throughout the district, only 9 Units are registered. They are located at Sirsaganj, Karhal, Faradpur, Kuchela, Kergoat, Bewar and Mandhatra. Leather valued at Rs. 6,29,205 was used as raw

material and 40,745 articles worth Rs. 9,10,123 were produced in 1974.

                The total investment in these registered units manned by 141 persons was Rs. 1,04,556.60.

                Ban Making :- This industry is being run from time immemorial but at present there are only two registered units located at Kuberpur and Sarain Muslidhar in the district. The basic raw material, moonj, is easily available in the distract. Moonj worth Rs. 23,825 was consumed in these unit in 1974 when ban worth Rs. 16,450 was produced. The total investment in the industry, which employed 31 person, amounted to Rs. 1,500.

                Carpentry :- Wooden frames for doors and windows, beds, wheels for carts, ploughs and some pieces of furniture are manufactured by old families of carpenters, but only one registered unit, located at Mainpuri, is engaged in this industry. Wood worth Rs. 15,833.70 was consumed as raw material in 1974, and 319 items valued at Rs. 18,000 were produced. The total investment in the unit, which employed 11 persons, amounted to Rs. 12,391.89 .          

                Soap :-  Washing soap es manufactured in a registered unit which is located at Mainpuri. Mom-edible oil, soda ash and silicate worth Rs. 2,400 were used as raw2 materials by this unit.The total investment in this industry  amounted to Rs. 6,900 in 1974 while the production was valued at Rs, 2880 and 9 person were employed.

 

         Gur Making :- The production of gur from palm  trees is done in a registered unit, located at Lahara. The total investment in this industry amounted to Rs. 5,371 while the production was worth a sum of Rs. 3, 160  and the raw material worth a sum of Rs, 2,647 was consumed in 1974 As many as 4 persons were engaged in this industry.

                Dal and Rice pounding :- Rice is produced from paddy and Dal from pulses in a registered unit located at Signi. A sum of Rs. 9,813  was invested in the industry in 1974 when rice and Dal worth an amount of Rs. 2,195 were produced from paddy and pulse seed costing Rs. 2,030 , and about 10 persons were employed in this industry,

            Other Industries :- Pottery, baskets, combs, handloom fabrics, smithy good utensils, tin goods and fire works are produced  in a large number of unregistered units in the district.

                Industrial Estate :- At present there is no industrial estate in the district  but there is a proposal for the establishment of two such estates one at Mainpuri and the other at Shikohabad in the fifth five year Plan period.

                                                        Aid to Industries

                Mainpuri is one of the industrially backward district of Uttar Pradesh.  The U. P. Financial Corporation, which acts of behalf of the State Government also. as announced liberal terms for advancing loans to   industrial  units in such districts, A number of  further concessions, like giving power subsidy, providing developed land of which the cost may be paid in installments, price preference, exemption from sales tax and octroi and supply of machinery on the hire purchase system are given to new entrepreneurs to take up industrial ventures. As a mar4k of special concession to industrially backward regions, The repayment of loans advanced for the establishment of industrial units commences only after one to two years and even three to four years of the advancement of the loans in case of economically inferior units.

                The central Financial Institutions :-  Industrial Development Bank of India and the Industrial Financial corporation of India advance loans up to Rs. 1 crore to entrepreneurs at a rate of interest lower by  one per cent than the normal rate.

                The U. P. Financial Corporation, Kanpur, extends assistance to industrial concerns of its own behalf also. Its own plan of disbursement is known as the corporation loan scheme, while the loans advanced on behalf of the state Government fall under the liberalize loans scheme and the ordinary loan scheme. Under the former scheme, loans are advanced at reduced rates of interest, and for longer periods extending up to 15 years, The corporation gas been authorised to carry  on and transact various types of business but at present it has confined its activities to the granting of loans to industrial concerns and the issue of deferred payment guarantees to industrial units for the  purchase of indigenous machinery from manufacture and suppliers, and acting as an agent of the State Government for various schemes. The corporation can grant loans under the corporation loan scheme to the extent of Rs. 30,00,000  in the case of private and public limited companies or registered co-operative societies and Rs.15,00,000 in the case of proprietorship concerns. The rate of interest is 11.5 per cent annum with a rebate of 2 per cent for prompt payment.

                The loans under the ordinary loan scheme  and liberalized loan scheme are advanced for amounts ranging from Rs. 5,000 to 50,000 . The applications of  loans under the scheme are channelised through the district industries officer Mainpuri. The interest charged is 8 per cent annum with a rebate of 2 per cent for prompt payment.   The loans are recoverable in eight equal installments. The number of installments are increased in the case of liberalized loan scheme. The following statement gibes an idea of the loan assistance provided by the corporation .

 

Scheme No. of units Loans disbursement as on 31/3/74 (in Rs. in lakhs)
Corporation Loan Scheme 4 11.69
Liberalized Loan Scheme 12 6.57
Ordinary Loan Scheme - -

                The other institutions which have rendered assistance to the industries of the district are the U.P. small scale Industries Corporation,  Kanpur, and the National Small industries Corporation . The State Government has also extended help to industries under schemes relating to the handloom industry, Khadi development, the intensive development, industrial, co-operative societies.

                The district can obtain additional financial assistance and loans and grants under the State Aid to Industries Act, and the credit Guarantee Scheme of the State Band of India. But the available credit facilities are not being fully utilized.

             Industrial Potential And Plans For Further Development

                With the introduction of modern methods of cultivation and the guarantee of a minimum price for agricultural produce, the economic condition of the people has improved providing the district  with a better base for the industrial development. The prospects for the establishment of new industries in the district may be based on the availability of resources and the existing and anticipated demand for various manufactured items in the district. Since there are only two large scale units in the district, there is some scope for the establishment of few more such units and also for the coming up of the establishment of few more such units and also for the coming up of their ancillary units.                

                Means of communications play an important role in stepping up industrialization by enabling queck movement of finished goods to the markets and of the raw materials to the production units. There is a network of roads, connecting all important ;laces within the district with one another, and also with those outside the district which is located midway between Agra and Kanpur. Delhi is also not far off. Though Mainpuri does not lie on the main railway line, a branch line of the Northern Railway passes through it, making for the easy and quick transportation of goods to and from Mainpuri. The district also receives plenty of electric power from Mainpuri. The district also receives plenty of electric power from the U.P. Grid, which is a great help in industrial expansion.

                The district is however, poor in natural resources and only agriculture produce can provide material which can be processed and utilised by a few small scale units. The district leads the State in respect of production of oil-seeds, potatoes, ground-nuts and peas while barley maize and pulses are grown in considerable quantities, Generally speaking, industries may either be resource-based or demand based. Under the former category some industrial units may be established to utilize the available resources of the district. A solvent extraction plant may be opened in the district which produces oil seeds in large quantities and considerable percentages of oil, ranging from 7 to 10  left in the oil-cakes may be extracted by the solvent extraction process. This would bring the dual advantages of the recovery of considerable quantities of oil from oil-cakes, and the residual drier oil cakes would be an exportable item,. for earning foreign exchange. A potato chips plant may be established at some trade centre and a cement manufacturing industrial unit may also be established. At present there is no rice-bran oil mill in the district, though there is a considerable quantity of rice-husk derived from rice-mills. Much of the rice husk is wasted. An industrial unit for the manufacture from it of activated charcoal, used as a decolouring matter  by vegetable oil mills and in paints, may be established. A small scale unit for manufacturing  straw board can also be established in the district as paddy, wheat, and maize-husk, the raw material of this industry, are plentifully available. The district produces green peas in a large quantity, and the people relish these in off-season as well. The feasibility of the establishment of a factory for dehydrated peas would clearly seem to exist, The flour is milled by atta-chakkis and there is no roller flour mill in the district. With the increasing demand for maida and soojee a roller flour mill may be established. there is scope for opening a few more dal mills also.

                 The size  of the market, levels of income, educational standards, degree of urbanization, habits and outlook of consumers are major factors which determine the prospects of the successful establishment of demand-based industries. With the advancement of medical aid and expansion of hospitals and primary health centres, the demand for distilled, saline and glucose water has increased and so for these items some manufacturing units can be easily set up to meet the demand. Units for the manufacture of steel furniture, rolling shutters, conduit pipes, utensils, electric goods, hosiery items ready-made garments, cycle parts, polythene sheets and bags, plastic novelty items, toys and toilet articles can be set up in the district. There is a scope for a few more cold storages also. The old cottage industries need serious attention and efforts to revive them might well be amply repaid.

                 Labour Organization :- There were 5 trade unions registered in the district in 1974, with a total membership of about 2,600 workers, The main objects of these unions are to ensure fair wages, good living and working conditions, proper medical and educational facilities for the workers and their general welfare. 'They also help in creating healthy relationship between the employers and employees.

                The district has a labour welfare centre at Shikohabad, It provides medical. educational, cultural, recreational and sport facilities to members of the trade unions.

                Labour Welfare :-  The Indian trade unions Act, 1962, the Employment of children act. 1936 , the u.P.  Maternity Benefit Act 1938, The Minimum Wages Act, 1948, The employees State Insurance Act, 1948 The  U.P. Industrial Establishment (National Holidays) Act, 1961,  and the motor transport workers Act, 1961  are in force in the district. In 1974 there was a labour inspector in the district to ensure the enforcement of labour laws, advancement of labour welfare schemes and maintaining liaison between employers.