Changing Pattern of Occupational Structure in Begusarai District: A Geographical Study

By : Murli Manohar , Gayatri Rai

Page No: 186-206

Abstract
Occupation is the gainful economic activity that defines the level of development of the people. The population involved in different occupations forms the occupational structure of any area. The change or shift in occupations of population has been understood as occupational change. Begusarai is situated in the central Bihar region. It has 18 blocks that have been taken as a study unit. This paper aims to identify the spatial distribution of the working population and non-working population in the Begusarai district and further attempts to understand the causative phenomenon behind it. These variations are studied under the four categories i.e., Cultivators, Agricultural labourers, Household industry workers (HIW), and other workers as per the standard classifications by the Census of India based on economic activity. The paper also discusses the decadal change (2001-2011) observed in the occupational structure of the district. The study is based on secondary data and relies on the District Census Handbook of Begusarai of 2001 and 2011. Different statistical techniques have been used for calculating the occupational structure with the help of MS Excel software. The cartographic representation of decadal changes has been shown with the help of choropleth maps, drawn using ArcGIS software. The study shows that the proportion of cultivators, agricultural labourers, and HIW has decreased from 19.1% to 15.57%, 47.9% to 45.93%, and slightly from 6.9% to 6.20% respectively while other worker’s percentage has increased from 26.2% to 32.31% during the decade 2001 – 2011.

Authors :
Murli Manohar : Research Scholar, Department of Geography, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
Gayatri Rai : Professor, Department of Geography, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/ATNAGI.2023.43.01.13