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ECONOMIC TRENDS
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INTRODUCTION
IN THIS CHAPTER IT IS PROPOSED TO ANALYSE THE ECONOMIC
TRENDS IX THE DISTRICT pertaining to production, prices, wages,
etc., as reflected in the standard of living enjoyed by different
levels of income groups. Generally, the economic trends at the
district level do not vary widely from those prevailing in the
country as a whole because the impact and the subsequent
pressure of the economic policies are found to shape the district
economy also. The strategy of economic planning has to be
national in character. The policies pertaining to production,
labour, capital, marketing, supplies, purchasing power of the
currency unit, and taxation, which arc intended to shape the
national economic forces, go a long way in affecting the desired
changes in the district life as a whole. In the nature of things,
the idea of an independent and separate plan for a region or a
part thereof is inconceivable. District is too small an area to
have an independent character in a planned development unless
it possesses unique natural advantages. The trends in economic
life of a district are bound to keep pace with those of the
nation. The forces in the economic mechanism of a district
have to be more or less in consonance with those of the country.
However, some geographical, historical and economic factors give rise to regional imbalances with the result that some districts develop peculiarities of their own. The state of economic progress differs. The pattern of economic living in a particular district may not tend to keep pace with the one in the country. Hence it is of great interest and of immense value to study the economic trends in a district.
Such a study is significant because of other reasons also. In a developing economy geared up by the five-year plans, the economic life undergoes momentous changes. An evaluation of such changes is essential as a basis for future planning.
At the same time it is interesting to analyse the results of the active utilisation of the existing resources which is best reflected in the standard of living of the people. The standard of living enjoyed by the masses, which is a measure of economic prosperity depends upon a multiplicity of factors. Optimum utilisation of the available factors of production in relation to the total population of the country is a sine qua non of a higher
standard of living. As such, availability of ample natural
resources, external factors of production, optimum population
and sound economic policies interact upon one another and
determine the standard of living. It is best reflected in the size and pattern of income and expenditure of an individual family.
The economy of the district underwent numerous changes during the course of the present century. Though the basic structure of the rural economy did not undergo revolutionary changes, the economic face has changed considerably since the beginning of this century. The change was accentuated as a result of planning in the post-independence period. The First World War, the Great Depression, the Second World War and the post-War economic crisis were the most significant events shaping the economic condition of the people in this country. These events in the national and international fields were reflected in the district life. The Five-Year Plans ushered in an era of economic and social development. The development programmes under the plans have been making a progressive impact on the various sectors of the district economy. The vitalising effect of the same is perceptible in the fields of agriculture, industries, commerce, communications, public health, education, etc.
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