Socio- Economic Condition of Lac Industrial W...

Socio- Economic Condition of Lac Industrial Worker of Balarampur in Purulia District: A Geographical Analysis

Author Name : Aparajita Saha, Rimpa Barik

ABSTRACT

Socio-economic status (SES ) is a broad concept that includes economic and sociological combined total measure of a person’s work experience and of an individual’s or family’s economic and social position relative to others, based on family  size, age-sex,  occupation, income, educational attainment, service and amenities available to them, wealth, health and deprivation. Our study includes the socio-economic condition of workers of lac industry in Balarampur block of Purulia district in West Bengal. The Balarampur block in Purulia is the hub of lac production with nearly 100 big, medium and small units. Nearly 12000 people directly and indirectly depend upon this lac industry. There are mainly six types of worker in lac industry. They are 1) washing and crushing (kall) labour, 2) sieving and straining labour, 3) heating process control labour, 4) ballowe (local name) mover, 5) button preparing labour and 6) stamp labour. Though the lac industry in Balarampur is the oldest and most visible industrial sector and it occupies a place of importance in its economy but socioeconomic condition of industrial worker is not good due to their big family size, low educational attainment, low income, more depended population, unavailability of service and amenities, addiction of drinking alcohol and smoking, low wealth, low health care facility and high deprivation.

Kew Words: socioeconomic, amenities, crushing, production, addiction, deprivation