Energy used by Indian households

Highlights

• There has been an increase in the proportion of hhs using electricity as major source of lighting by 13% (from 24% to 37%) in rural & by 9% (from 72% to 83%) in urban India since 1987-88.
• There has been a decrease in the percentage of households from 74% to 62%m in rural & 27% to 16% in urban, since 1987-88, using Kerosene as primary source of energy for lighting. Still Kerosene remains the most important source of energy for lighting in the rural sector.
• Firewood & chips continue to remain as the most important source of energy for cooking in the rural sector, 78.2% of the rural households depend upon it. Only one percent of households has switched over from this source since 1987-88.
• Firewood/chips and Gas (coal, oil or LPG) are the twin important source of energy for cooking in the urban sector and about 30% of the households are using each of these sources. There has been an increase in the use of gas by 7.3% of the households and a decrease of 7% in the households using firewood/chips since 1987-88.
• Among the urban households 23.2% use kerosene as the primary source of energy for cooking, an increase of 4% since 1987- 88.
• Average Indian households having “no cooking arrangement” are nine times in urban sector (6.3%) than in rural sector (0.7%).

Source: NSS Report No410/2, 1993-94

Nutritional Intake In India

Highlights

• The 1993-94 consumer expenditure survey shows that the percentage share of food expenditure in total expenditure by Indian population was 63.2% in the rural areas and 54.7% in the urban areas. Relative to the survey results for 1972-73, the share of food expenditure has dropped by 2.4 and 10 percent in urban areas, both respectively.
• Average daily intake of calories be rural population has dropped by 45 kcal (2 percent) from 2266 kcal to 2221 Kcal during 1972-73 to 1983 and further by 68 Kcal (3 percent) from 1983 to 1993-94 (2153 Kcal).
• Average daily intake of calories be urban population has decreased marginally by 18 Kcal (less than 1 percent) each during the two successive periods 19972-73 (2107 kcal) to 1983 (2089 kcal) and 1983 to 1993-94 (2071 kcal).
• Population reporting a calorie intake level of “less than 90%” of the norm of 2700 kcal formed 42 percent of the total in rural areas and 49 percent of the total in urban areas.
• Average daily intake of protein by the Indian population – both rural and urban – has remained stable around 60-62 and 56- 57 grams, respectively, between 1972-73 and 1993-94.
• A significant rise in per capita daily average intake of fat is observed during the two decades (1972-73 to 1993-94) in both rural and urban areas. It has increased from 24 gms to 31 gms (29 percent) in rural areas and from 36 gms to 42 gms (17 percent) in urban areas.

Source: NSS Report No. 405,1993-94

Participation of Indian women in household work and specified activities 1999-2000

Highlights

• During 1999-2000, about 30 per cent of rural women and 43 per cent of urban women in India were classified as usually engaged in household duties only, while 30 per cent of rural – and 14 per cent of urban – women usually carried out some economic activity in their principal and subsidiary status.
• Of those women classified as usually engaged in household duties in terms of their principal and subsidiary status, about 57 per cent in rural areas and 11 per cent in urban areas pursued one or more of the activities relating to agricultural production including free collection of agricultural products and processing of primary products produced by the households, for household’s consumption. They constituted 17.3 and 4.9 per cent of women in rural and urban areas respectively.
• Of the women of age 15 years and above usually engaged in household duties, 33 per cent in rural India and 30 per cent in urban India had reported availability for 'work' within the premises of their house. Of them, about 68 per cent in rural areas and 65 per cent in urban areas preferred only ‘part time’ work on a regular basis, while the percentage of such women preferring regular ‘full time’ work was 26 and 31 in rural and urban India respectively.
• A majority of the women willing to work in their household premises – 82 per cent in rural areas and 75 per cent in urban areas – needed either ‘initial finance on easy terms' or ‘training’ or 'working finance facilities' to take up their desired work.

Source: NSS Report No. 465(55/10/5), 1999-2000

Ownership of Livestock, Cultivation of Selected Crops and Consumption Levels

Highlights

• In 1993-94, rice was cultivated by 40% of all households in rural India, wheat by 29%, jowar by 12%, bajra by 8%, and maize by 14% households.
• Per capita cereal consumption was in general higher for cultivator households than for non-cultivator households.
• In the country as a whole, the proportion of households growing these crops by consumption met out of own produce was 64% for rice, 69% for wheat, 53% for jowar and bajra, and 68% for maize.
• In rice-growing households, home produce of cereals other than rice accounted for 60% of consumption. Similarly, home produce accounted for 55-65% of non-wheat cereal consumption of wheat growers, nonjowar cereal consumption of jowar growers, non-bajra cereal consumption of bajra growers, and non-maize cereal consumption of maize growers.
• Consumption out of own produce by rice-growing households accounted for 37% of rice consumption in the country as a whole, and consumption out of own produce by wheat-growing households accounted for 43% of the country’s wheat consumption, in 1993- 94.
• 47% of rural households in India possessed at least one milch animal in 1993-94. 43% possessed at least one cow or buffalo.
• About 30% households in rural India possessed at least one draught animal in1993-94.
• 72% of households self-employed in agriculture possessed at least one milch animal, compared to less than 34% of households engaged in other occupations. Again, 55% of households self-employed in agriculture possessed at least one draught animal, compared to 13-16% for households in other occupations.
• Among the ST households in rural India, 44% possessed at least one draught animal, compared to 31% of “others” (non-SC/ST), and only 20% of SC households.
• Percentage of rural households possessing milch and draught animals increased rapidly with an increase in the size of land possessed.
• Percentage of rural households possessing milch animals increased with overall expenditure level over a large part of the MPCE (monthly per capita expenditure) range. Percentage of households possessing draught animals increased with MPCE up to a certain MPCE level and declined thereafter.

Percentage of households growing different cereals (rural):

Monthly per capita consumption of different cereals (and their products)(rural):

Source: NSS Report No.424

Percentage of population living below poverty line by type of Residence, General and Scheduled Caste in 1993-94 and 1999-2000

(In Percent)

*Includes SC population
Source: Tenth Five Year Plan 2002-2007 (Vol.II, Table 4.1.8,p.422). Planning Commission Government of India, New Delhi.

Literacy percentage of total population and scheduled caste population in 1991 and 2001

Source: Census of India 1991 & 2001,RGI, New Delhi

Percentage of Total and SC population according to Occupational category in 1991 and 2001

(In percent)

Source: Census of India 1991 & 2001,RGI, New Delhi