IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Buch, A.N.; Bhatt, E.R. | |
| The economic status of women firewood pickers from Mt. Girnar, Junagadh, Gujarat | |
| 1980 Conference Proceeding | |
A large number of people adjoining to Mt. Girnar in Junagardh district of Gujarat State, India, a third of whom are women, earn their livelihood from collection and sale of firewood, from the adjoining forest areas. A part of the produce is also utilized for household consumption. A special survey of 300 women engaged in this activity was conducted by the authors and it was found that majority of these women are married, with little or no education and this work provides a crucial source of income for the women and their families. A typical working day of these women starts in the early hours of morning and the collection and tying of firewood bundles is over by noon. After a frugal meal, these women take the firewood to the adjoining evening markets in the town for sale. The average earning of these women amounts to Rs 120 per month. With the days earning, most of which is utilised for buying the provision for the family, these women return late in the evening and attend to cooking and other household chores, lasting till late night hours. These women work relentlessly for at least 25 days in a month, during the non monsoon months and often suffer from various diseases on account of lack of food, rest, etc. Added to above miseries is an occasional harassment from forest officials, for infraction of forest rules and regulations. There is thus an urgent need for removing the trust gap between the forest department and these wood pickers and expand the employment opportunities in the area, to reduce the dependence of these women on forest, as the only source of income for their livelihood. A number of social workers, including a voluntary organization, SEWA is doing useful work in improving the lot of these women. |
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