People of Gujarat

Population composition

The diverse peoples constituting the Gujarati population may be categorized broadly as either Indic (northern-derived) or Dravidian (southern-derived). The former include the Nagar Brahman, Bhatia, Bhadela, Rabari, and Mina castes. The Parsis, originally from Persia (Iran), represent a much later northern influx. Among the peoples of southern origin are the Bhangi, Koli, Dubla, Naikda, and Macchi-Kharwa. The rest of the population, including the aboriginal Bhil community, is of mixed heritage. Members of the Scheduled Castes (formerly “untouchables”) and Scheduled Tribes (indigenous minority peoples)—both official designations for those who are outside of India’s caste hierarchy—together form roughly one-fifth of the state’s population. Portions of the mountainous region of southeastern Gujarat are populated almost entirely by tribal peoples.

Settlement patterns

Nearly three-fifths of the residents of Gujarat are rural, although the rural proportion of the population has declined as urban areas have grown. The main concentration of population is in the eastern part of the state, in the plains surrounding the cities of Ahmadabad, Kheda, Vadodara, Surat, and Valsad; the region is both agriculturally productive and highly industrialized. Other concentrations of population occur on the Kathiawar Peninsula, particularly on the southern coast between the cities of Mangrol and Mahuva, in the interior around Rajkot, and on the Gulf of Kachchh around Jamnagar. The distribution of population gradually decreases toward the Kachchh district in the northwest and toward the hilly regions of eastern Gujarat.

Most of the major cities are found in the more fertile regions, and many of them—such as Rajkot, Junagadh, Porbandar, Bhavnagar (Bhaunagar), and Jamnagar, all on the peninsula—were once the capitals of small states. The most-urbanized area of Gujarat is the Ahmadabad-Vadodara (Baroda) industrial belt in the east-central region. Since the late 20th century that area has become just one segment of an ever-expanding urban agglomeration along the highway that links the northern and southern parts of the state.

Agriculture

Unfavourable climatic conditions, salinity of soil and water, and rocky terrain have hampered Gujarat’s agricultural activities, but the sector has remained a major component of the state’s economy, employing about half the workforce. Wheat, millet, rice, and sorghum are the primary food crops, with rice production being concentrated in the wetter areas. Principal cash crops include cotton, oilseeds (especially peanuts [groundnuts]), tobacco, and sugarcane. Commercial dairying is also important.

Resources and power

Gujarat is rich in minerals, including limestone, manganese, gypsum, calcite, and bauxite. The state also has deposits of lignite, quartz sand, agate, and feldspar. The fine building stones of Porbandar, on the Kathiawar Peninsula, are among Gujarat’s most valuable products, and the state’s output of soda ash and salt amounts to a significant portion of the national yield. In addition, Gujarat produces petroleum and natural gas.

The state draws its electricity from a variety of sources. The bulk of Gujarat’s power is supplied by coal- and gas-fueled thermal plants, followed by hydroelectric generators. There also are a number of wind farms scattered across the state.

Manufacturing and labour

Gujarat occupies a leading place in India’s manufacturing sector, especially in the production of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and polyester textiles. The state’s major industrial belt exists in its southern sector. There is a large oil refinery at Koyali (near Vadodara), which supports a nearby petrochemical industry. Pharmaceutical production is concentrated at Vadodara, Ahmadabad, and Valsad. Small-scale, largely agriculture-based manufacturing is located in the Kathiawar Peninsula. Vegetable oil, cotton textiles, and cement are among the products of those industries.

Favourable investments, the availability of resources and power, solid management, and labour efficiency have been the basis of the state’s industrial development. Moreover, the Gandhian approach to labour problems—strict reliance on the truth, nonviolence, settlement by arbitration, minimal demands, and the use of the strike only as a last resort—has had a great impact in the field of industrial relations in Gujarat, which has remained relatively free from labour unrest.

Transportation

Gujarat’s towns and cities are well connected—to each other and to the rest of India—by road and rail. Coastal shipping routes link the state’s many ports. Kandla is a major international shipping terminal. There is air service both within the state and to major Indian cities outside Gujarat.

Constitutional framework

The governmental structure of Gujarat, like that of most Indian states, is defined by the national constitution of 1950. The governor is the chief executive and is appointed by the president of India. The Council of Ministers, led by the chief minister (head of government), aids and advises the governor. Gujarat’s Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) is an elected unicameral body. The High Court is the highest judicial authority in the state. Various lower courts—including the city courts, the courts of district and sessions judges, and the courts of civil judges—operate within each administrative district.

The state is divided into nearly three dozen administrative districts. The revenue and general administration of each district is overseen by the district collector, who also functions as the district magistrate for the maintenance of law and order. With a view toward involving the people in local government, elected governing councils (panchayats) were introduced at the village level in 1963.

Health and welfare

Health and medical services in Gujarat include programs to control malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and other communicable diseases; to prevent blindness; and to eradicate leprosy and polio. Other services focus on reproductive and family health and on health education. Primary health centres offer medical services throughout the state. Public and private hospitals as well as medical colleges offer more-specialized services, primarily in the larger urban areas. Various state institutions address the welfare needs of children, women, people with disabilities, and senior citizens. Special programs also are available to assist those who belong to communities that, by tradition, have been socially, economically, and educationally disadvantaged.

Education

Primary schooling for all children between the ages of 7 and 11 is available in most villages with 500 or more inhabitants. Special schools serve children in the rural tribal regions. Secondary schools are spread throughout the state in larger villages, towns, and urban areas.

Gujarat has a number of important institutions of higher education. Among the state’s most-notable universities are Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (founded 1949) in Vadodara and Gujarat University (1949) in Ahmadabad. Major research institutions include the Physical Research Laboratory (1947; a unit of the national Department of Space) in Ahmadabad, the Ahmadabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (1949), the Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (1959) at Bhavnagar, and the National Institute of Design (1961) and the Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and Social Research (1965), both in Ahmadabad. In addition to its universities and research centres, Gujarat has numerous smaller tertiary institutions (e.g., engineering colleges and technical schools) with specialized curricula.