Employment and Unemployment in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu has a population of 47 million, a little less than that of Great Britain or France. There are only thirteen countries in the world which have a larger population. Since independence in 1947 rapid economic development has taken place. Even bicycles were imported in 1947, but currently, Tamil Nadu is a major exporter of bicycles, Leyland buses, motor cars, railway coaches, heavy machinery, teleprinters, electronic goods, as well as of agricultural produce such as rice arid oilseeds, and other traditional products including tea, coffee, handloom cloth, paper and chemicals. Human resources constitute its real wealth. It is in the lead in literacy, family planning and rural electrification, but paradoxically in recent years it has the highest number below the poverty level (60 per cent in 1980). Its culture, respect for law and order and respect for learning are characteristic. Its unemployment and poverty in the 1980s are the historical product of neglected human resource development. The figures for rural population in poverty for All-India, West Bengal, Kerala, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu are given in Table 14.1.