Annual sanitary report of the Province of Assam.

  • Assam
Date:
[1914]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual sanitary report of the Province of Assam. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/52 page 8
    * will be seen that out of 3,057 births, 44*4 per cent, had not been recorded and that out of 2,008 deaths, 4T3 per cent, had escaped registration. It is worthy of comment that as the result of his labours the figures recorded this year have risen from a birth-rate of 17'03 in 1913 to 24T8 in 1914 and a death-rate of 10-88 to 15*98 :— Name of mauza. BirthB. Deaths. No. of gaonburas' circles checked. No. of births correctly record¬ ed by gaothuras. No. of births not recorded by gaonburas. No. of births not copied by the mauzadars from gaon- buras’ registers. Total No. of births t'.e., total of columns 3 and 4. Total No. of omissions, t'.e., total of columns 4 and 5. Percentage of omissions. No. of deaths correctly record¬ ed by gaonburas. No. of deaths not recorded by gaonburas. No. of deaths not copied by the mauzadars from gaon¬ buras’ registers. Total No. of death5, t'.e., total of columns 9 andilO. Total No. of omissions, t'.e., total of columns 10 and 11. Percentage of omissiona. 1 2 a 4 a 6 § 9 10 11 12 13 14 Dakhin Sarubunsar 64 847 483 283 1,330 766 67-5 491 234 196 725 430 59'3 Ramaarani 26 711 274 44 985 318 32'2 683 181 41 764 222 29'0 Dakhin Rani 14 132 91 74 223 16S 73-9 76 65 60 141 115 81-5 Chayani 23 399 120 619 120 23'1 314 64 ... 878 64 16’9 Total for circle 117 2,089 968 401 3,057 1,369 4V 4 1,464 544 287 2,008 831 41-3 While it need not be assumed that the same degree of defect holds good through- * out the province, it throws grave doubts on the accuracy of the figures of any circle in the plains districts returning figures below the average provincial birth and death- rates, and it shows clearly the need for caution in interpreting the statistics with which we are dealing, when we have to take into consideration inaccuracies amounting to nearly one-half of the total. It also shows the great need for reform in our methods, if the collection of vital statistics is to be more than a farce. The defects in the gaonbura system of collection are as follows. The gaonbura is, in his own estimation, primarily a revenue official, and he lo ks upon his duties as registrar of vital statistics as something extra which is added to the duties for which alone he receives a small remission of land revenue, and his tendency is to regard the collection of vital statistics as unpaid work. Conse¬ quently the gaonbura does not take the trouble to go round his village sufficiently often, and in many cases, owing to the fact that he is appointed for revenue purposes only, it happens that he is illiterate, and his books have to he filled ic by the niausadar, or a literate friend, from memories relating to a period of sometimes three or four months, as gaonburas frequently fail to appear before the mauzadar monthly as they are supposed to do. Mauzadars are also responsible for some of the omis¬ sions. If a gaonbura is late and appears after the monthly consolidated returns are submitted to the Civil Surgeon, his returns find no place in that month or in those of any subsequent month. Frequently also, gaonburas are not supplied with books by the mauzadar and hence their records are Rot available even if they are literate. It happens also that when a gaonbura dies, or resigns, months may elapse before his post is filled up and hence no returns are received for that circle until the appointment is filled. The remedy appears to be as follows :— If Government wants accurate returns, we should be prepared to pay for them. The gaonbura gets a remission of land revenue equal to about lls. 6 to fis. 7 per year for his revenue duties. If a reward of annas 4 per month were granted conditional to his reporting regularly before a certain date, and provided that no omissions are discovered in his village by our inspecting staff, it would be worth his while to take some small amount of pains to fulfil these obligations. The cost, however, at Us. 3 per gaonbura per year for every gaonbura in the Assam Valiev districts would he considerable, and I have not attempted to estimate it. In my previous year’s report, it was suggested that the grant of gold rings to gaonburas for good reporting might be made. The Commissioner, Assam Valley Districts, is of opinion that this is undesira¬ ble and suggests the system of cash rewards for accurate reporting. A less satisfactory alternative is for Government to insist that the collection of vital statistics is, equally w ith land revenue, a part of the duties of a gaonbura and to put pressure on them through the lievcnue Department, i.e.} the Deputy Commissioner and the mauzadars.
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