CHAPTER – IV

Demography

of

Pune District

CHAPTER – IV

Demography of Pune District

4:1 INTRODUCTION

4:2 MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DISTRICT

4:3 HISTORY AND CULTURE

4:4 SOCIAL STRUCTURES

4:5 GEOGRAPHY & LOCATION

4.6: EDUCATION

4.7: INDUSTRIES

4.8: EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

4.9: RESEARCH INSTITUTES

4.10: TRANSPORT

4.11: SPORTS AND RECREATION

4.12: OTHER SPECIAL TOURIST FEATURES OF PUNE

CHAPTER – 4

Demography of Pune District

4:1 INTRODUCTION: Pune District is situated in Maharashtra State of India. Pune city is the district

headquarters. In the last census of 2001, the total population of the district was

7,232,555. Urban population comprises 58.08% of the total population. The current

population of Pune urban agglomerate is over 4 million.

Pune formerly known as Punawadi or Punya-Nagari or Poona, is the eighth

largest city in India, and the second largest in the state of Maharashtra, after Mumbai.

Situated 560 meters above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the

Mula and Mutha rivers; Pune is the administrative capital of Pune district and the 7th

Metro city of India.

Pune is known to have existed as a town since 937 AD. Shivaji, the founder of

the Maratha Empire, lived in Pune as a boy, and later oversaw significant growth and

development of the town during his regime. In 1730, Pune became an important

political centre as the seat of the Peshwa, the prime minister of the Chhatrapati of

Satara. After the town was annexed to British India in 1817, it served as a cantonment

town and as the "monsoon capital" of the Bombay Presidency until the independence

of India.

Today, Pune is known for its educational facilities, having more than a

hundred educational institutes and nine universities Pune has well-established

Manufacturing, Glass, Sugar and Metal Forging industries since 1950-60s. Pune also

has a growing industrial hinterland, with many information technology and

automotive companies setting up factories in Pune district. Additionally, Pune city is

well known for various cultural activities like Classical Music, Sports, Literature,

Foreign language learning and Administrative, Economics, Social Science studies.

These activities and job opportunities attract migrants and students from all over

India, and also attract students from Middle-East, Iran, Eastern Europe, South-East

Asia which makes for a city of many communities and cultures.

The name Pune (anglicized as Poona) derives from Punya Nagari (Sanskrit,

"City of Virtue"). The oldest reference to this name is on a Rashtrakuta copper plate

dated to 937. Current Era in which, the town is referred to as Punya-Vishaya or Punak

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Vishaya. By the 13th century, it had come to be known as Kasbe Pune or Punavadi.

Although the city's name is sometimes transcribed as Poona in English, a practice

particularly common during the British Raj, the spelling "Pune" has now become

standard. Pune is also referred to as the "Student Capital of India", on account of a

tremendous population here being primarily of students in various universities and

institutes.

4:2 MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DISTRICT: Pune District has a mixed economy i.e. Agrarian as well as industrial Half of

the population is engaged in agriculture and the remaining in other non-agricultural

activities. It is not endowed with major economic resources viz. land fishery or

abundance of mineral deposits. But black stone mines are found in some parts of the

district. This stone is used in construction works. Tajor crops of this district are rice

jowar, bajri, and maize. Jowar is grown in large quantities in shirur tahsil of the

district. The famous ‘Pune university is located in this district. Students not only

from India, but also from other countries come to study in this university in Arts,

Science, Commerce and various branches of medicine and engineering. The district is

thus in the forefront in the field of education. Sugarcane is grown in a large scale.

There are about 7 sugarcane factories in the district and more and more land is being

used for cultivation of sugarcane in addition onion, potatoes, tomatoes and vegetable

are grown in abundance and are exported to other districts. Due to the absence of

coastline, the fishing activities are limited to lakes and rivers only.

In addition to agricultural activities, the district has made appreciable dent in

the field of industrialization. There are small as well as big industries in the district.

Agricultural tools and implements, pumps, engines, electrical appliances and vessels,

etc are manufactured in small industries. Automobile parts and fans etc are

manufactured by large industrial units. The world famous Bajaj scooter is

manufactured in this district, in addition to Rickshaws and trucks. Mechanisation has

made significant dent in this district with latest equipments and techniques being used

in both the agricultural and industrial sectors.

Lonavala and Khandala are the two famous hill resorts in this district.

Tourists from all over the country are attracted to these places. Besides, there are also

historical places of importance in the district which attract the foreigners. But

despites few places of tourist interest, tourism as such has no potential in the district. 59

The district is culturally, socially and politically at forefront in the State. It also ranks

fourth in literacy among the 30 districts of the state.

Puneri is the local language of the district. The main food constitutes rice, dal

and chapatti. Several dishes are prepared from rice and maize for Ganesh utsav, Holi,

Diwali, Ramnavmi, Hanuman Jayanti, Christmas. Muharam are the religious festivals

of the people, but Gauri-Ganpati and Shimga are the most important festivals of the

district. People staying in Bombay, Ahmadnagar and other big cities visit their native

places with a view to participate these festivals. The social and cultural life of the

people of this district has been quite placid during the decade.

4:3 HISTORY AND CULTURE: The human history in the region of Pune district goes back to 1.4 million years

on the basis of evidence of stone tools that found below the layers of volcanic ash in

the section of Kukadi River near Junnar. One of taluka headquarters of Pune district.

This has also taken the date of Lower Paleolithic Culture of India back of beginning

of 2nd million years B.P.

The evidence of succeeding Middle Palaeolithic Culture have come from the

stretches of rivers Mula, Mutha, Bhima and Ghod along with fossilized

palaentological remains of Hippo, elephant etc. River Bhima has also given the

evidence of Upper Paleothic Culture along with fossilized animal remains. The date

of this period from Inamgaon (Tal.Shirur) near Shikrapur. On Bhima comes to 20,000

year B.P. The occurrence of Hippo and elephant indicate wet climate.

The succeeding Mesolithic period is not well illustrated in this region Few of

the surface finds were noted by this author between the area of Koregaon and

Shikrapur. These microliths are definitely of pre-chalcolithic period.

Excavation at Inamgaon by the Deccan College, Pune brought out the remains

of Malwa, Jorwe and late Jorwe Culture of protohistoric period which included

rectangular and circular house plans, the earlier consisted of 2 to 3 rooms including

kitchen; specific type of pottery repertoire; burials, stone and metal objects; stone,

clay ornaments; and several other remains highlighting the socio-cultural and

economic situation prevailing between the period of C. 1600 B.C. to 700 B.C. The

four legged jar in which the deceased was made to seat in crouching posture, the

chopping of leg portion below the ankles of deceased, discovery of a female and bull

clay figures and clay box in which female figure was kept carefully are the 60

characteristic feartures of this excavation. This excavation also unearthed the late the

late or degenerate phase of Jorwe culture dated to C. 1000 B.C. helped to dridge the

gap between protohistoric 700 B.C. and early Historic period. This phase is

characterized. Besides other features, by the occurrence of megalithic Black and Red

were.

The succeeding Megalithic Culture is noticed at Inamgaon excavation as also

at Walki, Theur and Sastewadi.

Region of Pune district witnessed the ushering of Historical period C. 700 –

600 B.C. onward. No direct evidence of early historical period has come to light so far

but it was definitely under rule Ashok Maurya. Fall of Maurya rule witnessed the

emergence of Statevahana rule in Maharashtra, the region of Pune district was an

important geographical region for them. Fierce fighting between Statavahanas and

Kshtrapas took place in this region (north – western part of Pune district) as evidnet

from Karle cave inscription. As a result Nahaphanas tule came to end at the hands of

Gautamiputra Satakarmi. Almost throughout the Satavahana rule this region taluka

Junnar discovered by Dr. Suresh Jadhav and subsequently excavated by this author at

junnar in 1985. During this period large number of rock cut caves of buddhisst phase

was cut in the north and western part of this district. The Junnar, Bhaje, Karle, Bedsa,

Lohgarh, Shelarwadi are the important cave groups of this period. Junnar has

altogether 209 rock cut caves and 115 water tanks located at 9 different localities

displaying important architectural and surface decorative features. In total 36

inscriptions available from Junnar reval host of information including different

Buddhist sects like. Dharmottariya, Apaguriya, Lakundiya which are known from

other sources, name of Indian and non-Indian donees from different sections of

society; names of Trader Shrenis dealing with contemporary economy; and references

to contemporary situation. Similar is the case with the inscribed records found at

Bhaja (9ins.),. Bedse (3ins.), Karle (36ins.) and Kondane (1 ins.) There are few more

cave groups in this district but do not shade important light on the contemporary

history.

Junnar was very important seat in the Satavahana Kshartapa rule. Till V. 120 –

125 A.D., it was ruled by Kshatrapse Echos of their existence are reflected in the cave

architecture. There are number of important finds from the area of Junnar taluka/

Naneghat, the most important place during this period, is located 25 kms. from

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Junnar. It was the most frequented trade route connecting Knokan region – especially

Kaliyan (modern Kalyan) with pune and further region. A long inscription in on of the

caves caused to carve by Satavahana queen Naganika provide flood of information on

contemporaty religio-socio-political situation. The now completely damage relief

sculptures of eminent personalities of Satavahana families and relivio inscription

located at Naneghat is the only example of such kind and of an early date. Junnar

region has given large number of early coins. Two of them are unique. The one

belongs to satakarni which is a commorative coin, bears the names of satakarni and

Naganika on one side and Asvamedha on the other. This is the only evidence that tells

us authentically that Naganika was satakarni’s wife. Another win bears the name of

vasithiputasa on one side and Mahakhatapas (Mahakshtrapa) on other side. This is the

only coin which bears the names of two rival dynasties, Rivalry between Satavahanas

and Kshatrapas is well known. This coin was probably issued when Rudradamana

dfefeated Satavahana king in the latter half of the 2nd century A.D. and offered his

daughter to the son of Satavahana king. But this patch up between these two rivals did

not continue for long. An egg shaped sculpture cut in alabaster stone of Greek

goddess Eros found near Ganesh cave group of Junner show the existence of

Westerners in this region. Junnar and Nasik had the colonies of these people.

Chalukyas of Badami were ruling over this region since the mid 7th century

A.D. down to middle of 8th century A.D. their copperplates are found from Jejuri

(sake 609), Pune (sake 612) and Bopgaon (sake 640). These copperplate are mainly

issued to record the donations and mention saveral places from southern region of

Pune district.

The succeeding rulers were Rashtrakutas. There are 4 copperplates issued by

Rashtrakuta rulers found in this region. The earliest belong to king Vibhuraja who

belonged to one of the Rashtrakuta family which was ruling from Man, a place now a

taluka headquarter of district Satara. They probably had their rule over the region of

present Satara and Pune district after the downfall of Vakatakas till end of 6th century

A.D.

Rashtrakutas were succeeded by later Chalukyas. During their rule Pune

region was governed by Mahasamanta Siddha Adityavarman. His two copperplates

dated to sake 887 (A.D.965) are available.

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Yadavas established their suzerainty in 10th|century A.D. and in 11th century or

so extended their rule over larger part of Maharashtra including Pune region. Only

inscription of dynasty issued by king Ramchandra dated to sake 1207 (A.D. 1285)

was found at Pur of Purandar taluka.

End of Yadava rule is the end of Hindu rule in Maharashtra. There were petty

chieftains in Pune region Though Allauddin Khilaji conquered Deogiri, he could not

establish his rule over major part of Maharashtra. It was Mohammad Tughlaq who

first laid siege to Kondana fort (later on named Sinhagad) and the local ruler Nag

Naik had to vacate the fort after strong resistance in A.D. 1340. In 1344 A.D. Burya

Arab, a Sardar from Tughlaq army took over the rule of this region when Tughlaq

power was not much effective and established his headquarter at Chakan. When

Hassan Bahamani revolted and driven away Tughlaq army from Deccan, Pune region

came under their rule and his son was the first governer of this region who had his

headquarter at chakan. Pune region at this time was separate Taraf the administrative

unit. Chakan was also an administrative center in 1443 A.D. when Malik-ut-Tujar was

governing this area. In 1472 A.D. Mahmood Gawan, the famous minister of

Muhammad Shah III, divided the kingdom into eight parts and Pune was included in

the Bid province. In 1477 A.D. Gawan was succeeded by Nizam-ul-mulk Bhairi

whose son Malik Ahmad who later on founded Nizamshahi in 1495 A.D. was ruling

over Pune region and Chakan was his administrative centre. Soon after Bahamani

kingdom was divided into different Shahis and Pune came under the rule of

Nizamshahi. Malik Ahmed was the first ruler and he established his capital at

Bhingar near present Ahmednagar city, named Bhingar as Bagh-Nizam and

established the town of Ahmednagar. When Mughlas under Akbar threatening the

Nizamshahi, then Nizam in order to gain support from local chieftains distributed the

Jagirs. Pune and Supe region in Ellora region (of present Aurangabad district).

Shivneri and Chakan forts were given under his rule.

When Akbar died in A.D. 1605, the rule of Mughals in the parts of

Maharashtra weakened. Taking advantage of the situation Malik Ambar, the trusted

minister of Nizam restored the situation in Pune region.

The year 1630 A.D. witnessed the birth of Shivaji, the future ruler of

Maharashtra at shivneri. At this time Shivaji’s father Shahaji was in the service of

Bijapur’s Adilshahi. The pressure of Mughals was increasing over the region of

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Deccan and under the rule of Shahajahan northern Maharashtra was already under

their rule. Shahaji was sent to Karnatak. Shivaji and his mother Jijabai were left at

Shivneri under the protection of Dadoji Kondadev, the most trusted lieutenant of

Shahaji and Guri of Shivaji. Pune was one of the residences of Shivaji who along

with his mother Jijabai lived in Lal Mahal of Pune. Dadoji Kondadev died in 1647

A.D.

By this time Shivaji had already grown up not only by the age but with great

vision of future and he signaled his ambition as as independent authority by taking

possession of Kondane fort. Gradually Shivaji consolidated his authority over the

part of northern Konkan and pune region. Adilshahi and Mughals were his major

opponents. They continuously tried to reduce Shivaji but they never succeeded.

Aurangazeb, the last powerful Mughal ruler came down to south especially for

conquering Shivaji but till the death of Shivaji Aurangazeb could not succeed.

The death of Aurangazeb in 1707 A.D. and release of Shahu from his control

ushered another great era of Hindu rule in Maharashtra. With hassles for few years

with Tarabai and some other opponents Shahu came to rule. He was ruling Kolhapur

and Balaji Vishwanath was his prime minister (Peshwa). After the death of Shahu in

1749 A.D. the capital of Maratha rule was shifted to Pune from Kolhapur and here

onward Pune became the centre of all activities. The Maratha rule is popularly called

Peshwa period because of their prominence in the contemporary polity.

The Maratha rule was very much prominent till the end of 18th century A.D.

Bajirao I, Madhavrao are the most noteworthy Peshwas of this period. Peshwa period

was the revival of Hinduism in Deccan. In 1818 A.D. the Peshwa rule came to an end

when Bajirao II was ruling. Britishers took the possession and the region of

Maharashtra came under the British rule.

It is interesting to note that when first Indian council Act was passed in 1861,

the first session of the legislative council was held in Pune at the council hall in July

1862. During the tenure of Earl Elgin, in the discussion of Parliamentary Committee

had discussed the suitability of Pune as a headquarter of Government of India.

In the beginning of the 20th century Pune was the hub of revolutionary people

of different thoughts. Due to its importance as political and educational centre

personalities like Tilak-Agarkar made this city their place of activities.

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Pune and its region has now developed into a much lucrative business centre

and industry, agriculture education these fields have seen immense growth attractive

people from different parts of India and abroad.

Culturally the region of Pune is famous in the world. This author has

unearthed a brick temple plan at Harine which belongs to 7th century A.D. This is the

earliest instance of the temple building activity in the region so far known. That does

not mean that this region did not have much activities in the early period. During the

Yadavas region few of the famous temples were built in this region. During Peshwa

period Pune was their capital since 1750 A.D. and we find more than hundred temples

of different sizes come up. Small towns like Sasvad also witnessed the same spurt in

the building activity. During this period a place called Jujuri gained more importance.

4:4 SOCIAL STRUCTURE: The social structure of the region is not different from rest of Maharashtra.

Till Peshwa period the social system was much rigid which became gradually flexible

after arrival of Britishers.

The society is composed of Hindu (47,53,854), Buddhist (2,60,002),

Christians (92,894), Jains (71,712), Muslims (3,20,504), Sikh (17,263), Miscellaneous

(7210) and there are 3093 persons who have not declared their religion. Out of the

total population 11.41% persons belonged to scheduled castes, 6,31,063 persons,

2,16,336 belonged to scheduled tribes (3.91%), Neo Buddhists 20,874(0.50%). Pune

region has people identified as Bene Israels (Jews), 2000 in strength and mainly

engaged in local business. Earlier there main occupation was related to oil and hence

were called Shanwar Teli because they closed their business on Saturday. There way

of life is now typical Maharashtrian, still chant the prayers in Herbew and have

synagogue. These people are mainly found in Pune city.

The Hindus in the rigion follow their own customs mainly influenced by

Bhakti cult-Varkari Panth. Alandi and Dehu are the great centers in the districts and

Pandharpur is nearby. It is the same case with others that they follow their own

religious customs. The dietry habits are common to all and governed by religion

rather than society. Except Hindus all are Beef eaters. Due to influence of the Bhakti

cult many of the Hindus do not eat non-vegetarian food. Among the non-vegetarian’s

a certain group will only eat the meat of sheep and not of goat because they worship

65

Bolai goddess. In the vegetarian diet there is no distinction. The modernization has

more effect on these taboos.

Joint families are rarely seen. The industrialization has its own effect on

society. The attire is common and Muslims still follow their own attire. Sikhas can

also be identified with the hair-beard and pagdi. Others do not have typical style.

House pattern is as usual with a difference of regional variety.

Local games common to Maharashtra, Gondhal, Tamasha etc are the tradional

ways to pass the time.

Muslims constitute Sayids, Shaikhs, Mughals and Pathans and tradionally

engaged in perfume, Bangle utensils, fireworks, tinsmith, Silk tassel twisting

business.

Nowadays the tendency to do any available job is essential due to financial

constraints and idea of family profession is dieing.

Pune region have number of Sindhi and Punjabis engaged mainly in business

like Gujratis and Marwadis. They are Hindus. Sindhis have Shri Uderolal the patron

saint who organized the new Church called the Thakmai-Varuna the god of water is

worshipped. Jhari a pot is an auspicious for them.

4:5 GEOGRAPHY & LOCATION: Pune District is in the western region in Maharashtra in India. It is bounded by

Thane District to the northwest, Raigad District to the west, Satara District to the

south, Solapur District to the southeast, and Ahmednagar District to the north and

northeast.

Pune district is located between 17 degrees 54' and 10degrees24' north latitude

and 73 degrees19' and 75 degrees 10' east longitude. The district has geographical

area of 15.642 sq.km. Pune district is bound by Ahmadnagar district on north-east,

Solapur district on the south-east, Satara district on south, Raigad district on the west

and Thane district on the northe-west. It is the second largest district in the state and

covers 5.10 % of the total geographical area of the state.The landscape of Pune district

is distributed triangularly in western Maharashtra at the foothills of the Sahyadri

Mountains and is divided into three parts: "Ghatmatha", "Maval" and "Desh".

Pune lies in the Western Ghats or Sahyadri mountain range and it extends on

to the Deccan Plateau on the east. Pune stands on the leeward side of the Western

Ghats.Pune is at an altitude of 559m.(1863 ft.). Pune district is located between 17.5° 66

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68

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70

to 19.2° North and 73.2° to 75.1° East. In Pune district, there are two

municipal corporations, namely Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri-

Chinchawad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).

Pimpri Chinchwad is located at the West of Pune city, touching the Pune-

Mumbai National highway. The corporation covers the area of Akurdi, Pimpri,

Chinchwad and Bhosari. The said area is developed by MIDC as an industrial zone.

Climate:

Pune district forms a part of the tropical monsoon land and therefore shows a

significant seasonal variation in temperature as well as rainfall conditions. Climate of

the western region of Pune is cool whereas the eastern part is hot and dry.

Average rainfall in the district is 600 to 700 mm. This is usually during the

monsoon months from July - October. Moderate temperatures are mainly observed

here. The rainfall is unpredictable in tune with the Indian monsoon. Summers here

begin from early March to July. Summers are dry and hot. The temperature ranges

from 20°C to 38°C, though at the peak they may reach 40°C.

From November to January, is the winter season. Temperatures at the peak

drop to single digits but usually they hover around 9°C to 14°C sometimes lowers up

to 3°C. January to March are the months with moderate temperatures. In year due

rainfall stress in June, & upto 20 September agriculture sector come in danger.

Pune district forms a part of the tropical monsoon land and therefore shows a

significant seasonal variation in temperature as well as rainfall conditions. Climate of

the western region of Pune is cool whereas the eastern part is hot and dry.

Rainfall distribution:

Owing to the geographical conditions within the district, the rainfall is

unevenly distributed. The Western part of the district adjacent to the West coast is

hilly area having forest cover, due to which the rainfall intensity is more in this area

as compared to the eastern parts. Most of this rain is brought by the southwest

monsoon winds during the summer and about 87% of rainfalls during the monsoon

months.The monsoon arrives in the month of June, with the maximum intensity of

rainfall during the month of July and August.

Talukas falling in the highest rainfall intensity zone are Velha, Mulshi and

Maval. Talukas falling in the moderate rainfall intensity zone are Bhor, Ambegaon,

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Junnar, Khed, haveli, Pune city and Purandar. Talukas with lowest rainfall intensity,

the dry and semi-arid zone are Shirur, Daund, Indapur and Baramati.

Rivers and Lakes and Dams:

Major rivers of the district are: Pushpavati, Krushnavati, Kukadi, Meena,

Ghod, Bhima, Bhama, Andhra, Indryani, Pavna, Mula, Mutha, Ambi, Mose,

Shivganga, Kanandi, Gunjavni, Velvandi, Neera, Karha, etc. Some major dams are:

Pimpalgaon (Pushpavati), Manikdoh,Yedgaon (Kukadi), Meena (Meena),

Dimbe (Ghod), Chas-Kaman and Ujani (Bhima), Andhra (Andhra), Valvhan

(Indrayani), Pavna (Pavna), Mulshi (Mula), Temghar, Khadakwasla (Mutha),

Varasgaon (Ambi), Panshet (Mose), Chapet (Kanandi), Bhatgar (Velvandi), Devghar,

Veer (Neera)

Lonavla region (Wadgaon-Maval Taluka) can be called as lake district of

Maharashtra due to numerous lakes in this area viz, Bhushi, The Lonavla lake, INS

Shivaji, Pavna, Valvhan, Tungarli, Andhra, Shirawta lake. However, the Sahyadris

and its branches offer lot of opportunity for damming the streams leading to large

number of lakes in Pune district.

Agriculture:

The district of Pune has 3100 hectares cultivable land. People are provided

with the required fertilizers by the government to increase the crop productivity. The

geographical area in Pune District is classified into three categories. Agriculture in

Pune district has much variation as compared to other districts of Maharashtra. It

includes 4 among the 7 agricultural climate zones in Maharashtra namely the Ghat

Zone, Sub Mountain Zone, Plain Zone and Scarcity Zone.

There are three cropping seasons in the district which includes:

Kharip Crop - Rice, Bajara, Tur, Moong, Udid, Groundnut and Soyabeen

Rabi Crop - Jawar, Wheat, Pulses and Sunflower

Annual Crop - Sugarcane

Other major crops in district are:

Mango, Banana, Grapes, Chiku and Pomegranate etc. Sugarcane is grown on a

large scale in Pune District. It is grown in Baramati, Indapur, and Haveli Talukas on a

large scale. It is also grown in Purandhar, Daund, and Shirur Talukas.

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Irrigation:

Due to the presence of Sahyadri ranges in its western part, the district gets an

adequate supply of water through rainfall. Also, the district has a proper geographical

structure for the construction of dams to support various irrigation projects. Pune

district comes under the Krishna valley including the rivers of Bhima, Mula, Mutha,

Indrayani, Ghodnadi, and Nira. There are 5 important Irrigation Projects on the

Khadakwasla, Kukadi, Ghod, Nira, and Pavana rivers.

Due to the flow of rivers from west to east, scarcity zone in east is utilized for

gardening. Sugarcane is the important cash crop. There are 10 sugar factories in the

district. Gardening, wheat and vegetables are slightly replacing the cultivation of the

Jowar crop. Pune is also a minor producer of fruits in the state.

Demographics:

As of the census of 2001, there were 7,232,555 people and 1,517,041

households. The population density was 462 people per /km².

In the district the population was spread out with 6,85,022 under the age of 4;

1,491,352 from 5 to 15; 4,466,901 from 15 to 59 and 5,89,280 60 years of age or

older. For every 1000 males age 6 and older, there were 919 females.

As per 2001 census of India, the population of the Pune urban agglomeration

is 3,529,900 This includes the towns of Khadki, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Dehu.

Growth in the software and education sectors has led to an influx of skilled labour

from across India. The population of the urban agglomeration has been estimated to

be around 4,485,000 in 2005. The migrating population rose from 43,900 in 2001 to

88,200 in 2005Almost 30 percent of Pune's population lives in slums. The sharp

increase in censorial decade of 1991–2001 can be attributed to the absorption of 38

fringe villages into the city, The literacy rate is about 81%, 1% higher than the

national average.

Marathi is the official and most widely spoken language, while Hindi and

English are understood and spoken widely. The dialect of Marathi-speaking in Pune

has been suggested to be the "standard" form of the language. Pune has many white-

collar professionals thanks to a large number of educational, research and training

institutes spread throughout the city.

Pune has a substantial population of Brahmins—20% to be more specific—

which is the highest for any city in Maharastra. Pune also has a large Muslim

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population, half of which speak Marathi very well, with the remainder speaking Hindi

and Urdu. People from the Muslim Dawoodi Bohra community are also found in the

city. Pune is the only city (other than Surat, Navsari, Mumbai and Ahmedabad) to

host huge numbers of Parsis, majority of whom are found in Camp, Pune Station,

Koregaon Park and Nagar Road. Sikh gurudwaras can be found in the Guruwar Peth,

Pune Camp and Dehu Road areas of Pune. Pune's Buddhist population is found

primarily in the Yerawada and Parvati area.

A majority of Pune’s population is Marathi, however residents from all over

India can be also found in the city. Pune hosts larger number of foreign students and

IT professionals. Pune’s White collar population and majority of students are mostly

fluent in English. Pune hosts many students and there are numerous student hostels

found thought out the city.

According to the Pune Municipal Corporation, 38.9% of the population lived

in slums in 2001.

4.6: Education:

Higher Education:

Pune District is home to Pune University. The City itself is known as Oxford

of the East. Famous colleges include Tolani Maritime Institute (nautical technology,

marine engineering, presea, DWST), Wadia college, BMCC, College of Engineering,

B.J. Medical College, Fergusson College, S.P. College, Abasaheb Garware College,

ILS Law College, AFMC, MIT (Maharashtra Institute of Technology), Symbiosis

Arts & Commerce College, Symbiosis International University, Deccan College,

Agriculture college etc.

Primary And Secondary Education:

Public education in Pune District is administered by the Zilla Parishad. There

are a number of Primary and Secondary Schools in the district.

Divisions:

Administratively the district is divided into 14 talukas & 13 Panchayat

Samitis. These are Junnar, Ambegaon, Khed, Maval, Mulshi, Velhe, Bhor, Haveli,

Purandar, Pune City, Indapur, Daund, Baramati and Shirur. Pune city is the

administrative headquarters of the district. There are around 1,866 villages in the

district. 74

There are 18 Vidhan Sabha constituencies in this district. These are Junnar,

Ambegaon, Khed-Alandi, Maval, Mulshi, Haveli, Bopodi, Shivajinagar, Parvati (SC),

Kasba Peth, Bhvani Peth, Pune Cantonment, Shirur, Daund, Indapur, Baramati,

Purandhar and Bhor. The 4 Lok Sabha constituencies of the district are Pune,

Baramati, Shirur and Maval (is shared by Raigad district).

Sub-divisions:

For administrative purposes, exclusive of the city of Poona which forms a

separate sub-division, the district is distributed over eight sub-divisions. These,

beginning from the north-west and working east, are, Junnar, Khed including

Ambegaon, Maval, Haveli including Mulshi, Sirur, Purandhar, Bhimthadi including

Baramati, and Indapur.

Economy:

Pune is 'The Detroit of India', It is an industrial center as well as agriculture

based economy. It is an important IT Hub of India. There is Infosys office building in

Pune. As one of the largest cities in India, and as a result of its many colleges and

universities, Pune is emerging as a prominent location for IT and manufacturing

companies to expand. Pune has the sixth largest metropolitan economy and the

highest per capita income in the country.

4.7: Industries:

Automotive:

The automotive sector is particularly prominent in Pune. It is home to the

Automotive Research Association of India, which is responsible for the homologation

of all vehicles available in India. All sectors of the automotive industry are

represented, from two-wheelers and autorickshaws (Bajaj Auto, Kinetic Motor

Company) to cars (Volkswagen Group, General Motors, Tata Motors, Mercedes-

Benz, Fiat,Peugeot), tractors (John Deere), tempos, excavators (JCB Mfg. Co. Ltd.)

and trucks (Force Motors). Several automotive component manufacturers like TATA

Auto-comp Systems Limited , Robert Bosch GmbH, Visteon, Continental

Corporation, ITW, SKF, Magna etc are also located here. Other automotive

companies including General Motors, Volkswagen, and Fiat have set up greenfield

facilities near Pune, leading The Independent to cite Pune as India's "Motor City".

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Other Manufacturing:

Engineering goods manufactured in Pune include forges (Bharat Forge), Truck

Transmissions Systems, Clutches & Hydraulic components Eaton Corporation, and

engines (Kirloskar Oil Engines, Cummins). Other major manufacturers include Alfa

Laval, Thyssen Krupp and Black & Veatch, Saint-Gobain Sekurit (Automotive safety

glass.)

India's largest engineering conglomerate the Kirloskar Group is based in Pune

and was one of the first to set up manufacturing facilities in Pune. Kirloskar Brothers

Limited (One of the World's largest Pump Company's), Kirloskar Oil Engines (The

World’s largest Gen-set Company), Kirloskar Pneumatics Co Ltd and other Kirloskar

companies are based in Pune.

Other goods are also manufactured in the area. Electronic goods are

manufactured by multinational companies such as the Whirlpool Corporation and the

LG Group. Food giants like Frito Lay and Coca Cola have food processing plants,

while newer companies such as Tasty Bite have a nearby farm. Many small and

medium-sized companies are also active, producing components for larger companies

and creating unique components for the Indian marketplace.

Software and Information Technology:

The HSBC Global Technology Center at Kalyani Nagar develops software for

the entire HSBC group. The Hinjewadi IT Park (officially called as the Rajeev Gandhi

IT Park), is a project undertaken by MIDC to promote the IT sector in Pune. When

completed, the Hinjewadi IT Park is expected to have an area of about 2800 acres.

The estimated investment in the project is Rs. 600.0 million. To facilitate economic

growth, the government made liberal incentives in its IT and ITES Policy, 2003 and

leased properties based on MIDC land The buoyant IT sector in Pune employs more

than 70,000 people. Major software companies in Pune include Infosys, Wipro,

Satyam, TCS, Cognizant and IBM global. Software giant Microsoft intends to set up a

Rs. 700 crore (Rs. 7 billion) project in Hinjewadi Communications consulting

bellwether Tech Mahindra has set up their primary development center in Pune,

employing over 23,000 personnel.

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4.8: Education and Research: Pune has more than a hundred educational institutes and nine universities, and

has acquired a reputation as 'The Oxford of the East', with students from all over the

world studying at the colleges of the University of Pune. Pune has more schools,

colleges and universities than any other city in the world. Pune is proud of Fergusson

College as it is one of the oldest colleges in India.

Basic And Special Education:

Public schools (known locally as municipality schools) are run by the PMC,

and are affiliated with the MSBSHSE. Private schools are run by educational trusts or

individuals. They are usually affiliated to either the state board or to national

education boards, such as the ICSE, CBSE or NIOS boards. Pune is the largest centre

for Japanese learning in India. JLPT exams are held every December. Instruction in

Japanese is provided by many educators, including the University of Pune. Other

languages including German (taught at the Max Muller Bhavan) and French (at the

Alliance Francaise de Poona) are popular in the city.

University Education:

Most colleges in Pune are affiliated to the University of Pune, established in

1948. Seven other deemed universities have also been established in the city. The

College of Engineering, Pune, founded in 1854, is the second-oldest engineering

college in Asia. The Deccan Education Society was founded by several local citizens

in 1884, including social and political activist Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and was

responsible for founding Fergusson College in 1885. This society currently maintains

and operates 32 institutes in Pune.

The University of Pune, the National Defence Academy, Film and Television

Institute of India, National Film Archives, Armed Forces Medical College and

National Chemical Laboratory were established in Pune after the independence of

India.

Symbiosis International University, which operates 33 different colleges and

institutions in the city, is one of India's largest private universities. The best institution

within the Symbiosis Umbrella being SIBM (Symbiosis Institute of Business

Management) amongst others is ranked amongst the top management institutes in the

country.

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ILS Law College, established by the Indian Law Society is one of the top ten

law schools in India. Established medical schools such as the Armed Forces Medical

College and Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College train students from all over

Maharashtra and India and are amongst the top medical colleges in India. The AFMC

consistently ranks among the top five medical colleges in India.

4.9: Research Institutes: In addition to the University of Pune , Pune is home to several research

institutions of national importance. Located adjacent to the university is the National

Chemical Laboratory, one of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research

(IISER) and the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), while the

university campus houses the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-

DAC), Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, the National Centre

for Radio Astrophysics and the National Centre for Cell Science.

The KEM Hospital Research Centre, Central Water and Power Research

Station (CW & PRS), National Institute Of Bank Management (NIBM), NIC

[National Informatics Centre], the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the

Agharkar Research Institute and the Automotive Research Association of India

(ARAI),Unit for Research and Development of Information Products (URDIP) and

the National AIDS Research Institute are all in or around Pune. YASHADA, which is

the Administrative Training Institute of Maharashtra is situated next to the Raj

Bhavan in Pune.

The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute was established in 1917 and is a

world-renowned institute for research and instruction in the Sanskrit and Prakrit

languages and houses more than 20,000 ancient manuscripts. The National Institute of

Virology and National Insurance Academy are located in Pune. Pune also houses the

Tata Research Development and Design Centre, a research unit of Tata Consultancy

Services, working in the areas of computer science and modeling/simulation for

materials processing. Several military and armament research organizations are also

located in Pune

4.10: Transport: The district is well connected with the state capital and surrounding district

headquarters through road and rail linkages. The road network consists of Express

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Highways, National Highways, State Highways and Major District Roads. The rail

network consists of both broadgauge (Electrified and Non Electrified) double track as

well as single track lines. The district headquarter has connectivity through airways

for transport and trade to major airports within the country and to select international

destinations. In spite of availability of perennial river stretches, there is no significant

utilization of waterways in the district.

Road Network:

The district has total length of 13,642 km of roads (2001) of which 5394 km

roads are bituminous surface, 3554 km roads of water bound macadam surface and

4694 km of other surface roads i.e. unmetalled road. The roads are classified

according to their importance. Of the total road length in the district, 331km road

length is covered by National Highways and 1368 km by State Highways. The major

and other district roads have a total length of 5388 km, which passes through all the

talukas. Almost all the villagesare well connected by waterbound macadam road. The

total length of village roads is 6555 km.

Following National Highways Pass Through The District:

National Highway No. 4 (Mumbai-Banglore) - The NH-4 passes through

following places in the district: Khandala, Lonavala, talegaon, Chinchwad, Pune and

Khed-Shivapur. It enters from Raigad district and exits in Satara district.Total length

of NH4 in the district is 120 km.

National Highway No. 9 (Pune-Solapur-Hyderabad )- The NH-9 starts at Pune

district and passes through Loni, Bhigawan and Indapur. It exits in Solapur district.

Total length of NH9 in the district is 152km.

National Highway No. 50 (Pune-Nashik) - The NH-50 originates at Pune and

passes through Chakan, Rajgurunagar, Manchar, Narayangaon, Aalephata and it exits

in Nashik district. The total length of NH50 in the district is 95km.

Rail Network:

The broad gauge single and double track rail length within the district have a

total length of 311 km. Of these, single line is 162 km and the double line is 149 km.

Pune and Daund are the two railway junctions in the district. Following are the three

main railway routes passing through the district:

Mumbai_Pune_Solapur rail route. Pune-Miraj rail route, Daund-Baramti rail

route. 79

Air Rorute:

Pune is well connected through domestic airlines with the entire country. The

airport located at Lohgaon has recently acquired status of an international airport and

is being used to carry domestic as well as international traffic. Also, it is proposed to

develop an international air-cargo hub near Khed Tahsil of district.

4.11: Sports and Recreation:

Sports:

The Maharashtra Cricket team has its home ground in Pune City playing at the

Nehru Stadium in Pune. The Pune Football Club of the I-Leagues are located in Pune

City The team plays in the 2nd Division of the I-League

The 1994 National Games were held in Pune City, and the newly built Sports

City held the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008. Krida Prabodhini in Baner is a

sports school. The presence of water bodies has given rise to a number of boat clubs.

Namely COEP, RCBC, KPRC and MIT Alandi.

Pune has given many well known sports personalities to the nation which

includes Abhijit Kunte (Chess GM), Hrishikesh Kanitkar(Cricket), Dhanraj Pille

(Hockey).

4.12: Other Special Tourist Features Of Pune:

Bhigwan:

Bhigwan is about 95 km from Pune on the Pune-Solapur highway (NH-9) and

is a catchment area of the mighty Ujani Dam. It is a proposed sanctuary for migratory

birds, an area of about 18000 hectares. The water catchment area is spread across

around the town of Bhigwan. This is probably the best spot in South Central India to

see ducks in enormous number. The whole area is mesmerizing & reminiscence to the

wetlands of the north. Here’s a complete list of the birds seen & heard (Total 104

species):

Barred Button Quail (Clear & Close sightings on the road), Ruddy Shelduck

(few but in all 4 sightings), Comb Duck (a Pair near Diksal), Gadwall (Plenty),

Eurasian Wigeon (The most numerous), Spot Billed Duck (Scattered along the edges),

Gargeney (Very few), Northern Pintail (about c50), Northern Shoveller (Plenty most

in eclipse plumage), Red Crested Pochard (One female), Lesser Whistling Duck

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(Only one), Cotton Pigmy Goose (Near Diksal), Common Hoopoe (at least 4),

Common Kingfisher, White Breasted Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher (Only 2 at

Varwand), Green Bee-eater, Asian Koel, Greater Coucal, House Swift, Rock Pigeon,

Laughing Dove, Spotted Dove, White Breasted Waterhen (seen one near Patas),

Purple Swamphen (Everywhere), Common Moorhen, Common Coot (Most

numerous), Wood Sandpiper (Along the edges), Common Sandpiper, Black Tailed

Godwit (One each near Kumbhargaon & Diksal), Indian Courser (4 at fallow land

near Varwand), Common Red Shank, Ruff (a Pair near Diksal), Pheasant Tailed

Jacana, Little Ring Plover, Yellow Wattled Lapwing (Many in suitable habitat), Red

Wattled Lapwing, Palla's Gull (About c4 at Kumbhargaon), Brown Headed Gull,

Black Headed Gull, River Tern, Whiskered Tern, Gull-Billed tern, Black Shouldered

Kite, Black Kite, Brahminy Kite (one at Patas), Eurasian Marsh Harrier, Pallied

Harrier (one magnificent male), Shikra, Tawny Eagle (one near Diksal), Common

Kestrel, Little Grebe, Little Cormorant, Indian Cormorant, Great Cormorant (Few),

Little Egret, Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Cattle Egret, Indian Pond Heron, Grey

Heron (Plenty everywhere), Purple Heron (Many at Patas – a very good habitat for

this bird), Glossy Ibis (Huge flocks), Oriental White Ibis (2 at Diksal), Painted Stork

(At Diksal & Kumbhargaon), Asian Openbill (The most common Stork), Brown

Shrike, Long Tailed Shrike, Bay Backed Shrike (One on the way near highway),

House Crow, Large Billed Crow, Small Minivet - call, White Browed Fantail, Black

Drongo, Ashy Drongo, Common Stonechat (Now called as Siberian Stonechat), Pied

Bushchat, Brahminy Starling, Rosy Starling, Common Myna, Great Tit (One on the

way to Varwand), Barn Swallow (In thousands), Wire Tailed Swallow, Red Rumped

Swallow, Red Vented Bulbul, Blyth's Reed Warbler, Clamorous Reed Warbler,

Lesser Whitethroat (At the Pump house-Kumbhargaon), Common Tailorbird,

Common Chiffchaff, Jungle Babbler, Large Grey Babbler, Ashy Crowned Sparrow

Lark, Rufous Tailed Lark, Greater Short Toed Lark (At fallow land near Varwand),

House Sparrow, White Browed Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail (Plenty), Yellow Wagtail,

Grey Wagtail, Paddy field Pipit, Tawny Pipit (At fallow land near Varwand), Baya

Weaver, Indian Silverbill.

Thus, Pune District is historically important place and has been considered as

one of the most developed districts pertaining to its socio- economic, industrial,

agricultural and educational development. On co-operation front, it has been

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recognized as the leading centre. Hence special attention of the researcher is invited

to study the situation of Women’s credit co-operative societies of this district. A

detailed analysis and interpretation of the data pertaining to WCCS under study has

been presented in the succeeding chapter.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. “Sandharbh Maharashtra State & Districts at a glance”, set in 2 Vol,

Intellectual Book Bureau, P. 417.

2. “Gazetted of the Bombay Presidency”, Poona, (1992) The Government

Photozincographic Press, Volume XVIII, Part III

3. “District Census Handbook” (1995), The Maharashtra Census Directorate.

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