CHAPTER - II

BANKING PROFILE OF KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT

2.1 INTRODUCTION

Kanyakumari is a district of Tamil Nadu state and is the southernmost land

area of the main land sprawled over an area of 1672 sq.km, occupying 1.29

percentage of the total extent of Tamil Nadu. The district is the second most

urbanized in Tamil Nadu next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore and is the

second smallest of the 32 districts of Tamil Nadu. The district has a varied

topography with sea on three sides and the Western Ghats bordering the northern

side. The District was rated as one of the India’s six hidden gems by National

Geography. The district offers undulating valleys and plains between the mountain

terrain and thesea – coast, so closely inter woven with Temples and churches and

other edifices which are of great tourist importance.

Kanyakumari District is bordered on the west by Thiruvananthapuram

District of Kerala state and by Tirunelveli of Tamil Nadu to the North and East. It

is sometimes referred to as ‘Land End’. The district is bordered by Laccadive sea

on the south eastern, the southern and south western sides. The district lies at

geographical co-ordinates between 77o15 and 36’ and 8o35’ north.

The present Kanyakumari District was, formerly, the southernmost part of

the erstwhile princely State of Tirvancore. Nature’s bountiful gifts of majestic hills,

dales and peaks as well as the extensive and colourful coast line, undulating

valleys and plains between the mountains and the sea coast, so closely inter woven

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with temples and other edifices of the area impressed Lord Connemera so much

that called this region ‘a fairy land’.

The southern division of the state of Travancore consisted of four taluks

viz, Thovalai, Agusteeswaram, Kalkulam and Vilavancode. The people of these

taluks mostly spoke Tamil. After India’s independence there began a peoples’

movement demanding the merger of the Tamil taluks with the Madras state (the

present Tamil Nadu). Intensified agitation resulted in the constitution of the state

Re organization Commission in 1956. Based on the recommendations of the

commission, the Indian Parliament passed the state Re organization Act in march

1959, according to which the four taluks of Thovalai, Agusteeswaram, Kalkulam

and Vilavancode were constituted into a new district of Tamil Nadu called

Kanyakumari District on 1st November 1959 with Nagercoil as its head quarters.

Kanyakumari District –Map

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2.2 HUMAN RESOURCES

This district with an area of 1684.17 square kilometers is densely

populated, that is poyons per square kilometer. The number of females for every

1000 males works out to 994.

Area, Population, Literates - Sexwise by Blocks and Municipalities

Name of the Area Population Literate

Sl. (sq.km)
Blocks/
No
Municipalities Persons Male Female Persons Male Female

1. Agastheswaram 143.35 115188 56778 58410 85970 44282 41688

2 Rajakkamangalam 135.49 127325 63980 63345 92573 48516 44057

3. Thovalai 360.91 97802 49117 48685 71075 37722 33353

4. Kurunthancode 109.54 168810 85460 83350 119818 63016 56802

5 Thuckalay 127.41 162019 81739 80280 117437 61607 55830

6 Thiruvattar 88.37 159182 80261 78921 109262 57402 51860

7 Killiyoor 138.86 151034 76515 74519 105231 55695 49536

8. Munchiri 71.45 175454 88584 86870 116522 61656 54877

9 Melpuram 27.57 173426 86422 87004 120296 63380 56916

Nagercoil
10. 190084 94834 95250 152274 78393 73881
Municipality 19.37

11 Padmanabapuram 6.47 19269 9680 9589 14961 7875 7086

12 Colachel 5.18 24305 12320 11985 16822 8731 8091

13 Kuzhithurai 5.15 19226 9467 9759 14740 7513 7227

Sources: www.censusindia.gov.in and AD of statistics, 2011 Statistical Hand Book

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 Block Profile within Kanyakumari District

District S.No. Block Head Quarters

1. Agastheeswaram Perumalpuram
2. Rajakkamangalam Pazhavilai
3. Thovalai Bhoothapandy
4. Thiruvattar Thiruvattar
5. Kurunthancode Kurunthancode
6. Melpuram Pacode
7. Munchirai Munchirai
8. Killiyoor Tholayavattam
9. Thuckalay Azhiamondapam
AD of statistics, 2011 Statistical Hand Book

Municipal Profile within Kanyakumari District

S.No. Municipalities Head Quarters

1. Nagercoil Nagercoil

2. Padmanabhapuram Thuckalay

3. Kuzhithuri Kzhithurai

4. Colachel Colachel

CLIMATE AND RAINFALL

TheKanyakumari District enjoys a favorable agro – climatic conditions

suited to the growth of different varieties of crop. Semi – arid tropical monsoon

type of climate prevails in the plains. In the plains, the maximum and minimum

temperatures are 37.5oC and 25.7oC respectively. Heat becomes intense in April

and shoots further up in May unless moderated by rains. The agro-climatic

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conditions prevailing in the Kalkulam and Vilvancode Taluks differ from those in

Thovalai and Agasteeswaram. Hence the paddy varieties grown in the second crop

season in Thovalai and Agasteeswaram Taluks are grown in the Kalkulam and

Vilvancode Taluks during the first crop season. The proximity of the Western

Ghats and the sea as well as the South – West and North – East Monsoons greatly

influences the climate of the district.

The seasonal showers caused by the south – west and north – east

monsoons as well as the Winter and Summer rains account for the average annual

rainfall of 1352.5mm. The average rainy days are normally 85.9 days. It is

significant that next to the Nilgiris District, Kanyakumari District has recorded the

highest annual average rainfall.

2.3 BANKING NETWORK

Banking industry is the nucleus of a district’s economy due to various

needs of all people. There are only a few scheduled and non scheduled banks

during early in 1960s in the district. After the nationalization of banks,

Kanyakumari District has become one of the well banked districts of Tamil Nadu.

The district has 140 branches of public sector banks (PSBs) 66 branches of

private banks (PBs) and 39 branches of co-operative banks. There is one branch for

a population of 6179. The banking net work is adequate for the district.

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BANKING NETWORK IN KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT AS ON 31.03.2014

Sl. No. of Branches

Name of Bank
No. Urban S. Urban Rural Total
01 SBI 4 12 4 20
02 SBT 3 12 7 22
03 IOB 7 11 17 35
04 CB 6 7 2 15
05 UBI 1 1 1 3
06 CBI 4 1 1 6
07 SYB 1 4 1 6
08 PNB 2 1 0 3
09 INB 3 10 4 17
10 BOB 1 1 0 2
11 BOI 1 0 0 1
12 VB 1 1 0 2
13 DB 1 0 0 1
14 ALB 1 0 0 1
15 UCO 1 0 0 1
16 BOM 1 0 0 1
17 Corp B 1 1 0 2
18 ANB 0 1 0 1
19 OBC 1 0 0 1
Sub Total 40 63 37 140
01 TMB 2 18 8 28
02 CSBL 1 1 0 2
03 FBL 3 5 4 12
04 DLB 2 1 0 3
05 KVB 1 0 0 1
06 LVB 1 0 0 1
07 ICICI 1 1 0 2
08 SIB 3 0 0 3
09 CUB 1 1 0 2
10 AXIS 1 0 0 1
11 PGB 0 3 5 8
12 HDFC 1 1 1 3
Sub Total 17 31 18 66
01 KDCC 15 0 5 20
02 TNCSARD 0 17 0 17
03 TAICOB 1 0 0 1
04 PCB 1 0 0 1
Sub Total 17 17 5 39
01 TIIC 1 0 0 1
Total 75 111 60 246
Primary Agri. Coop
01 0 0 114 114
Banks
Source: Banking Statistics, 2014

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OCCUPATIONAL PATTERN

Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. Most of the people are

engaged in Agriculture sector in the district. Next to agricultural sector the

industrial sector provides higher employment opportunities. The percentage of

health department and white color jobs are comparatively low. The rest of the

working population is engaged in self employment.

Occupational pattern of the district

S.No. Occupation Percentage

1. Agriculture 50.2
2. Industrialist 16.9
3. Health 10.0
4. Govt. Job 08.4
5. Others 14.5
AD of statistics, 2014 Statistical Hand Book

Industries

Kanyakumari District has only a few large scale industries. However, there

are a large number of small scale, tiny scale village, handicraft and cottage

industries. The district offers good scope for rubber and cashew based unit as well

as handicraft and cottage industries. The following six large scale industries are

located in the district.

a. Kanyakumari District Co-operative Spinning Mills Limited.

b. Moraji Borexe Limited (Chemically treated rubber wood)

c. Nagammal Spinning Mills Limited.

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 d. Indian Rare Earths Limited (Mineral sand)

e. Vasantham Mono Firm Limited

f. Konam Latex, Palavilai

During 2001-11 small scale industrial units to the tune of 996 were

registered with District Industries Centre. About 10000 industrial units such as

small scale industries, villages and cottage industries 59 Handicraft units provide

employment opportunities. The important activities under small scale industries are

cashew production, Metal product, electronic machinery and apparatus, garment

units, paper products, rubber, engineering and printing. Match works, furniture

wooden timber mills, oil crushing, steel and aluminium, untensiles bricks and foot

wear are also the important industrial units. Following is the cumulative number of

small scale industries units registered upto 31-03- 2011 is 1, 11,994.

1. There are 7718 cottage industries units registered upto March 2011

with eighty primary weavers’ cooperative societies which are

affiliated of K.K.District Central Cooperative Bank. About 13700

cotton looms are registered with these societies of which 10500

looms are active.

2. There are 45 industrial units functioning in the industrial estate of

Konam, Nagercoil.

3. There are 8388 handicraft units registered upto March 2011.

4. About 300 nylon fishnet manufacturing unit are functioning in the

district although out of which only 98 are registered.

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2.4 EDUCATION AND LITERACY

As for as, education is concerned Kanyakumari District is not much

backward. There are so many educational institutions functioning in the district to

cater to the educational value of the people. As per 2011 census report the literacy

rate in the district is above 98 percent.

The details regarding the educational institution in this District are given

below

Educational Institutions in Kanyakumari District

S.No. Educational Institutions No. of Institutions

1. Pre primary schools 200
2. Primary schools 350
3. Middle schools 160
4. High schools 155
5. Higher secondary schools 135
6. Art and science colleges 19
7. Teacher’s training schools 11
8. Library and reading room 160
9. Engineering colleges 19
10 Polytechnic colleges 13
11. ITI’s 10
Statistical Hand Book, 2014

EMPLOYMENT STATUS
Employment in agriculture

Kanyakumari district’s economy is an agriculture-based one .Agriculture

and allied sectors offer employment opportunities in the rural areas. Ploughing,

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sowing and harvesting are the main avenues of agricultural employment. The rate

of wages paid to the agricultural labour is not based on the wages fixed by the

Government. But at present high wages are paid to the agriculture labour in rural

areas.

Employment in animal husbandry and fisheries

Employment in animal husbandry is based on cattle-rearing and farm work.

Rearing sheep and milking animals is the main income-oriented works among the

rural people. This yields a short-term high income to the people below poverty

line. The Animal Husbandry Department has engaged so many people under daily

wage works in this district. This district has a vast seashore area. As such, marine

fishing and small boat fishing have also their own contributions to make towards

the district’s economy. Thousands of people have taken to fishing for their

livelihood.

Employment in mining and forestry-based activities

It is ascertained that nearly 4000 workers are being engaged in quarry

activities and nearly 15,000/- of workers are engaged in rubber plantations in forest

areas.

Employment in rural industries and other manufactures

Rural employment in Kanyakumari District is based on small scale

industries like rubber plantations, construction and brick works. The economy in

rural employment is comparatively low. Village entrepreneurs are engaged in

making coir products, weaving handloom cloth and making bricks.

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Employment in Services and other activities

In Kanyakumari District, Christian denominations and private service

organizations have been running educational, medical and industrial institutions.

These service organizations have generated employment opportunities to

thousands of people.

Employment and unemployment scenario, seasonality and related issues

In Kanyakumari District most of the people are educated and they

arecapable of taking up any kind of work or self-employment for their daily

bread.So, an employment problem has not arisen in this district.

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