ECONOMIC DISPARITIES AMONG THE WORKERS OF AGATE INDUSTRY –A CASE STUDY OF KHAMBHAT IN GUJARAT
Occupational status is a fundamental measure of socio-economic level of living in the society and the occupational structure of agate workers is an important aspect of economic development of Agate industry in the Khambhat region. This paper brings out the discusion of the occupation of the agate workers and its various issue and problems related to local disparities in the Khambhat taluka which is the part of Gulf of Khambhat (also known as Gulf of Cambay) has been constituted as the separate taluka of Anand district in state of Gujarat in the October of 1997. The paper captures the perception of agate workers on various challenges and problems they are facing in the Khambhat taluka of Gulf of Khambhat region. It also investigates solutions that are suggested by the agate workers for their own improvement in the Agate Industry. The concerns and issues that the Agate workers are facing with regards to local disparities in the occupational structure have been briefly analysed for this paper.