E-Paper
HT This Day: June 7, 1947 -- Finances of Hindustan & Pakistan
Mr G. D. Birla in a pamphlet entitled “Basic Facts Relating to Hindustan and Pakistan,” analyses the effects of partition of the country, with particular reference to the country’s economy. The pamphlet has been sent to prominent Indian leaders.
Mr G. D. Birla in a pamphlet entitled “Basic Facts Relating to Hindustan and Pakistan,” analyses the effects of partition of the country, with particular reference to the country’s economy. The pamphlet has been sent to prominent Indian leaders.
He gives the following facts on the basis of official statistics:
Industrial location (1939-40):
Cotton mills-Hindustan 380, Pakistan 9; jute mills -Hindustan 108. Pakistan nil; sugar mills-Hindustan 150, Pakistan 10; iron and steel- Hindustan 18, Pakistan nil; cement - Hindustan 16, Pakistan 3; paper - Hindustan 16, Pakistan nil; glass - Hindustan 77, Pakistan 2.
Business Incomes
Analysis of business and professional incomes: Mines, quarries, etc - Hindustan Rs. 9,41,47,624. Pakistan Rs. 2,35,40,880; textile manufactures -Hindustan Rs. 44,86,81,860. Pakistan Rs. 2,72,18,223; metals & metal goods - Hindustan Rs. 6,52,44,835, Pakistan Rs. 1,86,33,974; buildings and miscellaneous goods - Hindustan Rs. 7,86,67,462, Pakistan Rs. 1,91,73,273; Distribution and communications - Hindustan Rs. 104,63 54,472, Pakistan Rs. 18,47,46,721; finance - Hindustan Rs. 20,82,11,519; Pakistan Rs. 3,88,07,472.
Food Resources
Agricultural and food resources: Raw jute - Hindustan 983,519 acres, Pakistan 1,403,700 acres; raw cotton -Hindustan 13,770,000 acres, Pakistan 1,630,000 acres; tea-Hindustan 641,243 acres, Pakistan 96,657 acres; rice-Hindustan 17,229,000 tons, Pakistan 5,376,000 tons; wheat - Hindustan 4,199,740 tons, Pakistan 2,785,280 tons; raw sugar -Hindustan 2,631,000 tons, Pakistan 517,000 tons; groundnut - Hindustan 2,274,000 tons, Pakistan negligible or nil.
Mineral Production
Mineral resources: Coal-Hindustan 2,50,79,902 tons, Pakistan 1,93,475 tons; Petroleum-Hindustan 6,59,68,951 gallons, Pakistan 2,11,13,420 gallons; chromite- Hindustan 5,194 tons, Pakistan 21,892 tons; copper ore and matter - Hindustan: 2,83,076 tons, Pakistan nil; iron ore -Hindustan 14,21,701 tons, Pakistan nil; manganese ore - Hindustan 7,66,341 tons, Pakistan nil; magnesite-Hindustan 23,052 tons, Pakistan nil; mica - Hindustan 1,08,834 cwt., Pakistan nil.
Communications: Railways - Hindustan: mileage 25,970 and capital investment Rs. 625.68 crores; Pakistan: mileage 14,542 and capital investment Ra. 232.81 crores; roads - Hindustan 246,605 and Pakistan 49,863 miles.
Potential water power: Hindustan 1,343,000 kilowatts and Pakistan 2,847,000 kilowatts.
The finances of Hindustan and Pakistan have been calculated (in rupees) as follows: -
Provincial: Hindustan revenue 143,36 lakhs and expenditure 142,27 lakhs-a surplus of 111 lakhs; Pakistan’s revenue 44.79 lakhs and expenditure 49.47 lakhs, a deficit of 40.9 lakhs; Central: Hindustan: revenue 277.21 lakhs and expenditure 389.32 lakhs. a deficit of 112.11 lakhs; Pakistan: revenue 82.95 lakhs and expenditure 116.29 lakhs, a deficit of 33.34 lakhs. Provincial and Central revenues taken together, Hindustan expected to have a deficit of 111.000 lakhs and Pakistan 38.02 lakhs.
Public expenditure
The public expenditure in Pakistan, says Mr Birla in a note, will be bigger on almost all counts, it the present level of administration and social services is to be at least maintained. Pakistan areas being frontier areas will have to bear a far larger defence expenditure than otherwise.
Pakistan will have two major ports - Karachi and Chittagong, which handled a total of 2,441,000 tons of cargo in 1939-40 and Hindustan will have Bombay, Cochin, Madras, Vizagapatam and Calcutta, which handled a total of 16,548,000 tons.
