patterns of population growth in nepal - Institute for Social and ...

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(ii) industrial development and urbanization are
negatively related with fertility and mortality,
(iii) there is also a close association between
growth of towns and their functions.
In this
regard manufacturing towns have been observed growing
faster than any other types of towns.
At the outset it should be noted here that
industrial development in Nepal is very much in its
infancy.
According to 1981 population census less
than 1 per cent of the economically active population
is engaged in manufacturing sector. Its share
in GDP is merely 5 per cent in 1983/84.
The stru~
cture of industries still show a predominance of
traditional industries like food processing whose
share in total industrial composition accounts for
72 per cent in 1981. However, the number of manufacturing
establishments and persons engaged in these
establishments have shown a steady progress in
recent years. Disparities in industrial development
across regions are very much striking in
Nepal.
Industries are very much confined to a
few specific pockets of the country. Out of the
total of 4.903 industrial establishments in 1981/82,