SERICUL TURE AND THE PROCESS OF CHANGE - Institute for ...

The person makes further attempts to improve the social identity
by displaying the ability to expand the social networks and interaction.
Thus, the social status is further manifested from the type and nature of
interaction in the wider society. This is very much true in the case of
progressive sericulturists. The visit of higher level officials and project
evaluation staff with department vehicles has been a common sight
during the period of NSP implementation. During such occasions, the
extension staff sometimes insist on the officials to visit the sericulturists
of different hamlets that come under their jurisdiction. This is for the
sole reason that it gives a recognition for the existing sericulturists and a
motivation for the potential sericulturists.
Prospective Groups of Mobility
Not all sections of the people in a village have equal
opportunities to take to sericulture. There are sections, based on
different criteria, for whom sericclture becomes meaningful by way of
its impact and implications. Regarding employment prospects of
sericulture for the rural population, Sinha (1989:158) says that about 90
per cent of the employment in sericulture go either to the landless and to
the marginal farming families that hire out their labour, or to the
sericulture families. This is because, as he claims, silk production
activities are all in informal sector and are menial in nature.
Considering resources and returns, the sericulturists themselves
could be seen as belonging to one of the following categories:
'subsistent', 'intermediate' and 'affluent'. Those who belong to the
'subsistent' categories practice sericulture on a small scale, with
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