06-bioresourcesstatu.. - M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation

Parali and Suheli. Baugaram was leased out to the
Amin at Agatti for 20 years provided he plant a
certain stipulated number of coconut trees. The
same was done at Kalpitti. In this way, the British
administration enjoyed both revenue from land
and the profits from the coir trade from the
uninhabited and the inhabited islands of
Lakshadweep. In 1904, the Amin of Agatti
surrendered his lease and Bangaram was
auctioned for another five-years lease period. It is
interesting to note that even today the Indian
administration has continued this system of
auctioning and leasing land as in the case of
tourist resort operators.
It is interesting, that none of the rulers of
Lakshadweep showed any attention to the coral
reef resources or in developing the maritime
resource potential. At this time fishing was merely
a subsistence activity, with little scope for
revenue. The earliest Lighthouse to be built was at
Minicoy, which fell on the line of transit for several
foreign ships and vessels. Numerous shipwrecks
had occurred on that route, and one of them even
close to Bangaram between 1828 and 1911, as
noted by the inspector, Ellis (1924), in his Short
account on the Laccadive Islands and Minicoy.
People resisted the early British attempts to start
their kinds of schools. But by late 19 th century,
most of these islands had their schools, and this
was done, by allowing traditional 'madrasas' to
continue alongside the schools of the
administration. Prior to the re-organization of the
states, Lakshadweep was part of the Madras
state. On 1" November, these islands were formed
into a Union Territory. These islands had been
already declared Scheduled Districts, under the
Scheduled Districts Act of 1874, by the notification
of February 1889. By the Government of India' Act
of 1919, the territory was declared a "backward
tract" under Section 52-A. Under the Government
of India Act of 1935, these islands became
"excluded areas" and the constitution franted in
1950 retained the same immunities granted to the
areas under the 1935 act. The British introduced
the Permit system to regulate entry of outsiders to
visit the islands. A system that is followed even
today.
ii. The status of women
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Lakshadweep Islands
ancestral or tharavad property is passed on
through the female line of the family, thus ensuring
their economic independence. The husband is
obliged to make an annual payment towards the
maintenance of the wife as a part of the marriage
contract. There is a marked difference in the
status of women in Minicoy compared to the other
islands. The husband takes the wife's family name
after marriage. The women of the house manage
all family affairs. At any given time, two-thirds of
the adult male population is away working as
seamen on International shipping lines. The
famous traveler Marco-Polo has referred to
Minicoy as the Island of women. Minicoy women
are hard working and apply themselves to any
kind of work. This includes processing fish,
making copra, assisting in house construction and
village administration. The female chief
(Boduthatha) as the 'bead of the women's assembly
organizes women's labor for common purposes. In
the other islands however women are confined to
housework and child rearing.
iii. Population and demography
The UT of Lakshadweep has a steadily growing
population. The population figures and decadal
increases based on census reports are presented
in fignre 4.
Figure 4 - Population Growth
According to the 2001 census, the population of
Lakshadweep iu 60529. The island wise break up
of area and population is presented in figure 5.
The density of population is 1,894/sq km in 2001 as
against 1,616/sq km in 1991 and 1258/sq in 1981.
Lakshadweep stands the 4 th position in population
density for the whole of India. The first and second
An interesting feature of the culture of these being Delhi (9294) and Chandigarh (7,903)
islands is the matrilineal type of society, which respectively. The decennial population growth rate
follows the Marumakkathayam system of of Lakshadweep in 2001 is 17.19% as against
inheritance (Mannadiar, 1977). Under this system 28.47% in the previous decade of 1981-1991.
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