There is a quantum jump in the number of families going nuclear in Andhra Pradesh in just about a decade (2001-2011) with 75.6 per cent of the households now comprising single couple, indicating a major societal shift from the traditional joint family system, Census 2011 has revealed.
The rate at which families are turning nuclear in the State could be gauged from the fact that only 45 per cent were one couple households in 2001.
Call it forward looking or reflection of increasing tensions in the institution of joint family, the figure of 75 per cent is above all India phenomenon of 70.1 per cent and incidentally the highest among major States like Uttar Pradesh (64 per cent), Gujarat (66 ), Bihar (71) West Bengal (73 ) Tamil Nadu (74.4) and Karnataka ( 70.1). Only two small North Eastern states Nagaland (77.7) and Tripura (76.8) have surpassed Andhra Pradesh.
Several other changes have been brought out by the Census during the last decade. Usage of LPG as fuel of cooking has doubled from 19 per cent in 2001 to 35.8 per cent in 2011. That it has made inroads into rural households is borne out by the drop in use of firewood to 56.8 per cent households now from 68.8 per cent in 2001.
But strangely use of kerosene has gone up, though marginally, from 6.5 percent to 6. 9 per cent.
Notwithstanding the acute shortage of power now faced by the State, it has made some rapid progress in using electricity for lighting purpose with coverage going up 92.2 percent of households. No surprise that use of kerosene for household lighting has consequently dropped from 32 per cent to 6.9 per cent during the decade. Yet despite a promised push to solar energy, the usage has merely gone up marginally.
It may sound surprising but the humble bicycle continues to be the main mode of personal transportation for the households in the State with a mere drop of one percent in its usage in the decade. Households having two wheelers (scooters, motorcycle, mopeds) rose from 10 per cent to 18 per cent while cars, jeep and vans from 1.3 per cent to 2.7 per cent.
Quite expectedly, there is dramatic decadal growth in ownership of TV from 31 percent of households to 58.8 percent while radio and transistor appear to be sharply declining.
Another familiar feature was drop in ownership of landline from 8. 6 percent in 2001 to 4.1 percent in 2011 and sharp rise in use of mobile phones from zero to 54 per cent.
