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Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 24, p. 336.

336 VI7AGAPATAM DLSTRICT in. case of disturbances in the Agency tract. The rural police in the Government taluks number 250. The District jail at Vizagapatam town has accommodation for 357 prisoners, and 22 sub-jails at the various tdluk and tahsil head-quarters (except Vizagapatam) are capable of holding altogether 427 prisoners. A large portion of the population consists of wild hill tribes; and hence it is not surprising to find that, according to the Census of 1901, the District takes the last place in the Presidency in point of educa- tion, only 3-2 per cent. of the population (6•r males and 0•4 females) being able to read and write. Considerable progress, however, has been made during the last two decades. The total number of pupils under instruction in the District in 1880-.r was 14,973 ; in 1890-1, 24,r42; in 1900-1, 31,98o; and in 1903-4, 36,025. The enormous majority of these were in primary classes. At the close of 1903-4 there were in the District 1,167 educa- tional institutions of all sorts, of which all but 104 were public insti- tutions. These included 1,020 primary, 31 secondary, and 1o training and special schools, and also the 2 Arts colleges at Vizagapatam and Vizianagram. The girls in them numbered altogether 5,019. Of the public schools, 69 were directly managed by the Educational department, 119 by local boards, and 17 by municipal councils. Those aided by grants from Government numbered 633, while 225 were unaided. There were in addition 30 special primary schools for Panchamas (depressed and backward castes), with 1,027 pupils. Only about 12 per cent. of the male population of school-going age were in the primary stage of instruction, and 2 per cent. of the female population of the same age. Among the Musalmans the corre- sponding percentages were high (61 and 25), but the followers of this faith in the District are few in number. The total expenditure on education in 1903-4 was RS. 2,77,000, of which Rs. 88,ooo was derived from fees. Of the total, Rs. 1,42,000 was devoted to primary instruction. The District contains 21 hospitals and 6 dispensaries, as well as 2 hospitals for 'caste' women, 4 police hospitals, and a lunatic asylum at Vizagapatam. The hospitals have accommodation for 299 in- patients. In 1903 the number of cases treated was 363,625, including 2,838 in-patients, and 7,132 operations were performed. The expendi- ture was Rs. 62,000, mostly met from Local and municipal funds. The progress of vaccination in recent years has been slow, the number of successful vaccinations in igoo-i being only 21 per 1,ooo of the population. In the succeeding years the figure rose to 27, but it- is still below the average for the Presidency. Vaccination is compulsory only in the four municipal towns.