Socio – Economic Impact of Oil Industry: A Case Study of Dibrugarh District, Assam

Crude oil is the most essential mineral that is being utilized by every nation. It is a combination of hundreds of varieties of chemicals rather than a single chemical. Currently, it has become an essential part of daily life of human civilization. The oil business or the oil patch, comprises the global procedures of investigation, extraction, refining, transporting (frequently by oil tankers and pipelines), and showcasing of oil based commodities. Fuel oil and Gasoline (petrol) are the enormous magnitude products of the industry. During the British rule in India, Lieutenant Wilcox incidentally found oil in Assam for the first time. In 1866 first oil well was mined near Jaypore. Later drilling started in Digboi, Naharkotiya and Moran regions. Oil India Private Limited (OIL) was consolidated to build up the newfound oil fields. As the consequence of consistent investigation activities, oil was later found in numerous others spots of Assam. Present study is based on the field survey of Dibrugarh district of Assam, which is rich in oil fields. This industry has considerable impact on the socio-economic life of the people in the area. The research focus was on the socio-economic impact of the oil industry in this region. A field survey through questionnaire with 75 samples was conducted on the regions of Duliajan, Naharkotiya and Moran. The oil industry in the area has proved to be a major advantage for the region, since it has improved the socio-economic conditions of the region.