1.
Agricultural Labor in
India
A IMBA Vth Presentation
 Aaliya Nazir
 Sanna Amin
 Taiba Sahaf

2.
Industrial
Workers
Organized
Sector
Agricultural
Labor

3.
Difficulties in defining Agricultural Labor
1. Lack of capitalism
2. Small and marginal farmers work on the
farms of others

4.
Understanding Agricultural Labor
 The First Agricultural Labour Enquiry Committee 1950-55
defined Agricultural Labourer as - “Those people who
are engaged in raising crops on payment of wages”
 The Second Agricultural Labour Enquiry Committee 1956-
57 enlarged the distribution to include - "Those who are
engaged in other agricultural occupations like dairy,
farming, horticulture, raising of live-stock, bees,
poultry etc.”

5.
Understanding Agricultural Labor
 First A.L.E.C gave the concept of Agricultural Labour
Household
“If half or more members of household have wage,
employment in agriculture then those households should
be termed as agricultural labour household.”
 The Second Committee:
If 50% or more of its income is derived as wages for work
rendered in agriculture only, then it could be classed to
agricultural labour household.

6.
Understanding Agricultural Labor
According to the National Commission
on Labour:
"an agricultural laborer is one who is
basically unskilled and unorganized
and has little for its livelihood, other
than personal labour."

7.
Classification of Agricultural Labor
Agriculture
Laborers
Landless
Laborer
Attached to
landlords
Independent
but work for
others
Petty Farmers
Farmers
(independent)

8.
Classification of Agricultural Labor
Agricultural
Laborer
Landless
Agricultural
Laborer
Small
Cultivators

9.
Further Classifications
Landless
Laborers
Permanent
Laborers with
Cultivating
Households
Casual
Laborers
Cultivators
Share
Croppers
Lease
Holders

10.
Characteristics of Agricultural Laborers
 Agricultural Laborers are Scattered
 Agricultural Laborers are Unskilled and Lack Training
 Unorganized Sector
 Low Social Status
 Demand and Supply of Labour
 Less Bargaining Power
 At the Bidding of the Landlord

11.
Causes for Growth
The more important among them are :
 Increase in population
 Capitalistic Agriculture
 Displacement of means of subsidiary occupations
 Decline of cottage industries and handicrafts
 Eviction of small farmers and tenants from land
 Uneconomic Holdings
 Increase in indebtedness
 Spread of the use of money and exchange system
 Break-up of joint family system.

12.
Measures taken by the Government to
improve the Conditions of Agricultural
Laborers
Passing of Minimum Wage Act.
 Abolition of Bonded Labourers
 Providing land to landless labourers
 Provision of Housing cities to
houseless

13.
Special schemes for providing
employment
Crash Scheme for Rural Employment (CSRE)
Pilot Intensive Rural Employment Project
(PIREP)
Food for works programme (FWP)
National Rural Employment Programme
(NREP)
Rural Landless Employment Programme
(RLEP)
Drought Prone Area Programme (It was
known as Rural Works Programme)

14.
 Jawahar Rojgar Yojana (which come in with the
merger of NREP and RLEGP)
 Desert Development Programme
 National Scheme of Training of Rural Youth for Self
Employment (TRYSM)
 Development of Women and Children in Rural
Areas (DWCRA)
 Abolition of Bonded Labourer Act
 Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)
 Krishi Shamik Samajik Suraksha Yojna from
1.7.2001 to provide social security

15.
Suggestions for the Improvement of
Agricultural Labour :
 Better implementation of legislative measures.
 Improvement in the bargaining position
 Resettlement of agricultural workers
 Creating alternative sources of employment
 Protection of women and child laborers
 Public works programs should be for longer period
in year

16.
Laws governing Agricultural Labor in
India
 Minimum Wages Act 1948
 Plantation Labor Act 1951
 A comprehensive Legislation underway
 Agricultural Worker Welfare fund
 Multi dimensional Course of Action
i. Improvement of Infrastructural facilities
ii. Diversification to non farm activities
iii. Financial Assistance to promote self employment
iv. Optimizing use of Land Resources through a variety of rural
development, poverty alleviation and employment generation
programmes