Agricultural labourers brave adverse weather conditions, spending hours on the field to put food on people’s plates and to make ends meet. Despite being the backbone of this agricultural economy, they seem to have been ignored from the scheme of things aimed at uplifting the lot of the farming community.
“Agricultural labourers are in dire need of help from the government. Not only in terms of wages, they should also get help in the form of protection and medicare as they are exposed to hazardous chemicals while working in fields,” says a farmer, voicing concern for the farm workforce.
“The government should give us 25 kg subsidised rice and a pension of ₹2,000 every month,” demands Sharifa Begum and Putta Sayavva, farm labourers from Gollamada in Narsapur (G) mandal of Nirmal district. This, indeed, sums up the grouse of a large number of agricultural labourers in erstwhile united Adilabad district.
The government recently implemented Rythu Bandhu scheme, through which investment support of ₹4,000 per acre was extended to each farmer for the kharif season and an equal amount for rabi cultivation. Some big farmers even drew over ₹1 lakh under the scheme, the total disbursal in old Adilabad pegged at ₹700 crore so far.
There are 3,43,500 farmers of all descriptions in the area while the agricultural labour force strength stands at 4,84,912. The latter get employment for 60 to 70 days roughly during the five to six months of kharif season.
The current wages of farm workers range from ₹150 to 200 per day for women and ₹300 per day for men in Adilabad, Kumram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial and Nirmal districts. At several places in Adilabad, the wages were raised by ₹100 for women and ₹250 for men to the current rates only last year following protests.
“But how can we increase the wages every year,” asks Kokkula Pochanna from Kachkanti village in Adilabad mandal, when asked about sharing some of the investment support money with his labourers. Thakur Ramu of Gudlabori in Koutala mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district echoes him.
All India Trade Union Congress leader S. Vilas says, “We are staging protests for increase in wages of agricultural labourers in Adilabad and Boath mandals as it is unfair to expect them to work as per old wages when their employers have got the benefit of Rythu Bandhu.”