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Wage Rates in Rural India 2003-2004 |
The Technical Working Group on Rural Retail Prices set up by the NSSO in 1974, suggested to collect and compile the wage rate data for rural workers on a continuous monthly basis. In pursuance of these recommendations, the wage rate data in respect of 11 agricultural and 7 non-agricultural occupations are being collected every month along with rural retail prices in Schedule 3.01(R) from a fixed set of 600 sample villages spread over 66 N.S.S. regions of 20 States (Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Manipur, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal) since July, 1986. These data are being compiled and published w.e.f. the agricultural year 1995-96. In this booklet, daily wage rates for 20 States and All-India have been presented, occupation-wise and sex-wise, for the agricultural year 2003-04 (July to June). Some of the highlights of the data are summarised below:
a)
Agricultural occupations:
1. All-India annual average daily wage rates in different agricultural occupations during the year 2003-04 varied widely from Rs.40.46 for male herds-keepers to Rs.88.61 for male labour engaged in ‘well-digging’; from Rs.30.29 for female herds-keepers to Rs.49.69 for the female engaged in ‘harvesting’ activities; and from Rs.26.00 for child ploughers to Rs.36.57 for those employed in ‘sowing’ occupations.
2. Amongst agricultural occupations, ‘well digging’ was observed to be the highest paid activity for men followed by ‘ploughing’ and ‘sowing’ occupations. During the year 2003-04, the all-India average daily wage rates in ‘well digging’ varied from Rs.86.12 in May, 2004 to Rs.92.34 in October, 2003. It was noticed that the average wage rates for men in ‘well digging’ was the highest in the state of Kerala and the lowest in the state of Madhya Pradesh throughout the year.
3. ‘Harvesting’ occupation fetched maximum wages for women followed by ‘transplanting’ and ‘threshing’ occupations. The all-India average daily wage rates for women in ‘harvesting’ occupation ranged between Rs.47.75 in November, 2003 to Rs.51.73 in August, 2003.
4. Children got highest wages in ‘sowing’ occupation in the range of Rs.34.31 in September, 2003 to Rs.39.08 in March, 2004 followed by ‘transplanting’ and ‘cane crushing’’ occupations.
5. ‘Herds-keeping’ was observed to be the least remunerative occupation for men and women workers as the annual average daily wage rates were as low as Rs.40.46 and Rs.30.29 respectively, whereas for children ‘ploughing’ occupation fetched the lowest wages of Rs.26.00 during the year 2003-04.
b)
Non-agricultural occupations:
6. The all-India annual average daily wage rates in non- agricultural occupations also varied widely from Rs.50.81 for male ‘sweepers’ to Rs.119.38 for male ‘masons’; from Rs.44.48 for female ‘unskilled labourers’ to Rs.49.87 for female ‘sweepers’; and Rs.29.41 for ‘unskilled child labour’.
7. Amongst non-agricultural occupations, ‘masonry’ was observed to be the highest paid occupation for men followed by ‘carpentry’ and ‘blacksmithy’ occupations. During the year 2003-04, the all-India average daily wages for male ‘masons’ ranged between Rs.118.12 in July, 2003 to Rs.121.14 in June, 2004.
8. ‘Sweeping’ was the highest paid occupation for women as their all-India average daily wages in that occupation varied from Rs.48.52 in December, 2003 & March, 2004 to Rs.51.37 in August, 2003.
9. During the year 2003-04, the all-India average daily wages of children engaged as ‘unskilled labourers’ ranged between Rs.28.97 in April, 2004 to Rs.29.72 in January, 2004.
10. ‘Sweeping’ was found to be the lowest paid occupation for men during the year under reference with an all-India average daily wage rate of Rs.50.81. For women, ‘Unskilled labourers’ was observed to be the lowest paid occupation with an average daily wage rate of Rs.44.48.
11. The average daily wage rates for women were found to be generally lower than those for men in most of the occupations. These can largely be attributed to variations in the number of quotations as the wage differential based on sex was not that significant at sample village level.
12. None of the female workers were found employed either as ‘carpenters’, or ‘blacksmiths’, or ‘cobblers’ or as ‘tractor drivers’ as no wage rate was reported for these occupations during the year 2003-04.