Question : AGRICULTURAL LABOURERS

(a) the number of agricultural labourers living below the poverty line in the country, State-wise; and

(b) the efforts made by the Government to improve their financial condition?

MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI K. CHANDRASEKHAR RAO)

(a) & (b): A statement is annexed.

Statement referred to in part (a) to (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2746 for 12.12. 2005 regarding Agricultural Labourers

(a): The Government has made assessment of incidence of poverty for the population as a whole. According to the NSSO survey (1999-2000), about 26% of the population is living Below Poverty Line. Rural economy being agriculture based, a large number of agricultural labourers live below the poverty line. However, no estimate of poverty among agricultural labourers separately is available.

(b): The Central Government has launched several welfare and poverty alleviation/ employment generation schemes for the rural poor which, inter-alia, include agricultural workers. Some of such schemes are: Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana, Sampoorna Gramin Rojgar Yojana, Pradhanmantri Gram Sadak Yojana, National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), etc. The Government has recently enacted National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which provides for 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. Further, Janshree Bima Yojana providing for insurance cover to people living below or marginally above the poverty line is also available for workers in the unorganised sector including agricultural labourers. The Government has also redesigned the Universal Health Insurance Scheme (UHIS), which is available to families living below poverty line (BPL) which, inter-alia, include agricultur al labourers at subsidized annual premium.