And this charade has persisted for decades now. Amid all this, at a time when the “Gujarat model” is being discussed on global forums, agriculture labourers of the state are among the lowest paid in the country.
The average daily wage paid to agricultural labourers in Gujarat is the lowest among 20 states. Only Madhya Pradesh pays less to its farm workers than Gujarat. According to the data compiled by Centre’s Labour Bureau, an agriculture labourer in Gujarat is paid an average daily wage of Rs 169.32.
Incidentally, the average daily wage is different from the minimum daily wage notified by the state government. The average daily wage is calculated from the field by officials of the Labour Bureau on the basis of what is actually paid to farm workers. On the other hand, the minimum daily wage notified by the state government is what a worker should actually be paid by his employers.
The minimum daily wage notified by the Gujarat government currently stands at Rs 293 to Rs 284 for skilled workers and Rs 276 to Rs 268 for unskilled workers.
Unskilled labourers engaged in non-agricultural work are paid an average daily wage of Rs 190.53 which is better only than what is paid in Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.
In Kerala, the average daily wage is the highest at Rs 582.38 followed by J&K, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.
However, the average daily wages paid to skilled agricultural workers such as those involved in tilling, sowing or picking are better — between Rs 178 and Rs 212 — in Gujarat but they are still among the lowest in the country.