Neglect of farm labourers by policy makers came in for harsh criticism at the 11th conference of Tamil Nadu Agricultural Workers Union organised by the Communist Party of India (CPI) here.
The three-day conference culminated on Friday.
Pension for agricultural workers, house sites, land for cultivation, quality education for children of farm workers, better allocation under free house scheme, proper implementation of SC/ST sub-plan, a central legislation for welfare of agricultural workers, and larger attention to implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme were the points that received optimum emphasis in the speeches of national and state functionaries of CPI, including senior party leader R. Nallakannu, and State Secretary D. Pandian.
“We will continue to pressurise Central and State Governments with our charter of demands. A demonstration will be conducted at all the district headquarters in the country on October 15,” Nagendranath Ojha, General Secretary of CPI’s Bharathiya Keth Mazdoor Union, and former Member of Parliament, said.
Mr. Nagendranath called for enactment of a separate ‘Pension Act’ for agricultural workers, ensuring minimum of Rs. 3,000 per month, 15 cents of house site for each worker, and land for cultivation, without which, he pointed out, poverty cannot be eradicated.
The Central Government must allot not less than Rs. 3 lakh per unit of house, and the State governments have to pitch in with their own contributions, for the group houses constructed under Indira Awaz Yojana.
A Central legislation was necessary for welfare of agricultural workers.
At present, such legislation has been enacted only by the Kerala and Puducherry governments, Mr. Narendranath said.
Referring to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, he criticised the Central Government for attempting to alter the wage-material proportion from 60:40 to 51:49. The existing proportion must remain.
There should be no diversion of funds, he said, and demanded daily wage of Rs. 400 per worker.
The other demands he highlighted included quality education for children of agricultural workers, better compensation for land acquisition, proper implementation of health insurance scheme, and amendment to the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.
