Live
- Average grievance redressal time reduced to 13 days
- Cong leader dares Kishan Reddy to bathe in and drink Musi water
- Bonanza for Warangal as govt rains funds ahead of CM’s visit
- No confidence in Biren Singh govt, NPP supremo says after a day after withdrawing support
- Women of steel: Promoting environment conservation, come what may
- APSSDC signs tripartite MoU to upgrade skills of AP youth
- ‘AAP govt settling Rohingyas in Delhi, giving voter cards’
- Students advised to pursue excellence through learning
- Cold wave hits AP, Telangana: temperatures plunge to single digits
- AAP replaces Gahlot with another Jat face in Cabinet
Women agri labourers face hard times
The landless women agricultural labourers residing in the 29 villages which come under the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), who once used to share the burden of running the family, have become jobless for the past three years.
Amaravati: The landless women agricultural labourers residing in the 29 villages which come under the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), who once used to share the burden of running the family, have become jobless for the past three years.
Highlights:
- As the govt has taken over farm lands for capital construction, the women have lost their jobs
- Earlier, they used to earn Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 per month
- Now with the women losing jobs, men are lone breadwinners earning Rs 200 to Rs 300 per day working in sand reaches
These families are now facing difficulties with lone male breadwinners earning meagre income working in sand reaches.
With the government taking over the lands in the villages for the capital construction, the landless labourers, especially women have become jobless, as there is no suitable work for them.
Earlier, they used to work in agricultural fields in their own villages and earn about Rs 5,000-6,000 per month and lend the required support to their families.
Despite, the government providing a pension of Rs 2,500 per month to each family belonging to landless agricultural labourers, the amount is insufficient for the needs of a family.
Thuraka Nagendramma, a landless poor woman belonging to Borupalem village of Thullur mandal (located at the tail-end area of the capital region), is facing severe hardships to look after her family consisting of three children as her husband Wilson Babu too has become jobless as there is no agriculture activity in the village.
About 60 families living in SC Colony in Borupalem village are striving hard to feed their children. The women, who are used to supporting their husbands while working in the agricultural fields, have now become jobless. Several of the male labourers are working in sand reaches earning Rs 200-300 per day, which is in no way enough to lead a family.
“Before the land pooling, our village consisting of more than 500 acres of fertile land was under cultivation where three crops were produced round the year. I used to work as a farm labourer and was getting an income of Rs 1500-2000 per week. As both I and my husband are farm labourers our income was enough to run the family with three children happily.
But after this land pooling scheme came, almost all the lands were surrendered to the government and no cultivation activity was seen during the past two years. My husband is going to nearby sand reach working as loading and unloading labourer, who gets Rs 300-500 per day, that too not regularly. With the Rs 2,500 pension provided by the government how can I run my family,” Nagendramma asks.
Speaking to The Hans India, S Raja Rao, a middle-aged landless agricultural labourer of Borupalem village said that more than 60 families of SC Colony have been suffering a lot due to lack of work.
“We don’t have work in the agricultural fields as all the lands have been taken over by the CRDA. No agricultural operation is taking place and some of our neighbours have also migrated to other places in search of work. I have to feed my wife and three children. The government has not shown any alternative work to us.
Presently I am working in nearby sand reach as a labourer, where I get Rs 300-400 per day, which is also not regular. The sand reach at Borupalem has also almost become empty and I can’t work from next week onwards. Under these circumstances I don`t know how to take care of my family with three children,” Raja Rao said.
Such a situation is not just confined to Borupalem. The landless farm labourers belonging to Lingayapalem, Thullur, Rayapudi, Modugalingayapalem, Thalayapalem, Mandadam and Venkatapalem have also been struggling due to lack of proper monthly income.
“The government has not provided any alternative work to us and asking us to survive with meagre Rs 2,500 pension per family. We can`t leave this village and migrate to some other place as we have own house given by the previous government. Now, we at least have a shelter to live with two children.
My husband who was a farm labourer has now became a worker in a hotel. Survival itself has become a big question to us. The government is not bothered about our plight and its main aim is to grab as much land as possible,” said D Sivakumari of Rayapudi village.
By T Sudhakar
