Notes: Rural Labour | Sociology Mains Optional for UPSC 2024 PDF Download

 Page 1


 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
Sleepy Classes 
C (ii) Rural and Agrarian transformation in India 
 
Problems of Rural Labour 
Composition ->  
Rural labour comprising of agricultural & non – agri labourers and artisans.  
 
Earlier ->  
Jajmani: Traditionally upper castes dominated lower serving caste under patron–client relation 
via Jajmaani System (Willian Wiser -  characterized by regulated frustration) 
Then 
Britishers: Exploitation ? Britishers introduced private property through land system and made 
system more exploitative. It created class of landowners , sharecroppers, land labourers 
(increased indebtedness, socio –economic exclusion) 
After Independence  
LR, GR: Their own problems -> Patriarchy, Suicides, etc.  
Numerous measures by govt. including LRs, GR. But failed schemes further aggravated the 
problems of Rural Labourers. 
- Biggest sufferers were women and children. 
- Increased farmer suicide 
- Poverty , deprivation 
- Corruption in govt. schemes 
- Poor wages 
- Unequal land access led to conflicts 
Anand Chakravorty (Power faction) – hegemonistic domination by rich farmers. 
Solution: Needed comprehensive integrated targeted approach by govt. 
 
  
Page 2


 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
Sleepy Classes 
C (ii) Rural and Agrarian transformation in India 
 
Problems of Rural Labour 
Composition ->  
Rural labour comprising of agricultural & non – agri labourers and artisans.  
 
Earlier ->  
Jajmani: Traditionally upper castes dominated lower serving caste under patron–client relation 
via Jajmaani System (Willian Wiser -  characterized by regulated frustration) 
Then 
Britishers: Exploitation ? Britishers introduced private property through land system and made 
system more exploitative. It created class of landowners , sharecroppers, land labourers 
(increased indebtedness, socio –economic exclusion) 
After Independence  
LR, GR: Their own problems -> Patriarchy, Suicides, etc.  
Numerous measures by govt. including LRs, GR. But failed schemes further aggravated the 
problems of Rural Labourers. 
- Biggest sufferers were women and children. 
- Increased farmer suicide 
- Poverty , deprivation 
- Corruption in govt. schemes 
- Poor wages 
- Unequal land access led to conflicts 
Anand Chakravorty (Power faction) – hegemonistic domination by rich farmers. 
Solution: Needed comprehensive integrated targeted approach by govt. 
 
  
 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
Sleepy Classes 
Bondage 
Rudra + Bardhan: 
- Unattached 
- Attached 
o Extremely 
o Fully 
o Semi  
Supreme Court said in Asiad case, where there was use of child labour to complete the projects in 
time: 
- Anyone who’s paid less than minimum wages is a boned labour. 
Also, Highlighted recently by Kailash Satyartho’s Bachpan Bachao Andolan. 
 
Types of Bondages Wintessed: 
- Debt based 
- Kinship based  
- Widowhood based 
- Marriage based 
- Displacement based 
 
Economic causes:  
Main cause poverty  
- Extreme poverty of people 
- Inability to find work for livelihood 
- Inadequate land holdings 
- Lack of alternative small-scale loans for the rural and urban poor 
- Natural calamities like droughts and floods 
- Absence of rains 
- Meager income from forest produce 
- Inflation and constant rising prices 
  
Social Causes: 
- Unequal access to opportunities because of social disabilities  
- High expenses on social occasions like marriage, death 
- Caste based discrimination 
- Lack of concrete welfare schemes 
- Non-compulsory and unequal education system 
- Indifference and corruption among govt. officials 
Page 3


 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
Sleepy Classes 
C (ii) Rural and Agrarian transformation in India 
 
Problems of Rural Labour 
Composition ->  
Rural labour comprising of agricultural & non – agri labourers and artisans.  
 
Earlier ->  
Jajmani: Traditionally upper castes dominated lower serving caste under patron–client relation 
via Jajmaani System (Willian Wiser -  characterized by regulated frustration) 
Then 
Britishers: Exploitation ? Britishers introduced private property through land system and made 
system more exploitative. It created class of landowners , sharecroppers, land labourers 
(increased indebtedness, socio –economic exclusion) 
After Independence  
LR, GR: Their own problems -> Patriarchy, Suicides, etc.  
Numerous measures by govt. including LRs, GR. But failed schemes further aggravated the 
problems of Rural Labourers. 
- Biggest sufferers were women and children. 
- Increased farmer suicide 
- Poverty , deprivation 
- Corruption in govt. schemes 
- Poor wages 
- Unequal land access led to conflicts 
Anand Chakravorty (Power faction) – hegemonistic domination by rich farmers. 
Solution: Needed comprehensive integrated targeted approach by govt. 
 
  
 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
Sleepy Classes 
Bondage 
Rudra + Bardhan: 
- Unattached 
- Attached 
o Extremely 
o Fully 
o Semi  
Supreme Court said in Asiad case, where there was use of child labour to complete the projects in 
time: 
- Anyone who’s paid less than minimum wages is a boned labour. 
Also, Highlighted recently by Kailash Satyartho’s Bachpan Bachao Andolan. 
 
Types of Bondages Wintessed: 
- Debt based 
- Kinship based  
- Widowhood based 
- Marriage based 
- Displacement based 
 
Economic causes:  
Main cause poverty  
- Extreme poverty of people 
- Inability to find work for livelihood 
- Inadequate land holdings 
- Lack of alternative small-scale loans for the rural and urban poor 
- Natural calamities like droughts and floods 
- Absence of rains 
- Meager income from forest produce 
- Inflation and constant rising prices 
  
Social Causes: 
- Unequal access to opportunities because of social disabilities  
- High expenses on social occasions like marriage, death 
- Caste based discrimination 
- Lack of concrete welfare schemes 
- Non-compulsory and unequal education system 
- Indifference and corruption among govt. officials 
 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
Sleepy Classes 
 
Religious causes: 
- Arguments used to convince the people of low castes that religion enjoins upon them to 
serve people of high castes.  
- Illiteracy 
- Ignorance & Immaturity   
- Lack of skill and professional training sustain such beliefs. 
 
Broadly Speaking: 
Bondage originates mainly from economic and social pressures. 
 
T. Brass 
- Deproletariasation of agri. Workers 
o Workers are dispersed 
o Can’t organize 
o Become Bonded.  
S. Jodhka 
- Workers keeping getting attached voluntarily 
- Constantly into relations of mortgaging (and they keep returning the debt with their 
labour) 
 
Policy Initiatives: 
 
- Article 23 -> Forced Labour prohibited  
- Bonded Labour System ( Abolition) Act -- it includes 
o Identification 
o Release 
o Action against offenders 
o Regular meetings of vigilance committees 
o Conferring of judicial powers to executives, magistrates 
 
But there still lies problems in: 
- Identification 
- Economic rehabilitation