LOK SABHA
Estimates of employment,
unemployment and labour force are obtained from quinquennial National
Sample Survey Organisation. As per the surveys carried out by
them during 1993-94 and 1999-2000, the percentage of workers engaged
in agriculture was around 65% and 60% respectively. Out of the
total of 397 million workers in the country in the year 1999-2000
the number of workers who worked less than 183 days in a year
was around 31 million. The annual average wage per workers engaged
as casual labour was Rs.7704 in rural areas and Rs.11748 in urban
areas during the year 1999-2000. The Government has launched various
employment oriented schemes like Sampoorna Grameen Rojgar Yojana
to provide wage employment whenever there is acute shortage of
employment such as lean agriculture seasons or drought. Some of
the other schemes include Swarnajyanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana,
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana etc. This was stated by the Minister
of State for Labour Shri Ashok Pradhan, in a written reply in
the Lok Sabha today.
