Govt hikes wages of seasonal agri-labourers

In another pro-people step, the state government has decided to enhance the daily wages of all seasonal and contractual workers under the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare department with effect from 1st April, 2023.

Addressing a press conference here at Civil Secretariat on Monday evening, Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath said that altogether 1321 seasonal labourers are working in the department including 715 in Agriculture department and 606 more labourers are working under Horticulture department.

He said that on April 20 last he visited Horticulture Research centre at Nagicherra and met such season labourers , who are getting less wages and among the total 1,321 labourers , maximum are getting on Rs. 212 per day, where are few are also getting Rs. 226 and  Rs, 323 in various fields of the department.

He assured that labourers that government will take positive steps to hike the wages and after consultation with all top authorities of the department, the government has decided to hike their wages at Rs. 385 per day with effect from April 1st, 2023 and hoped that all the seasonal labourers of the department will now get the  benefit.

Nath also said that at present the state has required 9.37 lakh metric tons of food grains and produced 8.71 lakh metric tons and the government is working round the clock to make the state self-sufficient in food grain production.

He also said that during the last five years, the state government has earned foreign revenue of Rs. 18 crore by exporting tamarind, wood apple, jackfruit, betel leaves and lemon in different parts of the world.