Digging, ploughing most remunerative: survey

New Delhi, Feb 6 (UNI) Well digging and ploughing are the highest paid agricultural occupations in rural India with Kerala topping the list having an average daily wage of Rs. 244.14 for ploughing to be followed by Rs. 134.17 in Himachal Pradesh and Rs. 120.71 in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the Labour Bureau, the all-India average daily wage during September 2006 for well digging and ploughing were Rs.

99.66 and Rs. 79.93 respectively. UNI bdas 1754 The lowest average daily wage of Rs. 52.01 for ploughing was in Madhya Pradesh.

Well digging was equally remunerative in Kerala with average daily wage of Rs. 215.45 followed by Rs. 118.43 in Tamil Nadu.

Sowing is also remunerative in Kerala with men receiving average daily wage of Rs. 213.41.

In case of women, harvesting was the highest paid occupation with an all-India average daily wage of Rs. 56.22. Women in Himachal Pradesh received as much as Rs. 121.00 as daily wage for harvesting.

Transplanting and threshing were other better paid occupations, which provided a daily average wage of Rs. 54.37 and Rs. 53.59 respectively.

The least average daily wage of Rs. 42.51 was paid to herdsmen while their female counterparts received even lower at Rs. 33.01.

The maximum disparity in average daily wage between men and women was in well digging occupations with men receiving Rs. 99.66 and women Rs. 51.82. The least difference was in sweeping occupation in which men got an average all-India wage of Rs. 53.09 and women Rs. 50.37.

The average all-India daily wages for agricultural occupations during September 2006 were as follows: (In Rs.) Occupation Men Women Ploughing 79.93 42.78 Sowing 73.20 51.36 Weeding 61.96 49.96 Transplanting 66.98 54.37 Harvesting 69.49 56.22 Winnowing 66.32 49.64 Threshing 66.97 53.59 Picking* 67.60 49.25 Herdsmen 42.51 33.01 Well digging 99.66 51.82 Cane crushing 72.79 43.00 * Picking includes picking of cotton balls/seed, pods, jute stalks, tea leaves etc.

UNI