MoS urges remedial measures for women workers

Coimbatore, Feb 17 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development D Purandeswari today urged the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation to conduct a study to assess drudgery, hazards and remedial measures, especially for women involved in agriculture.

Launching the Jamsetji Tata Training School (JTS) for Leadership in Rural Knowledge connectivity during the fourth Convocation of Jamesetji Tata National Virtual Academy for Rural Prosperity (NVA) at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) here, she said the objective was to provide knowledge-connectivity to every village in India by August this year which marks the 60th anniversary of India's Independence.

Ms Purandeswari said about 75 per cent of the Indian women population were from rural families and belonged to the small and marginal farmers and landless labourers.

She said, in India, a significant proportion of population was Below Poverty Line (BPL) and greater emphasis was laid on women's earnings by agriculture. 1991 census indicated that 43. 6 per cent of women were working as agricultural labourers and 34.5 per cent as cultivators, she added.

The minister said the number had increased during the 2001 census, more than 91. 2 million women were involved in agriculture which comprises about 39 per cent of the total agricultural workforce, an increase of about 11 per cent compared to early census.

By 2020, women participation was estimated to be around 129 million, which is 50 per cent in ratio, as more men were migrating to the urban areas in search of alternative sources of livelihood, she added.

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