Report No. 62

1.7. Number of agricultural employees.-

In this connection, mention should also be made of agricultural employees. According to the Report of the Census of India, 19711, the total number of workers in India is 180,949,809. Out of this, the number in rural areas is 148,998,809. The following are the numbers of workers employed in various activities in the rural and urban areas:-

	Activities	Rural	Urban
(a)	Cultivators	76544432	1632275
(b)	Agricultural Labourers	45569979	1919404
(c)	Live-stock, forestry, fishing, hunting and plantations, Orchards and Allied Activities	3785642	558159
(d)	Mining and Quarrying	601903	320859
(e)	Manufacturing processing, servicing and repairs	8164840	8902679
(f)	Construction	1096080	1119258
(g)	Trade and Commerce	3623301	6414942
(h)	Transport, storage and Communications	1210069	3191132
(i)	Other Services	7960131	7805344

We quote these figures to show the importance of considering the question of application of the Act to persons employed in agriculture.

1. Economic characteristics of Population (Selected Tables, series I-India), Census Paper 3 of 1972, pp. 2-4.