Rural workforce of India: An insight

Labour in rural areas of the country is undergoing changes which need to be addressed as it has a direct impact on the overall development of the economy. In this direction, based on secondary data, the paper highlights the problems of declining contribution of rural sector in the overall national output despite housing about 70 per cent of the population. Since agriculture is the mainstay of the rural India, more of the workforce shifting away from agriculture despite no visible improvement in the growth rates of other sector raises concerns. Also, rise in unemployment rates, feminization and marginalization of women labour have become commonplace. Steps needs to be directed towards ensuring creation of gainful employment-opportunities in rural areas by focusing and offering skill development and education which further are-based on the policies for creation of remunerative non-farm employment.