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Overview

Gujarat is the first State in India to establish the separate Rural Labour Commissionerate for unorganized and unprotected rural workers in the State. The main functions of the Commissionerate is to enforce the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 in the Employment of Agriculture and 13 other scheduled employment of Gram Panchayat area. Moreover, the officers under the Commissionerate are also inspectors under the child labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. The Inter State Migrant workmen (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Services) Act, 1979 and The Equal Remuneration Act, 1979, in Gram Panchayat areas in 13 scheduled employment.

The Commissionerate is responsible to ascertain as to whether the statutory minimum rates of wages area being paid by the farmers to the agricultural workers. In case of less wages, the inspectors are perusing the farmers, negotiate with the parties concerned, and try to solve the dispute amicably. The Commisionerate rehabilitates the bonded Labour (declared by the District Magistrate.) There are Vigilance Committees and Sub-Divisional Vigilance Committees at every district, headed by District Magistrate and Sub-Divisional Magistrate respectively. The Government Labour Officer (Agriculture) is the member Secretary of the Vigilance Committee in every district. It is submitted that no case of bonded labour found since 1986-87. But recently one suspected case is found out in Vadodara District which is pending before Sub-Divisional magistrate and first class judicial magistrate, Vadodara. The statement showing the progress report of implementation in M.W. Act, 1948 in the employment of Agriculture since 2001-02 to 2005-06 and 13 other scheduled employment of Gram Panchayat area.