KHAMMAM: Agricultural labourers have found less laborious jobs amidst the heat and dust of a high-stake election campaigning. They are being engaged by candidates contesting in the Assembly elections for campaigning in erstwhile Khammam district.
The labourers are getting better wages plus free breakfast, meals, and a quarter bottle whisky throw in. Less working hours -- from 8 am to 12 noon and 4 pm to 7 pm -- and novelty of the job compared to field work in the blazing sun are other incentives.
As a result, the farmers are facing a shortage of workforce for their agricultural operations. They desperately need a workforce for harvesting cotton crops, weeding operations in chilli fields, tending to vegetables, etc. Three lakh acres are under the cultivation of cotton, chili and vegetables in the district. However, the labourers are reluctant to work in the fields as they find campaign activities more attractive.
Kanuku Venkateswarlu, an agricultural labourer from Narasapuram village of Dummagudem Mandal, said, “We are participating in BRS and Congress campaigns due to pressure from local leaders.” N Srilakshmi from Enkoor village said, “A woman earns Rs 300 per day, while a man is being paid Rs 400 by a candidate for campaigning in addition to free breakfast and meals. Campaign work involves limited working hours and less physical strain compared to working in the fields from morning to evening.”
Speaking to TNIE, G Rambabu, a cotton farmer from Enkoor village, said, “We are worried because of the labour shortage at this crucial period.” D Nageswara Rao, a BRS leader from Vemsoor village, said, “There is a huge demand for labour in the village as all parties are using them in door-to-door campaigns.”