Rural Livelihoods

The people of Kalpattu village are engaged in several non-farm activities. Some of them are Baskets, utensils, pots, bricks and bullock-cart makers. There are people who go to nearby villages to work as construction workers. The village also has lorry drivers, washermen, weavers, blacksmiths, teachers, nurses. There are also cycle repair mechanics in the village.

There are big farmers like Ramalingam and Karuthamma who own lands along with some small farmers like Sekar and several landless labourers like Thulasi. While Ramalingam and Karuthamma provide employment to landless labourers and small farmers like Thulasi and Sekar, at the same time they exploit the poor people by paying them less and taking extra work from them.

Landless labourers like Thulasi are the poorest among all because they do not have land and are forced to work on lesser pay which is insufficient for their survival. At times, these people have to sell whatever they have to when they get into problems. Also, these people do not have a fixed income, therefore, their survival is always difficult. In India, nearly two out of every five families are agricultural labourer families. All of them depend upon the work they do on other people’s fields to earn a living.

If I were a member of a fishing family, then I would have said that taking loan from a bank for engine is a very good idea. An engine can be fixed to a catamaran and the catamaran can travel long distance in the sea where we can get a better catch. Moreover, taking a loan from the bank is safer than any local trader, because the bank rates are fixed and there is no chance of fraud or exploitation.

1. The situation presented in the chapter is not at all fair. On one hand, we have Ramalingam who owns huge land and also owns a rice mill. His living conditions are very good, he can afford to send his children to good schools and can fulfil every requirement of his family members.
2. While, Thulasi on the other hand is forced to work on Ramalingam’s land to provide basic services to her family. When she was young she could easily work on the paddy fields, but with age she finds it hard to bend down for longer hours during the day.
3. The government can offer schemes for the betterment of the landless farmers. Even distribution of land is also a good idea in which, those who do not have land should be given some land to cultivate.
4. The government can also, provide easy loans and seeds, fertilizers at subsidized rates to the small farmers until they become financially sound.

Yes, the government can help farmers like Sekar when they get into debt, by safeguarding their interests. The government should provide easy loans to small farmers at lesser rates with certain flexible terms. Insuring the crops is also a good option to compensate for the loss of the small farmers. Small funds can be given to the farmers so that they can buy seeds, pesticides and fertilizers etc. The government can also educate small farmers by opening farming schools free of cost.