Shri A. Vijayaraghavan (standing) and Shri B. Venkat (Sitting, extreme left) at the 10th All India Conference of AIAWU

The Foundation for Agrarian Studies congratulates the All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) for the successful conduct of its 10th All India Conference from 15th to 18th February, 2023. It also congratulates Shri A. Vijayaraghavan and Shri B. Venkat for their re-election as the President and General Secretary of the organisation, respectively. Both of them were part of the Foundation’s 10th anniversary conference held at Kochi in 2014. Their inputs continue to enrich the research at the Foundation.

Agricultural workers are a crucial part of rural workforce constituting about 30 per cent of the rural population. FAS research indicates that while agriculture continues to be a major source of employment for these workers, they are also progressively turning to non-farm wage work. Strikingly, even small and medium farmers are increasingly turning to wage work owing to insufficient incomes from cultivation. In this context, the role of AIAWU in bringing about a progressive transformation of the Indian countryside is very important.

The Foundation wishes AIAWU all the best in their efforts.

Shri A. Vijayaraghavan (first from right) and Shri B. Venkat (second from right) with other delegates at the Foundation for Agrarian Studies’ 10th Anniversary Conference at Kochi in 2014.