In the state of Punjab, the heart of the green revolution in India, a large fraction of agricultural labour is expended by migrant workers. The unplanned lockdown imposed by the Indian government affected paddy transplantation, a labour-intensive activity in Punjab primarily due to interstate restrictions on movement. Drawing on a primary survey in a village from the Malwa region of Punjab, the paper examines the changes in agrarian relations in rural Punjab due to the Covid-19 pandemic by critically analysing the dynamics of capital labour relations. The restriction on labour movement and unilateral imposition of transplantation wage rates by a few Panchayats in Punjab (dominated by capitalist landlords and rich peasants) has intensified class conflict in the state. The Punjab government's policies, which are driven by the capitalist landlords and rich peasants, have played a significant role in the increased exploitation of workers. The paper concludes with a brief evaluation of the changes induced by Covid-19 in the agrarian political economy of Punjab.

中文翻译：

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印度旁遮普邦的资本主义农业、COVID-19 和农业劳动关系


在印度绿色革命的中心旁遮普邦，很大一部分农业劳动力是由农民工消耗的。印度政府计划外实施的封锁影响了水稻移植，这是旁遮普邦的一项劳动密集型活动，主要是由于州际流动限制。本文基于对旁遮普省马尔瓦地区一个村庄的初步调查，通过批判性分析资本劳动关系的动态，探讨了因 Covid-19 大流行而导致旁遮普省农村地区土地关系的变化。旁遮普邦少数潘查亚特（资本家地主富农主导）对劳动力流动的限制和单方面强行移植工资率，加剧了该邦的阶级冲突。旁遮普政府在资本主义地主和富农的推动下推行的政策，在加剧对工人的剥削方面发挥了重要作用。本文最后简要评估了 Covid-19 给旁遮普邦农业政治经济带来的变化。