Dear friend,
You are on a noble cause to take care of agricultural labourers. May God bless. It appears though they are all working in a field duty taking care of seasonal requirements (in your orchards I presume) they are borne on your regular muster roll as regular employees. I also presume they are covered under the respective acts/rules w.r.t. EPF, Maternity Benefits, ESI, Bonus, Gratuity, Minimum wages etc. It's difficult to comprehend/apply one set of personnel rules for one group and different rules for another group/set of the same co. for the simple reason that their work conditions are different (based on duty timings) etc. I do recognise the need to deploy the farm workers during wee hours and all holidays & rest days without break. And I couldn't advocate lesser benefits compared to their counterparts back in towns & cities, on the contrary they deserve liberal and preferential benefits in every aspects for the sacrifices they make in fields. I'm pained to see what injustice meted out to farm labourers (collar less) in our country compared to so called white/blue/grey collared executives. Why they should be treated as inferior to urbanites?. I therefore suggest same set of rules, with due extra remueration for holiday, rest day & OT work which will form part of your leave policy also.
Recently the GoI codified all labour related acts/rules compressing into fewer codes/act which is indicated in the appended link. You may take some clue from this as well to form your opinion to deal the matter. There are a few acts which applies to estates like tea, coffee & other plantation business which also can be consulted.
https://labour.gov.in/sites/default/...0Welfare_0.pdf
Quote -
" In line with the recommendations of the 2nd National Commission on Labour, Ministry of Labour & Employment has taken steps for simplification, amalgamation and rationalization of Central Labour Laws and replacing them with 4 Labour Codes viz. Code on Wages, Code on Industrial Relations, Code on Social Security & Welfare, and Code on Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions. Out of these,
first two i.e. Code on Wages and Code on Industrial Relations were earlier drafted and put on the Website of the Ministry of Labour & Employment inviting comments of the stakeholders/public. Both these Codes are under consideration of the Government at present.
2. Ministry has since prepared a Preliminary draft of the Code on Social Security & Welfare by
amalgamating all existing Labour Laws related to Social Security (total 15 Labour Laws including EPF Act, ESI Act, Maternity Benefit Act, Payment of Gratuity Act, Employees Compensation Act, Unorganised Social Security Act, and various Welfare Cess /Fund Acts). The draft of the Code on Social Security & Welfare is attached.