The Labour Requisition Book
Chapter Thirty-One
Syllabus topic 5, "Types of Farm Records- Specimen. (Muster roll, Overseer’s diary, Cultivation register, Cashbook, Stock book, Issue register, Receipt register, Labour requisition book, Attendance register, Deadstock, Ration book, Peon book, General register)."
Pages 70 to 71 of 110
In one line
The labour requisition book is the record of labour demanded before the work is done: how many hands are needed, for which operation, on which field, on which day, and who approved it.
The idea that makes it worth a chapter
The muster roll records the labour that came. The labour requisition book records the labour that was asked for.
That is the demand side and the supply side of the same transaction, recorded by different people at different times, and the comparison between them is a control that neither record can give alone.
An overseer who musters fifteen hands where seven were sanctioned has to explain the difference. Without a requisition book there is no difference to explain, because there is nothing to compare with.
Why it is kept
- To plan labour ahead of the operation, so that the gang is arranged before the day.
- To fix the sanctioned strength for each operation.
- To route the demand through the proprietor, so labour cost is authorised before it is incurred and not merely paid after.
- To be the basis for engaging casual labour, and for telling a contractor how many to send.
- To compare labour demanded with labour used, and so to control the largest cost on the farm.
- To build a record of labour requirement by operation, which is the beginning of a labour budget.
The specimen
Shivneri Farm, Baramati. Labour requisition book.
| Req. No. | Date raised | Required on | Field | Operation | Hands required | Days | Sanctioned by | Actually mustered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-88 | 03-11-2026 | 05-11 to 10-11 | 1 | Irrigation | 1 | 6 | D. B. Kadam | 5 |
| R-89 | 03-11-2026 | 05-11 to 14-11 | 3 | Weeding, first round | 2 | 6 | D. B. Kadam | 11 |
| R-91 | 08-11-2026 | 10-11 to 28-12 | 4 | Cotton picking, four rounds | 3 | 48 | D. B. Kadam | 48 |
| R-92 | 12-11-2026 | 14-11 to 20-11 | 2 | Cane cutting | 1 | 8 | D. B. Kadam | 6 |
| R-93 | 16-11-2026 | 19-11 | Dairy | Feed handling | 1 | 1 | D. B. Kadam | 1 |
The last column is filled from the muster roll after the work, and any difference is explained in the remarks column of the diary.
How it works in practice
The overseer raises the requisition a few days before the operation, from the crop calendar and from what the field needs.
The proprietor sanctions it, and the sanction is the authority to incur the cost. A large farm may require a written sanction; a small one an initial on the page.
The requisition number then travels. It appears on the muster roll, so the roll can be traced to the sanction, and on the issue register where stores are drawn for the same operation.
After the work, the actual is entered from the muster roll, and the two are compared.
The rest of this chapter
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The rest of this subject
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