% Solution
Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The 'Badli' system is a unique feature of the Indian industrial labor market, particularly in sectors like textiles and manufacturing.
It reflects the 'dual' nature of the workforce: a small core of permanent workers and a large periphery of insecure workers.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The word 'Badli' is derived from 'Badal' (exchange or substitute).
Industrial units often face absenteeism among their permanent staff due to illness, travel to villages, or other reasons.
To keep the machines running without hiring more expensive permanent staff, factories maintain a list of 'Badli' workers.
Option (A): Badli workers are those who are employed in the post of a permanent worker or probationer who is temporarily absent.
They typically wait at the factory gates every morning. If a permanent worker doesn't show up, the 'Badli' worker is given work for that day.
They are essentially 'casual' or 'daily-wage' substitutes.
Options (B) and (C) are incorrect because Badli workers have very few rights. They don't get the same pay scale, health benefits, or job security as permanent workers.
Option (D) refers to 'putting-out' workers (like beedi rollers), which is a different category of informal labor.
The Badli system is a way for employers to reduce labor costs and avoid the legal obligations associated with permanent employment.
Sociologically, this creates a 'split labor market' where workers doing the same job have vastly different levels of protection and income.
In many cases, workers remain 'Badlis' for decades without ever being promoted to permanent status.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Badli workers are temporary substitutes for permanent employees, providing a flexible and cheap labor pool for industries.
Therefore, the correct option is (A).
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