NEW DELHI, July 24 - Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Bandaru Dattatreya denied existence of any law to pay sufficient compensation to dependants of labourers of tea garden in case of death of tea or ex-tea garden workers
However, the Plantation Labour Act, 1951 mandates the tea estates to provide basic welfare services and amenities, including housing, medical and primary education, water supply, sanitation to the tea workers.
Moreover, the workers of the tea industry are covered by all social security legislations like the Employees� Compensation Act, 1923, the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, the Employees� Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, the Maternity Benefit Act 1961, the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, the Assam Tea Plantation Provident Fund, Pension Fund and Deposit-Linked Insurance Fund Scheme Act, 1955 � only for Assam.
Besides, the Government implements through the Tea Board various welfare activities for tea plantation workers and their dependants in tea estates. The welfare activities undertaken by the Tea Board under the Human Resource Development (HRD) Scheme aims at improving the health and hygiene of workers, education of wards of workers and imparting training to improve skills of the growers/workers.
