Lok Sabha Question No. 5595 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-06
Subject: Tea Plantation Estates
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Naba (Hira) Kumar Sarania

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5595 (H) TO BE ANSWERED ON 06 th  APRIL, 2022

## TEA PLANTATION ESTATES

## 5595(H).    SHRI NABA KUMAR SARANIA:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY ( वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री ) be pleased to state:

- (a) the  number  of  tea  plantations/estates  in  the  country  owned  by  the  Union Government and the State Governments respectively;
- (b) the total number of employees engaged as labourers and management workers in all the Government sector tea plantations;
- (c) whether  the  private  sector  tea  plantation  labourers  are  paid  higher  wages  as compared to those working in public sector tea plantations;
- (d) if so, the facilities provided to the labourers and other workers in public sector tea plantations; and
- (e) the number of aforesaid employees who own pucca houses?

## ANSWER

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## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)

(a) & (b): The Central Government does not own any tea plantations. Two (2) tea garden/estate are owned by the State Governments and  there are 41 tea gardens owned under Public Sector Undertaking.  The details of the tea gardens owned by the State Governments and Public Sector Undertakings including the total number of employees and labourers are given at Annexure.

(c) to (e): The tea garden workers are covered under Minimum Wages Act, 1948. The fixation of minimum wages for the tea garden labourers, falls under the purview of the State Government which is the Appropriate Government to fix/revise the minimum wages. The tea plantation workers are paid wages as per the negotiated agreement reached, through a process of collective bargaining between the Producer Associations and Workers Unions under the aegis of the respective State Government.

The Plantations Labour (PL) Act, 1951 regulates the conditions of work in plantations and provides for the welfare of plantation labour including tea workers and their families. The Act, envisages the  employers  to  provide  the  workers  with  housing,  medical  facilities,  sickness  and  maternity benefits and other forms of social security measures. There are provisions for educational facility for the worker's children, drinking water, conservancy, canteens, creches and recreational facilities for the benefit of the plantation workers and their families in and around the work places in the plantation  estates.  The  Plantation  Labour  Act  is  implemented  through  the  concerned  State Government.

The welfare provisions of the Plantation Labour Act, 1951 have now been subsumed in two labour codes- the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 and Social Security Code, 2020.

*****

Tea Gardens owned by the State Governments:

| Sl. No   | Ownership of the Garden/State Government                                             | Name of the Tea Estate   | Total No. of Employee           | Total No. of Workers            |
|----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| 1        | Government of Sikkim                                                                 | Temi Tea Estate          | Executive - 3 Staff - 26        | 402 (Permanent) 164 (Temporary) |
| 2        | Government of Kerala Run by: Co- operative Department Chairman: Collector of Wayanad | Priyadarshini Tea Estate | Staff - 5 Special Category - 25 | 350                             |
| Total    | Total                                                                                | Total                    | Total                           | 916                             |

Tea Gardens owned by the Public Sector Undertakings:

| Sl.No                                                                                        | Name of the Tea Gardens                                                                      | State                                                                                        | Details of workers                               | Details of workers                               |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| Gardens owned by Tripura Tea Development Corporation Ltd, an Undertaking of Govt. of Tripura | Gardens owned by Tripura Tea Development Corporation Ltd, an Undertaking of Govt. of Tripura | Gardens owned by Tripura Tea Development Corporation Ltd, an Undertaking of Govt. of Tripura | Permanent                                        | Temporary                                        |
| 1                                                                                            | Brahmakunda Tea Estate                                                                       | Tripura                                                                                      | 110                                              | 68                                               |
| 2                                                                                            | Kamalasagar Tea Estate                                                                       | Tripura                                                                                      | 157                                              | 43                                               |
| 3                                                                                            | Machmara Tea Estate                                                                          | Tripura                                                                                      | 76                                               | 65                                               |
| Tea Gardens owned by M/s. Andew Yule &Comp. Ltd.                                             | Tea Gardens owned by M/s. Andew Yule &Comp. Ltd.                                             | Tea Gardens owned by M/s. Andew Yule &Comp. Ltd.                                             | Tea Gardens owned by M/s. Andew Yule &Comp. Ltd. | Tea Gardens owned by M/s. Andew Yule &Comp. Ltd. |
| 4                                                                                            | Bamunbari Tea Estate                                                                         | Assam                                                                                        | 86                                               | 0                                                |
| 5                                                                                            | Basmatia Tea Estate                                                                          | Assam                                                                                        | 529                                              | 645                                              |
| 6                                                                                            | Bogijan Tea Estate                                                                           | Assam                                                                                        | 273                                              | 130                                              |
| 7                                                                                            | Desam Tea Estate                                                                             | Assam                                                                                        | 673                                              | 748                                              |
| 8                                                                                            | Hingrijan Tea Estate                                                                         | Assam                                                                                        | 900                                              | 410                                              |
| 9                                                                                            | Hoolungoorie Tea Estate                                                                      | Assam                                                                                        | 950                                              | 1252                                             |
| 10                                                                                           | Khowang Tea Estate                                                                           | Assam                                                                                        | 937                                              | 900                                              |
| 11                                                                                           | Murphulani Tea Estate                                                                        | Assam                                                                                        | 398                                              | 650                                              |
| 12                                                                                           | Rajgarh Tea Estate                                                                           | Assam                                                                                        | 558                                              | 500                                              |
| 13                                                                                           | Tingkhong Tea Estate                                                                         | Assam                                                                                        | 1059                                             | 1440                                             |
| 14                                                                                           | Karbala Tea Estate                                                                           | West Bengal                                                                                  | 1659                                             | 542                                              |
| 15                                                                                           | New Dooars Tea Estate                                                                        | West Bengal                                                                                  | 1738                                             | 951                                              |
| 16                                                                                           | Choonabhuti Tea Estate                                                                       | West Bengal                                                                                  | 1214                                             | 372                                              |
| 17                                                                                           | Banarhat Tea Estate                                                                          | West Bengal                                                                                  | 1247                                             | 989                                              |
| 18                                                                                           | Mim Tea Estate                                                                               | West Bengal                                                                                  | 426                                              | 91                                               |

## ANNEXURE

| Gardens owned by Assam Tea Corporation Ltd.,                   | Gardens owned by Assam Tea Corporation Ltd.,                   | Gardens owned by Assam Tea Corporation Ltd.,                   |                                                               |                                                               |
|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19                                                             | Bholaguri Tea Estate                                           | Assam                                                          | 209                                                           | 0                                                             |
| 20                                                             | Deepling Tea Estate                                            | Assam                                                          | 1117                                                          | 0                                                             |
| 21                                                             | Neghreting Tea Estate                                          | Assam                                                          | 1184                                                          | 0                                                             |
| 22                                                             | Messamara Tea Estate                                           | Assam                                                          | 810                                                           | 0                                                             |
| 23                                                             | Rungmatty Tea Estate                                           | Assam                                                          | 788                                                           | 0                                                             |
| 24                                                             | Cinnamara Tea Estate                                           | Assam                                                          | 2064                                                          | 0                                                             |
| 25                                                             | Sycotta Tea Estate                                             | Assam                                                          | 2372                                                          | 0                                                             |
| 26                                                             | Naganijan Tea Estate                                           | Assam                                                          | 961                                                           | 62                                                            |
| 27                                                             | Longai Tea Estate                                              | Assam                                                          | 1624                                                          | 0                                                             |
| 28                                                             | Isabheel Tea Estate                                            | Assam                                                          | 1019                                                          | 0                                                             |
| 29                                                             | Bidyanagar Tea Estate                                          | Assam                                                          | 476                                                           | 205                                                           |
| 30                                                             | Amluckie Tea Estate                                            | Assam                                                          | 1134                                                          | 163                                                           |
| 31                                                             | Dejoo Valley Tea Estate                                        | Assam                                                          | 648                                                           | 120                                                           |
| 32                                                             | Loongsoong Tea Estate                                          | Assam                                                          | 917                                                           | 1111                                                          |
| 33                                                             | Rajabarie Tea Estate                                           | Assam                                                          | 156                                                           | 265                                                           |
| Gardens owned by Tamilnadu Tea Plantation Corporation Limited  | Gardens owned by Tamilnadu Tea Plantation Corporation Limited  | Gardens owned by Tamilnadu Tea Plantation Corporation Limited  | Gardens owned by Tamilnadu Tea Plantation Corporation Limited | Gardens owned by Tamilnadu Tea Plantation Corporation Limited |
| 34                                                             | Lawson Tea Division                                            | Tamil Nadu                                                     | 784                                                           | 0                                                             |
| 35                                                             | Tantea Cherambady,Cherangode & Kolapally Tea Divisions         | Tamil Nadu                                                     | 1623                                                          | 417                                                           |
| 36                                                             | Tantea Pandiar & Devala Tea Division                           | Tamil Nadu                                                     | 706                                                           | 217                                                           |
| 37                                                             | Naduvattam Tea Division                                        | Tamil Nadu                                                     | 365                                                           | 0                                                             |
| 38                                                             | Kotagiri Tea Division                                          | Tamil Nadu                                                     | 260                                                           | 6                                                             |
| 39                                                             | Coonoor Tea Division                                           | Tamil Nadu                                                     | 248                                                           | 12                                                            |
| Gardens owned by Karnataka Forest Development Ltd              | Gardens owned by Karnataka Forest Development Ltd              | Gardens owned by Karnataka Forest Development Ltd              | Gardens owned by Karnataka Forest Development Ltd             | Gardens owned by Karnataka Forest Development Ltd             |
| 40                                                             | Galibeedu Tea Project                                          | Karnataka                                                      | NA                                                            | NA                                                            |
| Gardens owned by Kerala Forest Development Corporation Limited | Gardens owned by Kerala Forest Development Corporation Limited | Gardens owned by Kerala Forest Development Corporation Limited |                                                               |                                                               |
| 41                                                             | Wayanad Tea Plantation Project                                 | Kerala                                                         | 118                                                           | 31                                                            |
| Total                                                          | Total                                                          | Total                                                          | 32573                                                         | 12405                                                         |

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