Lok Sabha Question No. 105 (STARRED), answered on 2025-12-08
Subject: Job Security and Welfare Measures for Tea Garden Workers in Assam
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Gaurav Gogoi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. 105 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.12.2025

## JOB SECURITY AND WELFARE MEASURES FOR TEA GARDEN WORKERS IN ASSAM

*105. SHRI GAURAV GOGOI:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)whether the Government has data on the number of tea garden workers  in  Assam  who  lack  formal  job  contracts,  access  to sanitation facilities and receipt of Provident Fund benefits and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)the details of the specific measures taken by the Government to improve social security coverage, maternity benefits and workplace conditions for tea garden workers, especially for women workers;
- (c)whether the Government proposes to extend the coverage of the Employees' State Insurance (ESI) and Ayushman Bharat Yojana to all the tea garden workers and their families in Assam; and
- (d)whether  any  monitoring  or  grievance  redressal  mechanism  has been established to ensure effective implementation of welfare and labour laws in the tea garden sector?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA)

(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House. *                                                  *****

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.105 DATED 08.12.2025 BY SHRI GAURAV  GOGOI  REGARDING  'JOB  SECURITY  AND  WELFARE

MEASURES FOR TEA GARDEN WORKERS IN ASSAM'. (a) to (d): In the State of Assam, approximately 3,21,516 workers -comprising  1,20,670  males  and  2,00,846  females -are  engaged  in casual nature work during the production period by the Tea Garden Management. Tea garden workers are provided with, and avail, sanitation facilities as mandated under the Plantations Labour Act, 1951  and  the  rules  framed  thereunder.  This  Act  has  now  been subsumed  under  the  Occupational  Safety,  Health  and  Working Conditions Code, 2020 and the Code on Social Security, 2020 which have come into force from 21/11/2025.

As  regards  Provident  Fund  coverage,  the  Assam  Tea Employees Provident Fund Organisation (ATEPFO) undertakes regular  inspections  of  tea  estates  to  monitor  compliance  with Provident Fund regulations. These inspections help identify workers who may have been deprived of Provident Fund benefits due to nonenrolment, under-reporting, or other lapses on the part of management. Whenever such cases are detected, ATEPFO initiates necessary  legal  action  under  the  relevant  rules  to  ensure  that  all eligible workers are promptly covered and their statutory entitlements are safeguarded.

The Government has implemented various initiatives for pregnant women in tea garden areas, including:

- i.  Wage Compensation Scheme for Pregnant Women of Tea Garden Areas,  launched  on  1st  October  2018  by  the  State  Government  of Assam,  aims  to  provide  better  health  and  nutrition  for  pregnant women.  A  cash  benefit  of  ₹15,000,  provided  in  four  instalments, enables women to take care of themselves and their unborn child without compromising household livelihood. The amount is transferred  directly  to  beneficiaries'  bank  accounts.  More  than 1,75,000 beneficiaries have received benefits so far.
- ii.  Tea  garden  workers  are  also  covered  under  schemes  such  as Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) for free delivery, drugs, diagnostics, transport, and newborn care.

iii.  Under  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Cha  Shramik  Protsahan  Yojana  (PMCSY), with an outlay of ₹999 crore for 202425 to 2025 -26, resting sheds are being constructed in tea gardens.

iv. Under the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, maternity leave of 6 months with  wages  is  available  for  up  to  two  children;  for  the  third  child onward, 84 days of maternity leave with wages is applicable.

In  addition  to  welfare  measures  under  the  Plantations Labour  Act,  1951,  the  Tea  Board,  through  its  Tea  Development  & Promotion Scheme (TDPS), undertakes the following activities across the country, including Assam:

- Health awareness camps for workers
- Educational support and awards for meritorious students (Class X and XII) who are wards of big tea garden workers and small
- tea growers (upto 1.00 ha)
- Book and uniform grants to wards of workers from closed tea estates and to workers affected by natural calamities
- Assistance for disabled and critically ill dependents of workers
- in closed tea gardens

Further, ATEPFO regularly conducts awareness programmes, workshops, and interactive sessions across tea estates to educate  workers  about social security benefits under the Provident Fund Scheme, Pension Scheme, Deposit Linked Insurance, and  Gratuity  Scheme.  These  initiatives  aim  to  improve  financial literacy, address worker queries, and ensure understanding of rights and benefit procedures.

The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 together with the Code on Social Security, 2020 provide an expanded and comprehensive welfare framework for plantation workers.  These  codes  have  provisions  for  health  benefits  either directly by the employer or through ESIC arrangements. The Codes mandate adequate housing facilities including safe drinking water, kitchen  and  toilet  facilities  to  the  plantation  workers.  Welfare provisions  have  been  strengthened  with  compulsory  canteens  for establishments with 100 or more workers, crèches where 50 or more employees are engaged, and educational facilities wherever 25 or more children (6 -12 years) of plantation workers reside.

The First Schedule of the Code on Social Security, 2020 provides an enabling provision allowing plantation owners to register nsurance  Corporation their  workers  under  the  Employees'  State  I (ESIC).

Under  Ayushman  Bharat -Pradhan  Mantri  Jan  Arogya Yojana (ABPMJAY), a health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary  and  tertiary care is provided to 12  crore families constituting the bottom 40% of India's popula tion. In Assam, all tea garden  workers  with  valid  ration  cards,  along  with  their  family members, are covered under the scheme. Under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, every industrial establishment employing twenty or more workers must constitute a Grievance Redressal Committee for resolution of individual disputes. An aggrieved worker may file an application before the Committee within one year of the cause of action. The Committee is expected to complete proceedings within thirty days of receipt. Further, in industrial establishments with one hundred or more workers, the appropriate Government may direct the employer to constitute a Works Committee. The Committee is responsible for promoting  harmonious  relations  between  employer  and  workers, discussing matters of common interest, and attempting to resolve significant differences of opinion. In  addition,  a  worker  may  raise  a  dispute  before  the Conciliation Officer; if conciliation fails, the matter may be referred to the Tribunal for adjudication. Further,  The  Government  of  Assam  has  approved  a structured  grievance  redressal  mechanism  for  tea  garden  areas. ATEPFO also operates grievance systems through designated nodal officers. A statutory Primary Committee, comprising representatives of employers and employees, works with nodal officers to address grievances.  Additionally,  the  development  of  an  online  grievance redressal platform has also commenced.

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