News Analysis India

Tag: tea garden workers

  • Assam tea estates record 300% spike in Covid cases in 10 days

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: Assam has witnessed over 300% rise in Covid-19 positive cases among the workers of tea gardens, which keeps the state’s economy rolling, in 10 days. 

    Till May 28, 6,146 workers tested positive for Covid in 370 tea gardens with 43 deaths while till May 19, 1,851 positive cases were recorded in 220 tea gardens with 14 deaths.

    Vaccination performance is also said to be very poor in the tea-belt of the eastern India’s state which has 800 tea gardens.

    Dhiraj Goala, the president of Assam Tea Tribe Students Association (ATTSA), said in the state’s tea garden region, around 25 lakh people are directly or indirectly work in the agro industry. “Among them, the vaccination rate is very low. Complete vaccination of the tea garden community can possibly check spread of the infection and the government needs to prioritise it,” he said.

    Assam has over 6 lakh tea garden workers. Till now, 44,000 have received the first dose of Covid vaccine and only over 3,000 have got the second dose.

    The affected tea estate’s labour line, which accommodates workers’ lodging facility, has been declared a containment zone. Those who tested positive for Covid-19 are in Covid care facility in the estate.      

    The number of Covid care centres are also said to be inadequate. Among the 370 affected tea gardens, 271 of these have Covid care centres, according to record available with the state government’s health department.

    In the first wave, Assam had hardly recorded Covid positive cases. “Now the virus is being spread rapidly in the tea estates. The tea tribe community with their poor daily wage, lack of education and awareness, poor hygiene are extremely vulnerable to covid infection and it is a real concern as they form about 18% of Assam’s total population,” said an official of the state health department.       

    Assam government formed covid management committees in every tea gardens to monitor the situation closely. “The government is responding according to the reports submitted by the management committees. The reports mention where we need to start vaccination and where testing is required,” said the official.

  • Assam polls: Tea garden workers slam ruling BJP for ‘meagre’ hike in wages

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: Tea workers in poll-bound Assam slammed the ruling BJP on Saturday for a meagre hike in their wages.

    The state government decided to raise their daily wages by Rs 50 — from Rs 167 to Rs 217.

    “We are not happy. The government has not fulfilled its commitment and the workers’ expectations. In its Vision Document of 2016, the BJP had promised daily wages of Rs 351 for the tea workers,” Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) general secretary Rupesh Gowala said.

    He said the ACMS, during its recent meetings with the government, had insisted on the implementation of a draft proposal of Rs 351 daily wages and with retrospective effect from March 1, 2018.

    The Congress, which has promised daily wages of Rs 365 if voted to power, accused the BJP of betraying the tea community.

    “Sheer betrayal by @BJP4Assam promising to raise daily wage of tea workers to Rs. 351/- & after 5 yrs increasing it to 220/-. Congress’ 30 day guarantee-365/- daily wage within 30 days of coming to power,” Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi tweeted.

    ALSO READ | Assam polls: BJP downplays threats from rival alliances

    Several other Congress leaders took to the microblogging site to pillory the BJP.

    The government’s decision to constitute the JB Ekka one-man committee for equal wages of workers of small tea gardens has also met with criticism.

    “The constitution of this committee is meaningless since a draft notification was issued in 2018 on the wages of workers of small tea gardens. It fixed the wages at Rs 244. When the government was expected to issue the final notification in this regard, it decided to constitute this one-man committee. This is a delaying tactic,” Gowala said.

    He said the government has no will to fix the daily wages of workers of small tea gardens as most of these are owned by Ministers and MLAs of ruling parties.

    “The workers of small tea gardens are not entitled to any benefits. Neither do they have any medical facilities nor are they entitled to provident fund or gratuity,” Gowala added.

    Assam has 126 Assembly seats and in one-third of them, the votes of tea workers determine the fate of candidates.