Question : Minimum Wage for Tea Garden Workers

(a)whether the Government intends to increase minimum wage for tea garden workers in Assam and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
(b)whether the Government intends to provide pattas for the over 6 lakh plus tea-garden worker families in Assam to help secure land ownership and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
(c)whether the Government maintains data on the number of tea garden workers covered by Ayushman Bharat and Employes’ State Insurance respectively;
(d)if so, the details thereof, year-wise from 2014 till date of the number of tea garden workers covered under ESI and from inception till date for Ayushman Bharat, and whether the Government intends to take any measures to increase coverage thereof; and
(e)if not, the reasons therefor?

MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)

(a) & (b): Under the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, both the Central and the State Governments are appropriate Governments to fix, review and revise the minimum wages of the employees employed in the scheduled employments under their respective jurisdictions. The State Government is the appropriate Government to fix/revise the minimum wages of the tea garden labourers. The details

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of revision of minimum rates of wages in the scheduled employments in the State sphere are not centrally maintained. 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 Governments. Providing pattas to the tea-garden worker families in Assam is a State subject and details in this regard not available with the Central Government.

(c) to (e): Tea garden workers meeting the prescribed criteria are eligible to avail benefits under the Ayushman Bharat -Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). Category-wise data of beneficiaries is not maintained under the scheme.

As per the provisions u/s 2(19A) of ESI Act, 1948, ‘Tea Garden Workers’ come under the definition of ‘Seasonal factory’, hence employees engaged in the Tea Garden are not covered under ESI Act.
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