Access to Health Care of Tea Plantation Labourers A Study on the Dooars Region of West Bengal

Abstract

The Indian tea industry is a product of colonial expansion. Initially, production began in Assam, newlineand subsequently, the industry expanded throughout the country to meet the demand in the newlineglobal market. The labour-intensive tea industry consistently encouraged migrant or immigrant newlinelabour forces to initiate and expand the industry. Planters primarily encouraged individual labour newlinemigration but later encouraged the migration of all family members, including children, to meet newlinedemand and create a source of future trained labour supply. Ultimately, the enclave nature of the newlinetea plantations and engagement of all family members, including children, in the production newlineprocess gave the Indian tea industry its own distinct identity. newlineIn the remote tea estates, the living conditions of the workers and their families were entirely newlinedependent on the planters, who were responsible for providing all the basic amenities for their newlinelivelihood. Availability of livelihood amenities varied widely among the tea estates in the newlinecolonial era. The Royal Commission on Labour in 1929 prescribed a number of measures to newlineimprove the living conditions of tea plantation workers vis-à-vis reducing disparity among tea newlineplantations. On the other side, despite being the backbone of the Indian tea industry, women newlineworkers received less payment than their male counterparts. The child workers were performing newlinethe same working hours as adults but were paid the lowest among all. During the colonial era, tea newlineplantations did not have a proper wage structure, leading to significant interstate and intrastate newlinewage variation. newlineIn 1946, the Rege Commission expressed dissatisfaction with its overall noncompliance with the newlinerecommendations of the Royal Commission. The committee noted a similar disparity in the newlineavailability of livelihood amenities in tea plantations, as well as a variation in wages between newlinestates and administrative districts. The committee ultimately suggested a separate act to remove newlineplanters hegemony and to improve the living conditions of the tea plant