Bill to help tea garden workers in offing: Bista

SNS, 8 September 2019, Darjeeling: Member of Parliament Raju Bista today revealed that a Bill will be introduced in the Winter Session of Parliament, which would benefit tea garden workers.

Mr Bista was speaking at the Rangmook Chandraman Primary School in the Rangmook Cedar tea estate near Sonada in Darjeeling after he sought the blessings from senior Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist leader RB Rai there.

"A lot of reforms for the benefit of workers are being made by our government for which recently, a Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Presently, only around 30 to 35 percent of workers are under the Minimum wages Act, but after this new Act comes into force, 100 percent skilled and unskilled workers will be covered by it. Also, 50 percent of tea garden workers wages are being deducted as welfare fund when only 15 percent should have been cut. This practice will end once the Act comes into force." said Mr Bista.

"The state government might use the Plantation Labour Act against this, but in the Winter Session, the Occupational Health and Safety Bill is being introduced in Parliament in which the Plantation Labour Act will be merged and other benefits enjoyed by workers in other industries will be enjoyed by to a workers too." he added.

The Darjeeling MP also maintained that he was working for whatever he had promised, including a 'permanent political solution' for the region, parja-patta (land rights documents) and minimum wages in tea gardens.

He said that he has also put forth a proposal fora Central University for this area, while also meeting the minister concerned with the tribal status demand for 11 communities. "I want the BJP to give priority to the Hills,Terrai and Dooars as the condition here is not good. I also have plans to bring ministers to visit this area." he said.

Speaking on the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Mr Bista said. "The NRC will not touch the Hills, and in Assam, it will not touch one Gorkha and it is just a process. A lot of genuine Gorkhas there have been left out, but there are four months and all the names will appear in the NRC within that time. I would like to give an assurance that one Gorkha leaving Assam because of the NRC will be my greatest defeat."

On the other hand, CPRM leader, Mr Rai said, "We welcome the issues he has been raising and we see sincerity in him. But he should also take up issues like statehood, minimum wages and closed tea gardens. On the other hand, we know that the BJP is not looking at our issue of Gorkhaland, but have their eyes set on Bengal and the 2021 elections. We will, however, keep up the pressure on the BJP."