Min to review progress of crèche, health centre works at tea gardens

MP, 2 Mar 2023, Alipurduar: Days after a meeting of the Tea Advisory Council was held last month at Uttarkanya—the Branch Secretariat of the state government — in the presence of Labour department minister Moloy Ghatak regarding the initiative to build crèches and health centres in Tea garden areas, the minister will be visiting Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri to review the progress of construction work of these facilities. He will reach Alipurduar on March 3 for his 2-day visit. 

Last year, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee — while attending a tea workers’ meeting at Malbazar in September had stated that crèches and health centres would be built in tea gardens for the benefit of the workers. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had laid the foundation stones for the crèches and health centre projects from a government programme at Subhashini Tea Garden, Hasimara in January. 

The Chief Minister had also announced that identity cards would be issued to the tea workers. Prakash Chik Baraik, Alipurduar district president of Trinamool Congress, said: “Labor minister Moloy Ghatak is coming to Alipurduar on March 3.” 

On that day, the minister will distribute identity cards to the workers of Chuapara tea garden in the Kalchini Block and inspect the progress of work of crèches and health centres. In the tea gardens of North Bengal, most women workers pluck tea leaves leaving behind their children in the care of others. 

The same is the fate of women construction workers. In order to extend a helping hand to such women, the government has decided to come up with crèches for the children. In total, 70 crèches will be built at the Dooars-Terai tea gardens. 

Apart from this, the construction of 41 primary health centres with ambulance services will also start in the tea gardens. In the first phase, a total of 24 crèches and 10 health centres will be constructed. 

Amongst these, six crèches and three health centres will be built in the Alipurduar district, 12 crèches and four health centres will be set up at Jalpaiguri, four crèches and two centres in Darjeeling, one crèche and one health centre in Kalimpong and one crèche will be set up in North Dinajpur district. 

A total of 20 crèches and 21 health centres will be set up in the second phase and 26 crèches and 12 health centres will be constructed in the third phase.

“TMC leader Moloy Ghatak will also participate in the sit-in program in front of the house of Union minister John Barla in Lakkhipara on March 4 and on March 5 in front of MP Raju Bista’s house in Matigara of Siliguri,” stated Ritabrata Banerjee, state president of INTTUC.

The workforce engaged in the tea industry of North Bengal is around 6 lakh. Out of this 70 per cent are women. 

Courtesy & source: Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/min-to-review-progress-of-crche-health-centre-works-at-tea-gardens-510451