Govt approves amendment to Indian Plantation Labour Act

NEW DELHI: In a move that will benefit over a million workers in the country's plantation sector, the government today approved amendments in the Indian Plantation Labour Act, 1951 to provide a mechanism for ensuring their safety and welfare.

"The Cabinet has given approval for introduction of the Plantations Labour (Amendment) Bill, 2008 in Parliament for making amendments in the Indian Plantation Labour Act, 1951," Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters after a meeting of the Union Cabinet.

The amendment proposes a variety of measures to provide mechanisms for safety, health and wealth for the about one million plantation workers (as per ILO estimates) in the country. The working condition of labourers in the plantations has left a lot to be desired. "So, we have decided to set up a mechanism to provide for their safety and their health and their wealth of plantation labour," Sibal said.

The government planned to amend the definition of family to remove the distinction between a female and a male worker, he added. Sibal also said definition of worker would be amended by enhancing the wage ceiling from Rs 750 to Rs 10,000. "The medical facilities to be provided to the workers and to their families (would also be amended)... and make it obligatory on the state government to provide medical facilities," he said, adding that the state could recover the cost from the employers.