MP Raju Bista and Gorkha Delegation Meets with Central Labour Minister

Webdesk, TNI New Delhi 7^th August, 2021: A delegation of Gorkha delegation comprising of Mr. R.B Rai of CPRM, Mr. Mann Ghising ji of GNLF, Darjeeling MLA Neeraj Zimba, Kurseong MLA BP Bajgain, Darjeeling District BJP President Mr. Kalyan Dewan, and the Honorable MP Mr. Raju Bista of Darjeeling Constituency met with the Hon’ble Minister for Labour and Employment, Mr. Bhupender Yadav to appraise him about the issues concerning the tea and cinchona garden workers of Darjeeling and Dooars region. The delegation highlighted the major issues of the workers – delay in the implementation of the New Labour Reforms and denial of Parja Patta rights of the tea garden and cinchona garden workers. There has been an inordinate delay in the implementation of these Labour Reforms until now. As such Minimum Wages Act is not applicable in the tea gardens and cinchona gardens of our region, and further delay in the implementation of New Labour Codes is causing disappointment among the workers. We have therefore requested Hon’ble Minister’s intervention for immediate implementation of the new Labour Codes in West Bengal state.

The issue of delaying the granting Parja Patta rights to Tea and Cinchona garden workers who are deprived of the rights to their own ancestral land was also discussed. On the otherhand, the workers also cannot take benefits of government schemes like PM Awas Yojana, Kissan Samman Nidhi, etc which requires the applicant to produce land documents. All of the issues were discussed in length with the Minister for Labour and Employment, Government of India. Mr. Bhupendra Yadav Ji after listening to the issues, informed the delegation that the Government is already working to implement the New Labour Codes, and he assured that he will examine and take appropriate steps towards resolving the Parja Patta issues of the tea and cinchona garden workers.

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