Low wages, lack of medical facilities responsible for deaths
W A Laskar
Low wages, lack of medical facilities responsible for deaths
PTI | 07:03 PM,Mar 12,2012
Guwahati, Mar 12 (PTI) Low wages and lack of medical facilities were primarily responsible for incidents of chronic malnutrition and deaths in South Assam's Bhuvan Valley Tea Estate, Supreme Court appointed Commissioner on Food Security Sunil Kaul said today. He said that government needed to take more steps to prevent leakages in public schemes and the minimum wage limit should be raised. "While the law speaks about minimum wages, in reality the minimum wages of tea estate workers is miserable. The government should have a more realistic assessment of the limit," Kaul said. Bhuvan Valley tea garden in Assam's Cachar district is in the spotlight following reports by a rights body, Barak Human Rights Protection Committee (BHRPC), of alleged starvation death of 12 workers of the garden mainly due to malnutrition after its closure since the last Durga Puja. "The problem of chronic malnutrition is rampant in India and chronically malnourished people are more susceptible to ailments like TB," Kaul said. He demanded that every person in rural areas must have a minimum income of Rs 200 per day for fulfilling his or her basic requirements related to food, healthcare and education. Kaul said that universalisation of food security can stop such incidents by curbing leakages in government schemes.
W A Laskar
Barak Human Rights Protection Committee,
http://bhrpc.wordpress.com
15, Panjabari Road, Darandha, Six Mile,
Guwahati-781037, Assam, India
Cell: +919401942234
Skype: rights.defender