Parliament Question: Schemes for Mentha Plantation Workers

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 440 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.03.2026 SCHEMES FOR MENTHA PLANTATION WORKERS *440. SHRI TANUJ PUNIA: Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state: (a)whether the Government has any social security schemes including Employees' State Insurance (ESI)/Provident Fund (PF) for Mentha plantation workers involved in intensive cultivation, harvesting and distillation in the country and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether the said workers are not getting the prescribed minimum daily wages and if so, the reasons therefor; (c) whether the Government has any scheme to pay compensation to dependents of the said workers in case of death and if so, the details thereof; (d) whether the Government has any plan to improve the health and wellness condition of the said workers in the country and if so, the details thereof; and (e) the details of the other steps being taken by the Government for welfare of the said workers in the country? MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA) (a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House. * *****STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 440 FOR 23.03.2026 BY SHRI TANUJ PUNIA REGARDING SCHEMES FOR MENTHA PLANTATION WORKERS. (a) to (e): Under the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948, medical care and cash benefits were provided to Insured Persons and their dependents in respect of establishments covered under the Act. Now, the ESI Act, 1948 has been subsumed in the Code on Social Security, 2020, which has come into force w.e.f. 21.11.2025. The Code has a provision which provides that an employer of a plantation may opt for coverage under the Employees’ State Insurance scheme, where the benefits available are better than those already provided by the employer. The provisions of the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 were also applicable to plantations employing 20 or more workers, subject to the wage ceiling. The Act has been subsumed in Chapter III of the Code on Social Security, 2020. The relevant draft rules under the said Code including the applicability of the provisions of the said chapter have been pre-published. The Code on Wages, 2019 provides for universal minimum wages across employments in organised and unorganised sectors, including plantation workers. However, the fixation and enforcement of wages, including minimum wages in respect of plantation workers, are undertaken by the respective State Governments. Compensation to dependents of workers, including plantation workers, in the event of death arising out of and in the course of employment was provided under the Employees’ Compensation Act, 1923 (now subsumed in the Code on Social Security, 2020), subject to applicability. The welfare and working conditions of plantation workers were governed by the provisions of the Plantations Labour Act, 1951. The provisions of the said Act have been subsumed in the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, which regulates the conditions of work and provides for health, safety and welfare measures such as medical facilities, drinking water, sanitation, housing and other amenities for workers.Further, welfare benefits such as maternity benefits, gratuity and bonus were also provided to plantation workers, subject to applicability, under the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 and Payment of Bonus Act, 1965. However, the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 and the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 have been subsumed in the Code on Social Security, 2020, while the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 has been subsumed in the Code on Wages, 2019. The relevant rules under the said Codes have been pre- published. *****