UNICEF Sponsored Research Project STATUS REPORT ON CHILDREN AND WOMEN IN THE TEA GARDENS OF Assam Tea Corporation Limited (ATCL) Submitted by: Department of Sociology Tezpur University, Assam ‘Tezpur 784 028 March 2014Acknowledgements We are extremely grateful to UNICEF Assan for providing us the opportunity to conduct this ‘baseline survey and prepare the Status Repert on Chien and Womer inthe Tea Gardens of [Assam Tea Corporation Linited (ATCL)” in the seven districts of Assam. We are privieged to work under Ms. Jeo Master and Dr. Tulshar Rane, successive Chet of UNICEF Assam atthe time ofthe study. Mr. Soumen Ray, Mi, Rusty, and other Project Officers anc Stalf Menbers at UNICEF Assam deserve special mention ‘or their veluable inputs and necessary support throughout he study. We ae highly indebted :o them We thank Assam Tea Corporation Limited (ATCL),espeially Sri Harish Sonowal, the Vice- (Chairman-eam-Managing Director, Board of Directors, Staff of Tea Board and Mamagers of [ATCL fo ra only permiting us to cary the field survey but also providing ws with necessary logistics, We thank the management suff of various estas, dhe tea estate community, end trade tion leaders for their help during the feld survey and for their cooperation with the fel team during the course of data clletion, ‘We also thank Dr. Joydeep Barush, member ofthe faculy at OKDISCD. Guwahati for taining the field investigators (esearch personel) or technical aspects and for Felping the team analyse the dat ‘We appreciate the academic inputs end feedback fiom our colleagues at the Deparment of Sociology, Tezpur University towards completion of this assignment. We are gratefl to Ms. Jagtitce Ghosh and Ms, Piyashi Duca, research stholars of the department, who have been instrumeatd in ‘writing the repor. We salute the eight research personnel who very enthusiastically cated ove the assignment end competed the data collection: Ms. Baby Paul, Mr. Jyotshmoy Baruah, Mr, Jatin Gogoi, Me. Dibyajyo Sarma, Mr. Fuman Das, Mi. Kalyan SSonowal, xd Dr, Shashi Bhushan Sing. We would like to dedicate this humble reprt to al those ssho have provided the information. ‘Our thanksare due also to schools, Arganwadi Centres, nd health sub-cntres We hope te findings ofthe stady wil be useful in planning and policy inervention. March 2018 Dr. Kedilexo Kikhi Principal Investigator and Faculty Department of Sociology, Tezpur University “Texpur 786028, Assam, IndiaList of Acronyms and Abbreviations ans AIDS ANM ASHA TCL Awe Aww AYUSH PL cue ‘copD cre Dit Ise. EFA Fob GER Annual Healy Survey Acquired Immune Defiieney Syndrome Auxiliary Nuse Midwife Accredited Socal Health Activists ‘Assam Tea Corporations Lid. Anganaa Centre Anganwadi Worker ‘Ayurvede, Yogn, Una. Below Poverty Line Community Health Centes CChronie Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Cut Tear Cur Department of Health Distt Information System of Education iddhaand Homoespahy Education for All Focus Group Discussion Gross Enrolment Ratio Government of Assam Government of India Health Sub-Centre Indira Awaas Yojana Integrated Clild Development Services Inemational Labour Organization Integrated Management of Neosat Infant Mortality Rate Integrated Young Child Survival Joint Monitoring Prograrime for Water Suply and Sanitation JIanani-Shishu Suraksha Keryakeam Janani Surakshe Yojana Liquefied Petroleum Gas and Childhood lnessMcH MDG MGNREGA MW MMR Mone MoHFW ocr NFHS HED NMMR NGO Bc. Puc PLA PRoM Pra, PIR RCH RSBY RTE SAEP sc smc SNP SSA st Rs. cy Matera and Child Health Millenium Development Goals ‘Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act “Mate Health Worker Maternal Morality Rate “More Other Backward Classes Ministry of Health and Family Weltire [Net Enrolment Ratio ‘National Disease Control Programme "National Farily Health Survey [Notriton & Health Education [Neonatal Morality Rate [National Rural Health Mission [Non-Governmental Orgerisation ‘Other Backward Classes Primary Health Cente Plantation Labour Act Premature Rupture of Membranes Parent and Teicher Associaton Pupil-Teacher Ratio Reproductive asd Child Health Rasiriya Swesthya Bima Yojant Right to Education Act School AIDS Education programme ‘Sub-Centre / Scheduled Cast School Management Committee Supplementary Nutrition Programme Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Scheduled Tribe Sample Regisration Systm TuberculosisTBA TER m1 up UNESCO UNICEF uNcRe uw. USM VHSND ve wast ‘Teaditional Bith Attendant Total Feriliy Rate ‘Teaching Leaning Materials Universal Immunization Programme United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization United Nation Interatioaal Children's Emergency Fund LUN Convention ofthe Rights of he Chi Upper Primary Under Morality Rate Village Health Sanitation & Nuttion Day ‘Ventilated Improved PitLatine ‘Water Sanitation and Hygiene ‘World Health OrganizationIntroduction ‘There are arcnd 765 tea etates and more thin 100,000 smaller tes gardens in Assam. In the colonel perc tea garden lbourers were brousht fom Okfshs, Madhya Pradesh Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal, These workers have been engage since the st wo centuries and consequently settled in Assam pecmaneatly. They are popularly known as tea garden labourers, tea garden tibes, exten garden labourers, and exes garden tribes, and recognised as Other Backward Clsses by the government. About 10 milion kbourers ely on Assam’s tea dusty, “which in ue is sheped by their tol, nd comprise a sizable portion of the populace in the state, ‘Tea tbe communities are based all cver Assam, but primarily in the districts of Darang, Sonitpur, Nagion, Jorhat, Golaghst, DBrugars, Cachar, Hailakandi, Kasimganj, and Tinsukia, ‘Samhali speakers are also feund in parts of Kckrajhar and Bongsigaon districts; some others are ‘Munda, Orarg, and Gonds, The ta tribes, ieg essentially labourers, tive in villages, inside ea estates established by tea planters. These estas are locted in interior places, and this adds to the backwardness of the Isbourers, Violence ad tension ef labourers against the administration is common literecy, poverty, and aleshol addiction among male memkers in the community nd poor standaed of living ee the majo: problems. “The Plantations Labour Act(PLA) 1951, which regulates te conditions of service in platations, fines “paraton’ as: any land used oF intended to be used for growing tes, coffee, rubber or cinchona which adeasutes twenty five actes or more and whereon thity or more persons are enployed, or were employed oc any day ofthe preceding ‘elke months, and in ny other elss ef plantations, means also ary land used co inended to be wed for growing the plant mentioned in such notification and whereon 30 or nore persons are enployed, or were employed on any day ofthe preceding twelve months “The Act daes not apply toa factory onthe premises to which the provisions ofthe Factores Act, 1948 apply. Tea garden managements are obligated to provide basi services such as health, housing, waer and sanitation, ershe facility, and schooling co its permznent workers and their dependents. For every 300 or mone workers one welfare officer is required. Any worker drawingsalary of Rs 750 per month is covered under this Act. The Aet regulates working hours, eaves and holidays and sickness and matemty benefits. Howerer, the casual workers (estimated at nearly 50 percent ofthe ttl labour Force in the tea gardensof Assam) are left out ofthe purview ofthese eniements. One of the key challenges ofthe PLA, 1951 is also standardisation inthe provision of quality base services. The Act provides that ro adult worker shall be employed for more than 48 hours a week, and that no adolescent or chil shall be employed for more than 27 hours @ week and entitles every’ worke to a day of rest in every period of seven days. In every plantation covered under the Act, medical faites forthe workers and their families are t be made readily available, Also, it provides for seting up of canteens, eréches, recreational {acites, suitable accommodation and educational feciites fr the benefit of plantation workers in and around workplaces in the plantation esta. Tt amendment n 1981 provided for ‘compulsory repstration of plantations. ‘Assam Tea Corporation Limited (ATCL is aublic sector undertaking (PSU) wholly owned by the Goveraent of Assam (GoA) and headquartered in Guwahati, I was established on 9 February 1972 under the Companies Act 1986, It comprises 15 tea estates spread over 13,000 hectares of prime land distibuted over seven districts ofthe state of Assam. It is the only tea company esablished to prec the interest workers, Keeping this objective in min, it took ver 15 sick gardens that were unable tobe furction. The prime objectives of ATCL are to 4+ protect nd sustain the tea industry shield the interest of werkers and inerease the employrent potential oftea garden Ikoures; + decentzlise and avoid the concentration o” ownership of ta estates ina few hands; 4+ organise transportation of ATCL ods; «+ form subsidiaries of ATCL to transoor its goods and «+ twild associations with any person or company whose objects and bu of ATCL. snes are sia that LUNICEF Assam works wit ta garden manegements ine private sect. Since the Go owns [ATCL,; the situation init gardens is aerceived to be diferent there i = higher likelihood thet ligible for coverage underthe existing government jelusion, UNICEF ‘the population in these tea gardens would be schemes (unlike those inthe private sttor). As part ofits mandate of social in [ATCL to improve the status of ehildren and women in ‘Assam has entered ino a partnership witthe ATCL tea gardens, It was proposed that a status report be prepared using both secondery and primary data. asa frst step towards understanfng the situation of children and women in the [ATCL tee gardens; the Department of Sociology, Tezpur University was tasked with the assignment. “The scope ofthis tudy ist» prepare a report (based on both secondary snd primary dit) on ‘women and euldren tea garden workers" ‘+ satus visd-vis health, edveation, nuitio, child protection, and water and sanitation; + status as beneficiaries cf various government welfare and development schemes, ie, an assessmett of implementation ofthe schemes among tea garden workers and 1 knowledge of existing gevernmentsehemesin the above mentioned sectors, “This eeport arbased on a four-month study’ in 15 te gardens spread over seven disticts of and Naganijan in Jochat dstrict; Negherling, Messamace, and ‘Assam: Cinramara, Syeott Rungamti in Golaghat distict; Rajabarie ard Deeepling in Sivss Sonitpur district; Amluckie, Loongsoong, ani Dejoo Valley in Nagsos district: Longai and Isabel in Kaimganj distri; and Bidyanagarin Hailakani district, Aistit; Bholagur in “The total households (HH) working in the 15 ATCL tea gadens are approximately 13,500. The proposed sample sizeof the HH is keptat 750 which have been systematically calulatet on the basis of proportional size ofeach tea estate as shown below: Pm Say etT Where a) x= toal sample size by xvtotal number of HH selected from tea garden| presents the proportion of HH 1 tea garden| ty total HH in te gardent ) T= total HH inthe 15a estes under ATCL. In each ATCL tea estate, a muliisage sampling procedure was followed to selst the respondents. At the first sage, the seven dkirits of Assam with 15 ATCL tea estes are selected. The sample size of households was kept at 750, which were sorted out for cach tea cexate onthe basis of proportional representation. Then systematic sampling technique was used to select the houscholds, The frst HH is randomly selected followed by every n* ows till herequired number is achieved in the tea estate, But households without women or children have been purposely skipped, ‘Stages I: Muti-Stage Sampling Sager Diseiets Assam) = 7 , Jorhat # Gogh + Sivesag + Sontpr + Negson + Karimgan| Hallakandt ATCL Tea states = 15 CCinnamar TE ~ Syoota TE + Nagnjan TE Golahat 2) = Negheriing TE ¢ MessamaraE + Rangamat TE ‘Svasegar (2) = Rajatrie TE + Deepling TE ‘Sonia (1) = Bholagu TE Nagaon 3)= Amuekie TE + Laongsoong T+ Deo Vales TE ‘Karman 2) ~ Long TE + tee TE ailacnd () = Bidyanagae Sages ‘Sampling Design Systematic Calelated onthe Bess of Proportional Size (ssp. atnT) Clnraara~ 117+ Syst = 98 + Negantn = 45+ Neghertng = $6-+Méessamara = 40 “ Rurgamat 40 + Rsjaborie = 15+ Despling = 47 ~ holagui = 10° Amluckie= 55 + Loongsoong = 41 + Eejoo Valley = 27 + Longal= 82 +saseel = 35 + Bidyanayar~ 26 Proposed Sample 750 HH Saget ‘Systematic Sampling Techuique “The fist HE is randomly selected Followed by ever ri house. ‘Bus purposively sipping those houses withet women or chien and selects the next hose with women or cilen “The proposed sample across al he tea estates as been mere ot less achieved (718 aginst 750), except in Longa tea estate of Karimgan)dstt, where the field team could cover only $0 HH ‘against the proposed 82, The research persannelifield tum could not make revisits as the duration ofthe study was shot ‘The study was conceptualised and developec in August 2013. The project commenced as a baseline study, and projec activites underaker between September 2013 and January 2014, The10 inal treesc-four weeks was set aside for collecting secondary sources 214 preparing tons for gui. A week's time was set aide for ilising the method, parameters, snd the identification of key stakeholders and sampling. A three-day workshop was conducted to train and debriet investigators. Various data clletion tcls were administered in the field ketween October 2013 tnd lanuary 20145 tis took a month lenger tan planned Data entry tock about two weeks ‘erutiny and validation of entered data took other two weeks, It took enother six weeks 10 prepare the craft report and triangulation, share it collet feedback from stakeholder, and Tinie the resort “The study was earied out using both quantiative and qualitative research teehnigues. This involved household schedule and observation, foeused group discussions and semi-strectured xerviews with selected staeholdess and documenting afew ease studies of selected certres in the area. Thus the study makes use of beth seecndary data end primary dat Primary soures include data collected fm the Feld study with the following operatives ‘© Household survey (HH) witha focus onthe five parameters namely health, edwraion, ution, water and sanitation and chlé protection. Household schedule i supplemented With in-depth ease studies on sohocls offering formal education, sub-eenes and ‘Angawadi Cente “+ Keysiformantsinieview of tea garden management and welfare officers. Researchers talked to the tea gxden manager, workers, AWC workers, PHC personnel, school teachers and soon. + Group discussions vith beneficiaries and other sakcholders (FGD) to document the current status of welfare and level of availablity, utilistion, and percepéon of {government welfare and developnent schemes. “The study temps to trangulate daa to identify critical gaps and sugges: scope to improve the welfare status oF the tea garden workers if any. FINDINGS Population Profile of the Sudy + The total sample population in 718 HH covered was 3458, out of which 1763 are males while 1695 are females, which gives a ratio of 961 females per 1000 males. This is even higher than the state figure of 954, As per cistebaton of sex in the sample, the female percentage is highe in seven tea estes, which are Messamara ($33), Rungamai (51.2), Syeota (522), “Amluckie (50.5), Rajaturie (53.1) and Bholaguri (31-1. If we convert the sex ratio of ‘Messamara, it wll show 1127 females pe: 1000 males as per the distribution of ses in the samplen ‘+ The distbution of populition in the sample shows that eilidren between 0-6 years costae about 185 per cent, while children between the age group of 7-18 years constitues about 288 per ant The data stows about 1.7 percent ofthe respondents ar 6 years old or oder “These data indieate that very few lve beyond 60 years in these fea esates, The average life expectancy among tet estate workers is very low compared 0 the al-india expectancy (68.9 years) and in Assam (65.3). The other half ofthe sample population belongs tothe 19-60 ape group. “+ Inthe social tegory, the data show 918 per cet are Hindus, $8 percent Muslims, 2.3 per cent Christians, and O.| per cent are in the ‘others! caegorys there was no record of Buddhists or Sikhs. The dit also show thx 80 percent belong tothe OBC category, 88 per cent belong to the MOBC categors, 6.1 per cent to the SC category, 4S per eent to the feneral category, and nly 0.6 pe cent belongs to the ST category. In four esates— Cinnamaa in Jorhat district, Looxgsoong in Nagaen, and Deepling and Rajoberic in Sivasagarditict—the entre sample populiion (100 per eet) belongs tothe OBC estegory: Runa tea estate in Golaghat district hs the leat inthe OBC category (40 er cent) end the highest inthe SC category (37-5 ner cet), ‘+ Inthe employment category, the dea shows that 0.2 percent work as sgriultursts and 0.9 percent a elated agriculture labourers. Ayicultual activity was not reported in as many as rine tea estates. The tea workers belong tothe low-income group and to unorganised sector. Many ofthese tea workers are deily wage eamers. Tre survey revels 18.4 per cen! of the sample population belorgs tothe estegory of dily wage eamers, and thatthe percentage is higher in some tes estatss—26.3 percent in Rabari, 26.1 percent in Deepling, 24.6 per cent in Bidyanogar, and 24.1 per cert in Rungamat ‘+The data further shows 2.3 per cent the sample population are sei->npoyed while only meagre 6.2 percent is inf trade or business. The stcy indleates abeut 17.6 percent of the “ample population have salaried regular jbs while 23 per cent are slared but casual jobs ‘A meagre 06 per cent drew a pension atthe time ofthe study. Student's make up a lange Section cf the sample. The survey shows about 4.5 per cent have indicted “ther work’ as theie employment activity, which is aot sted inthe schedule profma. The dats shows about 2 percent ae available for work or are unemployed at the time of the study. + In the eaegory of selfassessment on poverty, indettedness, and wellbeing,» number of {questions were asked te find out te cunent socio-economic status. The responders were ‘Bed toassess themselves onthe esonomie sats of te family. The ndings show that 5.9 percent beloved that heir economic stats has not improved or worened but remained the Fae. About 32.6 per eent assessed their Francia status has improved somewhat, while | per {ent beloves it hes improved alot, It has to be noted that about 20.5 per cent assessed their ‘eonome position has worsened, shih is ertca. Among all the tca estates, Rungamati Shows the Best self-assessment: 61S per cent feel their financial status has improved