“A Critical Study on Impact of Health, Safety, Welfare Measures on Productivity of Tea Workers of Proprietorship Tea Estates in Terai Region of West Bengal”

Tea, only because of its unique ability to twist our mood and make us feel refreshed, in the world, it has become the second most consumed beverage, next to water, leaving behind coffee, soda, and others. On the other hand, if we talk about India, India has become the second largest tea producer and fourth largest tea exporter in the world. According to the latest report, published in 2017, by the Tea Board of India, India's tea production in 2016-17 reached 1,250.49 million kilograms -- an increase of 1.41 per cent over the figure of the previous year on account of higher production rate in Assam and West Bengal. But unfortunately, to whom the credit should go for this huge production, the workers, are still being severely afflicted by the master class even after 69 years of independence. In this present circumstances, the paper is a deliberate attempt to explore whether giving greater emphasis on Health, Safety, Welfare measures really leads to better productivity of the tea workers of proprietorship gardens in Terai region of West Bengal and also the paper is intended to give some suggestions regarding effective measures that should be considered to improve the productivity of the tea workers.