Deliberation on working condition of salt workers

Express news service

Posted online: Sunday, April 06, 2008 at 0324 hrs IST

Ahmedabad

To discuss the working conditions of salt workers and to evolve ways to better their socio-economic status, a day-long national consultation will be organised at the Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute on April 11.
The consultation will see salt workers, private corporations and government representatives from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa and Maharashtra taking part in the discussions.
Gujarat has more than 65,000 salt workers or agariya as they are called here. Close to 42,000 of them belong to the Little Rann of Kutch, an area of inland salt production, which also happens to be one of the most backward areas of the state.
The 5,400 sq km area has no electricity, no potable water supply, no schools and no police station.
According to Harinesh Pandya of the Agariya Heet Rakshhak Manch (AHRM), the plight of the agariyas of the Little Rann will be one of the major issues discussed at the forum. “This area bears the revenue survey no. 0. There has been no survey here and saltpan workers have nothing to prove their customary rights over the land. On the other hand, the government is granting licenses to private parties here,” said Pandya.
Other issues up for discussion would be the impact of corporate salt-farming on the traditional agariyas and finding ways to develop direct connection between the buyers and salt workers and eliminating middlemen.
The national consultation is being jointly organised by the Central Salt Commissioner’s Office, Industries Commissioner and CARE India (Gujarat), Tamil Nadu Salt Corporation Ltd, Indian Salt Manufacturer's Association (ISMA), Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute (MGLI) and AHRM.