The Socio-Demographic and Socio-Economic Conditions of Some Tea Garden Workers in The West District of Tripura

This cross-sectional study was undertaken to study the socio-demographic and socio-economic conditions of the tea garden workers between 18 to 60 years of the West district of Tripura. Information like age, sex, educational status, religion, marital status, household status, employment status, monthly family income etc has been collected using a standardised questionnaire. Some additional data were also collected on the worker's families, like living conditions, food intake and health status. We have also measured the social risk score of the worker's families using a standardized questionnaire. The results were used to classify workers' families into three categories: high-risk families (scores 8), at-risk families (scores between 4 and 7), and families without risk (score 3). The current study revealed that the tea estate workers in the West district of Tripura were economically and socially deprived of basic needs, and the living standard was alarming. In our study population, 72% were illiterate, 23% had finished primary, and 5% had secondary education. 62% of the respondents live below the poverty line (BPL), 64% of the workers earn between Rs 2001-5000 per month and only 1% had one hygienic toilet facility. The result of the social risk score study shows that 70% of workers are at social risk (Score ≥ 4), among which 6% are at high risk (Score ≥ 8) and 30% of the workers are without any social risk (Score ≤ 3). This study reveals that many were unaware of various social welfare schemes and policies undertaken by central and state governments and various management of tea estates to improve their status.