Migration and Its Challenges: A Study on Women Workers of Dooars Tea Gardens in West Bengal Since 2011

Abstract

One of the oldest industries in India is the tea industry. Tea workers, particularly women from the Dooars region, have encountered several challenges in recent. To prosper in the competitive market in globalised world, the Dooars tea planters reduced the labour cost during this period. When there are insufficient job possibilities in the local area, women are starting to migrate in large numbers, it almost consistently culminates in exploitation afterwards. In order to meet people's fundamental necessities, West Bengal's Government implemented a number of social programs which is directly benefiting women. The study introduces the concept of "bio-populism" but asserts its failure to address the issue of unemployment and poverty in tea gardens, highlighting the limitations of the populist politics. The study was carried out in the Dooars tea garden area of West Bengal, underscore the vulnerability and migration of women even in the wake of the government's populist policies.