NHRC seeks Gujarat govt reply on what has been done to rehabilitate silicosis victims

By A Representative
The People's Training and Research Centre (PTRC), a Vadodara-based health rights organization, has regretted that the Gujarat government has not taken any action for prevention or policy for rehabilitation of the state’s silicosis victims, forcing the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to a issue notice seeking reply.
While NHRC recommendation for paying Rs 4 lakh to the families of the deceased workers was accepted by the state government, it had also suggested several steps to prevent the deadly disease. As it did not receive any reply on this score, it sent a notice to send a report of 6 weeks on the implementation of the recommendations.
NHRC recommendations include closure of agate work done in residential areas as the Madhya Pradesh government did in Mandasaur; formation of a board for the welfare of workers; prior the government’s environmental nod to start an agate unit; and minimum wages to agate workers.

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