(1) The State Government may, by one or more Notifications frame one or more schemes, namely Tripura Agricultural Workers Contributory Provident Fund Scheme, Tripura Agricultural Workers Group Insurance Scheme, Tripura Agricultural Workers (Old-age and Invalid) Pension Scheme or any other beneficial schemes of whatever nomenclature as may be found expedient for the agricultural workers on terms and conditions as may be specified in the Notification and different schemes, may be framed for different areas or for different classes of agricultural workers and different date may be appointed for different schemes for different areas.
(2) Any scheme framed by the State Government under sub-section (1) shall provide the mode of administration of such scheme and all other matters incidental thereto.
(3) Every Notification publishing’ any scheme under sub-section (1) shall be laid as soon as may be after itis made, before the Legislative Assmebly, while it is in sesvion for a total period of fourteen days which may be comprised in oae session or in two successive yessions, and if, before the expiry of the session it is so laid, or session immediately following, the House agres in making any modification in the scheme, or the House agrees that the scheme should not be made, the scheme shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be, so however, that any modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything done under that scheme.
CHAPTER—IV Hours and Limitations of Employment and Wages 9, Hours of work.—Save as otherwise expressly provided in this Act, no adult agricultural worker shall be required to work for more than eight hours in any day and no minor for more than six hours in any day :
Provided that nothing contained in this section shall be deemed to prohibit an agreement between the land-Owner and the agricultural workers for working for less than eight hours or six hours, as the case may be, on any particular day or days or on all day: of Employment or to effect any custom or practice prevailing in the locality ‘under which the agricultural worker is required to work for less thax eight hours or six hours, as the case may be.
10. Daily intervals for rest—-The period of work on each day shall be so fixed that no period shall exceed four hours and that no agricultural worker shall work for more than four hours before he has had an interval for rest for at least half an hour.
11, Wages payable to agricuttural workers.—(1) Every landowner shall pay to any agricultural worker employed by him the p escribed. wages for each day of work done ;
(2) The Government may, from time to time by notification in the Official Gazette, fix the number of hours of work which shall constitute a aermal workirg day i-clusive of one or more specified intervals for the purpose of subsection (1) either for the whole State or any part thereof. :
Provided that where the Government have fixed the number of hours of work which shall constitute a normal working day in respect of any of the categories of agricultural workers in the employment in agriculture under section 13 of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 (Central Act, II of 1948), the hours of work so fixed shall, until a notification is issued under this sub-section, be deemed to have been Fixed under this sub-section.
12. Wages for harvest—(i) The prescrived wages for harvest shall be paid at the thrashing floor on which the thrashing takes place and no portion of the produce shall be removed from the thrashing floor without payment of the prescribed wages to the agricultural worker concerned ;
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1) where the quantum. of prescribed wages is in dispute and such quantum cannot be determined without settling the dispute under the provisions of this Act, an officer not below the rank of a Labour Inspector authorised in this behalf by the Government by Notification in the official Gazette shall, if he is satisfied that the harvested produce if kept in the thrashing floor till the settlement of the dispute will perish or be otherwise lost take such action as he thinks expedient in each case to ensure that the harvested produce does not perish or is not otherwise lost itifl the settlement of the dispute.
13. Enforcement of payment of prescribed wages.—-(1) If any landowner pays less than the prescribed wages or refuses to pay the prescribed wages to any agricultural worker, the agricultural worker or an official of the union of which he is a member may make an application to the Conciltation Officer for a direction under sub-section (2).
(2) On receipt of an application under sub-section (1) the Conciliation Officer shall, after giving the applicant and the landowner an opportunity of being heard and after such inquiry, if any, as he may consider necessary, direct,—
(a) in the case of a claim arising out of the payment of less than the prescribed wages, the payment to the agricultural worker of the amount by which the prescribed wages payable io him exceeds the amount actually paid by the landowner ;
(b) in the case of a claim arising out of non-payment of prescribed wages, the payment of the prescribed wages to the agricultural worker.
(3) [fas a result of a direction under sub-section (2), any amount of the prescribed wages becomes payable to an agricultural worker, the Conciliation Officer may,— (a} in the case of harvest,— G) recover in, kind or in cash such amount of the prescribed wages at the thrashing floor from out of the harvested paddy ; and
(ii) if the harvested paddy or any portion thereof has been removed from the thrashing floor in contravention of the provisions of section 12 recover in kind of in cash the amount of prescribed wages from the land ewner concerned and if such recovery is not possible, the Conciliation Officer shall make a report to the Collector specifying the full particulars regarding the amount of casa value of the prescribed wages due to the agricutural worker concerned and on receipt of such report, the Collector shall proceed to recover the same from the landowner concerned as if it were an arrear of public revenue due on land ;
(b) in the case of any work other than harvest, recover in kind or in cash the amount of prescribed wages from the land owner concermed, and if such recovery is not possible, the Conciliation.O fiicer shall make a report fo the Collector specifying the full particulars, regarding the amount of cash value of the prescribed wages due to the agricultural worker concerned and on receipt of such report the Collector shall proceed to recover the same from the landowner conce-aed as if it were an arrear of land revenue due on land.
Explanation. —in this sub-section, “Collector” means the Collector of the District or any other officer appointed by the Government to exercise the powers and perform the functions of a Collector under the Tripura Land Revenue and ‘Lane Reforms Act, 1960.
(4) The Conciliation Officer shall have such powers as are necessary to effect the payment of the prasciibed wages to the agricultural worker, including the power to eater upon ary Jand on which, or into any building in which, the harvested crop is kept.