The State tea industry expects to get some relief through the West Bengal Tea Plantation Employees’ Welfare Fund Bill 2015, which it saw as a unique initiative, where the State is willing to partner the industry to promote workers welfare...The Act envisages the setting up of an Rs.100-crore fund. This would be utilised in three ways....for providing interest subvention (a form of interest subsidy), and/or matching grants to employers as soft loans which the tea gardens would have to invest in social welfare schemes...provision of scholarship to the children of tea garden employees. The third critical component pertains to sick or closed gardens.