Silicosis patients from Rajasthan hail NHRC intervention<br> <br>

Raju Devi realized only after the death of her husband and father of three children, Govardhan that he suffered from silicosis, a disease contracted while working in Jodhpur mines. Still, she had no immediate alternative but to push herself also to work in mines to run the kitchen of her family.
There are several other women like her who lost their sole bread earners to this killer disease having no cure so far. But they feel that in this adversity, intervention by the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, seeking to ameliorate their cause has brought in a ray of hope for the victim of silicosis.
Led by an NGO, Mine Labour Protection Campaign, MLPC a group of sixty men and women, comprising mine workers and dependents of those who died due to silicosis, came all the way from Jodhpur to the Commission in New Delhi on the 22nd February, 2011, to express their gratitude towards NHRC for its intervention in the matter following which the Government of Rajasthan had given ex-gratia payment of rupees one lakh each to the next of kin of the 21 persons who died due to silicosis.
Mr. P.C. Sharma, Member, NHRC met with them. They informed that the State Government of Rajasthan had issued notification in respect of measures to be adopted for prevention of silicosis. However, they said that a lot needs to be done to get in place proper wages for under paid mine workers, appropriate medical facilities for them and monetary relief in case of a death due to silicosis. Mr. Sharma assured them that the Commission will take all possible steps in this direction and will take up the matter with the State Government. Senior officers of the Commission were also present on the occasion.
The Commission on the basis of a complaint by Mr. Ashok Kumar of MLPC and the findings of its investigation team had asked the Chief Secretary, Government of Rajasthan on the 5th April, 2010 to submit a report whether some monetary relief has been paid to the next of kin of the 21 victims of silicosis and what steps were taken for the medication and rehabilitation of 44 persons who contracted silicosis while working in sand stone mines in Jodhpur.
Silicosis is a disease caused due to inhalation of silica, and it is often mixed up with tuberculosis due to lack of awareness. The disease is considered incurable, but if timely precautions are taken then the people can save themselves from it. These include measures like using a mask while working in mines and construction
sites.