Explanation:

Rajasthan government has issued an order to form a Mine Workers Welfare Board, fulfilling one of its poll manifestos and demands of various non-government organisations.

There are over 25 lakh workers are engaged in different mining activities in over 33,000 mines in the state. However, due to the lack of a board and violation of the mining policy rules, most of the workers were never recognised as such.

As per the government order, the board's term will be for three years.

According to government data, the country's mines are dangerous by any standard, with one mine worker dying every six days on average in 2017. India is one of the world's most dangerous countries to be a coal miner.

However, various rights groups have said the state should have done it much before, given the number of people suffering from silicosis and the challenges they face in getting support from the companies they work for and the government.

Silicosis is a long-term lung disease caused by breathing large amounts of crystalline silica dust over many years. Silica is a substance found in certain types of stone, rock, sand and clay, and working with these materials can create very fine dust that a person can easily inhale.

Since the workers are not recognised officially by the companies, they don't get any support when they suffer from silicosis. In the absence of recognition of a mine worker, it was also tough for them to convince the administration to get the benefits enumerated in the silicosis policy.