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Tea occupied a vital place in India’s economy for several decades. The demand and preference for Indian tea changed drastically over the years since the 90s. The Indian tea industry significantly contributed to the country’s growth in national income with about 85% of the total households consuming tea in the country. However, the overall situation in the industry apparently showed signs of a deep-rooted humanitarian crisis. This crisis affected the livelihood of not only the small tea growers, but also the poor workers who were employed in the plantations. They were deprived of their basic rights and entitlements, in spite of putting in extra efforts to meet the unreasonable demands of the employers. Though the Government implemented much legislation to protect this section of the tea industry, large tea companies deliberately failed to follow the provisions. They not only defied the guidelines for smooth functioning of the industry, but also continued to exploit the tea industry workers. In this context, the case study will present some of the issues that reflect the humanitarian crisis affecting the tea industry. It will also analyse whether the initiatives adopted by the Government improved the condition of the tea industry workers.