( 1. ) THIS petition by a social worker concerned with the welfare of the labourers in Chhattisgarh region of this State has been filed with a view to prevent exploitation of labourers engaged in business of lac manufactory in that region and particularly in Dhamtari Tahsil of Raipur District. It appears that the petitioner found that the poor labourers employed by the manufacturers of lac are being paid very low wages and are subjected to forced labour. He appears to have been moved by the low wages paid to these labourers and, therefore, has moved this petition to safeguard the interests of labourers thus victimised by the rich lac manufacturers. The contention is that though lac manufactory is a scheduled employment under the Minimum Wages Act, still minimum wages have not been fixed in this lac industry. Only Rs. 4. 00 per day is paid to the unskilled labour, while the skilled labour is paid Rs. 7. 60 paise per day. Apart from alleging violation of Article 14 of the Constitution of India in not fixing minimum wages for this industry, it is also urged that the respondents have failed in their duties to protect the fundamental right to live, of labourers employed in lac