Consider the following statements: 1. The Factories Act, 1881, was passed with a view to fix the wages of industrial workers and to allow the workers to form trade unions. 2. N.M. Lokhande was a pioneer in organizing the labour movement in British India. Which of the statements give above is/are correct?

Statement 2 is correct and statement 1 is not, so the answer is B. The Factories Act, 1881 was the first factory law in British India, passed in Lord Ripon's time. It focused on child workers (minimum age 7), their working hours, and safety, such as fencing of machinery. It said nothing about fixing wages or allowing trade unions. Trade unions became legal only with the Trade Unions Act, 1926, and minimum wages were regulated later through the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.

N.M. Lokhande founded the Bombay Mill Hands Association in 1890 and is regarded as a pioneer of the organised labour movement in India. He also campaigned successfully for a weekly holiday for mill workers in 1890. Statement 2 is therefore correct.

• Statement 1: Incorrect. The 1881 Act dealt with child labour, working hours for children and safety. It was amended in 1891 and 1911 to widen coverage.
• Option A: Wrong, because statement 1 is false.
• Options C and D: Wrong, because statement 2 is true.

Core concept: the evolution of labour legislation and labour organisation in colonial India. It is a recurring theme in Modern History and a useful base for Mains GS-1 answers on labour and social reform.

Trap: Candidates assume every early labour law dealt with wages or unions, and so pick A or C.