Assam govt to introduce bill in assembly for land rights to tea garden workers

Guwahati, Oct 16 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said his government will introduce a bill in the upcoming assembly session to offer land rights to tea garden workers.

The Assam government recognises the rights of tea estate workers over land along the garden lines, he said.

"We are going to have the next assembly session from November 25. We will introduce a bill for giving land rights to our tea garden workers," Sarma said.

In the last 10 days, at least two major protests took place in Upper Assam with thousands of people from the tea tribe and Adivasi communities holding marches and demanding immediate inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe category, raising daily wages and giving land allotments.

"We are committed to the welfare of the community through a range of steps to ensure their cultural, educational and socio-economic growth," the CM said at a function here.

The programme was organised to offer remuneration to nearly 8,000 performers of Jhumoir dance in February.

During the event, Sarma said the government will organise a week-long programme in New Delhi next year to showcase various traditional dances of Assam.

On February 24, the Assam government had organised a recital of Jhumoir dance, marking 200 years of Assam's tea industry and celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the tea tribe community.

"We distributed Rs 25,000 each to around 8,000 performers and trainers, who made us proud on the global stage during the Jhumoir Binandini programme. This will greatly empower these hardworking people from our cherished tea garden community," Sarma said.

Each expert committee member received Rs 50,000, and each trainer and artiste got Rs 25,000 via direct bank transfer.

Sarma also flagged off 80 'Sanjeevani vehicles' testing in the remote tea garden areas to improve access to healthcare in the plantation sites.

The CM outlined a plan to organise performances of Bihu, Jhumoir, Bagurumba and other traditional folk dances of Assam by participants in New Delhi over a period of seven days in 2026.

"Our aim should be to achieve professionalism in various fields, bring pride to the tea gardens and serve Assam. Our vision is to showcase Assam's unique culture to the global audience through dance performance through a week-long programme in New Delhi in the coming days," he said.

Sarma emphasised the collective responsibility to ensure that every individual from tea garden communities attends school, receives proper education and progresses in diverse fields.

"In the tea garden areas, we will establish 100 new high schools by January 2026. Alongside reserving 30 seats in medical colleges, the Assam government has also taken steps to reserve 3 per cent of seats for the students from the tea garden and Adivasi communities in Grade III and IV jobs," he added. PTI TR TR BDC