BJP-led govt. gifts cash to Assam tea workers with eye on polls

Eye on the upcoming Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance authorities in Assam doled out cash to greater than 7 lakh tea plantation workers on Saturday.

Tea plantation workers, referred to as “tea tribes” with roots in Central India, are a potent electoral power in 45 of Assam’s 126 Assembly constituencies. These seats are unfold throughout the tea rising belts of jap, central and southern Assam.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presided over the ‘Cha Bagichar Dhan Puraskar Mela’ (truthful for gifting wealth to tea backyard workers) in Guwahati. The occasion entailed transferring ₹3,000 every to the financial institution accounts of seven,46,667 tea workers.

This was the third such cash switch after two instalments of ₹2,500 earlier. The Assam authorities has to date spent ₹584 crore below the scheme.

Addressing hundreds of tea workers, Ms. Sitharaman mentioned they have been the beneficiaries of a number of schemes as we speak as a result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been interested by them earlier than the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

“The tea workers now enjoy digital facilities anyone in the metros does. You are directly getting money. There are no middlemen. This is the benefit of digitalisation,” she mentioned, including that the initiatives of the BJP-led governments on the Centre and within the State had led to the opening of financial institution accounts, cell banking, and set up of ATMs in tea gardens.

“Assam tea has a global brand value. We all have tea in the morning, but your children eat stale rice. This situation has to change. The children of the workers, who provide tea to the world, must have access to fresh food,” Ms. Sitharaman mentioned.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal mentioned the earlier Congress authorities had disadvantaged the tea workers of their rights. “We introduced several schemes in tea gardens. The children of tea workers are today marching ahead. Three of them cracked the Assam Civil Services Exam,” he mentioned.

Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma mentioned the federal government would quickly hike the wages of plantation workers, who need the every day wage to be elevated to ₹351. The present every day wage is ₹167.

“We are going to issue a notification in this regard within 10 days,” he mentioned, assuring entry to schooling and monetary help to the kids of every tea backyard employee.

The BJP-led authorities has since 2016 showered schemes on tea plantation workers, together with provide of free rice; monetary assist of ₹12,000 for diet to each pregnant lady; and reservation of seats in medical and engineering institutes for his or her youngsters.

So far, 47,000 pregnant girls have obtained the cash award.

The authorities has additionally spent ₹1,400-crore on paving roads within the tea gardens and began constructing faculties in 199 estates, the deadline for opening them being May 1. The authorities can also be working on reserving 10% seats in any respect schools within the State, and offering breakfast to the kids of plantation workers as well as to noon meal.

“Tea tribes” and “ex-tea tribes” (those that have moved out of the estates to pursue agriculture and different professions) comprise virtually 20% of Assam’s whole inhabitants of 33 million. About 1.1 million of them, employed throughout 800 main tea estates and a few small tea gardens, largely affect 3.6 million voters of the group.

In 2016, the BJP received over the plantation workers — as soon as thought-about en masse Congress voters — to bag 26 of the 35 Assembly seats the place they represent the biggest voting bloc. The Asom Gana Parishad, the BJP’s regional ally, received 4 of those seats.