Asom minister tells to improve tea production

Silchar, Mar 10 (UNI) Asom's urban development minister Dinesh Prasad Goala today said efforts were on for upliftment of tea sector in Asom.

Addressing the 36th annual general meeting of Tea Association of India (TAI), Barak Valley branch, Mr Goala said the Centre has recently announced that it will spend Rs 252 crore in next ten years for the development of tea sector in Barak Valley.

The fund would be spent for increasing tea production and quality so that Indian tea can compete at reasonable price in the world market.

Mr Goala said the managements should ensure proper spending of the fund so that it may reach to the 70,000 families depended upon tea industry in Barak Valley. He said the state government also submitted a proposal to the Centre for construction of 10,000 houses for the tea workers in the valley. The government was actively thinking for construction of the tea garden roads through PMGSY and NABARD schemes.

Mr oala, also the general secretary of Intuc-affiliated Cachar Cha Shramik Union (CCSU), asked the tea planters to think positive for future growth of the ailing industry.

"Out of the 104 tea gardens in Barak Valley, many of them failed to pay their part to provident fund (PF) of the workers for years.

Employees and workers of a number of tea gardens have not been getting their wages and rations for many months. This phenomena of irregular wage and ration should be corrected immediately", said the minister.

He said the tea industry was suffering due to poor quality, less production and low price in the market for past one decade.

UNI