Asom minister announces schemes for tea sector

Silchar, Mar 10(UNI) Asom Minister for Urban Development Dinesh Prasad Goala said both Asom government and the Centre have taken up a number of initiatives for upliftment of the tea sector.

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

This was aimed at increasing the quantum of production, improvement of quality and thus getting the price at par with rest of the world.

He said managements should ensure proper spending of funds so that it might reach to 70,000 families dependent upon tea industry in the Barak Valley.

The Asom Urban Development Minister said the state government has sent a proposal to the Centre to construct 10, 000 houses for the tea workers in this valley alone.

The minister expressed his hope that the proposal would get the Centre's nod soon.

He also informed that the government would take up responsibility for construction of tea garden roads through PMGSY and NABARD schemes.

Mr Goala, also the general secretary of Intuc-affiliated Cachar Cha Shramik Union(CCSU), has asked the tea planters of Barak Valley to become optimistic about the industry.

He said while the management should think about industry's profit, they should also take into consideration the welfare of the workers as well.

''Out of the 104 tea gardens in Barak Valley, many of them failed to pay their part as Provident Fund(PF) to the workers for years.

Employees and workers of a number of tea gardens have not got their wage and ration for many months,'' the Asom minister said.

Mr Goala said the tea industry in Barak Valley have been suffering from poor quality, less production and low price in the market for past one decade.

UNI