Jyotiraditya Scindia visits Assam's tea estates

Guwahati, Sep 21(ANI): Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia visited the Teok Tea Estate in Assam's Jorhat district on the weekend.

Scindia, during his maiden visit to the State familiarised himself with the tea industry and met the planters and labourers.

"It's my imperative and my effort to ensure that the Governmental schemes that we have in process with the tea board, whether it is Special Purpose Tea Fund, whether it is the human resources fund, the marketing fund, the efficiency of those schemes, are on the ground," Scindia said

"Also to look at what the issues are, of the labourers, across the tea plantations as one group, as well as the small tea growers," said Scindia.

The minister was also briefed about the importance of the survival and continued viability of the tea industry in Assam, which employs about a million people, both permanent and casual.

India, which is one of the leading exporters of tea, has registered a fall of 14 percent in seven months ended July from a year ago as low production and robust internal demand has continued to hit exports. (ANI)