Guwahati, Aug 10: The Assam government on Wednesday hiked the daily wage of tea workers in the state by Rs 27, which is the second increment in six months this year.
The decision on the wage hike, which will be effective from August 1, 2022, was taken in a meeting here with representatives of Indian Tea Association, North East Tea Association, Tea Association of India, Bharatiya Chah Parishad, Assam Tea Planters’ Association and Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha.
“Welfare of tea garden workers has always been our government’s top priority. In a meeting with tea garden management and workers’ unions, it was decided to increase the workers’ daily wage by Rs 27 over and above ration and other benefits,” chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who chaired the meeting, informed later.
With this hike, the daily wage of workers in tea estates of Brahmaputra Valley has risen to Rs 232 while that of workers in Barak Valley gardens has increased to Rs 210.
The chief minister during the course of the meeting also assured to raise the government subsidy for orthodox tea from Rs 7 to Rs 10 per kg.
Moreover, the chief minister informed that all tea garden workers in the state would receive ration cards and that the supply of food grains by management to garden workers would continue.
“All garden workers will get ration cards and we urged the gardens to take fair price shop licence,” he said.
It may be recalled that the state government had hiked the daily wages of tea garden workers in both Brahmaputra and Barak valleys by Rs 38 in February this year.