Guwahati, March 11: The Tea Association of India (TAI) has expressed its gratitude to Assam Government and welcomed the Budget 2025-26 for considering the various issues and giving relief.
Model tea garden schools and football academies have been proposed along with various scholarships to the students of the community.
The budget proposes extending the tax holiday on agricultural income tax for the next three years, aiming to provide financial relief and encourage investment in the tea sector. This was a much sought after relief by the industry, according to a Press release.
Significant emphasis has been placed on improving the infrastructure of tea garden labour lines, particularly road development, to enhance connectivity and living conditions for tea workers.
The government aims to provide 800 four-seater trailer mounted toilets to cover all the tea gardens.
Waiver of electricity dues: As a special measure, the government has announced a one-time waiver of all arrear electricity dues for tea garden worker families residing in labour lines, with an allocation of Rs 150 crore for this initiative.
These measures reflect the government’s strategic focus on sustaining the growth of Assam’s tea industry, ensuring the welfare of tea workers, and reinforcing the sector’s significance in the state’s socio-economic landscape.
Assam will work with Tea industry stakeholders to introduce India’s first AI-driven blockchain based Tea Auction System to enhance transparency and efficiency.
This digital platform will revolutionize the tea trade by ensuring secure transactions and fair pricing. The initiative will strengthen Assam’s position as a global leader in the tea industry and help in fair price discovery.
The announcement of one-time financial assistance of Rs 5000 to each of 6.8 lakh existing tea garden workers, both casual and permanent workers is noteworthy welfare measure. Rs. 342 crores has been allocated for this endeavour.