41,591 Cachar tea labourers set to receive Rs 2,500 each in their bank accounts

SILCHAR, Aug 9 - At a time when the decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking the people and tea garden labourers in particular to open their bank accounts has been widely criticised, as many as 41, 591 labourers across 52 tea gardens of Cachar district are set to receive Rs 2,500 each in their bank accounts ahead of this year�s Independence Day.

Cachar Deputy Commissioner S Vishwanathan on Tuesday informed that the State Government in this year�s Budget sanctioned a whopping amount of Rs 10,39,77,500 crore to be deposited to the bank accounts of the tea labourers.

�Of the total number of labourers, 18,808 permanent labourers and 22,783 temporary labourers, who have opened their bank accounts, are eligible to receive Rs 2,500 each in their accounts. Also, the Government has decided to give an incentive of Rs 2,500 to the bank accounts of the tea labourers whose wages are being consistently maintained by respective tea garden managements in the district uninterruptedly for a period of six years,� Vishwanathan maintained.

Meanwhile, Congress MLA from Lakhipur and general secretary of Barak Cha Shramik Union Rajdeep Goala has welcomed this step by the Government. Talking to this correspondent Rajdeep said, �This is a welcome step in the interest of the labourers and I am happy. But there is a lot to be done. The labourers already had their accounts in which they received their PF money. The Government must make arrangements for setting up ATMs across all the tea gardens so that the benefits are truly materialised.�