Assam's tea garden workers step into a new era of jobs, land and dignity

Doomdooma, Jan 1: For nearly two centuries, the tea gardens of Assam thrived on the sweat and perseverance of generations of workers who called the plantations home, but owned little. Today, a quiet but significant transformation is unfolding across these green stretches, bringing with it jobs, land rights and renewed hope.

In a candid conversation, Assam Cabinet Minister Rupesh Gowala said the State's tea garden communities are witnessing an unprecedented phase of inclusion under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

"No previous Chief Minister gave the tea garden sector this level of importance," he said, under-scoring a shift that many consider long overdue.

At the heart of the change lies the introduction of a three percent reservation, which for the first time has opened the doors of government employment to tea garden youths.

"This is not merely a policy decision; it is a matter of dignity," Gowala remarked. "After decades of marginalisation, boys and girls from tea gardens are now securing jobs and envisioning a future beyond daily wage labour.

Tracing the historical roots of the tea tribes and Adivasi communities, the minister reflected on their long journey in Assam. "They arrived from different parts of the country nearly 200 years ago with nothing in their hands. For generations, they lived in houses provided by garden management, without land. or assets of their own," he said.

"An entire community lived without ownership. The decision to allot land to tea garden workers is therefore historic and unimaginable in its impact."

Under the new initiative, each eligible tea garden worker will be allotted up to one bigha of land. The land, however, cannot be sold for 20 years, and even after that, it can only be transferred within the tea garden community, a measure aimed at protecting workers from exploitation and distress sales.

As Minister for Labour Welfare, Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare, Gowala also acknowledged that wages remain a pressing concern. Calling it a 'burning issue', he revealed that the government has already initiated the process to increase tea workers' wages, with formal steps expected to begin in January.

Currently, daily wages stand at Rs 228 in the Barak valley and Rs 250 in the Brahmaputra valley. "We are hopeful that the new year will bring better wages and relief to the workers," he said.

Gowala also serves as the central general secretary of the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha, the largest tea garden labourers' organisation in the Brahmaputra valley. He expressed confidence that other long-pending issues faced by the tea garden labourers would be addressed in phases.

From job opportunities through reservation to land ownership and wage reforms, the changes sweeping Assam's tea gardens signal more than administrative reform.

They mark a turning point in a centuries-old narrative, where the hands that nurtured Assam's tea are being acknowledged, empowered and given a rightful stake in the land they have long called home.