Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday said 10,000 tea tribe youths will be provided a one-time grant of Rs. 25,000 for encouraging entrepreneurship.
Chief minister Sonowal said this while attending the 3rd Shramik Kalyan Divas celebration programme held at Kathalguri Tea Estate playground, Mariani in Jorhat.
Sonowal also said one-time grant of Rs. 10,000 would also be provided to the meritorious students of the community who have passed HSLC and HS examinations with success.
He also called on the tea community youth to strive for excelling in academics, cultural field and sports so that they could establish Assam firmly at the world stage.
The Shramik Kalyan Divas was celebrated in recognition of the remarkable services of notable tea community leader and social worker Santosh Kumar Topno on his birth anniversary since 2017.
The programme was organized by the Labour Welfare Department, Government of Assam and Assam Labour Welfare Committee.
Speaking as the chief guest, Sonowal said Assam is known in the world because of Assam tea.
But the people who actually produce Assam tea have remained neglected for the last seven decades since India’s independence.
Now, the state and the central governments have come forth with a committed zeal to uplift the condition of the workers and the tea garden community in Assam, he said.
Sonowal also underlined the immense potential of the tea garden people and their hard-working nature and reiterated that the state government has already launched a series of initiatives to ensure a better and dignified life for them.
He also highlighted the great contributions of tea community leader Santosh Kumar Topno and called upon the people to follow his footsteps to develop a more cohesive, harmonious and vibrant Assam.
Santosh Kumar Topno saw the dream of an educated and empowered tea tribe community and people should join hands to make this dream a reality, he said.
The Assam CM highlighted initiatives like CM’s Cup Football Tournament for tea garden to harness the sports talents among the youth of the tea tribe community.
The CM also awarded Jorhat district for best performance in implementing wage compensation scheme for tea garden pregnant women and inaugurated a cultural stage in memory of Mangri Orang at Mariani on Saturday.