Keeping in view of the ensuing State Assembly election 2021, the Assam Cabinet on Saturday decided to increase the daily wage of the tea garden workers.

In a meeting of the State Cabinet, chaired by Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday, it was decided to increase the daily wage of the tea garden workers of the state from Rs 167 to Rs 217, an increase by Rs 50.

The decision of the Sonowal Cabinet was announced by Assam parliamentary affairs minister Chandra Mohan Patowary after the meeting.

The tea garden workers’ organizations in the state were demanding that the tea garden workers’ daily wage be fixed at Rs 351.

The tea garden workers across Assam are currently paid Rs 167 per day.

Minister Patoway claimed that the daily wage of the tea garden workers was earlier increased by Rs 30 during the BJP regime and now, with an increase of Rs 50, the BJP government has hiked the wage by a total of Rs 80.

Patowary informed that the tea garden workers will also be provided Rs 101 per day for rations.

Adding the amount of Rs 101 for rations, the total wage of each of the tea garden workers in Assam will be Rs 318, Patowary said.

However, only time will say whether the Assam government would be able to compel the tea garden companies in the state to pay the fixed amount, as decided by the State Cabinet on Saturday, to the tea garden workers or not.

Kalpajyoti Saikia is Senior Reporter of Northeast Now. He can be reached at: [email protected]