Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday said that the Government of Assam has adopted several innovative measures for ensuring social and economic security of the tea garden community as well as improvement of their education and health scenario.
Chief Minister Sonowal said this while attending the State level Karam Sanmillan organized for the first time by the central committee of Assam Tea Tribes Students Association (ATTSA) at District Sports Association playground at Jorhat on Sunday.
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Appreciating the role of the tea tribe community in building the economy of the State, the Chief Minister said that the tea tribe people are an integral part of Assamese society and they have set a new benchmark for Assam tea in the world by their sheer grit and hard work.
He further said that the State Government is unleashing unceasing efforts to solve the nagging issues of the tea gardens of the state and taken up steps for carrying forward the development process.
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Sonowal also called upon ATTSA to play a more proactive role in giving a new impetus to Government initiatives as well as to developing scientific outlook among the tea tribe community against superstition and other social evils.
Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in his speech said that the State Government would launch an ambitious scheme to reduce maternal mortality in the tea garden areas.
He further said that the Government made budgetary allocation for addressing malnutrition among pregnant women and capacity building of ASHAs for ensuring successful implementation of the proposed scheme.
He moreover informed that the State Government allocated Rs. 800 crore for improvement of roads in the tea gardens and from November 1 onwards Rs 1 crore in each garden would be spent for road improvement works.
Minister Sarma also said that the State Government already released Rs 100 crore for meeting the requirements of retired employees of ATC gardens, besides transfer of Rs. 2500 in December this year to each tea garden workers who opened bank account post demonetization and continued financial transactions.
The Health Minister also informed that the State Government decided to provide Rs. 25,000 to tea tribe youth who are interested to venture into entrepreneurship apart from monthly scholarship to five hundred girls from tea garden areas for pursuing ANM and GNM courses.
Jorhat MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, President of ACMS Paban Singh Ghatowar, writer Padum Rajkhowa, office bearers of ATTSA and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.