Assam's Historic Move: 3% Job Quota and Land Rights for Tea Tribe Workers

He said that the government will provide three per cent reservation for tea garden youths in Class I and Class II State government jobs, including the Assam Civil Service (ACS) and Assam Police Service (APS). The reservation will come into effect this year, and appointment letters to successful candidates will be handed over in a special ceremony to raise public awareness about this initiative.

Similarly, the Chief Minister stated that the government has already taken steps to provide three per cent reservation for the tea and Adivasi communities under the OBC quota in Grade III and IV government jobs. This move will pave the way for around 1,000 tea community youth to secure government jobs.

The Chief Minister emphasised that the lives of tea garden workers cannot be made secure without land rights.

"Therefore, a bill will be introduced in the Assam Legislative Assembly in November to grant ownership of land in tea garden lines to the workers," he said.

Referring to the decision to reserve three MBBS seats in the medical colleges for tea community students, Sarma said it was a landmark step that brought transformative change to the community. He announced that from now on, the number of reserved seats in the medical colleges will be increased from three to four.

Sarma said this while attending the 19th biennial general conference of the Assam Tea Tribe Students' Association (ATTSA) and the central biennial general conference of the Assam Tea Tribe Women's Association held at Mariani College playground in Jorhat district on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister paid heartfelt tributes to Simon Singh Horo and Santosh Topno, the founders of ATTSA. He said that the association was born 77 years ago with the noble objectives of establishing the rights of tea garden workers, freeing them from the exploitation of tea garden owners, and promoting education within the community.

Sarma said that even after years of hard labour in the gardens, the people belonging to the tea community suffered untold oppression and exploitation at the hands of British planters, and ATTSA has, since its inception, relentlessly fought for their rights, dignity, and self-respect.

He observed that the persistent efforts of ATTSA over the decades have brought about a visible improvement in the lives of tea workers.

"The struggles led by the association have ended the exploitation by owners and created awareness among the workers about their rights. ATTSA's social movement enabled young people from the tea community to step beyond the boundaries of the tea gardens and engage with the wider world," he said.

Highlighting the growing awareness about education and self-reliance among the youth of the tea community, Sarma lauded ATTSA's significant contribution towards motivating them to pursue higher education and government jobs.

He further mentioned that the tea community has made invaluable contributions to Assam's social, cultural, and economic life, and ATTSA has played a crucial role in addressing workers' problems and fostering an environment of education, culture, and sports among tea garden youth.

The Chief Minister exhorted that for over 200 years, members of the tea community have made extraordinary contributions to the economy, social life, and culture of Assam. Over time, the community has progressed educationally and culturally and secured a strong position within the larger Assamese society.

"Since the current State government assumed office, it has consistently acknowledged and honoured the remarkable contributions of the tea community to Assam's social fabric. I can say with great satisfaction that in the past four and a half years, the initiatives undertaken by our government for the welfare and advancement of the tea community have had a positive impact on their lives. The resolve we made to contribute to their long-standing socio-economic journey has now been realised," the Chief Minister said.

Speaking about the community's rich cultural heritage, he said that Dr Bhupen Hazarika had once brought global attention to tea culture through his portrayal of Jhumur songs and dances. Sustaining that legacy, the present State government organised the 'Jhumoir Binandini' in Guwahati on February 24 this year in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ambassadors from various countries, where 8,000 artistes exhibited their performance.

"The grand event showcased the splendour of tea culture to the world, and the government plans to organise a similar Jhumoir dance in New Delhi next year," the Chief Minister said.

On the issue of education, the Chief Minister said that earlier, there was hardly any thought given to establishing higher educational institutions for the tea community.

"However, for the first time, the present government has set up 115 high schools in tea garden areas, and by January next year, 100 more will be inaugurated for the benefit of tea garden community. Once these schools are made operational in the tea gardens the dreams of the tea garden students can be translated into reality," he said.

The Chief Minister also spoke about other government initiatives like making tea garden line roads pucca, constructing houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and providing safe drinking water to workers.

"If we cannot bring the 40 lakh people of the tea community into the mainstream of the society, Assam as a whole will never progress. Therefore, we are continuously working towards this goal," the Chief Minister said.

He reiterated that the present government has been able to accomplish tasks for the upliftment of the tea community that no previous government could achieve. He added that since the tea community has introduced Assam to the world through its tea, it is the collective duty of the people to recognise their contribution.

The event was attended by Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, Minister for Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare Rupesh Gowala, MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, MLAs Rupjyoti Kurmi and Sanjay Kishan, former Union Minister Paban Singh Ghatowar, former MP and ASTC Chairman Pallav Lochan Das, ATTSA President Dhiraj Gowala, General Secretary Jagadish Baraik, Padma Shri awardee artist Dulal Manki, and a host of other dignitaries.

- ANI