Tripura govt announces Rs 85 crore scheme for tea workers

In an attempt to ensure social security of over 7,000 tea garden workers of Tripura, the state government has announced a special scheme named "Mukhyamantri Chaa Srami Kalyan Prakalpa".

The scheme assures housing, rations and financial support to the tea garden workers providing them with facilities of state and central government entitlements in a clubbed format, Tripura cabinet spokesman and Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Sushanta Chowdhury has said.

A sum of Rs 85 crore would be spent from the government's exchequer for the implementation of the scheme.

"The Tripura council of ministers in a recently held meeting took this decision for the tea garden workers in Tripura as 90 lakh kilos of tea", said Sushanta Chowdhury.

He said "75 per cent among 7,000 tea garden workers are women while this quantity of tea is being produced through 54 tea estates and 21 tea processing factories across the state. The tea production is mainly distributed in North, Sepahijala, Unakoti and West Tripura districts".

On being asked about wages issue, the minister said "The government decided to provide wages of Rs 176 per day to every worker while it was Rs 105 and at present, it is Rs 130 per person."

The key components of the scheme are as follows: provide land or home to farmers for constructing house, to allot land of defunct tea garden on lease basis through Cooperative, to provide drinking water, electricity, shelter, education and healthcare amenities to each and every family, priority group ration card to be given, promote their children to send them in pre-primary to Higher Secondary schools, social pension to all eligible families, social allowance, Maternal and Child Health Care assistance to be given, ensure health insurance as per their ability, to provide supportive appliances for handicapped persons, to monitor and coordinate with the managers for providing an eco-friendly environment, to be brought under PMAY.

( With inputs from ANI )

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