Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has proposed a Rs 15,000 financial aid package for pregnant women and newborn babies in tea estates. The major decision was made as part of the ‘Wage Compensation Scheme’, which ensures ‘Nari Samman’, an effort aimed at providing financial help and recognition to female workers. CM Himanta took to his official X Twitter to celebrate the scheme’s success, which has already benefited over 1.3 lakh women. He claimed that the project has already benefited over 1.3 lakh women, who have received Rs 127.77 crore directly into their bank accounts.
As part of its Mission Bashundhara 3 campaign, the Assam government implemented strict measures to eliminate unlawful tea garden housing earlier this month. This approach seeks to regularize land occupancy while protecting the interests of indigenous people who have lived on these lands before December 31, 2022. The Justice (Retd.) Biplab Sharma Commission’s findings laid the groundwork for these new restrictions, which emphasize a zero-tolerance approach for unlicensed development in tea plantation areas.
Under this effort, any new construction constructed on tea garden land would henceforth be considered a criminal crime, demonstrating the government’s commitment to preserve these critical agricultural spaces. However, it is vital to emphasize that these requirements do not apply to members of the tea plantation community who build residences on their own land, ensuring that the new guidelines do not have a negative impact on local inhabitants.