Guwahati: The Assam Budget 2023-24 is giving fillip to the tea industry that is celebrating 200 years in 2023.

Finance Minister Ajanta Neog, while projecting the budget, mentioned about the special thrust to the tea industry in all spheres. A press communique from the Tea Association of India stated that the new budget has strong recommendations for capital expenditure in the sector.

For nearly two centuries, tea sector has been the backbone of the state economy and an extremely important sector from the employment generation perspective.

While the proposal for organising road shows in major cities in India and abroad, increase in orthodox subsidy under ATISIS 2020, extension of tax holiday on agricultural income tax for the next three years, focus on tea tourism and unlocking potential of tea garden land for other agricultural and allied activities boost the tea trade, the relief on arrear electricity dues of tea garden workers’ families, increasing compensation from Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 under Wage Compensation scheme for pregnant women of tea garden areas of Assam, employment of more tea garden workforce under MGNREGA will strengthen the tea garden community.

Social welfare activities inside the tea garden such as construction of Mahaprabhu Jagannath Community Hall cum Skill Centres, construction of houses under PMAY-G, Construction of model high schools in tea gardens etc will go a long way in development of tea garden community.

Introduction of Mukhya Mantri Ayushman Asom Yojana based on National Food Security Act data base and selection of new beneficiaries under NFSA under One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme is visionary on part of the State Govt of Assam are some of the areas the new schemes will focus on.

Focus on Commercial tea plantation and exemption of electricity duty on green energy and introduction of Chief Minister’s Green Initiative Incentive Scheme indicates the concern of the State Government on Climate change issue.

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