Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the Assam government aims to raise the daily wages of tea garden workers to Rs 450 during its tenure, while stressing that the target would depend on the growth and strengthening of the state’s tea industry.Speaking during the third day of the Assam Assembly session on May 26, the chief minister said the government had already increased tea garden workers’ wages to nearly Rs 300 and now wanted to take the next step through broader economic reforms and industry expansion.“For the first time, we have raised the wages of tea garden workers to nearly Rs 300,” Sarma said in the Assembly. He added that the government now carried the responsibility of increasing the wages further to Rs 450.
The chief minister, however, said such a move would require support and cooperation from all stakeholders connected to Assam’s tea sector. He said the industry would need stronger growth, better productivity and wider global market access to sustain higher wages in the long term.“Collective efforts will be needed so that Assam’s tea industry can capture the global market,” Sarma said during his address.He noted that the coming five years would be important for Assam’s economic growth and rural development. According to him, the state government plans to focus on modernising sectors that provide employment to large sections of the rural population. “We will have to modernise and strengthen Assam’s tea sector, agriculture sector, and cottage industries,” he said.
Sarma also said the government intended to improve productivity and create sustainable income opportunities for workers and rural communities through long-term economic planning and infrastructure support.Assam’s tea industry remains one of the state’s biggest employment sectors and supports lakhs of workers and their families across several districts. The sector also contributes significantly to Assam’s economy and exports. The chief minister’s remarks come at a time when tea garden workers’ unions and labour organisations have continued to demand higher daily wages and improved welfare measures across tea estates in the state. Worker groups have repeatedly sought better living conditions, healthcare support, education facilities and wage revisions in line with rising living costs.