Assam to extend 3% Adivasi, Tea quota to Grade-I, II posts: CM Sarma

Guwahati, Jan 13: Nearly 1,000 youths from the Adivasi and Tea communities have secured government jobs in Assam in 2025 under the State’s 3% reservation quota, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.

Speaking at the distribution of appointment letters to 297 selected candidates at the Gauhati Medical College auditorium in Bhangagarh, the Chief Minister said the appointments were made through the Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE).

Of those appointed, 130 candidates were recruited to Grade-IV posts and 166 to Grade-III posts across various state government departments.

Highlighting the broader impact of the policy, Sarma said nearly 1,000 candidates from the Adivasi and Tea communities had already been appointed this year under the reserved quota.

“Such a large number of appointments would not have been possible without the reservation policy and thus a phenomenon capable of triggering far-reaching social change,” he said.

In a significant announcement, the Chief Minister said the 3% reservation for the Adivasi and Tea communities would be extended beyond Grade-III and Grade-IV posts to include Grade-I and Grade-II positions.

This, he said, “Would open the door for members of the communities to serve in senior roles such as magistrates, police officers, and college and university professors”.

With Assembly elections approaching, Sarma also outlined a series of measures taken by his government for the welfare of the Tea Tribe and Adivasi communities.

He recalled that, marking 200 years of the tea industry and the contribution of tea garden workers, the State government had last year introduced the 3% reservation for eligible youth from these communities in all Grade-III and Grade-IV state government posts.

Beyond employment, Sarma pointed to targeted interventions in education and social welfare. He said 30 MBBS seats in Assam’s medical colleges were already reserved for Tea Tribe students, and that the government had recently announced one additional reserved seat in each medical college, taking the total up by 14 seats.

He also said 44 hostels were currently under construction across the State for Tea Tribe and Adivasi students, aimed at improving access to education.

Financial assistance was being provided to young entrepreneurs from the communities under the Shahid Dayal Das Panika Self-Employment Scheme, he added.

The Chief Minister further referred to what he termed a historic decision taken in the recent session of the Assam Legislative Assembly to grant land rights to residents of tea garden “lines”, a long-standing demand of the community.

Officials said appointments for candidates from the Tea Tribes and Adivasi communities had been made at multiple stages over the past few months, including the recruitment of teachers on November 12, appointments to various posts under the Assam Police and other Home Department directorates on December 8, and technical and non-technical posts in the Health Department on December 24.

According to official figures, the total number of government jobs provided during the last five years under the Sarma-led BJP government has reached 1,56,679.

The Chief Minister said the process had not been without challenges, ranging from conducting large-scale examinations without irregularities to issuing appointment letters without legal hurdles, but maintained that the entire exercise was carried out with full transparency.

He also noted that the government had pledged to provide one lakh government jobs during the last Assembly election campaign, a target that has since been surpassed.

Addressing the newly appointed candidates, Sarma urged them to remain rooted in their identity and take pride in their community and family background.

He called upon them to serve the people of tea garden areas with dedication and compassion, set high standards of work culture, and deliver quality public service, particularly to the poor and vulnerable, while remaining sensitive to the hardships faced by the people they serve.

PTI