Assam announces 3% govt job quota for Tea Tribes; land rights bill in November

Guwahati, Oct 19: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma rolled out a wide-ranging set of measures aimed at empowering Tea Tribe community, covering educational reservations, government job quotas and land ownership rights.

Addressing the 19th Biennial Conference of the Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA) on Sunday, Sarma reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ensure the tea tribe community secures its rightful place in society.

“For the first time in Assam’s history, we are reserving four seats for students from Tea Tribe communities in every medical college. With 14 medical colleges currently operational, this means that 56 tea tribe students will get the opportunity to become doctors every year. Once the new Bongaigaon Medical College starts functioning next year, this number will rise to 60,” the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister said that while the Tea Tribe community has contributed immensely to Assam’s economy, particularly through its work in the tea industry, their representation in professional sectors like medicine, teaching and police services remains disproportionately low.

“Many governments have come and gone, but no one worked seriously for the education and employment of Tea Tribe youth. For the first time, we are reserving 3% of all government jobs for the tea tribe community. In November, more than 1,000 young men and women from this community will receive their appointment letters,” Sarma said.

He further added that the reservation benefits would extend to state civil services, promising 3% reservation in the Assam Civil Service (ACS) and Assam Police Service (APS) from this year onward.

Highlighting the government’s efforts beyond employment and education, Sarma announced that for the first time, clean drinking water has been ensured for tea garden areas.

He also spoke about several welfare schemes designed to make the tea tribe community self-reliant and empowered.

“Assam cannot develop if we leave behind the tea tribe community. True progress will happen only when every section of our society moves forward together,” the Chief Minister said.

In one of his most significant announcements, Sarma declared that the State government would soon bring a historic law to transfer land rights from tea garden owners to Tea Tribe workers.

“Three years ago, when I became Chief Minister, I promised to return land rights to the people who have toiled for generations in the tea gardens. On November 25, during the Assembly session, we will introduce a bill that will ensure land rights are transferred from tea garden owners to tea tribe workers. This is a step no government has dared to take before,” he said.

The Chief Minister’s speech drew loud applause from the audience, many of whom hailed the announcements as a long-awaited step toward inclusion.