Skill Development Centres in tea garden areas to sensitise employment: CM

Chairing a meeting with the Central Committee members of Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association in the conference room of Assam Secretariat on Monday evening, Sonowal said that shifting from ever-existing hyperbole for development of tea garden areas, the present state government is committed to empower the youths of the tea garden areas and a blue print will be prepared for revitalising the skill centres to make them powerhouse for development of skills and putting them in different employment avenues.

To give his priority a launch pad, Sonowal also said that the state government will make the ground clear so that the teagardens areas can reap rich dividends from the Central and state government schemes.

“We have to add wings to the hope, dreams, aspirations of lakhs of our people living in tea garden areas by making government schemes accessible to them,” Sonowal said.

He also informed the Central Committee of AATSA that an MoU will be signed  between Panchayat and Rural Development and Tea Garden Management where in the fitness of all the dwelling houses of the tea gardens will be assessed and upon the findings of the survey new dwelling houses will be constructed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Moreover, after the ongoing land survey of the of tea garden areas, steps will be taken to develop a model line in the vacant space in each tea garden for constructing dwelling houses.
Moreover, to streamline the execution of projects meant for the tea tribe communities by the Sub-Divisional Welfare Offices, Sonowal also advocated for appointing project managers who will in charge of making the inroads for effective project implementation.

To ensure adherence of Open Defecation Free areas, sanitary latrines will be constructed for every household in the tea garden areas.

The meeting also decided to streamline issue and disbursal of caste certificates to the youths belonging to tea tribe community.

The Assam CM also assured to take a sympathetic look in to the 36 point charter of demands submitted to him by the ATTSA delegation which comprises its President Rajen Kumar, General Secretary, Paban Bedia, Biraj Gowala and Ranjit Thakur both Assistant Secretaries.
Minister of State for Labour Pallab Lochan Das, MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, Media Advisor to Chief Minister Hrishikesh Goswami, MLAs Sanjay Kisan, Terosh Gowala, Rituporna Bora, Commissioner and Secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjay Lohia were present at the meeting.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)