ST status to Tea Tribes waits in poll bound Assam amid showering of freebies

To ensure victory in the upcoming elections in Assam, the ruling BJP government in Delhi and Dispur are showering the voters with pre-poll sops and freebies, writes ETV Bharat's, Anup Sharma.

Hyderabad:As the elections in Assam draw closer in Assam, the ruling BJP governments in Delhi and Dispur are showering the voters with pre-poll sops and freebies to ensure that lotus blooms for a second consecutive term in the largest state of India's northeast.

On Saturday Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will kick off a transfer of Rs. 3000 each to eight lakh tea garden workers in Assam through Direct Bank Transfer. While the BJP led government had already transferred Rs. 2500 each to the eight lakh tea garden workers of Assam post demonetization and opening of bank accounts, this year the government has decided to transfer Rs. 3000 to each of the eight lakh workers under Phase III of "Chah Bagicha Dhan Puraskar", a scheme announced during to 2020-21 fiscal to bring the state's tea garden workers under financial inclusion.

Although several high profile VVIPs from the saffron party including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, JP Nadda and others have already visited poll-bound Assam, the government is yet to make any commitment about the granting of Schedule Tribe (ST) status to the tea tribes, a long-standing demand of the community.

A 'misinformed' JP Nadda during a rally in Silchar of Barak valley past month announced that the BJP government had already granted ST status to the six communities -- the Koch Rajbongshis, Tai Ahoms, Chutia, Maran, Matak and the Tea Tribes.

In reality, the issue is still pending and a Group of Ministers formed by the Assam Government is only preparing the modalities for granting the status, the report of which will be sent to the Central Government.

The opposition Congress has, however, slammed the distribution of freebies and said that the ruling party has been announcing the freebies keeping an eye on the forthcoming polls.

"Transferring of Rs. 3000 to the accounts of the tea garden workers would not solve the problems of the tea garden workers. The BJP government after coming to power in 2016 in Assam assured to raise the daily wage of the tea garden workers from Rs. 167 per day to Rs. 351 per day. However, the tea garden workers are still getting Rs. 167 as their daily wage," said senior Congress leader and former legislator Raju Sahu.

He also said that none of the state as well as Central BJP leaders have spoken anything on the issue of granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the tea tribes and Adivasis. "There had been several committees who had recommended granting ST status to the tea tribes. However, nothing happened so far," Sahu said.

Senior Congress spokesman Apurba Kumar Bhattacharyya said that Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her visit to Assam after assuming her office categorically stated that the wages of tea garden workers in Assam is very less and assured to take steps to hike the wages to Rs. 351 per day. "However, nothing happened in this regard," Bhattacharyya said

Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the state and distributed land pattas to one lakh people.

Apart from this, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal led BJP government in Assam had already distributed 22,000 scooties to meritorious girl students and promised to arrange the same for the deserving male students too in the days to come.

The government had also transferred Rs. 830 each for nutrition and medicines to 20 lakh families under the flagship Orunodoi programme. Under this Orunodoi Scheme launched in December 2020, Rs. 830 per month will be given to the beneficiaries to buy fundamental items like medicines, pulses, sugar etc. While Rs 400 will be given to purchasing medicines, Rs 200 will be provided to buy 4 kilograms of pulses, Rs 80 to buy sugar and Rs 150 to buy fruits.

What else? During the Post Covid-19 period (in September 2020), the government had also announced Rs. 50,000 entrepreneurship grant to two lakh educated unemployed youths of Assam under the SVAYEM scheme, Swami Vivekananda Assam Youth Empowerment Yojana.

Read: Assam's 'most wanted' rhino poacher arrested