OUR CORRESPONDENT
TINSUKIA: Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, while inaugurating the 4thShramikKalyan Divas at Doomdooma Town Field on Monday, paid rich tribute to Santosh Kumar Topno, a social reformer belonging to the tea tribe community, commemorating his birth anniversary. The day-long programme witnessed presentation of awards, inauguration of exhibition stalls and cultural extravaganza. Several hundred people, mostly from tea gardens, attended the programme.
The Chief Minister said that the tea tribe community though constituted an integral part of the Assamese community for ages, the Congress regime had kept this community underprivileged by depriving them of proper access to education, health and economic sectors. It was only after the BJP came to power that development projects were undertaken for holistic uplift of tea tribe communities. He made special mention about ABITA and garden management for extending support to the government in implementing various schemes in the garden. He also released the souvenir Shramik edited by Bimal Borgohain and RajenSuri.
Sonowal also felicitated few outstanding achievers in different fields. Among them were Bhabani Tanti, NikiKujur, PriyaGarh, Abhijit Tanti all in sports, in health sector Dr Tirtha Das of Dinjan TE was felicitated for outstanding management of tea garden hospital under PPP Mode along with ANN Iva Naik of Phillobari TE and Ashakarmi of Kumsung TE, RekhaBhumij. The four tea estates -Khowang TE, Lapetkota TE, Shanti TE and Borbaruah TE- under ABITA membership which were 100 per cent successful in digital mode of wage payment to their workers were also felicitated.
The programme was attended by Union Minister RameswarTeli, Minister of State Sanjay Kishan, besides MLAs of Digboi, Margherita, Lahowal and Dibrugarh among others.