3-4% job quota for youths of TE community, says CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

 OUR CORRESPONDENT

TEZPUR: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that 3-4 percent of government jobs will be reserved for the youths of the tea garden community this year.

The Chief Minister said this while inaugurating newly constructed tea garden model schools in the Sonitpur district on Thursday. He inaugurated six such schools for Tea Garden students.

The tea gardens where these model schools were inaugurated include Arun Tea Garden in Dhekiajuli, Adabari and Sonabeel Tea Garden in Rangapara, Kettla and Jingia Tea Garden in Behali, and Pabhoi Tea Garden in the Biswanath constituency of the district.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that in the 75 years of India's independence, only primary schools and a limited number of ME schools were established in the tea garden areas of the State. Due to the non-availability of high schools in the tea garden areas, many students left school midway through, which led to an increased drop-out rate. The Chief Minister said that the State Government therefore decided to set up one high school covering 2-3 tea gardens in the State.

Last year, several tea garden model schools were opened in the Sonitpur district, he said, adding that a large number of students have enrolled in each of these institutes. The Chief Minister said the State Government has established 118 model schools in the tea garden areas of Assam, and these schools would facilitate a better academic environment for the students of the community to march ahead in life.

Underlining various steps taken by the State Government for the advancement of the students of the tea garden areas, the Chief Minister informed that 30 seats have been reserved for tea community students to study in medical colleges in Assam. Sarma also said that seats for girl students of the Tea Garden community to study nursing courses would be reserved. Moreover, a college would be set up at Rangapara, providing better opportunities for higher education for the students of the community. He urged parents to focus on the education of their children to avail themselves of these opportunities. The Chief Minister said the State Government has taken steps to provide jobs to one lakh youths and ensured recruitment in the most transparent manner so that children of poor families can also get these jobs on merit.

The Chief Minister said the State Government has taken several steps to make the women financially self-reliant. He said the beneficiaries received Rs 830 when the Orunodoi scheme was launched. The amount of the scheme has since been increased to Rs. 1000 and later to Rs. 1,250. The Chief Minister said the financial assistance for the scheme will be increased to Rs. 1,400 this year. He said a total of 27 lakh women will be included in the Orunodoi scheme this year, and another 8 lakh will be covered next year. He said 40 lakh new ration cards will be issued by October this year, and the ration card holders, apart from getting free rice, will be able to avail free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per annum. He added that Rs 10,000 each will be provided to the members of the self-help groups through bank transfers to facilitate self-employment.

The Chief Minister also took a midday meal with the students of Adabari Tea Garden Model School on Thursday. While interacting with students, he said a skill development centre would be set up in the school to benefit the students as well as women in the area.

Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Ashok Singhal, MP Pallab Lochan Das, MLAs Krishna Kamal Tanti, Ganesh Limbu, Ranjit Dutta, Utpal Bora, Pramod Borthakur, Prithviraj Rabha, and many other dignitaries were present during the inauguration of schools by the Chief Minister.

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