Assam Budget 2023: On Thursday, the state government announced plans to hold road shows in major cities across the country and abroad to promote Assam Tea as a brand to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Assam tea.
“Our Government wishes to celebrate 200 years of Assam tea, which coincides with the year 2023, in a grand manner,” state Finance Minister Ajanta Neog said in presenting the State Budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 in the Assam assembly. We propose holding road shows in major cities across the country and abroad to promote Assam Tea as a brand and to highlight the rich socio-cultural heritage of tea garden communities.”
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“The tea industry has been the backbone of our economy for nearly two centuries. Needless to say, the tea industry is also extremely important in terms of job creation. A sizable portion of our population is dependent on tea. Even today, tea accounts for nearly 90% of our exports,’ said the finance minister.
“The potential of tea garden land has been unlocked and shall be used for agriculture and allied activities. The Assam Tea Industries Special Incentives Scheme (ATISIS) 2020 will be strengthened in order to encourage the production of orthodox and specialty tea in Assam. As promised, the production subsidy for orthodox and specialty tea has been increased from Rs 7 to Rs 10 per kg.
To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Assam Tea, I am pleased to announce that an enhanced production subsidy of Rs 12 per kg will be extended for the current fiscal year 2023-24 only. “Rs 100 crore has been set aside for this scheme,” Ajanta Neog explained.
The government has already set aside Rs 200 crore in this year’s budget for the construction of 500 Mahaprabhu Jagannath Community Halls and Skill Centres in prominent tea garden locations. 10,000 houses will be built in Tea Garden labour lines under the Mukhya Mantri Awaas Yojana. The government will continue to assist Assam Tea Corporation Limited (ATCL) in paying outstanding liabilities of interest on the Provident Fund in a phased manner, with the greater interest of ATCL employees in mind.
