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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on May 26 said the state government aimed to raise the wages of tea garden workers to Rs 450 during its tenure, while calling for collective efforts to strengthen Assam’s tea industry and expand its presence in the global market.

Speaking during the third day of the Assam Assembly session, Sarma said tea workers’ wages had already increased significantly under the present government.

“For the first time, we have raised the wages of tea garden workers to nearly Rs 300,” the chief minister said, adding that the government now carried the responsibility of taking it further to Rs 450.

He, however, said achieving the target would require cooperation from all stakeholders and stronger growth in Assam’s tea economy. “Collective efforts will be needed so that Assam’s tea industry can capture the global market,” Sarma said.

The chief minister stressed that the next five years would be crucial for Assam’s economic transformation and said the state needed to focus on modernising key sectors linked to rural livelihoods and employment.

“We will have to modernise and strengthen Assam’s tea sector, agriculture sector, and cottage industries,” he said.

Sarma said the government intended to dedicate the coming years to Assam’s development by improving productivity, expanding economic opportunities and creating sustainable income sources for workers and rural communities.

The remarks come amid continued demands from tea garden workers’ unions for higher wages and better welfare measures across Assam’s tea estates, one of the state’s largest sources of employment.