The Narendra Modi government at the Centre presented a three-year-old proposal meant for the women and children living in tea gardens of Bengal and Assam as finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal in the Parliament on Tuesday.

While the tea industry — which offers jobs to around two million people across the country — was not referred to in Sitharaman’s budget speech, the expenditure budget of the commerce ministry mentioned the allocation of ₹1,000 crore which would be spent under the Pradhan Mantri Cha Shramik Protsahan Yojana (PMCSPY) during the next two fiscals.

“It is utter jugglery of words. The same finance minister had made the same announcement as she had tabled the budget in 2021, ahead of the Assembly elections of Bengal and Assam to draw votes. To date, not a penny out of this so-called allocation has been spent for the welfare of women and children who live in tea gardens,” said Ritabrata Banerjee, the state president of the INTTUC — Trinamool’s workers’ front.

In fact, in the budget document, there is a clear reference to the earlier announcement. “In the Budget Speech for the year 2021-22, it was proposed that Rs.1,000 crores will be provided for the welfare of tea workers especially women and their children in Assam and West Bengal and a special scheme will be devised for the same,” reads the document.

It further mentions that the PMCSPY has been finalised and approved for implementation during 2024-25 and 2025-26.

“The scheme is aimed at making need-based interventions in tea garden areas for interalia strengthening provisions of education and health services to the tea workers,” says the document.

Even though only an old announcement about the brew belt population has been made and that too in one of the documents and not in Sitharaman’s speech, Himanta Biswa Sarma, chief minister of the BJP-ruled Assam, was quick to respond.

“I am delighted to learn that UnionBudget2024 has made a provision to implement the PMCSPY with an allocation of Rs. 1,000 crore.. this scheme will provide several welfare opportunities for Assam’s tea garden community,” he posted in X.

Prabir Bhattacharjee, secretary general of the Tea Association of India, said the Centre’s decision to spend ₹1,000 crore in two fiscals would help in the socio-economic development of the tea population.

“Also, the decision to open more branches of banks in the northeastern region will facilitate the introduction of banking practices in remote areas, including tea gardens,” he said.

A senior planter based in Siliguri said there was nothing much for the industry in
the budget.