Overview
- Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said land acquisition has begun to give tea‑garden labourers ownership of the plots they occupy in labour lines under a law passed in November 2025.
- Officials outlined allotments of up to one bigha per eligible worker with a 20‑year bar on sale, after which transfers would be limited within the tea‑garden community.
- Sarma warned that roughly Rs 150 crore in annual incentives could be withdrawn from estates that resist the plan or pursue court action.
- The government says the reform will protect 3.33 lakh worker families across 825 estates, while planters’ bodies, including the CCPA, argue such land forms statutory facilities and cannot be converted to transferable pattas.
- Assam has introduced a 3% reservation in government jobs for tea‑garden youths and initiated steps to raise daily wages, currently Rs 228 in Barak valley and Rs 250 in Brahmaputra valley.