Guwahati: The Assam government has announced a major welfare initiative for tea garden workers, deciding to grant land rights to labourers in 103 tea estates in the first phase under the Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holdings (Amendment) Act, 2025. The move is expected to bring long-awaited security and dignity to thousands of tea garden families across the state.
The decision follows the passage of the amendment by the Assam Legislative Assembly on November 29, 2025. The Labour Welfare Department informed representatives of tea producers about the implementation plan during a meeting held in Guwahati on Thursday (January 15).
Along with the land rights initiative, the government also announced an upward revision of tea labourers’ wages, effective from January 1, 2026.
The new legislation seeks to provide land titles (patta) for homesteads in tea garden labour lines to workers and their descendants. These lands will be kept outside plantation ceiling limits and will not be allowed to be diverted for other purposes for at least 20 years. The provision is aimed at ensuring long-term stability and ownership rights for communities that have lived for generations without formal land documents.
According to the implementation plan, the first phase, scheduled from November 10 to February 28, will cover 103 tea gardens. This includes all Assam Tea Corporation Limited (ATCL) gardens, one garden from each Legislative Assembly Constituency (LAC), and other estates that voluntarily agree to relinquish land. Notices in Form X have already been issued to the selected estates. The second phase, covering the remaining tea gardens, is expected to begin after May 2026.
The meeting was chaired by Labour Minister Rupesh Gowala and attended by the Chief Secretary, senior officials from the Labour and Revenue departments, and representatives of major tea industry bodies such as TAI, ITA, NETA, BCP and ATPA.
Officials made detailed presentations on the procedures for granting land rights as well as on the proposed wage revision. It was clarified that until the Assam Wage Rules are notified under the new labour codes, plantation workers’ wages would be revised on an interim basis from January 1, 2026. A regular wage structure will be introduced once the national floor wage is finalised by the Centre and corresponding state rules are framed.
Industry representatives, while welcoming dialogue, flagged concerns on three key issues—administrative challenges in managing tea estates as composite units, continuation of statutory obligations such as housing, water supply and recreational facilities for resident workers, and compensation at market rates for relinquished land.
Government officials acknowledged these concerns but did not offer immediate assurances. The industry was informed that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma would hold a detailed meeting with stakeholders after January 26 to address pending issues. The Chief Secretary urged tea bodies to cooperate with the process and refrain from legal action in the interim, indicating that statutory obligations could be reviewed, though compensation mechanisms might be complex.
Labour Minister Gowala said the Chief Minister was keen to engage with the industry to resolve concerns and ensure smooth implementation. “The response from tea garden workers has been overwhelmingly positive after the notification. We seek the industry’s support in taking this historic step forward,” he said, adding that a separate meeting would soon be held to discuss the interim wage hike.
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For lakhs of tea garden workers in Assam, the twin announcements of land ownership and wage revision represent a significant step toward economic security and social empowerment, promising a new chapter of stability and improved livelihoods.
