HRD Minister disowns Irani’s promise?

GUWAHATI, March 3: During the 16th Lok Sabha  Kaliabor MP Gaurav Gogoi raised various demands for the welfare of the tea garden communities in Assam, proper implementation of the Plantations Labour Act, subdivision-wise hostels, coaching centres and vocatiol training schools for young people, promotion of indigenous literature, folk stories and languages; and shifting of the headquarters of the Tea Board from Kolkata to Guwahati.

MP Gaurav Gogoi repeatedly reminded of the government to implement the promise of 14 new vodaya Vidyalayas in Assam as made by former HRD Minister Smriti Irani during her January 7, 2016 visit to Assam. Irani made the promise at an official function in the presence of the then Union Minister of State for Sports Sarbanda Sonowal and MP Gaurav Gogoi.

Gogoi spent a year raising the demand for new vodaya Vidyalayas to be constructed in Assam. This year in February HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar wrote to the Kaliabor MP stating that no new Jawahar vodaya Vidyalayas is likely to be constructed in Assam. The reply is against the promise made by Irani, and will have an extremely negative impact on people of the tea garden community, especially in Golaghat district, a press release said.

This  has led MP Gogoi to take up the issue again in Parliament until a proper interface is derived and meet the HRD Minister to continue the demand for new vodaya Vidyalayas in Assam for tea garden community children, the release added.