Tongani TE in Darrang completes cashless transaction

From our Correspondent

MANGALDAI,   Jan 3:  Tongani Tea Estate- the smallest tea garden of Darrang district with around 600 hundred labourers and staff - has created history in cashless transaction. Following the completion of the process of opening of bank accounts of all the labourers of the Tea Estate, it put one step forward towards the completion of cashless transaction as the SBI authority on Tuesday installed one ATM in the campus of the Tea Estate.

Chief General Mager (CGM) of SBI, NE Circle, PVSLN Murty, in presence of General Mager, SBI, NW-1, NE Circle, Om Prakash Mishra, Darrang Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kr Barman and Chief Executive of Tongani Tea Estate, Sukh Pal Singh, ceremonially iugurated the ATM as the chief guest by cutting a ribbon. Addressing the labourers and staff of the garden present on the occasion, PVSLN Murty said that SBI had been providing these facilities to the tea gardens only in the State of Assam and Tongani Tea Estate was the first such garden in the northern bank of the Brahmaputra where this facility was being provided .

 "Till date you are collecting your labour wages at a weekly interval but now onwards you can collect your wages on a daily basis and that too as per your own need. Moreover, you will get an interest from the bank against your deposit amount which can be regarded as your additiol income," he said while speaking about the benefits of availing the ATM service by the labourers. He also appealed to the female labourers not to disclose the secret number of the ATM card to anyone, including her husband, son or any other member of the family and to avail life insurance coverage with an amount of Rs 30,000 free of premium through regular use of the cards. He assured of supplying bank ATM cards to all the labourers within a period of one week 

Meanwhile, talking to this correspondent, Kalyani Tanti and  Tapan Mongar, both young beneficiaries of the service, expressed their satisfaction for installation of the ATM within the Tea Estate which they termed as a historical step towards bringing the entire State under digital fincial inclusion.