Assam Tea Tribe Voters Welcome Welfare Schemes but ST Status Demand Remains

Dibrugarh: For Rita Mura, a 45-year-old tea plucker at the Beheating tea estate in Dibrugarh, the past few years have brought a welcome change. Government welfare schemes have reached her doorstep, and a recent wage hike has put more money in her pocket.

But beneath the satisfaction lies a demand that the tea tribe community says has been pending for far too long.

Also Read: Assam: Massive Rally in Tinsukia as Adivasis, Tea-Garden Workers Demand ST Status and Land Rights

Dibrugarh — widely known as the Tea City of India — is home to a large voter base from the tea tribe community, a constituency that carries considerable electoral weight in every assembly election.

Many workers like Rita say they have noticed a tangible difference under the current government.

"I'm happy to get all the welfare schemes, like 'Eti Koli Duti Paat', from the government. We are happy to see that the current government thinks for us," Rita said. She also welcomed the recent hike in daily wages to Rs 280. "We thank the Assam Government for such moves," she added.

Anita Tanti, another tea plucker, echoed the positive sentiment but urged the government to go further. She called for the beneficiary list of the Orunodoi scheme to be expanded to cover more women who are yet to be included. "Our socio-economic condition has developed a lot compared to previous years," she said.

Despite the broadly positive mood, the tea tribe community's long-standing demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status continues to cast a shadow over election-season goodwill.

Tea worker Binita Munda put the grievance plainly, requesting the government to grant ST status to the community as soon as possible.

Ahead of the assembly polls, the state government approved the inclusion of 37 tea garden communities in Assam under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category — a move welcomed by many, but one that falls short of what the community has been pushing for.

Lakhindra Kurmi, Assistant General Secretary of the Assam Tea Tribes Students' Association (ATTSA), captured the community's cautious mood with measured words.

"We are happy that after a lot of protest, the government finally approved 37 tea garden communities of the state as OBC, but what we need is the ST status," he said.

His frustration with the political cycle was evident. "Promises of tribalization are made before every election and forgotten soon after," Kurmi added — a sentiment that reflects years of unmet expectations across administrations.

With the Assam Assembly elections now approaching, whether the ST status question moves beyond a campaign promise will be closely watched by a community that has learned to temper its hopes with experience.