Bengal Moves to Implement Central Scheme for Tea Workers' Welfare After Two-Year Delay

• West Bengal has set up the State Level Committee needed to implement the Pradhan Mantri Cha Shramik Protsahan Yojana.

• The scheme aims to improve healthcare, education and resting facilities for more than 10 lakh tea workers.

• It has a total outlay of ₹1,000 crore, of which ₹314 crore is allocated for Bengal.

West Bengal is set to implement the Pradhan Mantri Cha Shramik Protsahan Yojana, with the state government setting up the State Level Committee, paving the way for the release of ₹314 crore for tea garden workers' welfare, a Tea Board official said on Tuesday.

The Central scheme aims to provide more than 10 lakh workers across 1,210 tea gardens in Assam and West Bengal access to better healthcare, education, and resting facilities.

It was not implemented in West Bengal for nearly two years as the State Level Committee (SLC), a prerequisite for implementing the scheme, had not been formed by the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government.

"The scheme, with a total outlay of ₹1,000 crore, is meant for Assam and West Bengal, the two major tea-producing states.

"Two years have passed, but there has been no disbursement of funds from the ₹314 crore allocated for Bengal. The corpus of the scheme was meant for three years, and now one year is left for full utilisation of the fund," said Amit Kumar, a joint secretary in the Department of Commerce, on the sidelines of the programme.

Tea Board Deputy Chairman C Murugan said, "Despite our repeated requests, the SLC was not formed. Since the committee is mandatory for fund release, the scheme could not be implemented in West Bengal." "But, now with a double-engine government in place, the process of the scheme's implementation has begun," he said.

Following the formation of the SLC, chaired by the chief secretary and comprising representatives of both the state and central governments, the implementation of the scheme has begun, Murugan said.

Referring to a June 2 meeting between stakeholders from all tea-producing districts of North Bengal and Tea Board officials, which was also attended by MPs from the region, he said, "We asked district authorities and officials from the health and education departments to submit project proposals at the earliest. We expect to receive them this week." Once the proposals are cleared by the SLC, they will be forwarded to the Department of Commerce for approval by the steering committee, following which funds will be released.

Murugan stressed that the scheme is fully funded by the Centre and does not require any financial contribution from the state government. "The state government's role is to implement it," he told PTI.

Drawing a comparison, Murugan said Assam has already utilised ₹292.36 crore out of its allocation of ₹293.5 crore, whereas West Bengal is only beginning to implement it.

Referring to the broader challenges facing the tea sector, Murugan said unofficial estimates suggested that around 20 to 25 tea gardens in north Bengal could be closed, though the exact number was being verified.

The Tea Board has proposed measures for the revival of the industry, including support for replanting and promotion of the Darjeeling tea sector, which are being considered under upcoming expenditure proposals, he added.