Guwahati: Union textiles minister Smriti Irani Saturday said that the Narendra Modi led government at the Centre was the first to give priority to Assam as a state in the North East.
She said that the BJP government at the Centre had allocated Rs 170000 crore funds for Assam in the 15th budget whereas Congress had not given the Rs 7000 crore which it had promised. She was addressing an election rally at Nakachari in Mariani legislative assembly constituency in Jorhat district.
Campaigning on behalf of Mariani BJP candidate Ramani Tanti, Irani highlighted the money that the people had received in their bank accounts through various schemes and scholarships, all the while focusing on the tea tribe community.
Mariani forms a part of Assam’s tea belt with all three candidates, Tanti, Rupjyoti Kurmi of the Congress and Gopal Ghatowar of the Asom Sangrami Gana Mancha in the fray, belonging to the tea tribe community.
Irani also said that while the daily wage of a tea garden worker had been only Rs 97 during the Congress regime, this was increased to Rs 217 by the BJP government in 2020.
However, the Gauhati High Court has stayed the implementation of daily wage hike, asking the Assam government not to act against the Indian Tea Association and 17 tea companies until a case challenging the notification of the Assam labour department is disposed of.
The labour department had issued a notification on February 23 to implement the hike in daily wage garden workers.
Irani listed out the works done by the Modi government regarding various sector in Assam.
She also praised Sarbananda Siniwal and his government in the state for making 120 high schools in the tea tribe populated areas and the development of the state.
