Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributes to tea planters of Assam at garden houses during the inauguration and foundation stone laying for various development works of tea plants of Assam on March 13, 2026 in Guwahati. Photo credit: ANI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (March 13, 2026) said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has ended years of deprivation faced by Assam’s tea plantation workers under the Congress government by facilitating their land rights.
He ceremoniously distributed land deeds to about 28,000 tea garden workers based in the labor lines of large tea plantations in survey-bound Assam. This is the first such initiative in the nearly 200-year history of Assamese tea.
The Prime Minister also released the 22nd installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, which has transferred over ₹18,640 crore to over 9.32 crore farmers across the country. About 19 million of these farmers are in Assam.
Addressing a rally in Guwahati, Mr Modi said granting land rights was the BJP’s way of appreciating the hard-working community.
“The hard work of the tea garden workers has earned Assam a place on the global stage. The aroma of the tea they grow has become India’s identity around the world. Today, the BJP and the NDA are giving them the respect and support they deserve,” he said.
He said the tea garden workers did not get land rights during the Congress rule as the party never cared for them. “The Assam government is ending this historical injustice by giving them land rights. It is paving the way for them to get pucca houses,” he said, exhorting his children to study well and march forward in life.
The Prime Minister insisted that he was repaying the debt by honoring tea plantation workers. “I’ve gotten this far selling the tea you grow. Would it be possible without your blessing?” he said.
Once believed to be the main ‘vote bank’ of the Congress, tea plantation workers started gravitating towards the BJP more than a decade ago. Their votes are crucial in eastern Assam, where the Congress and its allies are expected to put up a tough fight.
In February, the state government amended Assam’s Land Ceiling Fixation Act to grant legal land rights to 3.5 lakh planter families in the labor lines of more than 800 tea plantations.
Under the plan, eligible plantation workers can claim legal ownership of the land and homes they and their families have lived in for generations.
In another gesture, the government issued a gazette notification on March 9 raising the minimum daily wage of tea plantation workers by ₹30. With effect from April 1, their daily wages will increase to ₹280 in the Brahmaputra Valley and ₹258 in the Barak Valley.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth over ₹ 4,570 crore at Kokrajhar in the territorial region of Bodoland, including a railway maintenance workshop. He did the formality from Guwahati as rain and cloudy conditions prevented him from flying to Kokrajhar.
Addressing a virtual rally in Kokrajhar, he said the Center was systematically fulfilling all the commitments made under the Bodo 2020 Peace Accord. He said the “landmark” accord had united all major organizations on one platform.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the elevated port corridor in Guwahati and launched several waterway projects elsewhere in Assam with a total investment of ₹526 crore. He also highlighted three new train services aimed at improving connectivity for the North East.
Published – 13 March 2026 22:06 IST
