West Bengal allocated over Rs 1,000cr for tea garden workers since 2011

Kolkata, Dec 15: The West Bengal government has allocated over Rs 1,000 crore for the welfare of tea garden workers in the state since 2011, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday. Banerjee, in a Twitter post on International Tea Day, said her government has also been providing 35 kg of rice at Rs 2 per kg to the tea garden workers.

"Today is International Tea Day. In #Bangla, we have allocated more than Rs 1,000 crore for the welfare of tea garden workers since 2011. "We give 35 kg rice at Rs 2 per kg, electricity, and water supply for free to tea gardens," she tweeted.

The state government is considering the prospects of tea tourism as well, the CM added. The International Tea Day is observed since 2005 in tea-producing nations, including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam and Indonesia, among others.