A new era dawns for Assam’s tea plantation workers as Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma rolls out land titles to over 3.5 lakh families, heralding India’s most ambitious land reform in modern times. This Tuesday breakthrough champions social equity for the tea tribe community, long underserved despite their pivotal industry role.
Via X, Sarma invoked the Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holdings (Amendment) Act, 2025, to spotlight the fix for a 200-year anomaly. Workers slaved in company-owned labor lines, harvesting premium teas but owning not an inch of earth. Archaic exemptions kept tea lands beyond reform reach, breeding insecurity.
Now, the state seizes and reallocates these plots via pattas, spanning 825 estates and touching millions of lives. Officials hail it as a landmark redistribution, eliminating displacement threats and enabling PMAY participation for home enhancements.
Sarma underscored its profundity: ‘From vulnerability to vested rights—this honors their sweat and sacrifice.’ Amidst political din, Assam opts for empowerment, ensuring tea tribes’ access to growth schemes and cultural acknowledgment.
This reform transcends property; it’s a dignity charter, fueling long-term prosperity and exemplifying governance that acts decisively for the marginalized.