Mamata Banerjee's Transformative Initiatives: Land Rights, Free Housing, and Healthcare for Tea Garden Workers in Alipurduar

Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister, reaffirmed her government's commitment to the welfare of tea garden laborers on Sunday by giving them land rights, providing them with free housing, and enhancing healthcare in the brew belt.

In the brew belt of Alipurduar, a district comprising 64 tea farms, Mamata launched many projects and participated in a public service distribution event at the Parade Ground here.

"Today, we granted 6,000 tea workers in the district 'pattas,' or guaranteed land tenures. The district magistrate need to move quickly to find tea garden land that might be given to the laborers. The chief minister said, "We want to make sure that every tea garden worker in north Bengal gets a land right.

Pundits have welcomed the state government's move to provide land rights to tea workers, who have been living on tea firms' leased property in gardens for centuries, as a game-changer for the Trinamul Congress.

"The Trinamul administration has taken a significant step, which would benefit the governing party politically. Trinamul would benefit from the government's decision to grant the workers free housing, according to one observer.

Speaking to the mostly tea workers in the crowd, Mamata said that going forward, the government will provide them money to construct their own homes.

"We have constructed almost 1,000 homes in Alipurduar as part of the Cha Sundari plan. We will provide each of these workers Rs 1.20 lakh so they may construct their own homes on their property as we are now granting them land rights," Mamata said.

About eight lakh people reside in tea gardens in Alipurduar.

For women who work in tea gardens, we have constructed health centers and crèches where they may leave their kids while they work. The residents of the gardens are covered by all social assistance programs. The chief minister said, "We don't make hollow promises; we believe in keeping our word.

During her address, Mamata directed state labor department officials to provide workers of the six closed tea farms in the area a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500.

A few of the closed gardens are now open. Mamata said, "Our administration is working hard to reopen blocked gardens.

Her declarations and the opening of new facilities gave the impression that Trinamul was eager to win back the support of the tea belt. Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, and Darjeeling Lok Sabha seats are up for election, and the outcome is dependent on the support of the tea garden community.

Since most residents of the gardens had sided with the saffron party, the BJP had won all three seats in 2019.

During the meeting, Mamata gave district administration representatives the order to move development projects in tribal regions forward more quickly. About 32% of the people of Alipurduar are members of Scheduled Castes, while 26% are members of Scheduled Tribes.

There are rumors circulating that some tribe members lack official documentation. Furthermore, phony certifications that have been granted must be revoked. At the next Duare Sarkar camps, we will need to make sure they get certificates. Tribal belts need to host special camps. Mamata said, "We want the work to be completed as soon as possible. The PHE department is working in these areas to provide water."

Voter turnout in the Dooars and Terai is heavily influenced by various tribal populations living in villages and tea estates.