The Assam Cabinet, in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday, approved a 20 percent Durga Puja bonus for eligible workers and employees of tea gardens under the state-owned Assam Tea Corporation Limited (ATCL). This decision aligns ATCL with over 500 private tea gardens that have already declared the same bonus for the upcoming festive season.
The move aims to provide significant financial relief to thousands of tea garden workers and their families ahead of the crucial Durga Puja festivities. In addition to the bonus, the cabinet also sanctioned an enhanced Rs 1,500 special Durga Puja payout for beneficiaries of the Orunodoi scheme for October and declared an additional public holiday for state government employees on October 17, 2026.
What was announced
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the cabinet’s decisions at a press conference held at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Guwahati on September 24, 2026. The key approvals included a 20 percent Durga Puja bonus for all eligible workers and employees of tea gardens managed by the Assam Tea Corporation Limited.
Furthermore, the cabinet sanctioned an increase in the monthly financial assistance under the flagship Orunodoi scheme for October. Beneficiaries will receive Rs 1,500 for the month, up from the regular Rs 1,250. This additional amount is intended as a special festive gift for Durga Puja. The state government also approved an extra public holiday on October 17 for its employees, extending the Durga Puja break from October 17 to October 20, as one of the festival days this year falls on a Sunday.
Why it matters
The cabinet’s decision to grant a 20 percent bonus to ATCL workers is crucial, as it brings them on par with their counterparts in the majority of private tea estates across Assam. Chief Minister Sarma noted that out of 807 tea gardens in the state, 548 had already announced a 20 percent bonus. He expressed hope that the managements of the remaining 259 gardens would also follow suit.
The enhanced Orunodoi payout will directly benefit approximately 40 lakh (four million) women-led households across Assam, providing them with additional financial support during the festive season. Chief Minister Sarma described this as a special Puja offer designed to bring joy to families under the scheme. The additional holiday for state government employees also aims to facilitate their participation in the Durga Puja celebrations.
Background
The issue of Durga Puja bonuses for tea garden workers is a perennial concern in Assam, with trade unions consistently advocating for the maximum permissible bonus ahead of the festive period. The Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), the largest tea workers’ union in the state, had formally demanded a 20 percent bonus from tea industry associations on August 25, 2026.
In the weeks leading up to the cabinet announcement, several major private tea companies and groups had already reached agreements with unions to pay a 20 percent bonus. Some companies, including Dhunseri, Madhuting Tea Pvt Ltd, Shri Vasuprada Plantations, and Keshava Plantations, committed to disbursing the full bonus in a single instalment. Others, such as Gillanders Arbuthnot, Luxmi Tea Co Pvt Ltd, and Goodricke Group Ltd, opted for a two-instalment payment schedule, with 15 percent before Durga Puja and the remaining five percent before Magh Bihu or Holi in 2027.
The Orunodoi scheme, a key welfare initiative of the Assam government, was relaunched as Orunodoi 3.0 earlier this year following the Assembly elections. The scheme, which began with monthly assistance of Rs 830 for 1.8 million women, has since expanded its coverage to approximately 40 lakh beneficiaries, who regularly receive Rs 1,250 per month through direct benefit transfer. The government has previously provided similar enhanced payouts during other major festivals like Rongali Bihu.
Beyond financial incentives, the Assam government has also been actively working on long-term welfare measures for tea garden workers, including a significant initiative to grant land ownership rights (pattas) to tea garden workers and their families. This aims to address decades of land insecurity in plantation areas and is expected to cover around eight hundred tea gardens over six to seven months.
Key details
The Assam Cabinet’s decisions on September 24, 2026, include:
- Durga Puja Bonus: A 20 percent bonus for eligible workers and employees of tea gardens under the Assam Tea Corporation Limited (ATCL).
- Orunodoi Payout: An enhanced monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 for October for all Orunodoi scheme beneficiaries, up from the regular Rs 1,250. This is a special Durga Puja allocation.
- Additional Holiday: An extra public holiday on October 17, 2026, for state government employees, extending the Durga Puja break.
- Tea Garden Coverage: The government’s decision brings ATCL gardens in line with the 548 out of 807 tea gardens in the state that have already announced a 20 percent bonus.
- Orunodoi Beneficiaries: Approximately 40 lakh women-led households will receive the enhanced Orunodoi payment.
Other significant decisions taken by the cabinet included reducing the subsidised rates of masur dal and sugar for NFSA ration-card holders to Rs 100 per kg for October, approving the Rs 796.88 crore Assam Sustainable Wetland and Integrated Fisheries Transformation (SWIFT) Project, and sanctioning a state-of-the-art Spice Laboratory in Guwahati.
Reactions
“Out of 807 tea gardens in the state, 548 have already announced 20-per cent bonus. We have now done it for the ATCL gardens. And, I hope that the companies and owners of the remaining gardens will also give the same amount of bonus,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
The Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) General Secretary Rupesh Gowala had previously highlighted the significance of the maximum bonus, stating that it reflects the industry’s recognition of the workers’ hard work and expressed expectations for all remaining gardens to follow suit.
However, not all tea gardens had settled on the 20 percent bonus prior to the cabinet’s announcement. Workers at Harmutty Tea Garden in Lakhimpur district, for instance, were reportedly protesting against the management of Goodricke Group Limited, demanding a 20 percent bonus after the company had sanctioned only 15 percent.
What’s next
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has urged the managements of the remaining 259 tea gardens in Assam to also provide a 20 percent Durga Puja bonus to their workers, aligning with the majority of the industry and the state-owned ATCL.
The Assam government also plans to announce a similar special financial allocation for Orunodoi beneficiaries during Rongali Bihu in April, continuing its policy of providing festive support. Meanwhile, the ongoing initiative to grant land ownership rights to tea garden workers is expected to be completed within the next six to seven months.