Agartala, Dec 16 (ANI): The tea gardens of Gournagar RD Block in Kailasahar in North Tripura has been generating employment for many villagers.
Workers here are raise tea seeds in the nursery under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Program. For a day's work they earn Rs 200.
The income helps them meet their needs and uplift their socio-economic status.
Several villagers have even surrendered their below poverty line cards after getting work here.
"This area was forestland but now we are growing tea here under MGNREGA scheme. It is of great help to us. We have also started a tea nursery along with growing tea. We are growing with the project," said Ram Urang, a MGNREGA Beneficiary.
Earlier these lands were considered unproductive and people sold timber for firewood. But with the implementation of MGNREGA scheme, tea industry in the Tripura has got a boost.
Many self help groups and cooperative societies have now taken up tea cultivation. Tea growers are earning Rs 12 per kilogram of tealeaves sold to the factories.
The authorities have now decided to plant tea saplings in the areas outside border fencing.
"We have four hectares for growing tea and all the members of our Self Help Group have benefited from it. For three years we will get the benefit under MGNREGA that includes everything from the sapling to labour. Many other SHG groups have benefited from this project and it will help build a better tomorrow," said Nanigopal Debnath, a tea grower.
At present there are around 60 tea estates and some 7,000 small tea growers, producing annually nine million kilogram of tea in Tripura.
Tripura is the fifth largest tea producing state of the country.he project has not only generated employment but has also increased land utilization per unit area thereby giving a boost to the tea industry in the state. (ANI)
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