Poor students at a government college in Assam’s Sonitpur district have been assigned to work in a tea garden on campus during their free time, assisting them in earning money and paying for their education.
Spread over 33 acres of land at Karchantola in the Nanduar area near Jamugurihat town, Tyagbir Hem Baruah College is endowed with a tea garden, besides a fishery, banana groves, and lemon plants.
“During their free time, impoverished kids from the surrounding districts harvest leaves in the tea garden and earn roughly Rs 35-40 per hour. This is part of a skill development project, but we haven’t received any government funding for it,” Ajit Hazarika, the college’s principal, told sources.
Assam College begins tea cultivation in 2015
Moreover, tea cultivation began on the institute’s grounds in 2015 on approximately 14 bighas (4.63 acres) and was expanded to an additional 8 bighas (2.64 acres) in 2019.
Moreover, the college makes roughly Rs 1.85 lakh a year by selling green leaves from the tea plantation to surrounding manufacturers, according to him.
For the first time, the institute produced green tea, which was launched in local shops on June 1st. In the tea garden, it is grown on four bighas (1.32 acres).
The product costs Rs 225 for a 100-gram packet and Rs 130 for a 50-gram packet.
The institute, which is affiliated with Gauhati University and was founded in 1963, has roughly 2,200 students in the Arts and Science disciplines, according to the principal.
According to the institute’s website, it employs 74 people, including 48 teachers.
Also Read: Tea Garden workers up in arms against proposed Airport in Barak Valley, 2022