
Guwahati, Feb. 9: Assam tea planter Bidyananda Barkakoty, who was elected vice-chairman of the Tea Board of India, said he would work for more benefits and facilities to the plantation workers.
Barkakoty, who is at present a member of the Tea Board and represents the tea planters, was unanimously elected at the 227th board meeting of the Tea Board of India held in Calcutta today.
His tenure is from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017.
According to the manual, the board shall elect from among its members a vice-chairman who shall exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the chairman as may be delegated to him by the chairman.
Sources said one of the top agendas of the board meeting, which was presided over by board chairman Santosh Kumar Sarangi, was to elect the vice-chairman.
"I will work to see that the human resource development scheme of the Tea Board of India is fully implemented so that the workers benefit," Barkakoty told The Telegraph.
Under the human resource development scheme, there are four components - health, education, training and plantation welfare-related projects. He said this apart, price realisation will be his focus area as it has not kept pace with the rise in cost of production. This issue will have to be resolved for survival of the tea industry, he said.
A mechanical engineer by qualification, Barkakoty said he would work towards ensuring that small tea growers, who are a big force in the industry, get proper price of their green leaf. The total outlay for the board in the Twelfth Plan is Rs 1,425 crore, of which Rs 200 crore is for small growers.
Proper transportation and handling of green leaf will have to be monitored, as this will eventually help improve the quality of made tea. Strengthening the research and development centres - Tocklai Tea Research Institute and UPASI Tea Research Foundation - would also be his areas of focus.