Poverty and the Impact of Government Schemes in Augmenting Sustainable Development of Tea Tribes of Assam

This paper focuses on the Socio-economic status of Tea Tribes of Assam and how the recent initiative of the Government and their cooperation and partnership with Tea companies has helped in transforming the lives of this community. Tea Tribe is one of the most backward communities of people residing in the state of Assam. They are the predecessors of the indentured labourers who hailed from different caste and tribal communities and migrated to Assam in the year 1939 during British raj. From the beginning of the time of migration, the tea tribe community has lived in extreme poverty with very poor health condition. Their growth in terms of standard of living, social, health and economic condition has been very minute or almost stagnant even after India’s independence in 1947. The recent enthusiastic attentiveness of the government (both state and central) in ameliorating the Tea Tribes living condition by providing support through schemes to augment a sustaining development within this community comes as a fresh air. In the light of the above, primary survey was conducted in Hazelbank and Basmatia Tea Estate to determine how the implementation of government schemes has helped to empower this section of the society.