Darjeeling, 30th July: Darjeeling MP Raju Bista met Union Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal and requested his urgent intervention on various issues concerning the tea gardens of North Bengal.
The MP highlighted how the Medium Term Framework (MTF), which was planned to help in the development and promotion of the tea sector, was barely implemented in the tea gardens of North Bengal. He requested Minister Goyal to have the issue examined and requested him to reinitiate the MTF scheme.
Furthermore, the MP also spoke on how the tea gardens in North Bengal are owed crores in subsidy dues. He requested the minister to seek clearance of the outstanding payment at the earliest so that the tea industry based in Darjeeling hills, Dooars, and Terai region are not deprived of their rightful subsidies and other payments. He also requested to allocate additional resources to the Tea Board of India for the promotion of Indian Tea and requested for a delegation from the tea industry to be included during international trade summits.
“Hon’ble Piyush ji has assured me that he will be taking this up with the relevant Ministries and Departments concerned and seek to redress these issues at the earliest. Tea Industry is the second-highest employment generator for our region, and we need to ensure that the industry thrives so that we can generate value addition based on higher-paying employment opportunities for our people,” Raju Bista added to his statement.