Assam CM Tarun Gogoi urges Nirmala Sitharaman to appoint chairman of Tea Board

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has asked minister of state for commerce and industry Nirmala Sitharaman to take steps for the appointment of chairman of the Tea Board.

In a letter to the minister, Gogoi said a chairman for the Board would ensure long-term success and competitive viability of the Indian tea industry, with specific attention to the welfare of workers, growers, packers and consumer needs.

Gogoi also sought the minister’s intervention for filling up the post of executive director of the Tea Board in Assam which has been lying vacant for two years.

Opposing the move to shift the office of the executive director from Jorhat to Guwahati, Gogoi said the move would be regressive as Jorhat is the hub for tea production. “The move would likely harm the interests of a large number of entrepreneurs, as they would be deprived of the services of the Tea Board,” Gogoi said.

The chief minister also drew Sitharaman’s attention to the post of director of Small Tea Growers which has been vacant.