Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday announced that the state government will provide a 3 per cent reservation for tea tribe and Adivasi candidates in Grade I and Grade II government jobs, a significant policy move ahead of the Assembly elections.

The quota will apply to top administrative and police services, including the Assam Civil Service and Assam Police Service, with the government framing the decision as part of a broader effort to bring historically marginalised tea garden communities into the mainstream.

Push To Integrate Tea Garden Population

Sarma said the policy targets the socio economic upliftment of nearly 40 lakh people belonging to tea tribes and Adivasi groups in the state. He had first announced the proposal in October last year at a major conference of tea tribe organisations in Jorhat district.

“If we cannot bring the tea community into the mainstream of society, Assam as a whole will never progress,” the Chief Minister had said, emphasising that inclusion of tea garden youth in higher level government jobs was essential for long term development.

The state had already introduced a 3 per cent reservation for these communities in Grade III and Grade IV posts under the OBC quota. Extending the benefit to senior positions marks a major expansion of that policy.

Cabinet Decisions And Political Developments

Alongside the reservation decision, the state Cabinet approved Rs 335 crore for establishing Assam’s second Sainik School at Langvoku in Karbi Anglong district.

The announcement comes amid intensifying political activity ahead of the Assembly polls. Sarma also confirmed he would visit former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah, who recently resigned, and reiterated that the BJP’s doors remain open for him.

Meanwhile, political parties in the state have urged the Election Commission to conduct the upcoming Assembly elections in one or at most two phases. The poll panel’s full bench is currently reviewing preparedness in the state.

The reservation policy is expected to become a major campaign issue as parties compete to win support from Assam’s sizeable tea garden population, which has long been considered electorally decisive in several constituencies.

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