Guwahati, Sep 30 (IANS): The Assam government has announced 20 per cent bonus to tea garden workers as a gift for the forthcoming Durga Puja festival.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said this on Thursday while adding that he has directed Industries and Commerce Department to dispense the payment of 20 per cent bonus to tea workers as their puja gift.

The decision assumes significance as there has been growing dissatisfaction among the tea garden workers in different tea gardens across the state and most of them have been demanding release of 20 percent bonus for the Durga puja festival.

However, the state government's decision to release 20 percent bonus will be applicable only to the 15 tea gardens under the state run Assam Tea Corporation Limited (ATCL). Most of the other private owned gardens are yet to announce the bonus this year.

It may be mentioned here that Assam has over 800 small and large plantations and only 15 of them with over 16,000 workers spreading across the districts of Nagaon, Biswanath, Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Charaideo and Karimganj are under the ATCL.

The gardens at present are undergoing massive facelift in nurseries, re-plantation and announcement of 20 percent bonus and the decision to release the amount in one go would surely serve as a morale booster for the workers.