Overview
- Daily wages will rise to ₹280 in the Brahmaputra Valley and ₹258 in the Barak Valley, covering both major estates and small tea gardens.
- The increase follows a February 26 recommendation by the Minimum Wages Advisory Board, Cabinet approval on February 27, and a March 7 gazette notification.
- Labour groups and Adivasi organisations denounced the ₹30 rise as inadequate, recalling an earlier pledge to raise the floor to ₹351.
- Planters warn the higher wage will strain an industry already facing rising costs and weaker demand linked to the war in West Asia.
- Tea communities make up an estimated 18–20% of voters in tea-belt districts, and the chief minister says wages have climbed over 40% since 2021 while signalling a push beyond ₹300 within six months.