ASSAM CHIEF MINISTER INAUGURATES GRASSROOTS PROGRAM IN ASSAM

To popularize football in Assam’s tea garden areas, the Tea Board of India on Saturday formally opened its Grassroots Football Development Programme at Monabarie Tea Estate in central Assam’s Sonitpur district.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi formally inaugurated the programme at a function at Monabarie Tea Estate. It is the first major programme adopted by the Tea Board to popularize football in tea garden areas in Assam, the world’s highest tea producing region.

Tea Board of India has roped in Kolkata’s football fame, East Bengal Club for imparting training to youths of tea gardens in Assam. Gogoi appreciated Tea Board of India’s initiatives to find out football talents from tea belts in the state.

“This is a good initiative of Tea Board of India to popularize football in the state. I have no doubt that this Grassroots Football Development Programme will certainly be successful in finding young football talents in the state,” Gogoi said.

Gogoi also laid foundation stone of Tezpur office complex of Tea Board of India at Monabarie Tea Estate, Sonitpur. In his address, Gogoi said that his govt. have taken various schemes for tea gardens workers, students and youths in tea tribe communities.

The CM said Assam government has been thinking for introduction of school buses in tea garden areas so that all boys and girls in tea gardens would get chances to enroll their names in school and attend classes Gogoi also distributed land pattas to 135 families of ex-tea garden workers.

He emphasized for creation of more self help groups (SHG) in tea garden areas so that women in garden get chance to involve themselves in economic activities other than tea plucking. Tea Board of India’s outgoing chairman MGVK Bhanu was also present in the inaugural function of the Grassroots Football Development Programme at Monabarie Tea Estate.