Bengal tea workers may come under MGNREGA

Kolkata, April 27 (IANS) The West Bengal government is planning to bring the state's impoverished tea gardens workers under the ambit of the 100-days' employment guarantee scheme, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee here Friday.

"We are planning to bring the workers of the tea gardens under the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) in order to improve their living conditions. This will enable them to get employment under the 100-days' job scheme," she said.

The government has also decided to give 16 acres of land to St. Xavier's College and 10 acres to Presidency University for campus extension.

"The land will be given to St Xavier's College will be provided at a price much below the market rate. The land to Presidency University will be purchased by the government since it is a government institution," Banerjee said.

When asked about the agitation over the forceful eviction of slum-dwellers from the Nonadanga area, Banerjee said: "There was a Maoist hand behind the protests. We are against forceful land acquisition."

Many residents of Nonadanga were injured and several protesters arrested while they were resisting the eviction drive on April 8.